Comment on I won a seat for the upcoming Texas Institute of Genealogical Research while I w
BRMiller@hcommons.social 21 hours ago
How neat!
I wasn't an early adopter of DNA for my genealogy research, and then I won a door prize of a DNA test at 2 consecutive conferences -- for different companies!
That wasn't a hint, it was a mandate from On High.
Years after I submitted the tests, I got contacted from a cousin in a line that we'd lost touch with in the 1960s, and found a match who confirmed a possible paper trail for a branch that had "gone west" after the 1870 census.
@BRMiller @GeneaSpy @genealogy DNA testing will never replace good old fashioned research, but there are certainly things it can tell us that good old fashioned research simply can't.
@lmgenealogy @GeneaSpy @genealogy
The DNA match confirming the paper trail I'd worked on for years (using online sources as they became available) was a big relief. It's difficult researching persons several states away and before the 20th century!
@BRMiller @GeneaSpy @genealogy I've used it to find the missing link in quite a few long-standing family mysteries (in my family, my husband's family, and several clients). In other cases it hasn't been of much help. It depends a lot on the situation, how many related people have tested, etc. Always worth a shot, though.