Endogamy & DNA Course | Start Untangling Your Family Tree

Endogamy, multiple relationships or pedigree collapse on your family tree means that working with your DNA matches can be CHALLENGING! That’s why we created the Endogamy & DNA Course. Developed and tested by an expert DNA team, this Course teaches straightforward strategies for addressing those tangled genetic lines more productively.

Enroll now for session running Oct. 23 – Nov. 13, 2023

Just $129

In stock

Who should take this course?

Anyone who has identified (or strongly suspects) the presence of endogamy, multiple relationships or pedigree collapse on a family tree and wants to learn straightforward DNA strategies for starting to untangle those intermingled genetic lines.

Not sure? Try using the Leeds method to separate your autosomal DNA matches into four distinct groups (which represent the four lineages of your grandparents). If you don’t have four distinct genetic groups, you may need this Course.

What topics will be covered?

  • Core Concepts: Get Ready for Endogamy!
    • Endogamy or multiple relationships–or both? How to tell
    • Setting an endogamy research goal: understanding what is likely achievable
    • Contacting your DNA matches
    • Targeted testing and targeted transferring
  • Straightforward Strategies across Autosomal DNA Testing Websites. There are nuances in the ways the various testing companies adjust (or not) for endogamy. Be sure you’re understanding what you’re working with at each testing company!
    • AncestryDNA
    • MyHeritage
    • 23andMe
    • Family Tree DNA
  • Organize, Visualize, and What to Do Next
    • Downloading and organizing your DNA match lists
    • Using Lucid Chart
    • YDNA, mtDNA and XDNA: How they can help you with endogamy
    • Next steps with Best Mystery Matches

Here’s what a recent participant in the Endogamy Course said about it:

Of all of the courses I have taken, this one [DNA and Endogamy] has provided me with the best value for my dollar, giving me a greater practical knowledge of how to process DNA cousin results and how to properly decipher and use the information. The whole course was a light bulb moment for me and I highly recommend it.

Debbie D

What do I get with this course? What is the format?

For the 3 weeks of interactive instructive, plan to spend about 2 hours per week on the Course. (Some people may work more quickly than others, and some may want to dive deeper. That part is up to you.) You’ll experience:

  • 3 weeks of self-paced, online instruction and practice using tools at your DNA testing companies, without the need for complicated segment analysis or spreadsheets
  • Weekly pre-recorded video tutorials, additional resources, homework, quizzes, polls, and a moderated discussion board
  • A final live Q&A session that will be recorded and made available with your Course materials
  • Full-length, professionally-designed workbook with classwork, homework, and research log (PDF format)
  • Homework that provides hands-on experience with real-life case studies
  • Enrollment in a class cohort that allows students to interact with one another at their preferred level

How can I best prepare for the Endogamy Course? Are there prerequisites?

By the time the course starts, you should have autosomal DNA test results in hand from 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Family Tree DNA or Living DNA. (The cost and ordering of DNA testing itself is not included in the course.) These can be your own or someone else’s, as long as that person has endogamy on their family tree and you’ve got permission and login access.

During the 3 weeks of interactive instruction, you’ll need a reliable internet connection for streaming the video learning sessions and for additional learning on your own time. You’ll need access to your DNA test results on whatever testing site you’re using. There is no additional textbook to purchase: you’ll receive a unique Endogamy Workbook in PDF format and additional reference materials that support your learning.

While taking the DNA Skills Workshop is helpful and foundational for everyone working with autosomal DNA matches, it is not required for this Course. Come with a basic understanding of how autosomal DNA matching typically works, or patience and a desire to learn. (With your enrollment you will receive a coupon for 20% off a print copy of Your DNA Guide–the Book, which will help you get up to speed.)

I’m a reasonably advanced genetic genealogist with some experience working with endogamy. Is this Course too basic for me?

The Endogamy & DNA Course is a foundational course preparatory to learning more advanced endogamy skills. The organized approach presented in this course will provide insight into prioritizing DNA matches among the various testing companies. Even professionals who have taken this course say it’s helped them out. See below!

The strategies in the Endogamy & DNA Course shifted my whole work procedure and outlook on what good matches are and which are worth focusing on first. That was major for me.

Janna Helshtein

Professional genealogist, DNA at Eye Level

Hands down, Diahan Southard’s Endogamy & DNA online course is the best resource I have found for really learning how to dig into understanding endogamy, its impact on your autosomal DNA matches, and how to account for it when working those matches.

Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS

Genealogy educator

Who is teaching?

This Course has been created by Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard, a globally-renowned genetic genealogy educator, to give you a progressive, confident and thorough learning experience. Throughout the Course, Diahan and her expert team will be checking your progress on the discussion boards.

Why enroll now?
There’s great demand for learning DNA workarounds for endogamy. Our unique multi-week, hands-on experience gives you straightforward strategies for FINALLY tackling endogamy more confidently and successfully–with DNA testing company tools that are ready at hand, and not too complicated. This Course has sold out every single session (once before we even started advertising it!) so it’s a good idea to enroll when there’s an open session.

Enroll now for session running April 17 – May 8, 2023

Just $129 USD

In stock

Learn! Or your money back

If after 6 months from the start date of the Endogamy & DNA Course, if you have fully participated (meaning you have watched and marked “complete” each video tutorial, completed the classwork and homework, and have asked for help on the discussion boards), but still do not understand the concepts being taught, we will refund the full cost. Read our refund policy.

Customer Reviews

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Stacy
If your tree is complicated by endogamy and/or multiple relationships, this class will help you!!

This class was a really great investment whose rewards I will continue to reap well into the future. I took it because I have endogamy on my dad's (100% Ashkenazi Jewish) side, plus multiple relationships on my mom's Sicilian side (two brothers married two sisters at the level of my maternal grandparents, so I have double 2Cs and double 2C1Rs). I've already been able to identify numerous connections between people that had eluded me for years, including verifying that my great grandmother was who she was supposed to be (my maternal haplotype is HV while everyone else has R0; 23&Me said this can happen because HV is downstream of R0, but I still wanted to be sure!). I also just got back from the Jewish cemetery in NYC where my paternal grandparents are buried, and because of this course (and an excellent BMM on 23&Me), I was able to legitimately identify how I'm related to all of the other people with the same last name whose gravestones were in the same section. This made my trip all the more meaningful! I know these skills will keep helping as I make my way through my BMM list (and add more as matches continue to join the sites), and I can't wait to continue to solve the mysteries of my mysterious and endogamous family!! Thank you so much, Diahan and coaches. 🙂

So glad you enjoyed the endogamy course. Thanks so much for joining us!

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Noreen Clark
So Worthwhile.

Diahan's Endogamy & DNA class was fast paced, packed with content/materials and excellent explanations. Broken down into bite sized pieces that can be re-visited repeatedly. Was delivered through a variety of methods and with a great support network.
The class gave me the tools by which to narrow down my plethora of matches and to understand which matches are worth considering:- By recognising the different types of multi relationships in trees; filtering through longest segments; timber and adjusting DNA amounts; understanding the benefit of avoiding 100% Jewish matches; considering location; using tools unique to the different testing sites; strategies for communicating with and (hopefully) getting match responses!
When putting my research into practice I'm still struggling with some aspects especially 'generation of connection' and using the 'Shared cM project 'effectively. Also unsure that I'll ever find my maternal family (no names!) but now feel I've got the tools to give it a better shot and to use my knowledge in other genealogy ventures. Thank you team

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Patricia Diane Godinez
Endogamy and DNA Course

Three weeks of fantastic learning and a lifetime yet to discover more because each student can go back and review. Many times, I was over my head but I did not care. I just kept pushing on.

I have done genealogy/ research for more than 40 years and DNA for 10 years and yet I learned so much. I was able to find family in Mexico, Canada, the USA, and England. I received extra help in regards to testing a family which may not know or want to acknowledge a child whose parent(s) were not as listed.

I am looking forward to using all the techniques that we practiced and going back to an endogamous community in Atenguillo, Jalisco. Not all the records are available there but I am sure I will make discoveries that I can share with many cousins.

The course had lots of “extras” that I copied and will be a part of my workbook materials. I will be reviewing the discussions boards which were excellent also.

Thank you Diahan and company. I highly recommend this course and encourage future participants to fully engage in the zoom meetings and help your fellow researchers to achieve their goals.

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S.S.F.
Very helpful course!

This course if for any serious genetic genealogist! I now finally understanding how the TIMBER algorithm at Ancestry works, and can apply it to FtDNA, MyHeritage, and 23&Me. I now fully understand the terms: endogamy, pedigree collapse, and multiple relationships. I can now figure out why some cousins share more centimorgans with me than they should! It is due to multiple relationships. We share several of the same ancestral couples! I highly recommend this course! Diahan is the best teacher on this topic!

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Lisa Turrentine
Great Value

My paternal family is entirely from the Azores. They lived in very small villages for at least 200 years and of course married people within their village...again and again and again. I took this class to help me better determine what my true relationships might be to people on my match list. The information learned in the class is helping me to identify which matches are my best bet for identifying where the match belongs on my tree, look for multiple relationships for each match, and not spend my time working on a match that probably cannot be accurately placed in my tree. I recommend this class to anyone with known endogamy in their family.

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