6. DNA – What’s It All About?
So, you received a gift last year to have your DNA tested. You managed to deposit a bit of saliva into a tube and mail it off. Eventually, you received your “results” which indicated that your family came mostly from western Europe. Big Deal! You knew that. Sort of. Now, you have been receiving emails from complete strangers, suggesting that you are related somehow.
What do you do next? Do you have a documented family tree? Do you have a genealogy expert in your family? Do you really understand how this DNA thing works anyway? Were you adopted? We can probably bet that you have regrets for not talking more to your grandparents about your family history before they passed.
What in the world is a Centimorgan? Well, briefly, it is a statistical measure of the genealogical distance between you and another person. It is not precise as with most statistics, but it is a helpful metric.
If any of the above questions sounds like your family, you are not alone. These questions have been surfaced by many others. Better yet, there are some answers! There are people and resources that you can access to help you find dig out fascinating information on your family’s past and much more. There are books, courses and conferences dedicated to the business of understanding DNA results.
Join your local genealogical society and meet some folks who have pursued similar questions and advanced to some amazing personal adventures.
Ron Gilmore
Website: https://www.rgenealogy.ca