Using DNA and Gworks for Solving Unknown Parentage Cases
KITTY MUNSON COOPER
blog.kittycooper.com
23 pairs of chromosomes
How can DNA matching identify a relationship?
How can your DNA identify a relative?
The amount of shared DNA is a range
measured in centiMorgams (cMs)
Step 1: TEST your DNA:
at Ancestry and 23andme then transfer to the othersUpload the Ancestry DNA results to other sites for free to get more matches:
- MyHeritage
- Family Tree DNA *
- GEDmatch
- DNA.land
- LivingDNA (no matches until August 2018)
*$19 for the full tools
Once your matches come in ... (start at Ancestry)
Look through the family trees of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousin DNA matches for a common ancestral couple or two.
Build private, unsearchable family trees down from each common couple to find where they intersect and/or someone in the right place at the right time.
This may only get to the great grandparents
Then build the pedigree tree of a candidate parent back to at least 1800
Make sure this tree is private and unsearchable
Add a fake child to that parent and then connect your DNA to it
Ancestry will use auto complete in the name field
Select the pedigree tree you created and link to the fake child
Now wait for the hints and see if they are consistent with your hypothesis
Check the cMs of each match and compare them to the charts
Do they fit your theory?
Are there tools to make this process less labor intensive?
Is there automation for comparing trees to find common ancestral couples?
Collects and compares the trees of your matches into your own private database at DNAgedcom.com
Find the app called DNAgedcom Client on your computer or look for this icon
Clicking the icon brings up this menu in a box
DGC needs your silver member account DNAgedcom username and password
You also have to tell it what folder to store the results in
Enter your ancestry username and password
Select Quicker and Skip Distant Cousins
Once you are logged in, the name(s) of people who have shared DNA with you show up in the profile box, select the desired one in the dropdown
Click Gather Matches, when it finishes click Gather Trees, when done DO NOT click Gather ICW
Now your database is ready!
If you have a second cousin match with a tree, you could try the mirror tree approach
Top ten ancestors in GWorks
3 children
D
So the next step was to look for the surname of Pratt B's wife and then for child D's spouse
Targeted Testing
Child D's spouse's surname is in the database many times, now to get a child of D, a possible parent to test
Top ancestors for an unknown father case ...
We had to build the trees for the Martinez matches
Both of the 2 sons who were in the right place at the right time to conceive Tina are dead, but one of each of their children has tested and now we wait
