DNA Research At GEDmatch

If you've tried all of the big family tree sites and that brick wall still seems impenetrable it might be time to give GEDmatch a try. It is a great tool with tons of data sorted for you, but it is not for the faint of heart. It is not as easy to use as any of the major websites that will serve you up hints about what to do with that data. You'll have to work a little harder, but since it accepts DNA test results from all of the other sites (23andMe and Wiki too).

GEDmatch has a free version with fewer sorting tools, so you can give that a try before investing any money in it. If you want the top of the line level of research, you can buy a Tier-One membership for $10 a month and upload multiple autosomal DNA results "kits." You can choose to also upload or enter your tree to GEDmatch, or link it with a tree on MyHeritage.

After a day or two, your matches should appear. Login to your Dashboard and check the right of the screen for FREE tools. The first thing that is recommend to do is to check "Are My Parents Related?" to look for endogamy. This could help sort out why you have so many cousin matches as Tthe DNA is shared by both mother and father.

Now that we have our feet wet, let's try the "One To Many" tool on the Dashboard. The amount of info in that resulting graphic can be overwhelming, but fear not! I have obscured the names and email addresses of the matches in the first 3 left columns. You can click on this image and it will pop up larger.

You can sort by largest cM matches, the age of the test, and where the test was taken, for example. You can also search for "Match Both" which will sort to just those matches that match both your Maternal and Paternal lines.

Searching for only Autosomal matches that will map exactly which segments match in what spot. Generally, the larger the shared segments are the closer the match.

There are dozens of combinations to try if you have a Tier One membership. The cost of that membership is going up to $15 a month on September 1st, so don't delay! You can cancel the auto-renewal portion at any time so you are not stuck with the full amount if it is not to your liking.

DNA research at GEDmatch is often seen as the tool of last resort, because you have to work harder there than the other sites. But you can do it! Give the free level a try and upgrade after you have played with it a bit. They have several tutorials and user forums you can go to for help, or else you could contact your favorite genealogist!

Remember we offer a FREE REVIEW of your tree to see if we can nudge you in a new direction. Just send an email and we can get started. Family History is supposed to be fun!

Regards,

Leslie Ryan