• Blog
  • About Are You My Cousin?
  • The “Everything” Page
  • Upcoming Events
  • Speaking
  • Contact Me
Menu
  • Blog
  • About Are You My Cousin?
  • The “Everything” Page
  • Upcoming Events
  • Speaking
  • Contact Me
  • title photo with photo of birth certificate
    Genealogy Research

    7 Steps for Using DNA to Find Birth Parents of Adoptees & Others with Unknown Parents

    / 3 Comments

    Trying to find birth parents? DNA and genetic genealogy along with good detective work and plain old fashioned genealogy research can yield results. I am thrilled to have Mary Eberle, JD of DNA Hunters  as a guest writer today! Welcome, Mary! Many adoptees and others looking with unknown parents use DNA in their searches. There are techniques and resources for this work that can be broken down into 7 steps, which are discussed below.   Before jumping into DNA, it’s important to consider what non-DNA resources might help in searching for a birth parent. Non-DNA Resources To Find Birth Parents Original Birth Certificates  State laws govern adoptees’ rights to access to…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Tracking down our female ancestors requires thinking "outside the box". Always focusing on her may not yield our desired results. By taking our focus off of our female ancestor, we can be sure of exhausting all possibilities of finding her in the records.

    How To Track Females in the Family Tree Using the Children’s Records

    February 13, 2017
    Day 2 of "31 Days of Out of the Box Genealogy Tips" involves exploring genealogy wikis. Wikis can be another source to find valuable clues to use in your research. #genealogy #genealogytips #areyoumycousin #ancestors #familyhistory

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Genealogy Wikis

    July 2, 2018
    pink cupcake with old photo for genealogy research

    What Standing in Line for (The Best!) Cupcake Ever Taught Me About Genealogy Research

    August 24, 2020
  • Genealogy Research,  How To Trace Your Family Tree

    Understanding Your AncestryDNA Matches

    / 3 Comments

    Your AncestryDNA results are in. Maybe you’ve always been interested in genealogy, or perhaps you received the test as a gift, and really have no idea what to expect. There is a learning curve to understand DNA test results, even for seasoned genealogists. AncestryDNA’s test is an autosomal DNA test, which looks at chromosomes 1-22 and the X-chromosome and provides information about many relationships and ancestors from both paternal and maternal ancestral lines. This post focuses on AncestryDNA’s results, but several other companies which offer autosomal DNA testing, including MyHeritage, 23andMe, and Family Tree DNA, provide similar features. Autosomal DNA results include ethnicity predictions, as well as a “match list” – a…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    What did your ancestors do to make a living? Seek out occupational records to learn more about your ancestors and provide genealogical clues for your research. #genealogy #genealogytips #areyoumycousin #ancestors #familyhistory

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Occupation Records

    July 12, 2018
    Researching merchant records of where your ancestors shopped provides important genealogical clues to your ancestor's life and community. #genealogy #areyoumycousin #ancestors #genealogytips

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Merchant Records

    July 23, 2018
    Unplug your genealogy in order to jump start your research! Stepping away from the computer gives you a chance to return to your research with a fresh eye. #genealogy #genealogytips #areyoumycousin #ancestors #familyhistory

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Unplug Your Genealogy!

    July 7, 2018
  • DNA helix
    Genealogy Research,  How To Trace Your Family Tree

    Explore Ancestry.com’s ThruLines – A Most Useful DNA Tool!

    / 6 Comments

    Learn how to use Ancestry.com’s ThruLines DNA tool. Find out how you may be related to your DNA matches and expand the search for your ancestors. At RootsTech 2019, Ancestry announced their new DNA tool  ThruLines to use and you evaluate your Ancestry.com DNA results. Thrulines caused a lot of excitement and buzz among the conference goers at the time and with good reason. Thrulines was and continues to be an exciting tool designed to show how you may be related to a DNA match.  How To Find Your ThruLines on Ancestry.com             1. From the Ancestry.com homepage, click “DNA” in the very top menu. …

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    City directories are a fabulous resource for finding your ancestors despite the loss of the 1890 census. #genealogy #ancestors #1890census

    How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 3: City Directories

    September 26, 2018
    Find your ancestors in Christmas traditions and records. Explore them in these 12 Days of Christmas - genealogy-style!

    12 Days of Christmas Genealogy Records

    December 10, 2015
    Losing your ancestors in 1890 is frustrating! Include newspapers in your genealogy research to find those elusive ancestors.

    How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 6: Newspapers

    October 4, 2018
  • What genealogist isn't interesting DNA testing these days? A DNA Genealogy Gift Guide is just the thing to help you finish your Christmas shopping.
    Genealogy Resources

    DNA Genealogy Gift Guide for the Genealogy Researcher

    / No Comments

    I’m loving genetic genealogy! What genealogy researcher doesn’t these days?! It’s a great combination of science and traditional paper genealogy research. With the holidays coming up, a DNA Genealogy Gift Guide is just the thing to help you finish your Christmas shopping. These are some of my favorite DNA themed gift finds for the genealogist on your gift list! [Pssst!  It’s okay if the gift is for you!] DNA Genealogy Gift Guide Ideas This post contain affiliate links.  Read my full disclosure policy here. AncestryDNA Test Kit – A popular choice for DNA testing. FamilyTree DNA Test Kit – Another popular choice for DNA testing. 23andMe DNA Test Kit – A third great option…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Do you recognize your ancestor's friends in the family photos? Who was important to your ancestor? Not all of the photographs you have in your collection will be of your ancestors. You may well have photographs of individuals who are not related to you.

    5 Resources To Identify Your Ancestor’s Friends

    April 7, 2016
    Chalice and Bible with Stained glass window

    Traveling Across the Ocean…Genealogy Research in Catholic Records

    March 1, 2021
    genealogy-podcasts-title-photo with phone

    Genealogy Podcasts: Your Guide To the Best Genealogy Podcasts!

    March 2, 2020
123
Lisa Lisson - Genealogist

Welcome! I’m Lisa. I believe researching your genealogy does not have to be overwhelming. All you need is a solid plan, a genealogy toolbox and the knowledge to use those tools. Read more….

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Looking for Something Specific?

RootsTech 2020 Speaker Lisa Lisson
RootsTech 2020 Ambassador

Resources & Tools To Confidently Research Your Genealogy

Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
Facebook-f Pinterest Instagram Twitter Youtube

Subscribe & Stay in the Know

Receive weekly emails

© Are You My Cousin - 2012-2022

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more