Are you interested in taking a DNA test for finding living relatives? There are many excellent choices for DNA testing, and this post will explain why Ancestry DNA is the best choice for finding living family members. When trying to find living family with a DNA test, you should choose a company that: is reliable …
Do you want to know if a DNA match is paternal or maternal? Using the information and techniques described in this post, you'll be able to figure out which side of your family your match is on. It's very common to have trouble determining whether a match is paternal or maternal, especially if you haven't …
A few weeks ago, one of my close acquaintances got his DNA results back. He showed them to his mother, who is the daughter of a Mexican father and and an American mother. Her initial response was that they were wrong: "Those can't be right," she said. "Where is the Mexican in your DNA results?" …
How accurate are Ancestry DNA matches? Find out when they are 100% accurate and when you need to take a second look. Read more...
Can siblings have different Ancestry DNA results? If you and your sibling both did the Ancestry DNA test for fun, you might be confused over your results. If you are full siblings, why are your Ancestry DNA results different? Before you jump to any conclusions about mom or dad, you should definitely read this post. …
If your DNA match hasn't responded, and you haven't given up hope that they someday might write you back, there are a few things that you can consider to improve the probability that they will write you back. In this post, I've listed six secret tips that you can try to improve your chances that …
One frustrating aspects of using DNA to learn about your family tree is when you contact DNA matches and there is no response. Sometimes, you can even send multiple messages different ways and still get no answer. In this post, I will discuss a few reasons why your DNA matches won't respond, and a couple …
Do you want to learn how to use Gedmatch? Check out this free step-by-step guide to learning the basics of Gedmatch. Find new DNA matches and DNA tools!
What should you do if your elderly relative's DNA test fails? Are there any options? This post will give you some ideas about what to do if it happens during your DNA journey. Have you received the dreaded "New DNA Sample Required" e-mail from Ancestry DNA? It is wonderful when our elderly relatives agree to …
Are you worried that your first cousin does not match on your DNA results? In this post, learn reasons why this might have happened and what to do next. More often than you might expect, people are surprised by their DNA results. It can be disappointing or shocking to expect someone to be genetically related …
Want to know what the Gedmatch One to One comparison tool can tell you? This is an easy-to-read explanation about how to understand the results!
Did you get your Ancestry DNA results back expecting to see Polish as your ethnicity? Surprise! In this article, you will learn why your Polish DNA might not show up on Ancestry's DNA ethnicity estimate. This post was originally published in October, 2017, but was updated in August, 2018 to reflect the most current information …
I recently got an elderly relative's DNA test results back from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), and naturally the first thing that I wanted to do was upload his results to Gedmatch. There are many reasons that you might want to have a file that contains your raw DNA data, and in this post I hope …
Did you find Europe East in your Ancestry DNA results? In this article, you will learn a bit about what it means to have Europe East Ancestry, including: What countries are included in the Ancestry "Europe East" category Why the DNA ethnicity results aren't separated by country Discussion about whether you might be able to …
Is it possible for two siblings to have the same parents, but have different ethnicity results? This question sometimes causes people to panic, wondering if they have uncovered a family secret. Is it possible that two full siblings who have the same two parents show different ancestry? The resounding answer is YES. This is totally …
People have all sorts of motivations for doing an Ancestry DNA test. One popular reason is to search for Native American Ancestry, or to confirm it. This leads to an obvious question: Does Ancestry DNA Test For Native American ancestry? In this article, I'll show you what Native American results look like on the Ancestry …
Do you have extensive Colonial America roots, yet show Iberian Peninsula DNA? In this article, you will learn how it can be possible to have both Iberian and Colonial ancestry. Here's a hint: It doesn't mean that your tree is wrong! Before we get started, I should mention that Ancestry DNA no longer reports the …
If you have tested your DNA, should your other relatives test theirs, too? This article will explain how and why having multiple family members test their DNA can help you learn more about your ancestors. "I've already done a DNA test. Why should anyone else in my family do one, too?" Does this sound like …
Shared Ancestor Hints on Ancestry DNA are a great way to find out how you are related to your DNA matches, and can even help you continue to build your family tree. In this article, I will help you understand what these hints mean and how you can use them to help you in your …
Do you want to know how to change your Ancestry DNA test settings? In this post, learn how to adjust settings for privacy, sharing, family tree - and more! If you've done your Ancestry DNA test, you might be interested in learning about the different options available to you on your test settings page. Believe …
In order to get the best results from your Ancestry DNA results, you should consider attaching your DNA to your family tree on Ancestry. In this post, I'll explain how to quickly attach DNA to an Ancestry tree. Even if your tree isn't completely finished, or even if you only have a few people in …
This post will help you understand your Ancestry DNA results. People do the Ancestry DNA test for all sorts of different reasons, and sometimes the results can be confusing or unexpected. In this article, I will show you how to read DNA results: Ancestry DNA. (If you haven't done an Ancestry DNA test yet, you …
Have you found a close match on your DNA test results? Maybe you are curious to know whether it could be a full or half sibling who is unknown to you? Find out how much DNA you share with a sibling. On Ancestry DNA, and most other testing sites, they won't be able to tell …
There are hundreds of websites that claim to be able to help you research your family tree. If you are just getting started, how do you know where you should start? Some are free, and some require a subscription - so how do you know which ones are worth the money? What can you expect …
Do you want to know how to upload DNA to Gedmatch? Learn the easiest way to do it in this post, and start using the helpful tools on the site immediately!
I'm so glad that you have decided to get in touch with one (or more!) of your DNA matches! I hope that with this post you learn how to craft your message, what information to include, and how to increase your chances of getting a positive response. At the end of the post, there is …
It's always a good idea to build a basic family tree, and it's an especially good idea if you have already done a DNA test (like the one from Ancestry DNA). You can get so much more from your DNA results if you have a family tree and you can get much more from your …
The day that you have been waiting for for weeks has come and gone. You got the exciting e-mail containing the news that your DNA results are ready. You looked at them, and it was all well and good. What should you do now? No worries! In this post, I'll show you many things you …
Wonder what Ancestry DNA Hispanic DNA results look like? If you have family from Latin America, you MUST read this post about Hispanic DNA results.
It turns out that many people are curious about how many matches it is "normal" to have, or what they should expect. In this post, we will talk about what to expect as far as the average number of DNA matches for Ancestry DNA customers. How many matches do you have? Are you disappointed in …
If you are like most people, you probably have a list of DNA matches that contains thousands of people. The relationships of these "cousins" to you can range from a close relationship, like a first cousin, to an 8th cousin once-removed - or even more distant! Sometimes, the relationship can even be more distant. I, …
Do you want to know where to look on your Ancestry match list to find out how many centimorgans you share with your DNA matches? In this post, find the two different ways to access this information and what you can learn. Have you seen people mentioning "shared centimorgans" or seen someone say "shared cMs" …
What is an autosomal DNA test? Autosomal DNA testing has grown exponentially in popularity over the past several years, and in this post, you will learn everything you need to understand about this type of DNA testing. There are several types of DNA tests that are available for purchase to the average consumer. These tests …
Have you ever wondered what you call the "link" between you and your relatives? There is a special term that people in the family tree research or genealogy field use to describe this relationship: common ancestor. What is a common ancestor? This comes up a lot during genetic genealogy, since when I look at the …
Modern humans have been living in the Iberian Peninsula for many thousands of years. Before modern humans, the peninsula was inhabited for hundreds of thousands of years by other species of hominids. This all leads to a rich history that can get kind of complicated to understand completely. In this post, we'll discuss the Iberian …
Are you curious about whether Iberian is Hispanic? Did you do a DNA test and saw something called "Iberian Peninsula" on your DNA results? Does this mean that you are Hispanic? No worries, this is a super common question, and in this post, we will discuss the meaning of Iberian vs. Hispanic. What does Hispanic …
Do you want to see an example of Ancestry DNA results? Find out how Ancestry can help you learn where your family came from and what your DNA shows.
Are you wondering how much it costs to do a DNA test? So many people are under the impression that doing a genealogical DNA test is too expensive, but I am happy to say that this is not always true. There are reasonably priced DNA kits, and easy ways to make sure that you get …
If you've already done your Ancestry DNA test, you most likely see a section called a "Low Confidence Region" that is listed just below your major ethnicities. Many people automatically assume that because it says "Low Confidence" that is isn't accurate. The reality is that sometimes it isn't accurate, and sometimes it is. That's why …
One of the most popular reasons for doing a DNA test is to determine ethnicity. Many people start out on their DNA journey trying to learn about their ethnicity and end up discovering new family members, or learning something really cool about their family history. Is there such a thing as a DNA test for …
Are you interested in finding out whether Ancestry DNA can be used to find a biological father or mother? The answer is that yes, DNA testing is wonderful tool to help in the process. In this post, I'll show you how I figured out the biological father of a close relative using a few clues …
I've been really interested in family tree research (otherwise known as genealogy) for about four years now. During these four years, I have found myself doing a lot of studying of historical events in order to understand the background of the events in my family tree. For example, many of my ancestors migrated to the …