Genetic Genealogy

Have you wondered if you should ignore your distant cousin DNA matches? Is there anything that can be gained through trying to identify how you are related to these relatives? Some of us have many thousands of DNA matches. Since it can be difficult to tell which matches are most important, many of us focus …

Did you get DNA matching the Scotland ethnicity region on Ancestry DNA? In this post, find out what it means to have Scottish DNA, how you inherited DNA from this region, and how to trace it.

What does cM shared mean on your DNA results? Where can you find this information? Learn all of this, and more, in this post!

Have you seen your Ancestral Journey on your Ancestry DNA results? In this post, learn where to find them, what they mean, and how you can use them to learn more about your ancestors.

Have you ever wondered how far back in your family tree DNA matches can really go? In this post, find out everything you need to know about this question. As we all know, DNA matches share bits of DNA with us that we refer to as DNA segments. These DNA segments were passed down to …

If you have a DNA match that shares about 1300 cMs with you, they could be your half-sibling or a half-uncle or aunt, among other relationship possibilities. In this post, learn how to know whether your match is your half-sibling, or that of one of your parents. DNA results are an amazing way to find …

Are you wondering how the 23andMe bankruptcy issues affect you and your DNA results? In this post, find out what you need to know and whether you should take steps to protect your data.

If you have spent some time analyzing your DNA match list, you might wonder if it is possible to have no DNA matches from an ancestor who you know is in your family tree. In this post, learn whether this is possible and how it could happen.

Do you want to learn more about the most recent MyHeritage ethnicity estimate update? In this post, you will find out everything you need to know about the v2.5 update of your DNA results.

Did you know that there is a way to automatically add a DNA match to your family tree on Ancestry? In this post, learn how to find and use this helpful tool! This tool, called the "Add DNA Match to Tree" tool, is a feature that launched around the beginning of 2025. Anyone with an …

Have you ever thought about who should or shouldn't be added to your family tree? In this post, I'll discuss what you should consider before adding someone to your tree.

Do you want to know how to use the Gedmatch Matching Segment Search tool? Learn how this tool can help you learn more about your DNA and family tree.

Did you get more than 40% matching a single region on your DNA results? In this post, learn how many generations back this is, as well as everything you need to know to find the ancestor who passed this down to you.

Have you seen the Ancestry Enhanced DNA Matches feature? In this post, learn how to use it and what you can discover through using this tool.

Have you heard of Ancestry Pro Tools? In this post, you will learn what these tools are and how you can best use them to help with your family tree and DNA match research.

Do you want to learn how to connect your Family Tree DNA results to a family tree? In this post, find a quick tutorial on exactly how to do this.

Are you wondering why your closest relatives don't show up on your list of DNA matches? In this post, find out all the reasons why this can happen.

If you have tested with or uploaded your DNA to Family Tree DNA, and have a family tree on that site, then you will definitely want to read this post. You will learn about an important change that happened in 2024 and the collaboration between FTDNA and MyHeritage.

Did your first cousin take a DNA test? In this post, learn how to know if your cousin is a full or half-first cousin to you. Knowing whether your cousin is a full or half-cousin can be important in your genealogy research. For example, if your cousin is a half-cousin, you can use your shared …

If you logged into your Ancestry account, yet can't see the DNA results you were expecting to see? In this post, learn the reasons why this might have happened, and what to do about it.

Do you have a close DNA match with whom you would like to figure out your relationship? In this post, learn some strategies that you can use to find out how you are related to those closer DNA matches. It might seem like it should be very easy to figure out how a close DNA …

Did you know that genetic males can now learn about their ancient direct-line paternal ancestry on their Family Tree DNA Family Finder results? In this post, find out how to see this information, and more. The Y-DNA haplogroup is now included automatically when you take a new Family Tree DNA Family Finder test. However, if …

If you know that you have endogamy in your family tree due to many generations of marriages between cousins, you might want to know how this affects your DNA and matches. In this post, learn more about this topic through examples.

Do you have DNA matches that you can't place in your family tree? In this post, find tips that will show you how to find the extra information you need

Do you want to know what percentage ethnicity on your DNA results is considered significant? In this post, we'll discuss the answer to this question - and more.

Have you been contacted by a DNA match, but aren't sure how to respond? In this post, find tips and ideas for how to proceed.

Do you share a paternal haplogroup with someone? If you wonder what this means, and if you might be related to this person, this article will answer your questions.

What does it mean when you have a DNA match that doesn't share any ethnicity regions with you? In this post, find out how this can happen and what it means.

Have a situation where multiple DNA matches share the same DNA segment with you? Learn what this means, and what you can learn from this.

Ancestry DNA released the 2023 Ethnicity Estimate update in September. In this post, learn about how this update is different and what to look for on your own updated DNA results.

Have you had a DNA match disappear? In this post, learn the different reasons why this may have happened and what your options are.

Have you ever heard the term "admixture" used in reference to DNA? In this post, learn what is meant by admixture in DNA testing.

If you did a 23andMe test, then you almost definitely have DNA Relatives on your results. In this post, learn what this means and how these individuals are related to you.

Have you seen the term "DNA Overlap" on your 23andMe DNA match list? In this post, where to find this information, and what it means about your relationship with your DNA relatives.

Have you wondered how many DNA segments parents and their children usually share? In this post, learn the answer and find out why some might share less than usual. If you have a parent or child that has taken a DNA test, or you have a DNA match that might be a parent or child, …

Find out about the England and Northwestern Europe DNA ethnicity in your Ancestry DNA. How you got it, which countries it includes, and more!

Did you find out that you have Finland in your Ancestry DNA results?  Are you wondering whether this means you have a recent ancestor from the area? 

Have you tried the cM Explainer on MyHeritage? In this post, learn how to find and use this useful DNA analysis tool.

Maybe you've heard that researchers have made big discoveries about Beethoven's DNA. In this post, learn more about what they learned, as well as how to find out if you are related to Beethoven.

This is a feature that was released in March 2023 that gives us even more insight to the ancestry we share with our friends and relatives.

You can view your Ancestry DNA grouped by the ancestor that you share in common. Learn how to do it in this post.

Do you need help figuring out how Parent 1 and Parent 2 on Ancestry corresponds to your maternal and paternal sides of the family? In this post, find a few easy methods that can help you accomplish this.