Ancestry DNA 101

Ancestry DNA 101 PowerPoint PDF

Ancestry DNA 101 Handout

In April of 2018, I completed the semester-long Boston University Genealogy Course and received their genealogy certificate. It is a well respected and wonderful course but it was intense. I loved it, although the pressure around the weekly due date was not fun. Being graded on my work was a long forgotten stress. I did well but not without immense effort. Lots of writing!

The course is designed to prepare you to become a professional. My intent was not to become a professional but to acquire the knowledge of a professional. I feel that I did, but there is always so much more to learn! Part of this course was on Forensic Genealogy which included a study of DNA. In this day and age, a true genealogist must have a working knowledge of DNA. The course spurred me into learning even more.

Understanding how confusing it was, not long ago, when I took my first DNA test, I realized that there was a lack of beginning DNA resources in our area. I decided to develop this powerpoint to address that need. I hope it helps others shortcut the learning curve that I had to go through.

Have fun exploring your DNA on Ancestry and then upload your raw data for free to FamilyTree DNA, My Heritage, and GEDMATCH.

Always be careful when asking others to test and respect their wishes. Always be prepared for surprises.

If you are going to test with a company make sure you go straight through them. There are shady 3rd party individuals and companies that try to pull off what looks like a smoking deal but it is usually just the kit and not the test. You will end up paying more and have a big headache in the process. Below are links to reputable companies and information.

(I am not an employee or in any way associated with Ancestry.com or any other DNA testing company.)

Other Helpful Links:

Ancestry DNA

Genetic Genealogy Standards

ISOGG  (International Society of Genetic Genealogists)

ISOGG Statistics (Scroll down to get the charts)

Blaine Bettinger's Shared CentiMorgan Project

Blaine Bettinger's DNA Painter

Dana Leeds Color Clustering Method

23andMe

FamilyTreeDNA

MyHeritage DNA

GEDMATCH

Living DNA (British Ancestry)

Recommended reading: Blaine Bettinger's "Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy" Book



Comments

  1. Great post... It was really very helpful article and share lot of information on DNA testing. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete

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