I'm a Genetic Genealogist

[SnackBitch2020]

I've been a genealogist for 15 years, and branched into genetic genealogy a few years ago. Now it's my main area of research.

For want of a less "cringe" expression genealogy is my side hustle, but with COVID I'm thinking of taking the plunge into doing it professionally.

I've worked on many people's family histories as well as my own, and solved some dna mysteries.

thewitchesofprestwick My dad always says that’s why my DH has that colouring.

@borageforager yes, I wonder if it is really true?

@Mytholmroyd

Sorry if i have misunderstood, I was wondering if you only worked on modern samples or if you did any aDNA work - if getting samples from skeletons of known ancestors can extend it back further. Also, if you had an opinion on how secure the Richard III DNA work was given the potential for false paternity incidences. I'm an archaeologist!

No worries! Actually it was me being a bit thick lol I work with autosomal DNA, which cover inheritance going back several generations. I am fascinated with ancient dna though.

@CorianderLord

So I did 23 and Me and found the countries your genes link to very interesting. I was mostly European (loss of places though) but did have a few % Egyptian. My cousins on there were very similar to my results but without the Egyptian. As far as we're aware my family are English/Scottish for several generations. Could this have come from hundreds of years back in my ancestry?

Interesting. Yes, this is certainly possible, but when ethnicity %s are only a 0-5% or so, it can be misattributed. It depends on how your dna sample matches people in the company you tested with's reference database.

@thewitchesofprestwick

I have dark hair and olive skin. My older relatives say we have Spanish genes from shipwrecked sailors washing up in West Cornwall and fathering children with love women. Have you any idea from your study of genes if this is true?

You would have to do a DNA test to find out It is certainly possible.

@thegirlwholived - you have 23 pairs of chromosomes, the XX/XY is only one pair so half of the other ,22 pair is from you and half from her father...so lots of chances of similarity 😌

Thanks @SnackBitch2020 :) I will bear that in mind in case the need to know gets too much. I have many generations mapped in my tree and that's a frustrating blank.
I agree with you on the risks of people being unsupported after testing especially where were abandoned. It's lovely to read stories where it all works out OK for those babies but there must be some where they never get any answers or relationship with their family.
I'd love to do genealogy as a job!

Ah that’s fab @kshaw I just had this horrible feeling they wouldn’t be even genetically related.., the baby has actually stolen my rational thought

Hey OP, have you worked with any DNA NPEs to find birth fathers (I guess parents but it’s usually fathers) I discovered I was NPE after an Ancestry test, totally out of the blue, but had the luck of my father having already done a test so there was an instant match. I know other NPEs don’t have this luck and often work with search angels to find father matches.

Have you any opinion on all ports kidney disease?

Mother and Father clear. Query over mother having an affair. Not discussed. !!!

Daughter 2 carries. Her son suffers and will experience shortened life expectancy and probable sever disability in teens.

Daughter 1 clear. Not a carrier.

How many variants for the gene or genes that encode the receptor ACE 2 are known?

How Interesting @SnackBitch2020.
I have a question. Is there anything that can determine if a genetic match comes from a Maternal or Paternal side?
My father was adopted and through ancestry DNA I have narrowed down his parent to being one of three possible people.
Two female. One male.

both my dh my family settled in the same area of quebec. and based on ancestry.com i see the same names on both his family tree and mine. distant cousins marrying into each others family 2-3 times over 2-300 years.
my question is this. if i sent in dna samples for both of us would it show we are related?

@fallfallfall

both my dh my family settled in the same area of quebec. and based on ancestry.com i see the same names on both his family tree and mine. distant cousins marrying into each others family 2-3 times over 2-300 years. my question is this. if i sent in dna samples for both of us would it show we are related?

There’s a tool on GEDmatch for this - it was extremely unlikely in my case but one of the first things I checked on there. Free.

mytrueancestry.com is fascinating for archaic matches, mostly European. You find yourself in well named genetic social groups like Merovingian Nobles, Hunnic Tian Shan and Severed Heads.

Apologies if this isn't your area, feel free to ignore! X Is there any possible way that my beautiful baby (donor egg) could have inherited any of my genes? Is there any kind of cross over while I was growing him? Xx

@Stinkyjellycat

I have two questions (I’m greedy!)

1. How do you train to do this?

2 This may be outside your expertise, but how reliable is ethnicity testing and which companies are best for this?

Hi @Stinkyjellycat thanks for your questions.

1. there is no formal training specifically in genetic genealogy, although there are formal training routes to become a professional genealogist. Personally I worked on my own DNA research and that of others as well as taking a course with the University of Strathclyde (who I would thoroughly recommend). I am always keeping my knowledge up to date. There are a lot of free resources online, plus ISOGG wiki, which are extremely useful.

2. Oh now that is a hot potato! Great question. I'll be diplomatic in my answer...It is getting better, but take your ethnicity results with a pinch of salt. They are very reliable on a continental level, less so on a country/regional level.

If you take a DNA test you will find over the years your ethnicity estimate changes slightly (or even a lot!). Why, you may ask, is this the case, when your DNA never changes. This is because ethnicity estimates are made based on the DNA of reference populations - people who have had one solid ethnicity going back several generations whose DNA is in the company's database, and how they matches with your DNA.

For example, to put it simply, if you took a DNA test and say 20% of your DNA looks similar to people in the reference database who are 100% German, your DNA estimate will say you are 20% German.

I would suggest Ancestry and 23andMe are best at DNA estimates, but it depends on your ethnicity. If you are of African or Asian descent you may find your ethnicity estimate is not as accurate as someone who is European, as it reflects lower numbers of people from these populations in the reference databases. This is getting better...slowly...!

@borageforager

Not the OP, but I had good results with 23andMe. Like your DH, my known family in all directions and memory are white and British, but myself and my dad are olive skinned. As a baby and a young child I certainly didn’t look like a “white” kid.

23andMe revealed that around 5-8 generations ago my ancestors were Anatolian, Fillipino and Portuguese. More recently French, German and Scandinavian. I am only 65% British and Irish.

My grandfather on my mums side came from a Romany background so maybe that explains it.

Thinking of getting both my parents the 23andMe kit for Xmas so that I can get more information about which bits come from which.

@APurpleSquirrel

How successful are genealogists at tracing cases of adoption? My father was adopted at or around birth & as it wasn't the done thing to discuss at the time (1940s) I've never known any more than that. I tried to find his birth certificate but it wasn't there so assume it is in his birth name which must have been changed upon his adoption. Consequently I have no knowledge of my paternal grandparents. I contacted an intermediary organisation & asked for advice but they were very negative & basically said that as I wasn't the adoptee I'd have no hope of getting any information.

Hi @APurpleSquirrel thanks for your question.

It depends on the information available, and whether or not you have close enough DNA matches to establish a good theory of who the the parents are. If you have strong DNA matches (second cousin or closer) plus some background information about the birth parents, you have a good chance of finding them in my opinion.

Your Dad's birth certificate would be in his original birth name, which would have been changed when he was adopted. I have heard of organisations being like this, which is a shame, but yes you have to be the actual adoptee to get information as far as I'm aware. Because of all the ethical implications I don't get too heavily involved in these types of cases, but can interpret DNA results.

This is why a lot of people now are taking DNA tests to bypass this. If your father took a DNA test, you will be able to establish the families from which he is descended even if you cannot find the actual parents. I say this with all the emotional and ethnical warnings posted upthread though!

Thank you for this thread OP🙏
unfortunately I can't think of a good question so I'm here to try and soak up the knowledge

@BuffaloCauliflower

Hey OP, have you worked with any DNA NPEs to find birth fathers (I guess parents but it’s usually fathers) I discovered I was NPE after an Ancestry test, totally out of the blue, but had the luck of my father having already done a test so there was an instant match. I know other NPEs don’t have this luck and often work with search angels to find father matches.

Hi @BuffaloCauliflower, thanks for your question.

Yes I have, although in these cases the parent was deceased. I am very sorry to hear you found out this news via a DNA test. I can't imagine how that must feel. I have had to deliver this news to a couple of people and it's something I've found very difficult.

There are a couple of search angel groups on Facebook that I'm aware of. I have mixed feelings about these due to ethical implications, but also on the groups I know about people are openly discussing living people's details in public who probably have no idea they have mystery relatives...yes, these records are in the public domain but it's not something I'm comfortable with.

There some lovely people who devote their time for free to help others, called search angels, which is admirable. I think if you get someone like that who is really good at research, discreet, but can also handle the emotional/sensitivities of the cases well then that's a good outcome.

@Ellovera2

I have always wanted to do this. I only know my mum and her mum (unknown father) , and my dad and his mum (again unknown father). So a missing grandparent on each side and I know no further back.

My question is: how much would you charge to help someone build their family tree a few generations back? How much can typically be done via research and how often do you use genetic testing?

Hi @Ellovera2, thanks for your question.

I'm not sure as I don't charge, although I have only helped friends, family and acquaintances so far. If you are thinking of hiring a genealogist, it's a good idea to check if they are an AGRA member or associate member. I am neither of these, mainly due to time and cash! ;)

This will all depend upon:

Closeness of DNA matches
Your own genealogical knowledge
Number of sites you subscribe to e.g. Ancestry, Findmypast etc.
The knowledge and willingness to be contacted of your DNA matches
Your name.

Also if you have a name like Smith or Jones, it's going to be more challenging.

There are so many factors, but it's absolutely possible. What I would recommend is starting a tree based on what you already know. If and when you take a DNA test, you will then be in a good position to easily sort your matches and then work out who the mystery relatives are (hopefully!).

@Ylfa

What a fantastic thread! I’m very excited for your side hustle to become the main hustle 😀

I’ve been stuck for a long long time trying to trace my maternal grandmother’s line - she was British (English I thought) and my only ancestral link to the UK yet I have virtually no British DNA matches across: ancestry.com, 23andme, myheritage, ftdna, GEDmatch.

How much does it cost to have someone look into this? Got a great paper trail thanks to rootschat or rootsweb (something like that) but no DNA matches with anyone who has ancestors in common.

Hi @Ylfa, thanks for your question.

Thank you!

I think my previous reply will answer your question.

It sounds like very few of your British relatives have taken DNA tests. What is your % of British DNA?

Thanks @SnackBitch2020
Really helpful and a very interesting thread 👍