have you considered using DNA to help trace your family tree DNA can unlock
long-standing genealogical mysteries in this episode
of the ancestral findings dot-com podcast I'll show you how it works
DNA is an important part of genealogy research these days it can help confirm relationships help
you find new living relatives who may have information you don't have and are willing
to share and can help you discover new avenues of research for tough to trace family lines if
you haven't yet explored DNA in your genealogy research it's time you did here is everything
you need to know about DNA research in genealogy to get you started including the different types
and what it can help you find your DNA tells a lot about you it lets you know what health
conditions you are and are not susceptible to determines the color of your eyes and hair your
ability to learn certain things easily like math and even your ability to smell or taste certain
things it also tells you about your ancestors since they are the ones who pass down their DNA
to you you have a 50% chance of inheriting any particular DNA trait from either parent
this means that if one parent carries the DNA for brown eyes and one carries the DNA for blue eyes
you have a 50% chance of inheriting either one if you just happen to get the blue eye DNA and
your sister at the brown-eyed DNA that just means the genetic coin flip landed on one side for you
and one side for her your parents likewise each had a 50% chance of inheriting different types
of DNA from each of their parents whatever they inherited they have a 50% chance of handing down
to you this is how physical features and other family traits change or sometimes stay the same
through the generations your genes are located in your DNA the more genes you share with someone the
closer you are related to them if you aren't sure of your relationship to someone a DNA test done by
both of you will tell you how you're related for example full siblings share around 50% of their
genes half siblings share only about 25% you also share about 25% with your aunts and uncles first
cousins share around 12% second cousins share around 3% and so on down the ancestral line
however relationships to living relatives are not all DNA research can reveal it all depends on
what type of DNA you have tested there are three types of DNA that are tested by the genealogical
DNA testing companies why DNA this type of DNA is only passed down from father to son it goes
in a Direct Mail line from you or your closest male ancestor all the way down to your male line
deep into the past it is often used in surname studies to prove relationships between people
of the same surname who suspect they may share a common ancestor it is an excellent tool to use if
you are having trouble tracing your male line companies that test why DNA can match you with
those who most closely share your particular why DNA sequence and you can reach out to those people
to see just where your family lines converge it can answer a lot of male line ancestry questions
mtDNA this type of DNA is only passed down from mother to daughter sons inherited too unlike
why DNA which daughters do not inherit but cannot pass it on to their offspring only daughters can
do that both men and women can use it to answer questions regarding their maternal line similarly
to the way why DNA is used to answer male line genealogy questions otto saamne this is often
referred to as junk DNA as it doesn't seem to do anything specific in humans it does however
leave an ancestral trail to all branches of your family because of this it is beginning to become
the main type of DNA that DNA testing companies are using it gives you a far broader picture of
your family tree then why DNA or mtDNA otto saamne can match you with genetic relatives from either
side of your family to know which side you'll need to have at least one parent get tested you
can reach out to these genetic relatives through the DNA company testing sites and work out your
common ancestors together which often solves many genealogical mysteries if you have a mystery you
want to work on you can even get people you know or suspect are related on your mystery
line to test and the Auto somnolence will tell you whether you all share a common ancestor or not if
you do you can continue looking for more people to take the test until you've gathered enough family
history information from known genetic relatives to determine the common ancestor and solve the
mystery there are currently several companies doing DNA testing for genealogical purposes it is
much more affordable now than when it was new on the market a decade ago and still a novelty most
anyone can afford it now many companies charge less than the major genealogical research sites
charge for annual memberships visit ancestral findings com for a list of companies with good
reputations if you haven't used DNA to explore your genealogy you should it is a wonderful app
junk to the traditional research methods you are using even better it has the potential to
unlock genealogical mysteries when the paper trail ends use it and discover your true roots
are you interested in knowing more about your family coat of arms first
be sure your family actually has one join me next time as I explain the
truth behind family coats of arms on the next ancestral findings dot-com podcast