If you’ve taken an AncestryDNA test and ended up with more questions than answers, this guide shows you what to do next.
This is an in-depth 96-page, step-by-step guide for regular people, not trained genealogists. It is for someone who does not really know how to build a family tree, does not understand how to read DNA matches yet, but wants to figure out a close family mystery.
Whether you are searching for a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or another close relative, this guide walks you through how to use your AncestryDNA results and build a simple working tree so you can start making sense of what you are seeing.
This guide is designed for:
People searching for close family members
Anyone with unexpected AncestryDNA results
Beginners who want to work through a family mystery on their own
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
Define a clear research goal so you do not waste time guessing
Build and structure a tree specifically for DNA analysis
Understand centimorgans (cM) and what your matches actually mean
Separate maternal and paternal matches, even on a free Ancestry account
Identify which matches are useful and which are not
Build out candidate trees and test relationships
Use basic genealogy methods to connect the dots and confirm conclusions
The core strategy is simple: instead of looking for the person directly, you look for their relatives in your DNA match list and piece the story together from there.
This is not a theory-heavy guide written for professionals. It is a practical working playbook for beginners who want a clear process to follow.
Your results will depend on your DNA matches and the records available, but this guide gives you a step-by-step method you can use yourself before deciding whether to bring in professional help.
***Customers receive a secure link to the file lasting 24 hours after the first download.***
If you’ve taken an AncestryDNA test and ended up with more questions than answers, this guide shows you what to do next.
This is an in-depth 96-page, step-by-step guide for regular people, not trained genealogists. It is for someone who does not really know how to build a family tree, does not understand how to read DNA matches yet, but wants to figure out a close family mystery.
Whether you are searching for a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or another close relative, this guide walks you through how to use your AncestryDNA results and build a simple working tree so you can start making sense of what you are seeing.
This guide is designed for:
People searching for close family members
Anyone with unexpected AncestryDNA results
Beginners who want to work through a family mystery on their own
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
Define a clear research goal so you do not waste time guessing
Build and structure a tree specifically for DNA analysis
Understand centimorgans (cM) and what your matches actually mean
Separate maternal and paternal matches, even on a free Ancestry account
Identify which matches are useful and which are not
Build out candidate trees and test relationships
Use basic genealogy methods to connect the dots and confirm conclusions
The core strategy is simple: instead of looking for the person directly, you look for their relatives in your DNA match list and piece the story together from there.
This is not a theory-heavy guide written for professionals. It is a practical working playbook for beginners who want a clear process to follow.
Your results will depend on your DNA matches and the records available, but this guide gives you a step-by-step method you can use yourself before deciding whether to bring in professional help.
***Customers receive a secure link to the file lasting 24 hours after the first download.***
