Would you like an efficient method to find clusters of DNA matches relevant to your research subject? In this series, I’m sharing the steps to create a network graph using the free, open source Gephi application, available for Windows or Mac. I use Gephi to create network graphs of my AncestryDNA matches. Throughout this series, I will be using my own matches from AncestryDNA, but I have changed their names for privacy. Below are the previous steps in this tutorial: Creating Gephi Network Graphs Part 1: Gather Matches and Prepare Spreadsheets Creating Network Graphs with Gephi Part 2: Im ..read more

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about pedigree collapse and its effect on DNA matching. We discuss the coefficient of relationship calculation and how that can help you estimate the expected amount of DNA two people should share based on the relationship in their trees. We talk about the Hopper case study with a DNA match with two individuals with multiple relationships and one of the test takers has pedigree collapse on the relevant line. Links The Effect of Pedigree Collapse on DNA Matching: A Case Study – https://familylocket.com/the-effect-of-pedigree-collapse-on-dna-matching-a ..read more

When researching our female ancestors who have few records naming them, to make progress, we need to do cluster research. We determine the people in her FAN club (Friends, Family, Associates, and Neighbors) and research them! My first post in this series discussed my ancestor, Mary Clemsy Cline, who was born about 1817 in Alabama and died after 1880 in Wise Couty, Texas. My initial analysis showed three individuals I want to explore as part of Clemsy’s FANs: Jacob, John, and Mahala Cline. I discovered three locations for research, Morgan County, Missouri; Wayne County, Kentucky; and Izard Cou ..read more

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s Clemsy Cline project. She researched three counties and made locality guides to help with research planning. Then she prioritized which collections to search.  Links RLP 226: Using the FANs to Find a Female Ancestor’s Father – https://familylocket.com/rlp-226-using-the-fans-to-find-a-female-ancestors-father/  Using the Fan Methodology to Find a Female’s Father: Part 2 – Locality Research and Research Planning – https://familylocket.com/using-the-fan-methodology-to-find-a-females-father-part-2-locality-research-and-research-pla ..read more

Have you taken a road trip to visit the locations you’ve only read about in history or the records of your ancestor? Standing on the ground where they walked can help us visualize their lives and give us additional insights. My great-grandparents married in Indian Territory and moved several times within what would become Oklahoma in 1907. I recently visited key locations mentioned in their children’s histories. In this blog post, I’ll share their story, my photos, and some tips for a successful ancestor road trip. William Huston Shults and Dora Algie Royston with children, Charles Leslie Sh ..read more

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s research project on Clemsy Cline, her third-great-grandmother. Clemsy was born about 1817 in Alabama and married Henderson Weatherford. We discuss the first steps in the research like a pro process to decide on an objective, gather and analyze known information, and create a timeline.  Links Using the Fan Methodology to Find a Female’s Father: Part 2 – Locality Research and Research Planning – https://familylocket.com/using-the-fan-methodology-to-find-a-females-father-part-2-locality-research-and-research-planning/  Airtable B ..read more

Pedigree collapse occurs in a person’s family tree if one of their ancestral couples are related to each other. This causes the same ancestors to be repeated in their tree. For example, if a person’s parents are second cousins through their great-grandparents Joseph Dyer and Anna Smith, then Joseph Dyer and Anna Smith appear in the test taker’s pedigree twice. Instead of having 32 unique third-great-grandparents, this test taker has 28 unique third-great-grandparents. These diagrams illustrate how the pedigree collapses: In a previous blog post, Diana defined endogamy, pedigree collapse and ..read more

  Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about double cousins. Do you have any? We’ll talk about how double cousins and other relatives with whom you share multiple relationships can affect DNA match analysis and genetic network analysis. Although double 3rd cousins don’t always share an inflated amount of DNA, you can definitely tell they are double cousins in your network analysis. Join us as we discuss these issues. Transcript   Links How Multiple Relationships Affect DNA Match Analysis – https://familylocket.com/how-multiple-relationships-affect-dna-match-analysis/  RLP ..read more

Would you like an efficient method to find clusters of DNA matches relevant to your research subject? In this series, I’m sharing the steps to create a network graph using the free, open source Gephi application, available for Windows or Mac. I use Gephi to create network graphs of my AncestryDNA matches, but you can use matches from other companies as well. Throughout this series, I will be using my own matches from AncestryDNA, but I have changed their names for privacy. Below are the previous steps in this tutorial: Creating Gephi Network Graphs Part 1: Gather Matches and Prepare Spre ..read more

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the FamilySearch images page. Camera operators around the world are capturing images of records and they are immediately added to this page. Tune in as Diana and Nicole discuss how to search for relevant images and differences between the images page and the FamilySearch Catalog. Links FamilySearch Explore Historical Images – https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/ Finding Your Family in FamilySearch Images – https://familylocket.com/finding-your-family-in-familysearch-images/  RLP 21: The FamilySearch Catalog – https://familylocket.c ..read more