Right Place, Right Time, Right Person: Intersections of DNA and Document Evidence

According to the genealogical proof standard, part of pursuing thoroughly exhaustive research is seeking the best available evidence to address a research question. In genetic genealogy research problems, the evidence we use is the test results of living descendants of a research subject, and pursuing the best evidence requires targeted testing of those whose DNA is most likely to help address the research question. In this session, learn to identify, prioritize and invite the best testing candidates to address a research question.

WikiTree is one of the Global family Trees available online that works collaboratively to have an accurate, single family tree. You may have heard of WikiTree, but did you also know that WikiTree does DNA as well? WikiTree has very robust DNA features which can identify testers who may match you in the DNA connections section of an ancestor's profile. We will work the features and show you how to further your family history research using WikiTree and its DNA features.

Identifying unnamed individuals using a Research Plan incorporating genetic evidence takes creativity and patience. This session deconstructs a case study using Genealogy Standards to align and correlate DNA results and fragmentary records for African American families, beginning in 1812 in Virginia and North Carolina.

Using DNA analysis, combined with documentary research and with only one hint of family lore, the presenter has found the family of her enslaved great-grandfather.

This presentation will give an overview of the three main types of DNA tests available for family history purposes. It will explain how Y-DNA, Mitochondrial DNA and Autosomal DNA are inherited and how to use your DNA results to verify the accuracy of your family tree, connect with new cousins, break down brick walls and solve mysteries. Michelle will give practical advice, hints and tips on the best steps to take to succeed and demonstrate what can be achieved using success stories.

Proving immigrant origins may seem daunting, especially when the family lived hundreds of years ago. This presentation shows how to navigate multiple border crossings, name changes, and cultural challenges and apply DNA techniques to trace a family of Canadian immigrants from town to town. The right combination of documentary evidence and biological evidence, coupled with sound methodology, reveals the origins of this family.

We will learn step by step, how to utilize mitochondrial DNA testing at Family Tree DNA to get the most out of your results. We'll look at little known methods to obtain information, even if your match doesn't have a tree. We'll talk about using resources such as Geni, WikiTree and others to break down mitochondrial brick walls. Lastly, we'll discuss projects and using mitochondrial DNA in conjunction with autosomal for a slam-dunk.

When you take an autosomal DNA test, you get a list of people who share DNA with you because you share common ancestors. The Leeds Method uses Shared Matching to create colorful groups of these matches. Each group is likely related to you through one part of your family, and many people get four groups based on their four grandparent lines. This method is based on DNA, not trees, so it is also often effective in cases of unknown parentage. This presentation will help you create a Leeds Method chart, understand your results, and use that chart to learn more about your family tree.

Sometimes when trying to solve family mysteries using DNA, we discover that the best matches on the mystery line also have recent mysteries of their own and the connection between the two lies on their respective mystery lines. It's exciting when there are close DNA matches on a mystery line but, equally, it can be frustrating if those matches also have recent blanks or brick walls and it's tempting to treat these kinds of matches as dead ends. In this presentation, Michelle will outline some extraordinary case studies where multiple mysteries linked together and only by investigating them all could answers ultimately be uncovered. She will demonstrate the best techniques for navigating these tricky situations and provide her top hints and tips for working with interlinked mysteries. Often if you can solve one interlinked mystery, you can solve them all!