QUICKLY See How Your DNA Matches Are Related to You

What tools can help me quickly see how my DNA matches are related to me? If you're using AncestryDNA or MyHeritage DNA, you're in luck.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
00:32 Reviewing Cousins On a Match List
02:04 Using the Shared cM Tool
02:54 How are DNA Matches Related to Me?
03:19 MyHeritage Smart Matches
04:11 MyHeritageDNA Theory of Family Relativity
05:01 Ancestry DNA Common Ancestor Tool
05:33 Ancestry ThruLines
06:02 WARNING about these tree predictions

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✅ Let's connect:

#FamilyHistoryFanatics #DNA Results #geneticgenealogy

[suzannemcclendon]

Genealogy, genetic or otherwise, wouldn't be nearly as much fun if the answers came easily. The research is the best part. :)

[abqbobcat]

I have found ThruLines to be a very good tool in finding how I am related to certain people. However, it makes a lot of mistakes in its predictions. It will assume that similar named people are the same person, when they really aren't. It will often match to an ancestor, but not their spouse. I have to do a lot of research in order to verify the match. I use census, baptismal, marriage, military and other records to help me. Online obituaries are especially important to confirm more recent relatives. It helps that I have over 16, 000 names in my database that I can use to link to these people. Whenever I confirm the relationship of newly discovered relatives, I add them to my database. When it comes to obituaries, I can often add a dozen or more names - which in turn allows me to have more possible connections to relatives I discover in the future.

[mamakatz]

Always great information. I definitely need to watch this again.

[FellowHuman]

Yes those tools provide good leads. I have found many of the predicted common ancestors on Ancestry to be highly suspicious though and are often based on one or two giant family trees that lots of people pulled wrong information from. Be skeptical and verify thoroughly.

[sylviabargas]

Okay, but sometimes you'll be related to someone in more than one way. I've become aware of these relationships through Ancestry Thrulines. They really are eye-popping. I have one DNA Match where we're related through six (6) different paths.

[landonedwards]

This info is very true. In today's world, where the idea of "work" and "research" flies in the face of the prevailing "copy-and-paste" mentality, I can see where many people will never understand actual relationships. And with so many who test not wanting to post a family tree, it becomes very difficult for someone looking into their matches to gain any insight into relationships. People also need to remember that having the same sequence of base pairs over 30 or 40 centimorgans on a single chromosome does not automatically mean they share a common ancestor.

[staceycoates]

I actually do have a 1C3R that is in the 4-6cousin range. And that cousin was pointed out in the first FHF Extra DNA Deep Dive.

[joykendrick]

One of mine said half sister or niece. I found my biological father.

[johngavin]

I like putting the work in, its headache inducing but fun.

[jonathansgarden]

As a half Cajun/Acadian, i have FAR more matched on mom’s Cajun side of the family. I just assumed the dna keeps showing up because we’re all so inbred

[bradh.johnson]

Is there a way to link matches to the ethnicity estimate? The estimate suggests I am 25% Scottish and I would like to see which of my matches also have Scottish ethnicity.

[broughps]

What would you suggest (or maybe you already have video for it) when you've done the Leeds method of sorting, so you know which line a match is from, but when you build out the trees of those matches there are no common ancestors and a lot of times not even a common place?

[erinkay]

My aunt gave a girl up for adoption in the 1960s and we were never told who her father was before my aunt died in 1984. My aunt knew who it was but never told anyone. I got connected with this cousin on Ancestry and I was born in 1988 after my aunt passed but I was determined to help her find out who it was. She got connected with another girl given up for adoption that was labeled as her first cousin. They ended up finding out she was actually my cousin’s half sister from the father! Neither of them knew who their father was and both were adopted out.

I did end up getting a name for the potential father from my mom’s cousin and have it to my newfound cousin. She ended up figuring out who her bio father was and has now met his children (everyone is in their 50s now lol) from his marriage. He died a few years ago. They had no idea he had these other kids so they had a period of time where they had to adjust to it before they’d meet my cousin and the other adopted girl but it happened.

But yeah. Pretty off AncestryDNA said her half sister was her cousin. Unrelated but it cracks me up whenever I go into my Ancestry and it says they’re 99% sure my mother is my mother. We took the tests together and sent them in together. 😆

[franceslock]

I have had answers to several questions in my family simply by several members in my close group. I took the test along with several nephews and nieces and my son .My sister is a full sibling to me as her daughter is a full niece and my two brothers are half siblings to us as their children and grandchildren are half . I established that my nieces father was the one stated as she has many relatives in his family.My third closest match is a stranger to the entire family. Lol. One of my brothers has a son he isn't claiming so since the mystery match has too much DNA to be son of the half brothers but I have one more brother so he must be a full sibling and the father of mystery match. So two questions asked that were answered.
No the claim to part native Americans was not shown

[RW-gkgx]

Can someone help me determine how I am related to someone with a long segment> I believe it may be through a 1/2 cousin's child. Please take a crack at this reading.
Shared DNA: 205 cM across 6 segments
Unweighted shared DNA: 205 cM
Longest segment: 114 cM

[EVERBABYGIRL]

I have a DNA cousin that is estimated to be my 3-4th cousin. His Mom is showing up as a 12th cousin on my tree. Is it possible that he is related to me on both sides of my family?

[weuhgetyou]

I know a lady who’s son has zero matches I never understood that it’s completely blank, I thought maybe the father was a relative

[PaulJHawkinsJr]

I'm sure there's a video somewhere but I can't find it. So my question. I finally have a match with my last name. Problem is her father was adopted. Both our trees traced back to 1800, neither share even a single place, two different provinces, ON and NB. But shes a 55cM match (60 unweighted), over 2 segments highest one 50. Also she's one generation below me. Are those pretty reliable to believe there's a link somewhere? She is the highest match in that cluster at 4c.

[carissa]

Why does your DNA on Ancestry change so much does it mean it actually accurate or is it because someone related to you did a DNA test and it changes the percentage?

[AndriaMrs]

OMG Just when I thought it couldn't get any harder IT HAS!!! I am still looking for mother and father of my husbands mum who was fostered in Cork, Ireland in 1922 age 4. She has since passed away but we are still looking. The only truly genuine piece of paper with details on, is this paper which is of Foster Certificate. We have no other name or names apart from hers. No Birth Certificate etc etc. How would I track down who they are please. My husband has done his DNA. There are cousins etc but, we do not know how we would find her parents names and if any family left.
Any help would be gratefully appreciated 😊🥴