Traditionally, people have done genealogy research using public and private family records such as birth, wedding, and death certificates. Although paper records can be very helpful, they may only go back a few generations. DNA tests, however, provide information from multiple generations and hundreds of years to help you discover connections with people you didn’t even know existed.
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How to Use DNA Testing for Genealogy
Different DNA Tests, Different Information
How to Use DNA Testing for Genealogy
With ancestry DNA tests, you can:
- Compare your DNA to another person’s and identify the point in time when you shared a common ancestor.
- Trace your lineage back a few hundred years to a specific region of the world.
- Determine the composition of your ethnic heritage.
- See if you carry DNA sequences specific to a racial or ethnic group, such as the Jewish Cohanim (or Kohanim) gene.
- Compare your DNA sequence with others in public databases.
- Trace your family tree — even if members changed their surnames.
- Create a "surname project” that brings together people with the same surname and DNA markers.
Different DNA Tests, Different Information
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The kind of information you can learn from your DNA test results depends on the type of test you choose. With Y-DNA testing you can trace your ancestry along your father’s side of the family to see what region of the world they are from. Similarly, with mitochondrial DNA testing you can trace your ancestry along their mother’s side of the family. You can also compare the results of your Y-DNA and mtDNA tests with other people's to see if you share a common ancestor.
Autosomal DNA testing looks at who you are now. Admixture tests tell you in statistical terms what percentage of your heritage may be attributed to a specific ancestry group: African, Native American, European, and East Asian. Top population match tests tell you which populations in the world today have genetic profiles that best match your own.
DNA tests take traditional genealogy one step further. Combined with paper records, DNA tests allow genealogists to feel more confident in confirming or excluding a relationship with others who have the same surname or shared background.
