DNA Testing Stories

Identifying a Canadian Birth Mother: A DNA Story

Identifying a Canadian Birth Mother: A DNA Story

Marie shares how she helped a cousin with Identifying his Canadian birth mother, and how this discovery helped their family solve a 120-year-old family mystery. In 2017 Marie Hunt* was contacted by Buddy Brown, who had just taken a DNA test and appeared to be Marie’s cousin. Hunt is a very common...

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Bio Grandfather and Half Uncle Found! | Double DNA Discovery

Bio Grandfather and Half Uncle Found! | Double DNA Discovery

Bio grandfather and half uncle found! Sonja shares her double DNA discovery using YDNA and autosomal DNA together to find relatives she previously didn't know about. While autosomal DNA combined with traditional genealogy can help solve many family mysteries, you may also need YDNA if you’re...

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Floating Trees: How Can They Help Your Genealogy Research?

Floating Trees: How Can They Help Your Genealogy Research?

Floating trees can be a useful strategy for your genetic genealogy research. Learn how Chris used floating trees in her own research and made some great discoveries. Floating Trees? What is a floating tree? A floating tree is a family tree that you build for your DNA matches. A floating tree...

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YDNA Matches with a Different Surname? DO Genealogy!

YDNA Matches with a Different Surname? DO Genealogy!

YDNA matches with a different surname can be confusing. But doing traditional genealogy may be able to help you discover how these matches are related to you. Here's how Bill did genealogy to understand how he was related to his YDNA matches with a different surname. YDNA testing can be a great...

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Endogamy Success: Finding a Biological Grandfather

Endogamy Success: Finding a Biological Grandfather

Endogamy can prove to be a barrier to using your DNA test results to build your family tree. But there are tips and strategies that can help you with specific goals, such as finding a biological grandfather. Read about how Anna used skills that she learned in the Endogamy & DNA Course to...

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Shared DNA Matches | Solve a Mystery

Shared DNA Matches | Solve a Mystery

Shared DNA matches can help solve mysteries! Here's how Robbi used her shared match list to find her grandfather's true identity--and the story behind his separation from his parents overseas. Robbi began doing traditional genealogy more than 20 years ago, and for the most part, her family lines...

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YDNA for Finding Surnames | Genealogy Brick Wall Buster!

YDNA for Finding Surnames | Genealogy Brick Wall Buster!

YDNA can help you find surnames that go with a paternal family line. So helpful when trying to break down a brick wall for a male ancestor! Learn how YDNA testing helped Kathleen with not one but TWO genealogy brick walls. YDNA testing can be a useful tool when researching paternal lineage. While...

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Was Her Enslaver Also Her Father? DNA Testing for Ancestor’s Origins

Was Her Enslaver Also Her Father? DNA Testing for Ancestor’s Origins

Can DNA help Linda determine whether an enslaver was an ancestor's father? Finding a 4x great grandfather using autosomal DNA can be tricky. Read Diahan Southard's tips for Linda as she explores this question. “Can DNA help me learn the identity of my 4X great grandfather?” What a great question!...

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Mitochondrial DNA for Ancestry? Yes!

Mitochondrial DNA for Ancestry? Yes!

Can you use mitochondrial DNA for ancestry? Yes, mtDNA can be useful in genetic genealogy research, though it is a less commonly used type of DNA. Kelli shares mtDNA research tips and strategies. How many times have you heard someone say that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) doesn’t help with genealogy?...

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Finding 3XGG with DNA: Splitting Genetic Networks

Finding 3XGG with DNA: Splitting Genetic Networks

Finding 3XGG with DNA is easier when you use proven genetic genealogy strategies. Here, we see how splitting genetic networks and the Leftover Strategy are useful for finding mystery ancestors. But there was a key thing Clare did first that improved her chances of success! Clare came to the DNA...

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DNA Story: Tester Discovers and Reunites Sisters

DNA Story: Tester Discovers and Reunites Sisters

Inspiring DNA story! Thanks to the heroic actions of a DNA tester, two sisters who both matched him--at different testing companies--have been reunited. Read this wonderful DNA story below.  Not everyone who has taken a DNA test puts their results on multiple DNA testing sites. Many times, people...

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Sally Hemings | A Presidential Paternity Case

Sally Hemings | A Presidential Paternity Case

Whether the children of Sally Hemings were fathered by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson was debated for more than 200 years until YDNA testing provided new evidence. Read more about this presidential paternity case and the results of a YDNA test.  In January 2000--more than 20 years ago--a research...

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Finnish DNA | Finding Finland Roots with MyHeritage DNA

Finnish DNA | Finding Finland Roots with MyHeritage DNA

Got Finnish DNA? Explore your matches at MyHeritage, known for relative strength amongst Scandinavian DNA testers (think Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc). Read about Diahan's mother-in-law's experience using MyHeritage and meeting her Finnish relatives. My mother-in-law does not sleep. Even...

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DNA Stories | Storytelling Tips and Examples

DNA Stories | Storytelling Tips and Examples

DNA can tell us many stories about our families and where we come from. Learn some storytelling tips and see examples of DNA stories from Your DNA Guide's team in this post. What’s your DNA story? Your DNA story is still unfolding. After all, you’re still discovering the people and places you’re...

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Genealogy Brick Wall Needed DNA: Finding a 3XGG

Genealogy Brick Wall Needed DNA: Finding a 3XGG

Does your genealogy brick wall need DNA to make a real breakthrough? Maybe. Consider this success story--and how you might find the DNA match who may hold the clues you need to your family history. Sometimes the genealogy records that you need to break down brick walls aren’t easily accessible....

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