Autosomal DNA: What do I do now?

I belong to a few groups on Facebook around DNA and genealogy. I have also dropped a few. Well call me opinionated, but I don't believe that every moderator is the only expert. 

 When I started out with my DNA tests in 2014, I read a lot of blogs. The same experts are out there, and back then the big push was triangulation. I have been told that is the "old" way and the new "way" is the Leeds method. I had to google it. Basically it takes clustering your matches into buckets and then building trees (they use the term quick and dirty tree) and identifying matches to your grandparents.

 I don't do this method strictly in the way they describe, probably because well, I was identifying matches for years without it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have value. It does though I think bring some challenges in some situations. This blog talks about southern trees. Well, half my tree is a southern tree. And what I can tell you is that just because I have shared matches doesn't mean squat. I have to verify they aren't related through a way completely unconnected to me. Even when they would fit in the same "bucket". Because I don't have a collapsed tree, and I have minimal endogamy, but I have a family that has lived in the same area for over 200 years. And guess what, this group of families has had a lot of intermarriages over the last 200 years. I normally am related to someone more than one way, I often "share" relatives. I am not related to A whose related to B and I am related to B. 

I guess my point is, advice and videos and blogs are great, but if it isn't working for you, there may be a reason. Maybe you just don't have enough testers for that line. Maybe you aren't related to that line. Maybe you have a "southern" type tree. (I do recommend you read the blog I mentioned, she has some great tips).

 So how do I do personally determine matches and group them on Ancestry? Well, you need to understand, First, when I started this, I had a robust tree. Meaning, I had most of my family to 6th generation and beyond, and had their children done too. This makes me not your typical user. I was not trying to find a grandfather or great grandfather. I am not adopted. And so far, DNA has shown not one non-parental event (whew). Second, I didn't just test myself. I tested my parents, my grandmother's sister, my grandfather's cousin, my mother's half cousin that shares only a grandfather, my cousin, my aunt, and then I tested three distant Hardy cousins, two because they were also Pyburn's. I have 5 tests on 23andme, seven on ancestry, and have put some of them on myheritage, all of them on gedmatch and familytreedna. 

 So I started with identifying folks before I did the ancestry tests, using gedmatch and 23andme and ftdna, and genomemate pro. Which is a program that lets you database your matches. It's free, and easier than building my own spreadsheets. So I identified a lot of segments (I haven't done that in forever), and I ended up with a good size group of folks when I see them I know, I am related to them by x surname. 

 Then when I did ancestry dna, I looked at trees on the largest matches first, and identified as many of them as I could. Even when that took a bit of internet sleuthing. So the bulk of the second and third cousin matches, I identified. And if I couldn't I noted what family or side (maternal or paternal) they matched. (yeah, it's clustering, just not in a spreadsheet, and not on paper). I still do that. Then I look at all the shared matches, and flip between them seeing who they are related to (again clustering). I focus in on trees, and look for matches who share the same surname. When I find more than one with a surname (Not my own) and have a group of known matches, I build a tree, and start really looking for where it can connect. (Again, probably same as clustering). For me, inevitably it's the last line I look at that is the clue. 

Sometimes, that's as far as I get, I build the tree, and that's it, I can't figure it out. But, I have figured out a few of those that have sat for the last few years. I just needed more matches in common. Then lastly, I don't bother looking at matches down to 30 cM. Not as a starting point anyhow. I rarely go beyond 50 cM when I look at new matches, or work on old ones. Why? Because I already have a great tree, what I am looking for is "surprise" large matches, and clues to just a handful of individuals where I have had a genealogy roadblock. 

I probably spend 75% of my time just on genealogy and only 25% on DNA. That works for me. That said, I recommend anyone who is new to DNA read the Autosomal DNA Wiki from ISOGG, and when you do you will find links to blogs, and these guys, are the true experts in the field. Then I would learn about DNA painter (which helps with probabilities for matches). I can tell you, the guy who came up with the probabilities, Blaine, is a blogger, and I participated so it is a great help. And last, take advice with a grain of salt. If one method doesn't work for you, you can vary it. What I cannot express enough, is building a tree out as far as you can, and not forgetting, especially within the first four generations, building the siblings of your ancestor down too. This helps. And if you are having trouble finding someone who won't answer your email. I have some tips on that here. Don't understand what a second cousin twice removed is? I have an explanation for that (my easy way of figuring it anyhow) here.