Sorting Saturday - Organizing my DNA-relatives

You know, you got your huge list with DNA-relatives and trying to figure out how they are connected to you. I tested with FamilyTreeDNA September 2013 and I have been struggling on how to organize my matches in a clever way to find out our common ancestor.

If you are lucky, there is a tree attached to your match, but that is not always the case. And I understand why. A lot of people have relatives tested but are only interested in their common matches  to verify a certain relationship and don't add tree to every tested person. Understandable.

I use Reunion for mac as my main genealogy database. For DNA, I figured that the function Flags was a useful tool. I have added a flag "DNA known", that I use to flag people that have been tested and where we have found out out common ancestor.

I have added some people to my database where we are working on finding out how we are connected. They got the DNA flag. I have also created  haplogroupflags, for example, I myself have a flag called: HG D5a3a (mt), my mother has the same flag, my father have one flag for his Y and one for his mt and so on.

I have also chosen to show the flags in the familyview to when clicking around in my program I get a fast visual indicator on the DNA-status.

I am also able to search for everyone that has a certain flag, like everyone with the DNA flag checked or people with a certain haplogroupflag and I get the result fast in a nice list.

It is really easy to add flags in Reunion and flags can also be used to indicate people who emigrated, who were in the military or as "research done" (never used that one).

So, look into flags if you are using Reunion for mac or simular function in the program you are using to get those DNA-cousins a bit more organized.

Any other ideas on how to organize your DNA-relatives in your ordinary genealogy database?

New DNA Family Finder matches

Yesterday I got some new matches at FamilyTreeDNA. Most exciting was that I got a match with a person that has a predicted relationship range of 2nd - 4th cousin. This person is also the closet match I got so far (except for my dad) which makes it even more interesting.

Since I got my own test results in November last year, I get about a handful of matches every month. Most of them are distant, 5th cousin or more and yet I haven't been able to find the connection on a single one.

In a way, I am surprised I have got so many matches. When doing traditional genealogy I don't run into many people researching the same family.

It is fun and interesting with the matches, you know for sure you are related but you don't know how. Sometimes the matches are a surprise as well, I have some matches in England that I don't understand. And a couple of matches in the US where I can't see that the match has any obvious connection to Sweden (or Estonia).

For me the DNA-genealogy really brought a new dimension to my research. From looking into records trying to find relatives I now have about 100 relatives where I need to find the records that shows how we are related.

DNA - Friday - will it help solve the genealogy puzzle?

DeoxyriboNucleic Acid, yes, DNA. I got my testresuts from FamilyTreeDNA. And this is all so exciting.

When I was I kid, I loved looking up in the sky at night, at all the starts, going dizzy when trying to understand the universe go on and on and on and on... forever and ever and ever.

Now I sent this little sample, and with that, it is possible to look thousands and thousands of years back, knowing where MY genes first started. They have really been passed on generation after generation after generation for such a long time. And with science it is possible to track them back. I find it so amazing.

I love spending time searching for documents and records, looking for clues, trying to understand and learning the life of my ancestors. But with DNA it is like a whole new dimension opened up. With that, analysed in a science lab,  I know there are people that matches me, that are related to me even if I haven't found that specific document to prove it. Perhaps there isn't any document at all, it might be over 20 generations back in time. But still, that exact person and I are related. And we didn't know.

I had two things analysed. First one is called Family Finder. With that, I can find decendants of my greatgreatgrand parents. I got a lot of matches in the FamilyTreeDNA database. Mainly distant, no ones really close. Still, somehow, I am connected to them in some way.

The other test I had was a full mtDNA sequence. This uses genetic material that is passed down from a mother to her children, both male and female but it is only females who can pass it on. With that, I was also provided with my haplogroup and it dates at least 20 000 years ago.

I am happy I found a totally new angle to look at my genealogy research. I want to learn everything about it - yesterday already. I am totally hooked.

With that, here is a picture of my grandmother and her mother. Hoping with DNA I will find out more about her grandmother and great-grandmother and add some pieces to my genealogy puzzle.

My great grandmother, Julie Verno, born 1887 (married to Eduard Seck), holding her daughter
my grandmother Ludmila, born 1922. Standing next to them is my grandmothers brother, George, born 1916.