DNA Day at the Family History Library

DNA Day!
World DNA Day is Sunday, April 25, 2021. Come celebrate with FamilySearch and the Family History Library on Monday, April 26, 2021. The Library will be sponsoring six DNA related classes. Classes will be taught via Zoom and broadcast live to RootsTech.org. Additional, DNA classes and resources will also be highlighted.

DNA Day at the FHL
Wondering what all the hype is about DNA? Come learn about DNA, find out if taking a DNA test is right for you, which tests you can take, and how it might help you in your family history.

Schedule
''Understanding and using DNA in genealogy research sometimes require additional study. Key steps, process, and additional resources for each class are listed below.''

Why Genealogists Use DNA
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How Genealogists Use DNA
There are currently five DNA testing companies who test both ethnicity and provide match lists: AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage DNA, and Living DNA. The match lists are essential to using DNA in family history research. A comparison chart is at the right and more information on these companies can be found here.

Autosomal DNA (atDNA)
Autosomal DNA or atDNA testing can help with the following research questions.


 * Adoption and unknown parentage questions
 * Eliminating one of two possible ancestors
 * Finding up to about 3x great-grandparents

Y-DNA
Y-DNA testing can help with the following research questions.


 * An unknown father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc.
 * Surname projects

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
Mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA is most useful when used in conjunction with atDNA on the maternal line.

Grouping DNA Matches
After taking a DNA test, most people have thousands if not hundreds of thousands of DNA matches. Clustering or building genetic networks is the process of grouping those matches based on which ancestor or ancestral line through which they relate. To create a cluster:


 * 1) Start with a match, if possible, determine your relationship
 * 2) Assign a colored dot (on Ancestry) or create a list of people in the cluster
 * 3) Use the shared matches feature to identify other matches who also share DNA with you and the match; add them to the cluster
 * 4) Repeat with other members of the cluster until the cluster has been mostly identified
 * 5) Name your cluster either using the name through which these people relate; if common ancestor is unknown, mark it as unknown

A cluster has been created.

Additional Resources

 * Learn more about the Leeds Method at https://www.danaleeds.com/the-leeds-method/ and https://www.yourdnaguide.com/leeds-method
 * AutoClusters are available from MyHeritage, Genetic Affairs, GEDMatch, and DNAGedcom. Note that AutoClustering is usually a Tier 1 or subscription service.

Using DNA to Determine Relationships
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Using DNA to Find Unknown Parents: A Case Study
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Using DNA to Solve a Brick Wall: A Case Study
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Past DNA Day Celebrations
The Family History Library first celebrated DNA Day on April 25, 2019. Classes taught included:


 * DNA: An Introduction to Genetic Genealogy (Recording [[Media:An Introduction to DNA and Genealogy.April 2019.pdf|Handout]])
 * DNA: I've Tested, Now What? (Recording [[Media:I've Tested My DNA, Now What.pdf|Handout]])
 * Finding an Unknown Parent Using DNA: A Case Study ([[Media:Finding an Unknown Parent Using DNA Case Study.pdf|Handout]])
 * Making DNA Connections through Descendancy Research (Recording [[Media:Making DNA Connections Through Descendancy Research.pdf|Handout]])