You've hired the pros to find your biological family member. Now here's a list of ways YOU can help make your unknown parentage case a success.Congratulations! You’ve given this a lot of thought, and you’re ready to find your birth parents. You know this is a big job, so you’ve asked Legacy Tree Genealogists to help. We’re on it, and we can’t wait to get started.Here’s a secret, though: A lot of our success here is going to depend on you. We’ve helped a lot of people, and we feel like … [Read more...]
Adoption & Genetic Genealogy
DNA testing allows our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to use DNA information as a means of learning more about family history & genetic genealogy. DNA is a biological record of an individual’s shared ancestry with their close and distant cousins. By analyzing the types, amount, size and position of DNA segments that two or more individuals share in common, we can collaborate with genetic cousins and identify additional information regarding their shared heritage. In many cases DNA testing helps to solve family mysteries and resolve questions about adoption and biological family members that would otherwise be impossible to investigate due to lack of records.
Using DNA to Solve Genealogy Brick Walls
Have an elusive ancestor that can't be found? We'll show you how using DNA to solve genealogy brick walls might be the answer!We’ve all had the experience of trying to research an ancestor that seems to just appear out of thin air. Despite our best efforts, we just can’t seem to find that elusive ancestor in the records they should be in, and we don’t know why. DNA is a powerful tool that can help us break through these brick walls and find our ancestors on the other side. It recently helped … [Read more...]
Two Families to Research: When DNA Reveals Surprises in Your Family Tree
What do you do when DNA reveals surprises that change what you know about your family history? One of our genealogists shares what she learned through her own experience.You’ve been researching your family tree for several years and have made some really good progress on several lines. Then one day a monkey wrench is thrown into the works: You do a DNA test and the results don’t turn out quite the way you expected, with a surprise ethnicity or with no matches to the surname you’ve had all your … [Read more...]
“Can DNA Help Me Find My Biological Family?”
*"Can DNA help me find my biological family?" We share one client's journey from skepticism to success story. Shared with client permission.Colette had always known she was adopted— her parents never hid that from her. They would say things like, "when we got you" instead of "when you were born." She knew that she was different from her family and that she didn't resemble either of her parents. From a very early age, Colette wanted to know whom she resembled and find out more about her birth … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Product Review: DNA Painter
DNA Painter, a DNA analysis tool created by Jonny Perl, was the well-deserved winner of the 2018 RootsTech DNA Innovation Contest. Jonny’s creation effectively meets key needs for genealogists as they engage in genetic analysis and interpretation.Evaluating Amounts of Shared DNAOne of the first approaches employed by genealogists in genetic analysis is evaluation of shared DNA between known and unknown genetic cousins. Some amounts of shared DNA are more likely for certain levels of … [Read more...]
Right Person, Right Place, Right Time: Documenting the Unknown in your DNA Test Results
Resources to help you in documenting the unknown in your DNA test results.Each DNA testing company warns that DNA testing can reveal surprises and previously unknown information about your family. In fact, customers of these databases make unexpected discoveries every day. These discoveries can be distressing and traumatic but might also be exciting and compelling. As you navigate the emotions and reactions of this experience, we recommend reviewing this list of resources to help. In other … [Read more...]
Contacting Your Birth Parent or Siblings
At Legacy Tree Genealogists, we are often contacted by individuals seeking assistance in finding information regarding biological family members. Utilizing advancements in genetic genealogy and thorough genealogical research, we have helped many clients find closure. However, for many, the journey does not end at identifying their birth mother, birth father or siblings. We consulted with industry experts Richard Weiss of DNAAdoption.org and Curry Wolfe, for insight and guidance into the next … [Read more...]
13 Secrets to Getting Replies from DNA Cousin Matches
Tips from one of our professional genealogists for getting responses from your DNA cousin matches.It happens to all of us.You see you have new DNA cousin matches, and you get excited. Maybe they have a brick-wall surname you recognize, or maybe they’re a really close match, or maybe they’re in an area where you think your ancestors may have lived. You do a genealogy happy dance, and you send them a message.And then you wait. And wait. And wait. And nothing happens.It’s frustrating, … [Read more...]
6 Things You Need to Know About the AncestryDNA Ethnicity Update
If you haven’t checked your AncestryDNA results recently, you’re in for a treat. The recent AncestryDNA update includes some big changes to its ethnicity estimates, and there’s something for everyone to explore. Here are six things you need to know to get the most out of this new tool for learning more about your ancestors.1. Everyone has access to the updated reports. Like most new Ancestry features, this one was gradually rolled out to Ancestry users. That left some of us to watch and wait … [Read more...]
Understanding Your AncestryDNA Matches
Your AncestryDNA results are in. Maybe you’ve always been interested in genealogy, or perhaps you received the test as a gift, and really have no idea what to expect. There is a learning curve to understand DNA test results, even for seasoned genealogists.AncestryDNA’s test is an autosomal DNA test, which looks at chromosomes 1-22 and the X-chromosome and provides information about many relationships and ancestors from both paternal and maternal ancestral lines. This post focuses on … [Read more...]
