I am beginning a series about Genealogy Proof – in other words, how do you prove that your ancestor is actually your ancestor?
- What tools are available?
- How can you best utilize them?
- What is leveling up? How do you do it, and why would you want to?
- What is the genealogy proof standard, GPS, and how can you easily use it?
- How does DNA play into this equation? How does DNA work with the other tools? Can DNA alone prove an ancestral connection? Can it disprove one, even in the face of other information?
I use these methodologies and tools when writing my 52 Ancestors articles that I typically publish on Sundays.
If you’re wondering how I compile the information for those ancestors, including multiple ancestors from the same region, I’ll address that.
If you’re wondering how I keep everything straight, or at least try to, I’ll share my processes and tools. I’ve made just about every mistake possible, AND I’ll tell you how NOT to retread that path.
If you’re wondering how to utilize the various forms of DNA to either confirm an ancestor, a hypothesis, or maybe disprove an ancestor, I’ll discuss that.
Lastly, we’ll talk about what to do if you made a mistake and got something wrong, or if previously unknown information surfaces that conflicts with earlier information. How do you correct and fix it? Trust me—I’ve been there and done that, too.
As I complete each article, I’ll update this article and post links here.
Articles in the Series
- Genealogy Proof Series: Gathering Location Resources
- Genealogy Proof Series: Extracting and Recording Data So That You Can Find It
- Genealogy Proof Series: Surname Searching
- Genealogy Proof Series: Creating Genealogy Proof Tables
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Thanks for always being topical. I think we could all do better at making sure our info is correct or as correct as we can make it.
Sounds wonderful and can’t wait!
Great Idea. I will look forward to seeing your upcoming articles. I also need help in posting sources.
Dear Roberta, I want to update my email address. When I press the link: Manage your email settings, I’m redirected to a blank page that only has the WordPress logo on it. I realize that this isn’t your issue to deal with and I wanted to inform you, though, of the problem. I did enter my new email address in the reply settings. Hopefully, that can be somehow shared with WordPress. Thank you for all you do to advance our knowlege regarding DNA and geneology. With kind regards, Nancy Kingston
Sounds interesting, thank you
Dear Roberta, Regarding my earlier reply to update my email address: As soon as I submitted my comment, I was immediately redirected to the WordPress site, where I was able to update my email address. Thank you, again, for all that you do to share knowledge regarding DNA and genealogy. Applying that knowledge to your own family genealogy, as examples, has been expecially helpful. With kindest regards, Nancy Kingston
That will be wonderful Roberta. It will be very interesting to see how you process your research.
Looking forward to seeing your series! 😀
What a wonderful gift to all of us! Thank you.
OK, first a book, now this series. I can’t wait to learn new approaches on proof, or refine my existing ones. Great topic for a series, Roberta!
Looking forward to the articles!
This sounds very interesting and useful
I’m looking forward to this!
Wonderful!!! Look forward to all aspects of your articles. Currently interested in how to read the Y-700 and follow the valuations, but I do realize that sublect
is probably down the road on your “outline”. Thanks in advance…..
That’s covered in my recent book.
Thank you, I’m very much looking forward to this series
Thanks, I am looking forward to this x
I am so looking forward to this. Thanks very much x
Can’t wait!!
Roberta, after reading your announcement, I could just hug you! The timing of your new series is perfect. I’m looking forward to your guidance !
You’re the best! Thank you.
Thank you. I know it will be great I am sure. After over 40 years of research there is always something new to find.
Oh! I am very excited about this. After Taking Boston University’s Genealogy classes I have been “proving my connections. Excited to see your methodology.
I too am looking forward to your new series, Roberta. I find your posts to be very well written and informative. I always learn something.
I am interested. Thank you so much for all you do.
Methodologies and how to’s are my favorite. Looking forward to this series
Thank you
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Very helpful info, Roberta, as always.
One thing that would help in gathering DNA evidence would be for Ancestry to allow an *honest* use of Pro Tools Sharing. Right now, they only allow comparisons using their dishonest Timber adjustments.
It may seem harsh to call to call these dishonest — obviously, Ancestry must believe in Timber. But Pro Tools has made it even clearer to me that Timber is *extremely* flawed. One reason is that Timber makes its “decisions” about what it considers as “excess sharing” in isolation. It doesn’t matter what relationship shared matches (on either side) have with each other — but it should.
Consider this example. I share 135 cM in 6 segments with my 2nd cousin once removed SV, with a longest shared segment of 48 cM. The amount of sharing makes this a “Timber safe” match. My daughter, by contrast, shares only 19 cM with SV, in 3 segments, and with a longest shared segment of … 48 cM! The problem is that Timber has chopped off 45 cM of the actual shared DNA between SV and my daughter, even though the two are *not* really that distant; they’re 2nd cousins twice removed. Average sharing for this relationship — according to DNA Painter — is 71 cM.
It also turns out that — according to Timber — I share 14 cM with LB in a single segment. Only, this is after Timber has chopped off 33 cM of the actual matching of 47 cM. LB happens to be SV’s daughter, and LB and her mother show sharing of 3,465 cM. Both LB and her mother are purely maternal matches to me. I suppose Ancestry might try to tell me that some part of LB’s unweighted matching with me could be on her paternal side, but no one identified as her “father” shows up when I sort by how much our shared matches share with LB. No, it seems much more likely that Timber has just “decided” that somehow some of the matching LB inherited from her mother has now become excess sharing.
What are the odds that the 47 cM I share with LB is basically just a slightly smaller portion of the 48 cM longest shared segment I share with SV, and which I also appear to have passed on to my daughter — even though Timber saw fit to reduce this to 19 cM?
If so, that would mean my daughter likely shares at least 47 cM with LB, who would be her 3rd cousin once removed. But, what does Ancestry say for the sharing between LB and my daughter? According to them, these two have no sharing. That’s doubtful; more likely, Ancestry actually came up with the unweighted sharing of 47 cM, but Timber chopped it down to less than 8 cM — at which point Ancestry simply deep-sixed it.