Forty years ago I started studying genetics and have enjoyed a career using computers to analyse scientific information. Two years ago I began reviewing DNA test results in support of family history research.
So far, sixteen people have entrusted me with access to their personal DNA information. That has given me the privilege of helping them, and also many other people, to build family trees and connect with new relatives. My genealogy website profile says, "Citizen-scientist genetic genealogy enthusiast. Willing to help others who want to dig deeper or try to solve family mysteries."
From the range of scenarios I have handled, here are some questions you can ask when looking at each person in your list of DNA matches:
- Do I already know this person and how they are related to me?
- Does the amount of DNA that we share confirm, or contradict, our relationship?
- If I don't know them, do I recognise someone else in their tree, such as a common ancestor?
- Is there a supporting paper trail, such as birth, marriage and death records?
- Does the website suggest a possible common ancestor based on its automated compilation of every searchable tree?
- Is there a tree elsewhere, and a supporting paper trail, to confirm that hint?
- If there is no hint about any common ancestor, possibly not even a tree linked to their DNA results, is there someone else who matches us both and that enables me to make a hypothesis?
- Are there other shared matches also pointing to the same conclusion?
- Does my research show there is a cluster of DNA matches who all have a common ancestor amongst themselves?
- Starting from that common ancestor in their family, does some extra research suggest a link back to me?
- Is my match, or cluster of shared matches, distant and possibly false?
- Are there any surnames or locations in common between my tree and theirs, possibly from many, many generations ago?
- For a strong DNA match, is there an unknown ancestor, a 'brick wall', in the tree?
- Can we rule out all the known ancestors, by process of elimination?
- Do we both have complete family trees but no-one in common?
- Has all the evidence been checked, with no guesses or assumptions, and no possibility of a mix-up?
- Could one of us have a tree that, although linked to the DNA, is not the biological family?
- The tree is for the family into which they were adopted, rather than their birth family?
- The DNA results are actually someone else's, not the person named?
- Someone, somewhere in the tree, has an 'NPE' - Not Parent Expected?
I'm willing to help others and willing to share my experience. However, when writing posts here that concern recent generations I will change names to respect privacy.