Thread by @cityrider49

Thread: Building a strong DNA matched tree
#Adoptee #DNA #FamilySearch #FamilyTree

I wanted to expand on my paternal search methods as to help others in a similar situation. Evidence, both DNA and documentation, is central to supporting any conclusions.

As I said in my last thread, I found that my paternal matches fell into three family groups: Petronius, Tütscher & Tyneslawe. But that wasn't enough information to support my hypothesis. I could build a tree for each family but it had to be supportable by the facts.

I started by building a tree based on:
1.Birth and Death certificates
2.Marriage and divorce documents
3.Federal and/or state census
4.Other Government documents such as court rulings, land grants, etc.

5.Other public records (ex. phone books, church records, yearbooks, etc.)
6.Supporting news articles (ex. birth announcements, wedding announcements, obituaries, etc.)
7.Consensus from other family trees

Now I had to determine if my DNA matches fit into the tree.

I used a basic rule for the DNA matches within the tree:
1. Relative must be a DNA match.
2. The shared DNA (centiMorgan or cM) for a specific relationship range (1st cousin, 2nd cousin, etc.) must match with family tree evidence.

3. The DNA match within a specific family group should be DNA matched to others within the same family group.
4. The DNA match should not be DNA matched to other family groups.

If similar results with same DNA match are observed across multiple services the better.

In my case I've taken tests with:
- @Ancestry - family trees, documents & DNA matches
- @23andMe - health & DNA matches
- @MyHeritage - global DNA matches
- @FamilyTreeDNA - DNA matches, mT & Y-DNA
- GEDMatch.com - DNA matches for all DNA tests

Some of my DNA matches were matched with all 4 DNA tests taken with similar results. For additional supporting documentation, I've found information at:
- @FamilySearch - family trees & documents
- @_newspapers - searchable archive of newspapers

In total I performed this exercise with 630+ DNA matches on my paternal side. Each match has been repeatedly checked against the documentation. In some cases I've spoken with the match to gain clarity. Or to just say hello 😃

Again, even with all this evidence I was rebuked by my immediate paternal side. Get a layer beyond them and they've been exceedingly nice & helpful. So, if nothing else do this exercise for yourself to know your history. #unroll

@threadreaderapp #unroll