"WHAT CAN A DNA TEST TELL ME?"

... This is a question that I have been asked a few times now, so I thought that I'd answer it here.

I'll try to keep this as jargon-free as possible, but if there's anything you'd like me to clarify/explain in more detail, just ask! There's no such thing as a stupid question, and we all have to start somewhere!

Ultimately, it depends upon the type of test that you choose to take. For example:

- Ancestry and MyHeritage tests are autosomal, meaning that they can tell you a little about your origins via ethnicity results, and will also provide you with DNA matches.

- 23&Me tests provide the above, but you can also pay extra to get a health report, although I've not taken a test with them myself as of yet.

- Family Tree DNA provide all of the above, but you can also choose to take a Y-DNA (male) or Mt-DNA (female) test, depending on your biological gender; these give you information based on where your paternal or maternal lineage comes from, and these specific genes remain virtually unchanged as they are passed down from father to son or mother to daughter throughout the generations.

So, now that we know some basics regarding the differences between various tests, here's what a genealogical DNA test CAN'T tell you:

1. A genealogical DNA test is not the same as a paternity test, however, it can indeed help you to discover the truth regarding your parentage.

2. These types of DNA tests require a certain amount of effort to be put into figuring out how you and your matches may be related - the companies will provide reasonably accurate guesses, but it's still upto you to verify each connection!

3. Ethnicity results from DNA tests will vary based on the company you choose to test with, due to different samples being used as a basis with which to decide on what constitutes each ethnicity. They will also likely change as more people get added into each database. It is worth mentioning that some countries, such as France, have a very low yield in terms of DNA testers, meaning that you could well have a lot more French ancestry, but the samples simply aren't in the database in order to allow it to be picked up! Basically, it's not an exact science.

4. A DNA test will not provide you with an exact relationship between yourself and a DNA match - as I've already said, it's upto you to figure it out! There could be several different possible relationships, based on the number of centimorgans (cm) you share.

Hopefully this will be of use to someone!

FIGURING OUT DNA MATCHES

When trying to figure out which side of the family a DNA match could correlate to, there are a few quick and (relatively) easy things that you can try... Although it is worth pointing out that they're not always foolproof! They are definitely worth a shot though, and can provide a good starting point.

1. If your match has a publicly viewable tree, take a look at it; you may see surnames or locations that you have in common. Just be aware that their tree may not be entirely accurate!

2. If they have a full name and location/approximate age on their profile, try building them a private family tree, in order to figure out your connection.

3. View your 'shared matches' - if one of them happens to be someone that you've already confirmed is on your mother's side of the family, for example, then at least you know that this match is also from the maternal side of your tree!

4. Type the total number of shared centimorgans (cm) into DNA Painter - it will provide you with a visual breakdown of possible relationships.

5. Ensure that your own tree includes extended relatives, as your match may well be connected indirectly rather than directly! Although you will of course share common ancestors somewhere along the line!

"My DNA match won't respond to messages - so how can I figure out how we're related?"

This is a question which is asked frequently in various genealogy groups, so I thought that it would be useful to offer some of my top tips here:

1. If your match has made their name private, click on the account of the person who manages their DNA kit - there is often a full name! It could be that the person managing that kit is a relative or friend of the match in question, so it's worth checking them out! If their full name is listed, try Googling them or searching for them on social media; sometimes, people don't log into their genealogy accounts for some time, or don't receive notifications of messages, so it is always worth politely contacting them if you stumble across them on social media!

2. If your match has a public tree connected to their account, click on it, and see if there's any names or locations that you recognise; however, be prepared for the possibility that their information is false, or that they've not built a very extensive tree!

3. If your match only has a few people in their tree, try building a private tree for them yourself - by fleshing it out, you should eventually be able to figure out your connection! If their tree is set to private, but they have their full name visible, try tracking down their birth record using Ancestry, FreeBMD or the GRO (General Register Office) Index - I've had a lot of success when doing this!

4. If there are no names visible/they have a very common name, and they either have no tree or they've made it private, check out your shared matches - this should at least give you a clue as to whether they're related to you via your maternal or paternal side!

5. If they have no tree visible on MyHeritage (for example), try finding them on Ancestry or Gedmatch - often, people upload their DNA to other sites, and I know that I myself tend to use Ancestry more so than MyHeritage, as I can only afford to subscribe to one! Also, try searching for shared matches on those other sites.

6. If the match is very high - for example, they could potentially be your biological father/sibling - remember to screenshot everything! Sometimes, matches can panic or may simply not wish to make contact, and therefore change their privacy settings/delete their DNA! By screenshotting all available information, you can ensure that it won't be lost if that happens!

7. Try the 'Leeds Method' - more info can be found here: https://www.yourdnaguide.com/leeds-method

And, finally...

8. BE PATIENT!!! One of my highest matches didn't respond to my messages for nearly 2 years, and it transpired that they'd been experiencing ill health, so simply hadn't logged in - when they eventually responded, I was able to confirm a 100 year old family legend! So it's worth waiting! 😁