You’ve taken a DNA test from one of the “big 3” and the results show hundreds of matches rated as “3rd cousin – distant”, but you don’t know who those people are, much less how they fit in your family. So how can you get all those centimorgans and shared DNA percentages to tell you what you need to know?
The companies you take your DNA tests from will give you ethnicity and match results but can only make suggestions for linked families if matches have placed their family trees online. They cannot interpret whether the connections are valid or if the information associated with the people named in the tree is correct. To go further in connecting the dots, you need a subscription with that service to utilize any tools available, such as auto clusters or chromosome mapping. Even then, the average DNA test taker does not know how to use those tools to match up distant relatives.
This is the point where you would enlist the services of a professional genealogist skilled in DNA matching. A genealogist will have the resources, education, and tools to do a thorough investigation and mapping of your DNA matches. They can work with raw DNA files, searching multiple DNA sites and extrapolating results to find common ancestors, which in turn can lead to making the connection with that distant DNA match.
Dragon Investigation Group can utilize these techniques for both investigation and genealogy and has had several successful cases matching clients’ DNA results and connecting people in a previously unknown family tree. If you are looking for a distant relative, an adoptee or birth relative, or just want to know who that possible “3rd – distant” cousin is, give us a call to see how we may be able to help.
Call us today for a free consultation.
281-670-8334
