DNA CONNECTIONS AND DISCOVERIES ~ A new 2nd cousin leads to more information on my Mom’s family line

I find myself checking for new DNA matches, pretty much daily.  Most of the time it’s while I’m watching TV and using my iPad.  My DNA site of choice is Ancestry, although my DNA is on all of the sites (FtDNA, 23 & Me, Gedmatch, MyHeritage and Living DNA).

The other night while checking on new matches, I came across one that was 30 cms on 3 segments and had a tree of 102 people and shock, also a common ancestor.  I say shocked because while I have a lot of matches, I don’t have all that many that have common ancestors.

I looked at the match and saw that it was managed by someone I’ll call her Anna.  Right away I clicked on Anna’s name to see what her profile said about her.  She lives in Australia and joined Ancestry in 2005.  Her last sign in was that same day.  That’s certainly a positive sign that someone is actively working their tree and/or matches.
 
Next I checked our shared matches (hoping we had some) and sure enough we did.  She matches my brother, my nephew and a first cousin on my maternal side.
 
My next step was to check her tree and take a look at our common ancestor.  Woohoo!  The common ancestors are my 3rd great grandparents Charles Milne and Margaret Ritchie.  And I see not only the name Milne in the tree but also Beechey/Beechy which I know to be associated with my Milne family. 

(Click on this image to enlarge it)

This is a SOLID match which also follows my own paper trail and years of research.  I did a little more looking at her tree and discovered she had information on that Beechey line, that I had yet to uncover.
 
Next step – send her a message.  We all know that sending messages to our DNA matches is a gamble at best.  Will they respond?  Many times the answer is no.  But, when someone has checked in recently and is managing other people’s DNA you have a better chance that the person will respond.

Sure enough, I heard back the very next day.  After all, we are in very different time zones.  She was excited to make contact with me and told me that the person who actually took the DNA test and is a match to members of my family, is her mother-in-law who is 98 years old.  So, I’m actually related to Anna’s husband and not her.  The test taker who is 98, is my 2nd cousin once removed.

Testing the oldest members in our families is so useful, as it can take you back another generation or two.

Anna and I have exchanged emails and invited one another to be viewers on our DNA.  We have a lot to share with one another and are both excited.

Huge bonus when you connect with cousins is not only the extra information, but the possibility of pictures.  Sure enough, Anna has already shared a beautiful wedding photo with me.  I haven’t asked her permission yet, so I cannot share it.  If she does give me permission I’ll be sure and share.

I have new stories to add to my tree and have located lots of new records on Ancestry.  And that’s the only site I’ve checked so far.  There’s still Family Search, MyHeritage and others.

There’s a whole lot to like about DNA.  One of my favorites is the verification of years of research.  What a wonderful feeling to know that we have been doing it correctly and following the right trail.  This is just one example of a DNA success story.  I have so many more.

Do you have DNA connection stories?  I’d love to hear about them.
 
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST


TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ Aboyne Parish Kirkyard in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland – my visit to my 3rd great grandparents, Charles Milne & Margaret Ritchie’s burial site

Surname Saturday - A Very Early Post about my Milne family

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTRY & MYHERITAGE ANNOUNCE EXCITING NEW FEATURES TO HELP WITH OUR DNA MATCHES

Right now up in Salt Lake City there’s a gathering of thousands of genealogists.  They are attending Rootstech.  I went last year with my friend, Pam and we had a wonderful time.  We hope to attend again next year.

Want to view live streaming from Rootstech – here’s the link Rootstech Live Streaming Schedule

Coinciding with the conference and not coincidentally, are announcements from major websites about additional functions to assist us with identifying our DNA matches.

There are other people who have already blogged about these new items.  Rather than re-create the wheel, I’m going to share what the new features are and then direct you to the other blogs and websites that can help you better understand how to use them.
 
Let’s begin with Ancestry.com  They are in a beta phase for these features right now.

• Thru Lines – illustrates how you may be related to your DNA matches through a common ancestor
• Labeling – This feature, which was previously available as a Chrome add-on, is now being offered by Ancestry.  It allows you to create groups and designate them by color.  This means when you are viewing matches or shared matches you can see exactly how they fit into your family. The labeling is up to you.  Here’s a sample of my labels so far.

MyHeritage new tools

• Theory of Family Relativity – theories about how DNA matches may be connected to a particular person.

• AutoClusters – An automatic tool that organizes your DNA matches into clusters that likely descend from common ancestors.  This can really help you determine how your matches are connected to one another.

I just began experimenting with these new tools yesterday.  I’m very excited about the opportunity this gives us to identify how our matches fit into our family trees.

For excellent explanations and tutorials about these new tools, please go to the following blogs.  There are other bloggers also writing about these exciting enhancements.

Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings
MyHeritage Theory of Family Relativity
Ancestry DNA Thru Lines

Kitty Cooper’s Blog
MyHeritage Theory of Family Releativity

Extra tid bit – Kitty has also written about how to use the new Genesis that has replaced Gedmatch
Genesis - Gedmatch reinvented - How to Use it - Part 1

I’m sure there will be much more to come on both of the listed blogs and many others.  For now, I hope this will get you started.

Have you tried out these wonderful new features?  If so, are they helping you?
 
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

The i4GG Conference in San Diego is over for this year ~ here’s a quick take away–What a GREAT 2 days!!

Screenshots from i4GG website used with permission

I was fortunate to be able to attend my second i4GG Conference this past weekend.  What does i4GG stand for?  Institute for Genetic Genealogy.

This was the second year for the conference.  It is put on by CeCe Moore and her group DNA Detectives.  It was a sold out two day event held at the Sheraton Hotel in Mission Valley, here in San Diego, CA.

Each day there were 10 classes to choose from.  The classes are geared for Beginner/ Intermediate or Advanced or a combination of two.  And some are for all levels
.
I’ve placed a red X next to the classes I attended.

Here are the classes offered on Saturday

X Opening Keynote, CeCe Moore
X The Limitations of Cousin Matching, Blaine Bettinger – Beginner/Intermediate
What’s New at Gedmatch – 2017, Kitty Cooper – Beginner/Intermediate
X Creating and Utilizing Genetic Networks In Your Research CeCe Moore – Intermediate
X Power Tools for the Genetic Genealogist, Angie Bush – Sponsored by AncestryProGenealogists – Intermediate/Advanced
X Science the Heck out of Your DNA: Using Hypotheses and Probability to Solve Genealogical Questions, Leah Larkin – Intermediate/Advanced
Furthering Your Research With Living DNA, Katie Welka – Living DNA – All Levels
X Tips and Tricks from the Genetic Genealogy Trenches, Carol Isbister Rolnick – Beginner/Intermediate
Your (very) Extended Family Tree, Oron Navon – MyHeritageDNA – All levels
Lineage Societies and DNA, Katherine Borges – All levels
Examining Your Matches at the “Big 3,” Michelle Trostler – Beginning

I learn something from each and every class that I attend.  Maybe it will be just that one thing you learn that allows you to advance your research or break down that brick wall.

For me on this day, it was the class about Creating and Utilizing Genetic Networks by CeCe Moore and Tips and Tricks from Genetic Genealogy Trenches by Carol Isbister Rolnick that hit home and gave me new ideas.  Not to take away from the other classes, they were good too.  But, what we learn will always depend on where we are in our particular journey.

I went home tired after the first day with my head full of new ideas.  But, I went right back for the Sunday sessions.

Here are the list of classes offered on Sunday 

Identifying the Man Known as Paul Fronczak through DNA Detective Work, CeCe Moore, Carol Rolnick and Michelle Trostler – All levels
What’s New at Family Tree DNA?, Jim Brewster – Family Tree DNA – All levels
DNA Successes In–And Despite Of—Endogamy, Lara Diamond – Intermediate
How DNA Testing Works: The Science Behind Your DNA Results, Ben Wilson – AncestryDNA – All levels
X Using DNAGedcom’s GWorks, Rob Warthen – DNAGedcom – All levels
Tracing Your DNA Across the Ages with 23andMe, Hilary Vance – 23andMe – All levels
X Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls with AncestryDNA, CeCe Moore – All levels
Jewish DNA: Beyond Ashkenazi, Schelly Talalay Dardashti – All levels
X Visual Phasing How-To, Blaine Bettinger – Intermediate/Advanced
The Priest and the Choir Girl: Searching for Family in an Endogamous Population, Kathleen Fernandes – Advanced
Closing Keynote - Genetic Genealogy Year in Review 2017, Blaine Bettinger

The three classes I attended on Sunday were just as good as Saturday. 
With one exception being the Visual Phasing-How To by Blaine Bettinger. That class wasn’t just good, it blew my mind.  Why?

Because this particular procedure allows us to use DNA from a set of 3 siblings (even half siblings can be used in some cases) to extract those sections on the chromosomes that belong to our individual/paternal or maternal GRANDPARENT(s)!

Yes, I said GRANDPARENTS.  How many of you, like me, have no way to test your grandparents?  Many of us don’t even have parents we can test.  In my case, I was fortunate enough to be able to test my Mom, who lived to be 91.  But, my Dad has been gone for decades.
 
If we can extract or determine what portions of our DNA belonged to our grandparent or grandparents, then we are getting two more generations back, allowing many more possible matches.

I certainly haven’t tried this out yet and cannot explain it.  I’ll leave that to the professionals.  But, if you’re interested I would encourage you to purchase the video presentations that will be available from this conference.  There are so many that will be helpful to you.  Here again is a link to the Institute for Genetic Genealogy website. I don’t know when the videos will be available.  Last year it took a couple of months.

Please note:  I get no remuneration or benefit from mentioning the i4GG website or conference.  I’m just an excited blogger sharing information with my readers.

I can’t wait to get started so I’ll end here.  If I have news to share (new finds) from all of this, you’ll be hearing from me.  Now go and test all those family members near and far.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

How DNA Led Me To Change My Husband's Direct Line - Flynn or Cupps?

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HOW I AM KEEPING TRACK OF DNA CORRESPONDENCE–Update from last November’s post

First of all, I want to say that I’ve missed writing my blog posts.  Since we returned from our vacation in June I have been completely focused on DNA results.  I am trying to assist our daughter-in-law with finding her biological family.  I have been trying to learn how to use each of the DNA sites and all the resources they offer.  And, how to interpret results.  This is no small task.

I originally wrote about this subject last November.  But, I’ve changed my method since then.  Always a work in progress, as you know.  Here’s the earlier post: http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2016/11/dna-heres-how-im-keeping-track-of.html

Now that I am the administrator for other family member’s tests, and I am dealing with multiple sites, it’s necessary to be sure I have a good tracking method.

So, you contact someone who is a match on FtDNA, Ancestry or GedMatch. If your lucky enough that the connection responds, what then? 

• How do you keep track of the initial contact?
• How do you record their response?
• How do you keep track of which side of the family they may be connected to?

Those are the questions many people have asked.  Everyone has their own method.  Some may go old school and print everything and keep it in a binder.  Some might use a spreadsheet or a Word document.  Others might just keep a special folder in their email account.  Maybe a combination of all that?

HERE IS HOW I’VE BEEN KEEPING TRACK OF THE ONGOING CORRESPONDENCE

I have been using Evernote for several years.  I find it very useful for all areas of my life.  But, especially for genealogy.  Why?

• Because you can create up to 250 Notebooks
• Because you can create as many notes as you want to
• BUT, especially because you can tag each of those notes with specific tags (you can use up to 100,000 tags in your Evernote account)
• Because I can sort by date created, title or date updated
• Because you can add text, images, and links to websites
• Because you can annotate your notes with arrows and boxes
• Because you can add highlights, tables, check boxes or audio

You get the idea.  There’s a LOT you can do.  AND, it syncs from your desktop to any other device on which you’ve downloaded the app.

Back to my original topic.  How I have been keeping track of DNA correspondence.
 
I have a notebook titled “DNA Correspondence.”  For tags I use “DNA matches” and whatever surnames are connected, if I have that information, and/or places.

Here’s what I record in a note in Evernote.  I use copy and paste.
 
I have redacted personal information for this match.

I begin with the date of the correspondence, who I contacted and how we match.

5/30/2017 Email from Audie Hartson,  aah1@sbcglobal.net
I contacted her from a match on GedMatch
THIS IS HOW WE MATCH
Comparing Kit A918842 (*DGouldHall) and M897041 (Audie Hartson)
Largest segment = 28.3 cM
Total of segments > 7 cM = 67.8 cM
4 matching segments
Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 3.9
We match on segments 3, 11, 12 and 14

Next I take a screenshot or copy and paste the graph of the chromosome match or matches.




I then copy and paste our correspondence in date order.

I sent out my first contact email (I have a standard email that I send, which I modify as needed) and she responded.

NOTE:  Every DNA class or seminar I have attended has stressed that those first contact emails be friendly, short and to the point.
  
Here is my initial contact email.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 11:12 AM, Diane Hall wrote:
Hi Audie,
My name is Diane Gould Hall. You have come up as a match to both my brother and
myself on GedMatch.
We have been searching for nearly 15 yrs. to try and find out who the parents of
our 2nd great grandfather might be. I am an experienced genealogist and have
hired 3 professionals, who have never found a link to his parents.
I figured DNA was the best bet.
So, according to GedMatch you are matching us at 63 cm (my brother) and 67 cm
(me) and about 4 generations.
This means that we probably have 2nd great grandparents in common.
Would you be interested in exchanging information with me? I have a tree on
Ancestry. Do you? I will gladly share my research with you.
Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards,
Diane Gould Hall

I received a response back the following day.  I was on vacation at the time, but was checking my email while we were gone.  

Here is what I wrote back to her.  She had mentioned that she was going to be on vacation.

May 24 2017 20:18:13
Hi Audie,
  Thanks for getting back to me.  I know you are still on vacation.  I was gone when your email came in and I'm home now.
  Well, you nailed it when you listed the names and now I know how we are connected.  It's through the Surdam name.  Here's how it goes:
Edith Eliza Thorp (1843-1915) married George Beech Surdam - they are my 2nd great grandaunt and uncle
Their daughter, Ida F. Surdam married Augustine A. Lighthouse, just like you stated.  The only child I had thus far for Ida & Augustine was Grace B. Lighthouse born about 1889.  I probably haven't done a lot on this link yet.
However, I have LOTS of info on the Thorp line and pretty good info on all the children of George B. Surdam and Edith Eliza Thorp.
  I am very happy to share any of my information with you.  This is very exciting.  It's the first time I've contacted a possible DNA match and have actually received information back that I can connect to.  I'm also a rookie at all this and hoping to continue to learn more.  This should help both of us.
Look forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
Diane

She responded back to me with the following email.

From: Audie Hartson [aah1@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: 5/30/2017 4:24:19 PM
To: dhcowgirl@mail2Horse.com
Subject: Re:  GEDMatch  - we are connected, but how?
Hi Diane,
I am not good at figuring out GedMatch, or 23andMe-ancestry as yet.  I do have
some information on my Mother's side going back to my grandfather's and
grandmother's parents.  My Dad's side I have very little information.
My Grandmother's name is Audria Glenn Gerkin (Riggs).  Her parents were Alfred
Gerkin and Lizzie Whittington married Nov. 3, 1878
My Grandfather's name is Ollie Marshall Riggs.  His parents were Henry Harvey
Riggs (born 12-8-1849) and Mary Catherine Stechman (Born 4-29-1855).
My Father is James Earl Lund.  His parents are Otto Gerhard Lund and Lillian
Lighthouse (Lund).  I believe Lillian's parents were August Lighthouse and Ida
Surdam.  I also have the names of George Surdam and Edith Thorp who may be her
parents.  Otto Gerhard Lund's parents are Ole Gerhardt Lund and Jermine
Thompson.    That is about it.
I do have information on the Riggs dating back to 1632
If you have any of those names on your side, I would be very interested.  
I do not have a tree on ancestry.  I went through 23andme for DNA.
I am going on a trip this Friday for 3 weeks, so if you write back I will not be
able to answer you until the end of June.  It is so exciting hearing from
relatives that you did not know you have.
Best of luck..  If you need more on the Riggs side, I can help.  If you have
information on any of the names above, I would be very interested.  I hope we can
find the link.
Audie

There has been no further correspondence between us.  Knowing she would be gone for 3 weeks, I left her alone.  Since then, I’ve been sidetracked on other DNA items.  What this is reminding me, is that I need to send another email.

So far, this method is working well for me in regards to keeping track of correspondence.  There may be a time in the not to distant future where I will add a spreadsheet to my toolbox to also keep track of correspondence.  Perhaps just names, email addresses, how we connect and the dates back & forth.  Then I can come into my Evernote account and see the correspondence.

I would love to hear how all of you are keeping track of this incredible, but sometimes overwhelming tool, called DNA.  Please share with me in a comment or on your own blog, with a link to the post.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JAMOREE 2016 - Day One – DNA
Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

DNA ~ Here’s how I’m keeping track of the correspondence I’m sending to matches

DNA is certainly a subject we are all talking about. As more and more of us and our families test, we will have more connections.  That leads to more correspondence.

How are you keeping track of your emails and connections?
There are spreadsheets, Word documents, One Note, Evernote, handwritten notes and I’m sure any other number of ways to go about keeping track.

Or, like me, are you overwhelmed and don’t know where to start?  I decided enough was enough and ………

Here’s how I am currently keeping track.

So far I’ve used this method for matches from FtDNA.  Both of my brothers and my husband have completed FtDNA tests.  I have uploaded my autosomal DNA from Ancestry to FtDNA.
 
NOTE:  It is currently not possible to upload from the newer Ancestry DNA tests to FtDNA.  It is hoped that they will soon change that.  It has something to do with the configuration of the new Ancestry tests.

I begin by finding the matches in Family Finder on the FtDNA site.  Below are just a few of the matches on page one of my brother, Norm’s test.  Norm and I have the same parents.  Because we have a paternal brick wall, I concentrate on Norm’s YDNA a lot.

My brother John Zimmerman has a different father, therefore he is our half brother.  Although we never use the term half, except for genealogical purposes.

Those numbers in the 60’s are very good matches, and likely to be within the current time range which would allow us to easily find our connection.

I created an “Introductory Email” in Word and saved it.  I will use the same email, with changes here and there, for all my correspondence.

From attending several DNA lectures/seminars, I’ve learned that an introductory email should be simple and short. In other words we shouldn’t go on and on about our family lines.  In this case, I’ve introduced myself, mentioned that we matched on FtDNA and indicated how many centimorgens for the match.  Then I’ve told them in a couple of sentences that I’ve been working on my genealogy for over 13 years and still have ancestors that are “hiding from me.”  Then I tell them to contact me if they are interested in exchanging information.  Period.
  
Time will tell, how effective my email is and if I need to change the wording.

Next, I entered the information about the contact into Evernote.  Why Evernote?  For me, it seems a simple solution right now, that will allow me to keep track and find things in the future.  I do know there are spreadsheets out there that we can make copies of.  I do like spreadsheets and foresee that in the not too distant future, I will be using one to keep my DNA records.  But, for right now, I had to get started and this is the method I chose.  If you want to know more about how I use Evernote for my genealogy, please read my posts here, and here.

Here’s how I recorded my email correspondence today:

John Smith is not the match's real name

In the same note underneath the information above I’ve listed more contacts that I sent emails to.

I’ve already heard back from two people I contacted.  I’ve chosen to save all correspondence in Evernote, in separate notes for each contact. That way I can keep all the correspondence back & forth between us, in one neat, tidy place.

This method may not work for everyone.  Whether it works for the long haul for me is yet to be determined.  However, being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start or how to keep track was getting me no where.

I’d love to know how you are keeping track of your matches & correspondence.  Are you making a lot of discoveries?
 
I know we’ve only touched the surface of our future with genetic genealogy.  I look forward to all of it.

NOTE:  I was contacted by our Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell, after publishing this post.  She informed me that, unless I had permission, I could not show the names of the matches.  I had already blurred their emails, but didn't think to blur names.  I have corrected my error and thank Judy for always reminding us about proper procedures.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JAMBOREE - DAY ONE - All about DNA

WHAT DOES MY DNA TEST FROM ANCESTRY.COM TELL ME?
Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY - How Irish Are You?

I heard about my ethnicity during my growing up years.  It usually consisted of Scotch, Irish, English, Dutch, Welsh and Indian (as in Native American). 

Once I began researching my family I learned more about just who our ancestors were and where they came from.  So far, some of what I’d been told is true and some is not.

I have recently had my DNA test done through Ancestry DNA.  My brothers and my 90 year old mother have also had tests run.  Some through Ancestry and others via Family Tree DNA and 23 and Me.

With the Ancestry autosomal testing I have gotten the following results.

We all know that these tests are not 100% accurate.  They are improving the test procedures all the time, as more and more people are becoming interested.

However, between this test and the testing of my other family members, we have learned that we are primarily of Irish, Scotch and English descent. There doesn’t seem to be any Native American in our genes.  And only a smattering of Dutch/Scandinavian.

On this day that celebrates all things green and Irish, I can be proud of my Irish heritage.  But, then I’m proud of all my heritage every day.

 

Happy hunting,

Irish Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WHAT DOES MY DNA TEST FROM ANCESTRY.COM TELL ME?

WOOHOO!  I received the results of my Ancestry.com DNA test.

This is the first DNA test I have ever taken.  Both my brother and my half brother have done DNA tests. Recently, I decided I wanted to have my own results.  Next on the list will be my husband.  To my knowledge, no members of his family have been tested yet.

NOW WHAT?

The first thing I wanted to see was the ethnicity chart.  I have enough information on my maternal side and a portion of my paternal side, to believe that it would indicate a lot of Scottish, Irish and English bloodlines.  

BUT, would there be any surprises?

It doesn’t look like it.  Here is the initial breakdown with the map.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


I was surprised to see the greatest percentage was for Ireland.  I know I have some direct ancestry from Ireland.  However, I believed the majority were from Scotland.  

Then, in looking at the circles on the map I can see the big overlap for that dark blue circle, which includes Scotland.  Alright then, that makes sense.  So, I’m 98% European.  No big surprise there.  Which breaks down to the percentages you can see on the map below. 

What areas are indicated in those Trace Regions listed at 11%?



Although it’s a little difficult to see all the different colored circles on the map, if I hover over them while on the Ancestry site, they become shaded in.
 
Here is a breakdown of those other areas of my ethnicity.

EUROPE EAST – 4%
SCANDINAVIA – 3%
EUROPE WEST – 2%
IBERIAN PENINSULA – 2%
WEST ASIA – CAUCASUS – 1%

HERE ARE THE MAPS FOR THOSE TRACE AREAS THAT COMPOSE 12% OF MY ETHNIC ORIGINS.  

EUROPE EAST

                    SCANDINAVIA

  

EUROPE WEST

IBERIAN PENINSULA

WEST ASIA - CAUCASUS

     









NEXT, I went to the “Matches” list to see what gems I could find there.

There are 263 matches.  Those matches range from 3rd-4th Cousin (1 match at 98% confidence) to 4th-6th Cousins at 95-96% confidence ( 51 matches ), to Distant Cousins, possible range, 5th-8th Cousins at moderate to low confidence.

I have already sent a message to the one match that could be a 3rd or 4th cousin.  I have also taken a look at some of the 51 other matches that could be 4th-6th cousins.  I expect I will also contact some of those people.

It will be very interesting to see if more close matches show up as other people participate in testing.
 
This is a learning process for me and I’m certainly hoping it will pay off in finding some lines of the family that I have yet to discover.

Have you participated in DNA testing?
If so, what was your experience and did you think is was worthwhile?

I’ll certainly let you know if I break down any brick walls or find a connection.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
DNA TESTING - TIME FOR ME TO SEND IN A SAMPLE
FOLLOWING LEADS ON ANCESTRY - ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

DNA TESTING–TIME FOR ME TO SEND IN A SAMPLE

DNA testing is becoming more and more popular in the genealogy world.  I have never done a test on myself.  That’s about to change.

However, both of my brothers have taken tests and we have their results.  One of the brothers, my younger brother, and I share the same parents.  He took the YDNA test.  My other brother and I share a mother, so he took the MtDNA test.

I thought for a long time, that was all we would need.  There haven’t been any close matches on either of those tests.  Hopefully, something will pop up sooner or later.
I finally decided that it was time for me to take the test and find out what the results are. 

• Will they be any different than what we already have?
• Will they give us more information on our ethnicity?

I don’t know the answer to those questions, but I’m curious.  The other kits were through Family Tree DNA and this one is through Ancestry.  

I’ll be mailing the test in tomorrow.  When I get the results I’ll post them here and let you know what I’ve learned.

Have you ever submitted a DNA sample?  How about your family members?  Have they?

SIDE NOTE:  We adopted a rescue dog several years ago. He’s cute as a button, but we didn’t have a clue as to what breeds he might be.  I sent for a doggie DNA kit and sent it in.  No photos, just the saliva.  They sent back the results that he was Irish Setter, Saluki and Chow.  All of which made perfect sense based on his attributes, black spots on his tongue, curling tail, penchant for running away and chasing absolutely everything when off leash and his aloof behavior when we first got him.

Here’s a picture of him.  While this is not genealogy related, I just had to share.

 
Stay tuned for the results.  Hey!  Maybe I’ll connect to one of you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION