An Introduction to Investigative Genetic Genealogy

We often talk about historical context like a side dish: it adds color and life to our narratives and deepens the analysis in our client reports. Rarely, however, do we think of historical research as a main course, a proactive strategy. This case study demonstrates not only the potential of historical research as a tool, but how that tool can be effective in the most challenging cases. Thomas Chapman wasn’t typical of New York City immigrants at the turn of the nineteenth century. His reported birthplace of Bengal prompted more questions than answers, and FAN searches in New York produced no leads. Ultimately, a combination of historical research, DNA evidence, and traditional genealogical methods across three continents revealed the identities of his parents.

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Autosomal DNA tests are utilized in genetic genealogy to solve historic research questions by exploring the genetic traces left by deceased ancestors in the genomes of their living descendants. Any given descendant only inherits a portion of their ancestor’s DNA, and different descendants inherit different portions of that DNA. Based on the relationships between tested descendants of a research subject, it is possible to estimate how much of an ancestor’s DNA is represented in any given database. This information can help in prioritization of testing candidates and can also aid in interpretation of shared DNA between multiple groups of individuals.

DNA testing has transformed the options available to people with unknown parentage or other unknown ancestor mysteries. This presentation will explain how to use DNA results from MyHeritage to help with solving these previously unsolvable enigmas. Michelle will guide you through how to use the tools and features provided by MyHeritage specifically for unknown parentage situations from investigating MyHeritage matches, utilising the detailed shared match lists on offer, building master research trees for your projects, using the 30 helpful color-coding labels to cluster and organise mystery matches right through to identifying links and obtaining solutions. She will provide practical demonstrations of the core techniques you should employ and genuine case studies and success stories will be included to show how DNA results from MyHeritage can be used in tandem with traditional research to solve mysteries and gain answers.

Maurice Gleeson has been experimenting with Multiple WATO (What Are The Odds) Analyses as a technique to break through Brick Walls in family trees at the 1750-1800 timepoint. With Multiple WATO Analyses, all possible scenarios for an ancestral relationship are explored (hence the "multiple" in the title). So if there are 3 individuals born about the same time, the various scenarios to explore are: 1. are they all brothers? 2. are they all half-brothers? 3. are two brothers and the third a 1st cousin to the other two? 4. are two half-brothers and the third a 1st cousin? 5. are they all 1st cousins? etc. etc. etc. And each scenario above is assessed from the perspective of all descendants involved in the analysis ... so if there are 10 Scenarios and 8 descendants there will be 28 pair-wise comparisons in each scenario so 280 comparisons in total. Maurice will present several examples of how this technique has been used in practice to break thru Irish Brick Walls.

MyHeritage's AutoClusters are a great way to start exploring the clusters of your genetic cousins and narrow in on potentially pertinent genetic cousins, but sometimes AutoClusters can only take you so far. Learn to leverage MyHeritage's Theories of Family Relativity, shared matching and DNA match labeling to isolate pertinent genetic cousins for a research question and solve your family history mysteries.

For years researchers have been identifying family history using YDNA, especially those interested in where their specific line may originate. Upgrading to a next Generation Sequence test (NGS) can help bring information that could be 200k years old into a more workable timeframe is what these tests are all about (and then some). We will take a look at the NGS test at the tools for discovery available today and apply them in a case study.

Author and speaker Richard Hill, founder of the DNAFavorites.com website, will review his ten favorite DNA features included with the MyHeritage DNA test. He will show how these features support the basic functions of genetic genealogy, including (1) finding previously unknown relatives, (2) identifying the common ancestors responsible for our genetic matches, and (3) estimating the mix of ethnicities inherited from our ancestors. Using examples from his personal account, Richard will demonstrate these features and show how they can be used productively by genealogists, adoptees, and anyone curious about their family history or ethnic background.

We can trace the paths of ancestors far back into prehistory. We will never know their names or individual vital information. However BIG Y 700 and mtDNA tests now allow us to estimate the paths their haplogroups took as they migrated out of Africa and into Europe.