If your roots are deeply American, you may only need to test at Ancestry

Any of these matches may resolve the case for you right away but proceed carefully with contact

Enter the cMs and get probable relationships https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4

This online calculator that gives you the probable relationships is an invaluable aid

https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4

1878

The DNA Adoption site has much help, with a match that close contact is your next step ... review their advice here: https://dnaadoption.org/first-timers/step-9/

Then read step 10: https://dnaadoption.org/first-timers/step-10/

With less close DNA matches, the basic methodology to resolve unknown parentage involves analyzing and building the trees of your best matches ...

Look through the family trees of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousin DNA matches for common ancestral couples.

Build private, unsearchable family trees down from each common couple to find where they intersect to produce someone in the right place at the right time.

This may only get to the grandparents  or great grandparents

Select Common ancestors on your match page plus whatever group you are working with. Consistent with your theory?

Check the cMs of each match and compare them to the charts

The "G" trick

The cousin level = the number of "G"s , else the greats plus one

If you are in different generations take the shorter path and the other is removed by the generation difference

Using the Genetic Affairs tree building feature is a faster way to look to see if the centimorgan amounts fit

Jack

Jack

Close up of the Genetic Affairs tree diagram

JACK

Or you can use the "What Are The Odds" tool at DNApainter to check your theory - https://dnapainter.com/tools/probability 

Is there automation for comparing trees

to find common ancestral couples?

Or for building trees?

DNA2tree is only on iPhones and iPads via a paid subscription but it is a real game changer for unknown parentage searches

clicking on Load Some Matches gets these options

Here is a sample set of Common Ancestors 

Now there are only three lines, with no duplication of user names

Details of the Bugden matches

Click on Graph to see an image

like this

for the

Bugden matches

It did not all fit on the screen !

GGGrandparents

GGrand parents

Grand parents

Click on Build

then fill out some forms

also you have to tell it whether paternal or maternal side

Click on Build

DNA2tree asks you what to call the tree and then builds that tree on your account at Ancestry

BUGDEN tree at Ancestry built by DNA2tree

Thomas BUGDEN  at Ancestry built by DNA2tree

Notice that only his children with DNA tested descendants are listed

And the two Elizabeths are the same person

So much work is still needed

Thomas BUGDEN  at Ancestry with all his children added by us

BUGDEN pedigree for father's mother, full story here: https://blog.kittycooper.com/2019/12/can-ethnicity-help-with-unknown-parentage/

You may remember the screenshot from the beginning of this talk.

After we found Elana's grandparents for her, she tracked down a cousin of her father's and got her, Joanne, to test, the DNA fits!

There are two sons of the parents we found for her and Elana is still working on finding them

My CURRENT APPROACH

I have a blog in progress on the new tree features at Genetic Affairs. Here is my blog post on using DNA2tree:

https://blog.kittycooper.com/2019/04/dna2tree-build-trees-from-dna-matches/