DNA test results can complement vital documents like birth certificates, census data, deeds, and wills. But unlike these files — which can contain human errors — DNA tests can’t lie. Their findings are accurate and can provide proof even when records have been lost or destroyed.
Below, we explore how DNA tests can offer insights that are often unattainable through other means. We also explain how to effectively interpret and use these outcomes in your heritage research.
» Discover your origins through shared DNA
How can DNA testing help you trace your legacy?
DNA testing provides detailed insights into your ancestry and can help confirm family relationships and uncover unknown ancestors. It’s a powerful tool for anyone interested in exploring their family history. Here are six ways it can help you trace your legacy.
» Debunk 4 common myths about DNA testing
Locates relatives
DNA testing can help when your relatives can’t recall details about ancestors or when records are lost.
The key benefit of DNA testing is that it reveals genetic cousins who share a common ancestor with you. These results provide new avenues for research. This is particularly useful when you’ve hit a proverbial “brick wall” in your investigation or if you’re an adoptee looking to discover your biological family.
Additionally, collaborating with genetic cousins is a great way to fill in gaps in your family tree and find ancestors you’ve struggled to identify. Start with potential second or third genetic cousins, as they’re likely to be more closely related to you.
These analyses also show genetic origins by percentages and differentiate between paternal and maternal lines. You can link your ancestral chart with these DNA results to confirm traditional research findings and locate relatives.
» Learn more about how DNA testing can help you find new relatives
Identifies ancestral origins
Some people have limited knowledge of their ancestral origins — which can hinder their family tree analyses. While they might know about their British and Irish roots, DNA testing often reveals several other lineages. And when conventional genealogical methods uncover an unexpected ancestral origin, DNA testing can confirm and validate this finding.
Note: Children don’t inherit the exact same percentages of familial roots from a given ethnic origin as their parents; the amount of DNA from a particular ethnicity can differ.
However, if a DNA assessment says that you’re 34% Finnish, 13% Irish, or 2% Ugandan, you can be confident in the accuracy of those origins. As consumer demand grows and reference populations for DNA tests expand, the results become more and more specific. Where genetic tests 20 years ago could only estimate the amount of Western and Central European DNA a person possessed, today’s estimates are broken down by specific countries and genetic groups.
» Understand why an ethnicity might not show up in your DNA
Uncovers migration patterns
Sometimes, you may not be able to pinpoint your ancestors’ migration and settlement patterns during different time periods. DNA testing can help in several ways:
- Genetic cousins can assist in verifying the migration routes of an ancestor or lineage if you’ve already conducted research or have first-hand knowledge through family history.
- Understanding your ancestral origins enables you to study common migration patterns of that hereditary group using available historical information.
- Certain DNA analyses can show the larger-scale migrations of your predecessors over tens of thousands of years and provide a map of that historical movement.
» Find out how to trace migrating ancestors
Verifies and refines existing research
Proving your assumptions can be challenging, even with conventional genealogy archives and methods. Often, there just isn’t enough direct evidence to meet professional standards and prove beyond a doubt that the conclusion is accurate.
In some cases, you won’t have multiple documents that can corroborate your deductions. Other times, your inferences may rely too heavily on indirect (and insufficient) proof. In these instances, DNA test results and genetic cousin networking could be your key to validating the hypotheses you reached through traditional lineage research.
To identify the most “genetically relevant” DNA matches, examine the chromosomal segment lengths (measured in centimorgans, or cM) and specific nucleotide patterns (single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) you have in common with genetic cousins.
Next, try triangulation, or “shared match clustering.” Find a group of mutual links, compare and build out trees to pinpoint a possible shared ancestor or ancestral couple, and then use additional genealogical records and DNA evidence to confirm your theories.
Chromosomal mapping is another great tool. You can plug these chromosome segments into the One-to-Many Chromosome Browser to compare shared segments between you and other matches and identify triangulated segments.
» Learn how to use chromosome browsers for genealogy
Expands research possibilities
DNA testing can yield surprising findings and raise new questions about your family history. You might discover ancestral origins you were unaware of or find cousins, siblings, and other relations through genetic matches. Some individuals even learn that their parentage is not what they were raised to believe — they had a different father or mother or were adopted.
All these possibilities invite you to follow up with genetic links and dig into related genealogical records.
» Use Smart Matches to grow your family tree
Explores near and distant common ancestry
Consider the best type of DNA evaluation for your research purposes. Autosomal DNA (atDNA) tests are ideal for investigating your Most Recent Common Ancestors (MRCA), about eight to nine generations back. This type of testing is generally the most effective method for adoptees seeking to identify their biological parents, as it provides a broader range of matches from both the maternal and paternal sides.
To explore the broader historical arc of your ethnicity, opt for mtDNA or y-DNA tests. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) exists in all of us, but it’s exclusively passed down by the mother.
On the other hand, Y-chromosomal DNA (Y-DNA) is only found in males and is passed down to sons with minimal changes. While Y-DNA testing can be useful for tracing paternal lineages, it’s less likely to directly lead an adoptee to their biological parents
» Find out how to trace your maternal and paternal heritage
My parents always told me I was Swedish, Austrian/Germanic, and a tad Scottish. Early on, when studying my own family tree, I traced one of my maternal lines back to a passenger on the Mayflower, which surprised me as no one in my family had ever talked about Mayflower heritage.
I took an autosomal DNA test to determine whether my research was accurate. Imagine my shock when I discovered that almost a third of my DNA was British! Knowing my hereditary origins helped to back up my earlier findings. Networking with one of my genetic cousins and sharing our ancestral charts demonstrated that we had both come to the same conclusions independently of one another. We have several common Mayflower ancestors.
My DNA results also showed that my Scandinavian roots reach beyond Sweden into Norway and Finland and that I have a small percentage of Ivory Coast ancestry.
After examining my DNA results, I determined that my Ivory Coast ancestry is of maternal origin. And in combination with standard genealogical records, I narrowed down the source to two possible ancestral lines. I located a photograph of one of my maternal third great-grandfathers, whose facial features are distinctly African in nature.
Although I haven’t yet identified my third great-grandfather’s parents and can’t verify his African ancestry at this time, I’m proud to know that he fought for the Union in the Civil War.
» Discover how accurate DNA matches are
Tips for using DNA tests to locate your ancestry
To make the most of your DNA test results, focus on both the technical and personal aspects of genealogy. Here are some practical tips for using these analyses to verify your DNA findings and trace your ancestry:
- Decide which genetic links are relevant: Assess the DNA connections with your matches so you can determine which genetic links are relevant and which aren’t. Some matches, identified as distant relatives like fourth or fifth cousins, may not actually be related to you, even though you have common DNA segments.
- Examine the chromosomal segment lengths: Look at the percentage of DNA you reportedly share with that relative. Next, identify the longest segment of DNA you both have and see how many other DNA segments you both share. The longer the segments and the greater the total number of shared segments, the more likely you are to have a mutual ancestor.
- Follow up with research: Use traditional genealogical records to follow up with further research. DNA and documentary evidence work hand-in-hand, each verifying the conclusions of the other. Existing data may confirm the match, or you may need to flesh out your tree more to determine whether the link is worth following up on.
- Learn DNA terminology: Develop a basic grasp of DNA and its structure, how it passes down from generation to generation, and how geneticists quantify it. Learn about cM and SNPs to better understand how genetic distance is measured between yourself and your matches. Also, read about the average percentages of common DNA transferred from one generation to the next, keeping in mind that inheritance is fairly random due to DNA “recombination.” Even non–identical twin siblings only share about 50% of their DNA.
You can integrate your DNA test results with your family tree by downloading your family tree as a GEDCOM file (.GED) from a website or software program and uploading it to a DNA testing service website. MyHeritage offers DNA testing and can assign your DNA results directly to your MyHeritage tree when you order your test. You can also upload raw findings from other companies to your ancestral chart at no charge.
» Learn how to upload your DNA data to MyHeritage
Unlock the stories written in your genetic code
DNA testing has transformed how you can explore your heritage and solve longstanding mysteries in your family tree. These tests can help you identify genetic relatives, pinpoint ancestral origins, track migration patterns, and validate your existing findings.
While traditional records are invaluable, DNA can complement these by confirming your theories and opening new avenues for investigation. All you need is to focus on understanding the genetic links, master the essential DNA terminology, and follow up with thorough research to build a comprehensive view of your ancestry.
» Transform your family history research into a compelling story
