Genealogy research has traditionally been all about compiling written and oral evidence to find your family lines and support your hypotheses. In recent years however, getting a genealogy DNA test done has become very popular. Millions of people have now spat in a tube or swabbed their inner cheek to find related family members in their DNA matches or to satisfy an urge to verify their ethnicity. Is DNA testing for genealogy actually useful, or is it a marketing gimmick?
The value of DNA testing for genealogy
The trouble with relying only on documents and oral evidence is that they are all filtered through the people involved. People are humans, with human failings. There are reasons, both deliberate and accidental, why the information may not be accurate.
There are innocent explanations. For example:
- The person may not remember accurately.
- The person may not have known their birthplace if they were raised somewhere else. They may have assumed they were born in the place of their childhood.
- If they were illiterate and relying on someone else writing things down for them, that person may have misheard because of accents, deafness or inattention.
- If the document has been transcribed from an original document, errors can creep in with every transcription.
There are also not so innocent explanations, usually related to ‘skeletons in the cupboard’ (often the most interesting parts of our family history!):
- The person may be trying to hide illegitimacy. Society was less forgiving of human behaviour in previous generations.
- The person may be trying to hide a criminal background even from several generations before. Even 50 years ago, Australians would be quick to deny any possibility of having a convict in their tree, despite Australia having been settled as a penal colony (of course, it’s a badge of honour these days!)
- Sometimes people ran off to start a new life under a new identity, so any subsequent documents would be deliberately falsified.
DNA testing for genealogy can be a very useful tool to supplement traditional research methods. It helps eliminate the inaccuracies that can creep into them by removing the reliance on people’s word.
My Personal Bombshell
Around 10 years ago, after 25 years of traditional genealogy research, I had my DNA tested along with several other family members. It turned out that the extensive research I had done on one branch of my family tree was completely wrong. It was correct for the people named, it was just that it turned out one of my grandparents was not related to me at all. Therefore that branch was not mine. I was devastated. All that work! And they were some of the most interesting ancestors (I thought) I had found! Back to the drawing board.
But you know what? I’m so glad I found out. The people in that branch that I know are still my family, I grew up with them as family and they always will be. But I can now have confidence that my tree is accurate. My other family lines have been verified by DNA, and with some diligent research, I have discovered the correct grandparent and a whole new family line to research!
Never be afraid to pursue accuracy, but be mindful of its potential impact on other family members. T
Where to get a DNA test done
There are several companies specialising in autosomal DNA testing for genealogy purposes. Currently, the five most common ones are:
- AncestryDNA – this is the most well-known due to heavy marketing, and consequently has the biggest matching database. It used to predominantly have US customers, but the number of international DNA testers has grown in recent times as they’ve expanded their reach.
- 23andMe – one of the oldest and most established DNA tests, also with a very large US-centric database.
- FamilyTreeDNA – originally FTDNA offered Y-DNA (paternal line) and mtDNA (maternal line) tests only. In recent years they also have expanded into autosomal DNA tests, and this company now provides all three types of test should you want to also look at chasing specific lines or deep ancestry.
- MyHeritage – a newer entrant into the marketplace, but with a rapidly growing database, and a very broad geographical range of testers.
- LivingDNA – geared towards people of UK ancestry, this company is very new, and provides excellent ethnicity estimates, but is only just beginning to provide DNA cousin matching. One to watch, they have a whole new approach to matching, which should be extremely interesting when it gets up and running!
Recommendations:
I have either tested with, or uploaded to every one of these companies, and I use them all regularly. They have their own tools to help you analyse the data, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Often individuals are only to be found in one of the databases as they only test once. Therefore if you are looking to find matches for a specific line, or indeed a specific person such as a birth mother, I recommend you get yourself into as many of the databases as possible.
Ancestry and 23andMe do not allow you to upload data from other testing companies. So if you can afford only one test, choose one of these. Once your results are in, download your raw data and upload it to the other three. You will get results there too and will be available in the database for others there to find. You may need to pay a small amount to unlock all the tools and features on the other sites, but it’s cheaper than doing a fresh test for each.
The other thing I would highly recommend is uploading your DNA to Gedmatch.com. This is a third-party site where you can directly compare your results with people who have uploaded from any of the DNA testing companies.
Get other family members tested if you can to build up a picture and allow you to work out which side of the tree your matches come from. If you have family from the previous generation(s) still alive, their DNA is twice as valuable with each generation you go back as their DNA is only half as diluted. Grandparents, parents, uncles/aunts and parents’ cousins are genetic goldmines! Don’t ignore your siblings, you and each of them only share half your DNA despite having the same parents – they will have genetic cousins that you don’t in their matchlist.
Most people are not genetics experts. It can be a steep learning curve. If I had to recommend just one book to get you started on understanding DNA testing for genealogy and how to get the most out of it, it’s this one.
Verdict – not codswallop.
DNA testing for genealogy is not meant to replace your traditional research. It is an extra tool for your belt. I have found it invaluable for knocking down brick walls, finding ancestors hidden from documentary sources, and giving me confidence that I am on the right track. If you haven’t already been tested, you are missing out on one of the major new genealogical breakthrough techniques of recent times. DNA testing for genealogy is here to stay!