What are Pile-Up Regions?

Ever stared at your DNA match list and felt that mix of excitement and dread? There you are, faced with hundreds of genetic cousins, each one holding a piece of your story – but let's be honest, most of us have no clue what to do with all these mysterious relatives. In this straight-to-the-point lecture, we're going beyond the basics of building a DNA Network to tackle the real question that keeps genealogists up at night: "Now that I have all these matches, how do I actually use them?" We'll show you how to transform that overwhelming list into a strategic research tool, navigate the sometimes-murky waters of relationship predictions, and harness practical tools like WATO and BanyanDNA to unlock the family secrets hidden in your genetic code. Fair warning: once you learn to read the stories in your DNA matches, your family tree will never look the same again.

Let’s diagnose your DNA match list. Do you have too few matches to work with? Or so many that it’s overwhelming? Learn WHY that may be and WHAT you can do about it, whether you need MORE matches or you need to whittle them down. Take a close look at your own tree with the tools I’ll give you and leave with next-step strategies to address your own DNA problem.

Join Geoff as he consults with DNA expert Diahan Southard to determine if mtDNA and/or XDNA can help him learn more about his 4X great grandmother.

When you have five different ethnicity results from five different companies, how do you make sense of them all? This was part of the webinar, Celebrating 2,000 webinars! Plus 10 tips you can use today.

Staying organized in your genetic genealogy research could mean the difference between celebrating the toppling of a brick wall, and beating your head against that same brick wall. Let's chat about how our DNA testing companies are making it even easier for you to keep your DNA organized in 2023.

Despite his best efforts, Geoff Rasmussen's long standing brick wall hasn't come down yet. John Williams, born in New York City between 1840-1854, was the son of John Williams. Family tradition says that "he was orphaned at the age of 10 and shifted around until he was 16". Geoff thinks it's time to add a little genetic genealogy to his plan. On hand to help him develop this DNA plan is DNA expert Diahan Southard. Join us and learn techniques that you can apply to your own family tree.

We know the DNA testing industry is changing all of the time, but how much have YDNA and mtDNA changed? Let's cover what is tried and true and what is new with these two "other" kinds of DNA tests.

Often the more we learn about a topic the more we overcomplicate the application of that knowledge. Sometimes we need to step back and distill that knowledge down to just the essential parts to make it useful and actionable. Let's try that with DNA.

During this fun hour, you’ll join the fictional genetic genealogy team of The Chester Creek Murders, by Nathan Dylan Goodwin, who chase a criminal using his DNA matches. In the process, you’ll learn DNA sleuthing strategies that can help you track down your own elusive ancestors.