However, as many of us know, nothing takes the place of hands-on learning -- being able to apply what you've read and studied to a real-world situation. Since my specific interest is DNA connections, I am really excited when someone sends me a message and asks "how are WE related?" This question often come to me because the other person has found me on their DNA match list in either AncestryDNA or 23andMe. As a result, I have recently had the pleasure of helping a number of people sort out family connections. In some cases, it's a second or third cousin they didn't know. In several cases, there have been adoptions and the person is searching for birth family connections. And in some cases, there has been an MPE - a "mis-attributed parentage event" ... a child was born and only now are we learning who their parent REALLY is...
I've been asked several times this past week about how this all works out. How can someone be in my family tree and NOT on my DNA match list? What we need to realize is that we each have two types of trees:
- a genealogical family tree, and
- a genetic family tree
The genealogical tree is the one you build for yourself. The advice to "start with yourself and work backwards" applies here. If a family member is adopted, they are still included in the appropriate spot on the tree. People who are alive, people who are deceased, everyone is included!
The genetic family tree is the one you get because you were born, with 50% of your DNA coming from your mother and 50% from your father. Working backwards, 25% comes from each of your four grandparents, etc.
You know the saying "so many books, so little time"? Well, I feel like I have so much research to do and so little time!
Here I am, with one ancestor (my mom), and two descendants (my daughter and granddaughter). Four generations!
