What are you expected to do now that you’ve received your DNA ancestry test results? Most people glance at their ethnicity estimate (the portion that says you’re 28 percent English and 14 percent Eastern European, for example), tell their family, and seldom look at the data again. You’ll be losing out on most of the benefits of taking a DNA ancestry test if you do this!
The ethnicity findings are the LEAST fascinating and least relevant aspect of a best DNA test lab if you’re interested in identifying your ancestry.
We will explain what you’ll discover in your DNA ancestry test findings and how to use them in this post.
How Does the Ancestry DNA Testing Work?
Your DNA ancestry test results are divided into three sections:
- The Origins of DNA (Ethnicity Estimate)
- Circles of DNA
- DNA Compatibility
The Story of Ancestry DNA
Everyone wants a visual map and an exciting result from their noninvasive paternity testing, but it’s the least accurate and least useful for genealogy. The ethnicity estimate is precisely that – a guess as to where your DNA originated.
Ancestry compares your DNA to thousands of other people with known ancestors using an algorithm they created. They estimate where your DNA came from based on how similar your DNA segments are to known elements.
Ethnicity Results and Genealogical Significance:
While the ethnicity result won’t help you find specific relatives, it will hint where you should concentrate your investigation. (Or surprise them with information about your ancestors’ origins.)
Circles of Ancestry DNA
This tool displays groups of individuals who have also tested their DNA and are related to you through a common ancestor. This has yet to be helpful to scientists. They utilize a similar approach to the DNA match findings.
DNA Ancestry Test and Family Tree:
The genetic treasure in your test results is your DNA ancestry test Matches! Your DNA Matches is a list of people who are related to you and have done the DNA ancestry test. You are probably linked to everyone on your DNA Match list!
For genealogical considerations, matches are beneficial. Because if you match, you KNOW you’re connected to that person, even if you don’t know-how. So you may both look at your family trees and figure out who your Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) is. This is highly beneficial for constructing your family tree and being fun to locate new relatives.
Imagine meeting a ‘new’ relative and discovering that you both have the same great-great-grandparents after researching your family trees. You’ll be able to benefit from each other’s study by exchanging information on various branches of the family tree, discovering new ancestors, and maybe sharing images, documents, and other items related to those ancestors. It’ll save you a lot of time! (It also confirms that “yeah, my research is correct because I know I’m linked to this individual in this way.”)
How to Make the Most of DNA ancestry test Matches
So now you know how to interpret the three types of DNA ancestry test results and utilize them to create your family tree.
- Begin by getting to know your mates. There will most likely be hundreds of them. You may focus on the first page for now and disregard the others.
- Look at your closest matches. Is there a “Parent/Child” or “Close Family” match? And if so, do you recognize these individuals? (Unless you’re adopted or have an adoptive sibling you didn’t know about, I assume you will.) Yes, DNA findings have the potential to reveal some rather dark family secrets. Prepare yourselves!)
- Then have a peek at the category of 1st cousins. Are there any 1st cousins on your list? Do you recognize these individuals? You’re likely to know your first cousins if you’re like most individuals.
Then you’ll go on to 2nd and 3rd cousins. This is where we frequently discover “new” relatives, and these groups have proven to be the most beneficial to my genealogical study.
Before contacting any potential matches, have a look at the information offered.
But for the time being, just get to know your matches. Pay careful attention to the first, second, and third cousins. You could discover shortcuts to tracing your ancestry just by glancing at these matches:
- You could discover a cousin you already know whose DNA structure and function has been tested and has compiled a family tree.
- You may meet a new cousin with whom you might collaborate to figure out how you’re linked.
- You could find a match who piques your interest because of a name or region that conjures up memories of a family member… On these matters, trust your instincts. There’s a reason they piqued your curiosity!
- Or perhaps you’ll find something unexpected in your family tree…
These outcomes might point you in the right way for your family history research. It’s now your turn. Examine your DNA ancestry test results from a DNA test Lab to see if you can find any new connections.
