DNA Testing Update

Aug 16, 2019

Get Your FREE Ticket to the 2019 Adoption Summit

Over a 5-day period in September, more than 50 experts and leaders in the adoption community will be sharing their knowledge and insights on many different adoption topics. By registering now, you will be able to stream any or all of the presentations for free on the day they are released. Use the following link to learn more and get your free ticket.

If you have ANY interest or connection to adoption, there will be topics of interest to you. My session will be on the use of DNA testing by adoptees to find birth families. The schedule is not out yet. But claim your free ticket now and you will be notified by email as soon as the schedule is finalized. The Adoption Summit Dates are September 23-27, 2019.

If you are too busy when a presentation goes live, you can upgrade to the Adoption Summit’s All-Access Pass. That gives you 24/7 access to all the videos for 12 months plus a number of other benefits listed in your welcome email. For now, just claim your free ticket while you're thinking about it.

Should you buy a pass, a portion will go to the speakers who are otherwise donating their time.

Continue reading "Get Your FREE Ticket to the 2019 Adoption Summit"

Aug 15, 2019

MyHeritage Traces Ancestry of Dr. Phil's Wife

Previously on the Dr. Phil show, MyHeritage traced his family tree. In this later show, they have traced the family history of Phil's wife, Robin McGraw. You can watch that segment at the following link.

Continue reading "MyHeritage Traces Ancestry of Dr. Phil's Wife"

Aug 14, 2019

82-Year Old Adoptee Finds Her First Family

Some adoptees think they're too old to find their birth parents. And that may be true. But if you're still alive, there's always a chance you have biological siblings out there somewhere. This adopted woman did an AncestryDNA test and had great success.

Continue reading "82-Year Old Adoptee Finds Her First Family"

Aug 13, 2019

New AncestryDNA Match Features Explained

Ancestry has added some nice new features for working with your genetic matches. No, I'm not referring to the innovative Thru-Lines feature. This is a batch of powerful touches that you might overlook. Blogger Kitty Cooper explains and illustrates them with examples.

Continue reading "New AncestryDNA Match Features Explained"

Aug 12, 2019

𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿

We can only imagine how many U.S. servicemen fathered children while they were serving in Vietnam decades ago. Here's a case where the man's daughter moved to the U.S. and his grandchild found him through an AncestryDNA test

Continue reading "𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿"

Aug 09, 2019

Finally, a Great Sale on the Popular AncestryDNA Test

Whether you're a genealogist, adoptee, or anyone else searching for biological relatives, you need to do the AncestryDNA test, which is now on sale for just $59 plus tax and shipping.

This test has the largest database of users by far. You will discover thousands of genetic relatives and see a breakdown of your ethnic ancestry in percentages.

Genealogists with family trees will appreciate many great features such as the innovative ThruLines tool that suggests possible connecting paths between you and many of your DNA matches.

Continue reading "Finally, a Great Sale on the Popular AncestryDNA Test"

Aug 08, 2019

Six of Eight Adopted Siblings Identified through DNA Tests

Decades ago, Helen Wierzbicki bore eight children over a 20-year period and gave ALL of them up for adoption. Now, thanks to two different DNA tests, six of them have been identified and four of them got together for the first time.

Continue reading "Six of Eight Adopted Siblings Identified through DNA Tests"

Aug 07, 2019

Understanding Cousin Relationships

Many people are confused by the names we use for distant cousin relationships. We know what a first cousin is. But what is a second cousin or a third cousin twice removed? The following page from Family Search explains all this in an easy-to-follow way.

Continue reading "Understanding Cousin Relationships"

Aug 06, 2019

Navigating Your MyHeritage DNA Health Reports

I recently received my results from the new Health+Ancestry test at MyHeritage. Some of it duplicates what I already learned from another test. Yet there are many unique findings and features of this report that are new.

This blog post explains in detail what the report looks like. I suggest you read it and then decide if the test is right for you.

Continue reading "Navigating Your MyHeritage DNA Health Reports"

Aug 05, 2019

DNA Reunites Two Brothers--Both Policemen

Two half-brothers from Florida have reunited after discovering they are related through a genetic genealogy DNA test. Not only is there a family resemblance, but they both work in law enforcement. Be sure to watch the video.

Continue reading "DNA Reunites Two Brothers--Both Policemen"

Aug 02, 2019

Current DNA Test Sales

Reviewing Current DNA Test Sales with Recommendations

Continue reading "Current DNA Test Sales"

Aug 02, 2019

Summer Sale on All DNA Tests at Family Tree DNA

Good News! The company with the most complete line of genetic genealogy DNA tests is having a summer sale. You can save $20 on Family Finder, $50 on a mitochondrial DNA test, and $40 or more on Y-DNA tests. Order a bundle of two or three test types and save even more. See the following link to all the sale prices at Family Tree DNA. Sale ends 8/31/19.

Continue reading "Summer Sale on All DNA Tests at Family Tree DNA"

Aug 01, 2019

A Fascinating and Well Told DNA Success Story

Here is one of the most interesting and well-illustrated DNA success stories I've ever seen. It clearly shows how DNA and conventional genealogical research can work together to identify an unknown ancestor hidden by adoption. It comes from Jane's Genes.

Continue reading "A Fascinating and Well Told DNA Success Story"

Jul 30, 2019

My Strategy for Tracing Birth Parents with DNA

I recently updated the web page that describes my strategy for tracing birth parents. This is the most effective yet least expensive way to "fish in all the ponds."

In fact, this testing strategy is the optimal one for anyone looking to expand or confirm their family tree.

Continue reading "My Strategy for Tracing Birth Parents with DNA"

Jul 29, 2019

A Summer of DNA eConference

In January I was one of four presenters for an online DNA conference sponsored by Family History Fanatics. Their summer conference will be held on Friday, 8/9/19 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Central time.

Four new speakers and topics:

● Theory of Family Relativity and Other MyHeritage DNA Tools - Daniel Horowitz● Testing Family Members (why & who to choose) - Donna Rutherford● atDNA: Verify, Correct, Expand - Emily Aulicino● When Your Tree Is a Banyan: Working with Endogamy and DNA - Leah Larkin

To learn more or register, use the following link.

Continue reading "A Summer of DNA eConference"

Jul 26, 2019

Updated Stats and Stories from DNA Quest

DNA Quest is a pro bono initiative to reunite adoptees and their birth families through genetic testing. I am on the Advisory Board for this program, which is generously funded by MyHeritage.

Free DNA kits have been shipped out to participants who were selected to take part in the second round of DNA Quest.

The following blog post provides some interesting statistics and includes links to a few of the many success stories.

Continue reading "Updated Stats and Stories from DNA Quest"

Jul 25, 2019

Save on New MyHeritage DNA Health Test

I just received the results of my Health+Ancestry test at MyHeritage. You can get it until 7/29/19 for just $149 or even less if you have already done their Ancestry-Only test. I was impressed with the results and the easy-to-understand explanations.

Their big innovation is the polygenic risk score for conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. They analyze thousands of variants and combine the results to calculate your polygenic risk score, a cutting edge method of estimating genetic risk.

They also report your risk for many other conditions, including BRCA related cancers, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Carrier status reports include cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia among others.

If you have already done the original MyHeritage test (now called Ancestry-Only), you can upgrade your account to add the health reports. The upgrade price is normally $120 but that too is sale priced right now for just $60.

NOTE: If you only did a free upload from another test, you cannot upgrade. They need an actual DNA sample to run the health tests.

Privacy is assured. Health reports are encrypted and MyHeritage has never sold or licensed personal data. You can permanently delete your data at any time.

Continue reading "Save on New MyHeritage DNA Health Test"

Jul 23, 2019

40% Off My Book Direct from Publisher

I got my publisher to create a 40% discount offer on my book 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮: 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮 𝘿𝙉𝘼. If you would like to read my award-winning story and don't yet have a copy, you can order it at the link below.

The form will initially show the list price of $18.99. Enter the quantity and then type FindingFamily (one word) into the small box and click Apply. That will reduce the price to $11.39. The price includes free shipping to addresses in the U.S.

Continue reading "40% Off My Book Direct from Publisher"

Jul 19, 2019

Mother and Daughter Reunite After 44 Years

Here's one more case where an adoptee is reunited with a birth parent after taking a genetic genealogy DNA test. You can read their story and watch a video of their first meeting.

Continue reading "Mother and Daughter Reunite After 44 Years"

Jul 18, 2019

Updated Theory of Family Relativity at MyHeritage

I was excited this morning to see that MyHeritage has refreshed the data for their Theory of Family Relativity™.

My wife and I and other family members are now seeing many new and updated theories that could explain how we and our DNA Matches are related.

By automatically searching the family trees of you and your DNA matches, this tool can often find one or more possible paths connecting the two of you. While Theories do not prove that a particular connection is responsible for a DNA match, they provide valuable clues to direct your research and save a lot of time.

This is clearly one of the coolest tools included with any DNA test. If you have not yet tested at MyHeritage, you need to consider it.

Continue reading "Updated Theory of Family Relativity at MyHeritage"

Jul 16, 2019

Irish Mother Finds Her Son...60 Years Later

Maurice Gleeson is a genetic genealogist who helps connect adoptees and parents in Ireland. He shares this success story in his blog.

Continue reading "Irish Mother Finds Her Son...60 Years Later"

Jul 15, 2019

Listen and Learn About Ethnic Ancestry DNA Testing

I was recently interviewed by Beyond 50 Radio about DNA Testing for Ethnic Ancestry. I explain the results and limitations of these tests and make some recommendations. I also try to manage expectations and put these tests in their proper perspective. Our discussion also touches on other aspects of DNA testing and finding families. You can listen at this link.

Continue reading "Listen and Learn About Ethnic Ancestry DNA Testing"

Jul 11, 2019

Get Your FREE Ticket to the 2019 Adoption Summit

Over a 5-day period in September, more than 50 experts and leaders in the adoption community will be sharing their knowledge and insights on many different adoption topics. By registering now, you will be able to stream any or all of the presentations for free on the day they are released. Use the following link to learn more and get your free ticket.

If you have ANY interest or connection to adoption, there will be topics of interest to you. My session will be on the use of DNA testing by adoptees to find birth families. The schedule is not out yet. But claim your free ticket now and you will be notified by email as soon as the schedule is finalized. The Adoption Summit Dates are September 23-27, 2019.

If you are too busy when a presentation goes live, you can upgrade to the Adoption Summit’s All-Access Pass. That gives you 24/7 access to all the videos for 12 months plus a number of other benefits listed in your welcome email. For now, just claim your free ticket while you're thinking about it.

Should you buy a pass, a portion will go to the speakers who are otherwise donating their time.

Continue reading "Get Your FREE Ticket to the 2019 Adoption Summit"

Jul 09, 2019

Need a Fun, Informative Speaker on DNA Topics?

I give presentations on genetic genealogy both in-person and online. In addition to national conferences such as RootsTech and the National Genealogical Society, I love speaking to local libraries, genealogical societies, adoption support groups, retiree clubs, and service organizations. You can learn more about me and my presentations at the following link.

In addition to some openings in fall 2019, I am now scheduling for 2020. I live in Michigan and can easily drive to events in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario. Personal talks in more distant locations involve additional travel expenses yet online presentations are a viable option anywhere.

If you schedule speakers for any kind of group, check out my speaking page and contact me to discuss a possible connection. Thank you! Richard Hill, DNA Testing Adviser.

Continue reading "Need a Fun, Informative Speaker on DNA Topics?"

Jul 08, 2019

$79 Sale Price on Living DNA Test of British Ancestry

Right now you can save $20 on the Living DNA at the following link. My wife and I have both done this test and found it to be fascinating.

We both have British ancestry and this ethnicity report breaks down ancestry from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales into 21 sub-regions with more detail coming for Ireland. No other DNA test provides this level of detail for British roots.

Ancestry outside the British Isles is also reported but just not in that degree of detail. The test also identifies the haplogroups of your maternal and (for men) paternal ancestry.

They are currently testing an innovative approach to reporting genetic matches and reconstructing family trees. Once that is ready, we will be able to take advantage of the new feature. Sale ends 7/31/19.

Virtually all of the DNA testing companies in this field have affiliate programs. Like most DNA bloggers, I participate in such programs only for those tests that I use and recommend anyway. Using one of my affiliate links will not cost you any extra, but the commissions help me provide news and advice for free.

Continue reading "$79 Sale Price on Living DNA Test of British Ancestry"

Jul 05, 2019

Sperm Donors Can't Stay Secret Anymore

DNA testing has changed the world for donor-conceived individuals. Many are finding their biological fathers and half-siblings (sometimes many, many half-siblings).

This extensive article in The New York Times covers DNA testing and the history of sperm donation and cryobanks.

Continue reading "Sperm Donors Can't Stay Secret Anymore"

Jul 02, 2019

Learn All the New Features of an AncestryDNA Test

Ancestry has been busy creating new ways to enhance the value of our DNA matches. These new features include ThruLines, MyTreeTags, and ways to more easily sort, group, and view our DNA matches.

Ancestry summarizes these features on the following web page. Click the links that say "See how it works" to view a short video.

Continue reading "Learn All the New Features of an AncestryDNA Test"

Jul 01, 2019

New Data on Adoptee Success with DNA Testing

In 2007 I was the first known case of an adoptee identifying his birth family through a match in a genetic genealogy database. That was such a breakthrough that my story was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.

Twelve years later, with multiple testing options and more than 25 million people tested, stories of adoptees reuniting with birth families are commonplace.

For the last few years, Blaine Bettinger has been surveying adoptee success. His latest update--with statistics through mid-2019--is now out. The year over year progress is amazing. You can view highlights of his report at this link.

Continue reading "New Data on Adoptee Success with DNA Testing"

Jun 28, 2019

Act Now to Preserve Info from AncestryDNA Circles

If you have taken an AncestryDNA test, you may have some DNA Circles. Now that ThruLines has been launched, our DNA Circles will disappear on July 1.

ThruLines is a clever and useful tool. It does more than Circles and It provides some of the same information but not all. The part that’s missing isn’t available elsewhere. Blogger Roberta Estes explains the difference and tells us how to preserve valuable information before it's lost.

Continue reading "Act Now to Preserve Info from AncestryDNA Circles"

Jun 27, 2019

Beware of Websites Selling Fake DNA Tests

Here's another report of someone being scammed by a website selling fake DNA kits. In this case, she actually received authentic-looking kits. She followed instructions, filling vials with saliva and mailing them.

But when she called the company to check on results, she learned the vial numbers had already been used to test someone else's DNA.

Avoiding such scams is easy. Just buy your tests directly from the testing company and not from third-party resellers.

Whenever I recommend a test, I provide a link that goes directly to that company's website.

Continue reading "Beware of Websites Selling Fake DNA Tests"

Jun 26, 2019

How Many Adoptees are Rejected by Birth Parents?

There are no statistics that can answer this question. But we know that rejection does happen in some cases. This blog post explores the reasons for rejection and suggests some strategies for coping with it.

Continue reading "How Many Adoptees are Rejected by Birth Parents?"

Jun 25, 2019

The Most Important Investment for Every Genealogist

If I had to pick one investment that every genealogist should make, it would be the AncestryDNA test. Here are my three reasons:

1. Genetic Matches. With over 15 million people already tested (and many more testing every week) the average person is seeing about 50,000 genetic matches. Most of these are too distantly related to be much help with genealogy. But hundreds or thousands of them could help you find and confirm common ancestors within a genealogical timeframe. This will extend and confirm many branches of our family trees.

2. Ethnicity Estimate. AncestryDNA is one of the best tests for breaking down our ethnic ancestry into percentages by different regions of the world. For many of us, that will be supplemented by placing us in genetic communities within the U.S. and within many other countries.

3. Raw Data Download. We can download our raw data from the AncestryDNA test to our computers. Then we can choose to upload it into other genetic genealogy databases or have it analyzed for health reasons.

Use my link below to learn more about the AncestryDNA test.

NOTE: Virtually all of the DNA testing companies in this field have affiliate programs. Like most DNA bloggers, I participate in such programs only for those tests that I use and recommend anyway. Using one of my affiliate links will not cost you any extra, but the commissions help me provide news and advice for free.

Continue reading "The Most Important Investment for Every Genealogist"

Jun 24, 2019

Scientist Shares DNA Success Story in Harvard Magazine

I've read hundred of great stories where DNA testing has led people to discover truths and find family. But this is the first one I've read in Harvard Magazine. Since the man is a scientist, he goes into a lot of detail about how this worked for him.

Continue reading "Scientist Shares DNA Success Story in Harvard Magazine"

Jun 21, 2019

Adoptee Rights Bill Passes in New York

A big thank-you to everyone who helped bring this bill to a vote. The governor has promised to sign it. As of January 15, 2020, adopted people in New York will have the right to a copy of their unamended birth certificate for the first time in 83 years. You can read about this in Lorraine Dusky's blog.

Continue reading "Adoptee Rights Bill Passes in New York"

Jun 19, 2019

New Hope for Getting DNA from Your Deceased Ancestors

Do you have letters or postcards mailed by a deceased ancestor? If they licked the stamp or the envelope seal, their DNA may be captured and preserved between two pieces of paper.

A company in Australia offers a DNA extraction service for $235 in U.S. Dollars. That first step will tell you whether they find useable DNA. If they find it, they can generate (for an additional cost) an autosomal DNA text file that you can upload to GEDmatch Genesis.

How much that added step will cost depends on the quality of the DNA they recover. If it's in really good shape they can do it with a Global Screening Array (GSA) chip. But if it's degraded, they have to use Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) at a much higher cost.

I have NOT tried this myself as I have neither the sample nor the funds to do so. If you do have both, then I suggest you visit their website and read all the pages to understand exactly what you're getting into.

Continue reading "New Hope for Getting DNA from Your Deceased Ancestors"

Jun 18, 2019

MyHeritage DNA Kits Now at Costco in the UK

Most genetic genealogists would love to get more DNA matches with our cousins in Europe. MyHeritage, already the leader in Europe, is now selling its DNA test kits at 30 different Costco stores across the UK and Iceland. This is definitely good news for all of us. Read more abut this on the MyHeritage blog.

Continue reading "MyHeritage DNA Kits Now at Costco in the UK"

Jun 17, 2019

Watch A Great Film Now for Free

Join us for the FREE Digital Premiere of the quirky new #PBS documentary Thank You For Coming, which follows filmmaker Sara Lamm’s #Genealogy journey to find her biological father after learning she was #DonorConceived as an adult.

Watch now for FREE at the following link.

Continue reading "Watch A Great Film Now for Free"

Jun 17, 2019

Let's All Help New York Adoptees Today

A bill — A54941 / S3419 2— is pending in the New York State Assembly (the lower house of the New York legislature) that would give New York adoptees and their descendants the right to obtain their original birth certificates. So many members of the Assembly have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill that it is sure to pass once it reaches the Assembly floor.

It has already passed the New York State Senate (the upper house) by a vote of 56-6, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign it if it reaches his desk.3

But the last day of this session for the New York State Assembly is Wednesday, June 19th — and unless the bill is brought to the floor for a vote by then, the bill can’t be acted on this year. It wouldn’t get a chance again until next year.

The Speaker of the Assembly is Carl E. Heastie, and he will decide whether the bill comes up for a vote. If that dark curtain is to be pulled back for New York adoptees, he must bring the bill to the floor by Wednesday.

Please contact Honorable Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl E. Heastie and ask him to let the Assembly vote on the adoptee birth certificate bill A5494. Here is his contact information:

• Phone: 518-455-3791

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarlHeastie

• Email: Speaker@nyassembly.gov

Thanks to Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist, for providing this information.

Continue reading "Let's All Help New York Adoptees Today"

Jun 14, 2019

Ancestry ThruLines to Replace DNA Circles

I was at RootsTech 2019 when Ancestry announced several new features, including ThruLines and MyTreeTags. I find both features to be extremely useful for genealogy.

ThruLInes helps find possible explanations for many of our genetic matches by comparing DNA and family trees. An earlier feature, DNA Circles, was designed to do the same thing.

Ancestry announced this week that DNA Circles will be retired this summer. If you wish to save anything from that feature, I suggest you do it now.

The following link goes to the initial announcement about the new tools. Ignore any "Coming Soon" text as these features are working now.

Continue reading "Ancestry ThruLines to Replace DNA Circles"

Jun 11, 2019

Another Unusual DNA Adoptee Case

The number of different paths for finding an adoptee's biological family through DNA testing is fascinating. Blogger Kitty Cooper gave a step-by-step account of this case in DNA Success Stories.

Continue reading "Another Unusual DNA Adoptee Case"

Jun 10, 2019

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝗦𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘆𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗨𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱.

Thousands of people who did other DNA tests are taking advantage of the free upload offer at MyHeritage. Just download your raw data from AncestryDNA, 23andMe or Family Finder to your computer and upload it to MyHeritage. Lots of people have found lost family by doing this, including the ones in this story.

Continue reading "𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝗦𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘆𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗨𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱."

Jun 06, 2019

40% Off My Book Direct from Publisher

I just got my publisher to create a 40% discount offer on my book 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮: 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙮 𝘿𝙉𝘼. If you would like to read my personal adoption search and reunion story and don't yet have a copy, you can order it at the link below.

The form will initially show the list price of $18.99. Enter the quantity and then type FindingFamily (one word) into the small box and click Apply. That will reduce the price to $11.39. The price includes free shipping to addresses in the U.S.

Continue reading "40% Off My Book Direct from Publisher"

Jun 05, 2019

Genographic Project to Shut Down Consumer Database

The National Geographic Society has announced that their Geno 2.0 DNA Ancestry kits are no longer available for sale. The Genographic website will be taken down December. 31, 2020. Your results will be available for viewing until then, but not after that date.

Depending on which version of the Genographic test you’ve taken, you may be able to transfer your results to Family Tree DNA for free.

Everything depends on where and when you tested. Roberta Estes explains all this in a recent blog. If you tested with the Genographic Project, follow this link to see your options.

Continue reading "Genographic Project to Shut Down Consumer Database"

Jun 03, 2019

New Recommended Book: The DNA Guide for Adoptees

I just ordered and received a great new book for adoptees. While I have not yet had time to read it thoroughly, I have reviewed the detailed Table of Contents and skimmed several sections.

If you are an adoptee or anyone else trying to discover and reconnect with lost biological family, this is the step-by-step manual that can guide you every step of the way.

One of the authors is Brianne Kirkpatrick. I serve with her on the Advisory Board of DNA Quest. So I know she is eminently qualified to write this guide.

You can get the book now at Amazon through the following link:

Continue reading "New Recommended Book: The DNA Guide for Adoptees"

May 31, 2019

My Choice for the Best Deal in DNA Testing

One of the four most popular DNA databases is MyHeritage. If you or your family members have already done a DNA test with another company, you can download your raw data from that company to your computer. Then you can upload the DNA data to MyHeritage and receive DNA Matches for FREE.

Receiving DNA Matches and contacting them is free and unlimited. Thanks to MyHeritage’s wide international reach and availability in more than 40 languages, you will have an excellent chance of being matched with relatives who live in other countries in addition to matches in the United States.

If you wish to use any of their great tools for working with your matches, you can pay an OPTIONAL one-time unlock fee of $29.

That will give you access to the Chromosome Browser, the Ethnicity Estimate, family trees posted by your DNA matches, and other innovative tools for working with your matches.

Continue reading "My Choice for the Best Deal in DNA Testing"

May 30, 2019

Half-Sisters Reunite After 63 Years Due to DNA Test

Since I reunited with my birth family twelve years ago, the pace of DNA-driven reunions has accelerated. That's driven by new, lower-priced tests and far bigger databases.

This particular story is about two half-sisters, adopted separately. They had both searched unsuccessfully for years. Then independently each did a MyHeritage DNA test.

Continue reading "Half-Sisters Reunite After 63 Years Due to DNA Test"

May 29, 2019

Listen to "Finding Family" on Audiobook

My wife and I love listening to audiobooks. It's a way we can share a story and then discuss it together. Plus, we can listen while doing other things, like long car trips.

"Finding Family" is my award-winning personal story that traces my decades long search for biological family. In addition to the print and eBook editions, it is available as an audiobook on Audible and through Amazon. Here's an excerpt from a recent listener review:

"I loved this book, I listened to it on audio. Very well written -- easy to follow the story with various people and places, complicated topic made simple to understand. The author's sense of humor made me laugh out loud many times. I found myself talking back to him out loud, to cheer or encourage him along the way. The details he gives about how he did his research are great for generating ideas about how to search for your own family. Particularly in this electronic age, it's a great insight into how research was conducted before the Internet. It will trigger research ideas for modern searches. After completion of the book, I felt like a member of the family."

Continue reading "Listen to "Finding Family" on Audiobook"

May 28, 2019

See How DNA Passes Down YOUR Family Tree

I just discovered a cool tool called Exploring Family Trees. This lets you see your family tree in an interesting way. It even shows what percentage of your autosomal DNA and X DNA would be expected to come from individual ancestors.

Rather than send you there directly, I''m linking to the blog post where I learn about it. That will give you a nice overview.

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May 27, 2019

Two Easy Steps to Help Victims of Violent Crime

More than 50 cold cases of murder and rape have been solved in the past year by law enforcement use of the GEDmatch.com DNA database. Dangerous people have been locked up and victims and their families have found closure.

Recently, this important tool was crippled when GEDmatch reversed course and opted out the 1.2 million users.

Please join me in taking the following steps: 1. If you have not already done so, download your raw data from one of the DNA testing companies and upload it for free to GEDmatch Genesis. 2. Log into your account and click the pencil icon next to your name. Change your Access to Public, with Law Enforcement access.

The reasons behind the change are complex yet understandable. For a clearly written summary of this situation read the following article.

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