General Chat

I am thinking of using a DNA test for research. Any advice?

There are several companies you could choose. Ancestry has the largest data base and you cannot up,iAd other results TO Ancestry but you can for most companies FROM Ancestry.

Ancestry only dies Autosomnal testing - both male and female. They now indicate your matches are from one or the other parent. But it is down to you to w or out which is which.

What are you hoping to find? Matches can be even more confusing than the tree matches you can find. And you need to always consider the possibility that you might find things out that you didn't expect.

Do it... I found my Mums missing Dad solving a 100 year mystery . it also confirmed my tree was correct . :-D

Definitely do it. Mine helped somebody else more than me.

I had an unexpected match with a 2nd cousin in Canada. Unbeknown to me, I had an Uncle who emigrated to Canada, and lodged with a couple in Ontario. Unbeknown to this couple's daughter, he had an affair with the wife shortly before the daughter was born. She was told at her Father's funeral that he may not have actually been her Father, as her Mother was rumoured to have been carrying on with the lodger. Her DNA match with me confirmed that this was indeed the case.

As Grannyfranny says though, bear in mind that you just might find something that you didn't want to.

If you do test and are matched with people through DNA links, be prepared for some possible hard work researching their trees to find where there can be a possible common ancestor.

Some people have posted an outline tree, so it is easier to work out the link, other people may have just tested on a whim and don't necessarily have any real interest in family history, so have no idea of family names when they are contacted.

Adding to what Gwyn said, just because a tree is attached to a dna profile doesn’t make it any more correct than the usual bad trees.