Why Do a DNA Test?

As you begin working on your family tree, gathering information from relatives, you are going to also gather some interesting "stories"  about your heritage and those members of your family, many of which you have probably never even heard a word about before now. You will hear the usual stories about your heritage, that you are of German, French or English background, or perhaps that you have a famous Native American Indian in your lineage somewhere.

As you gather your information, sooner or later, you are going to hit the proverbial "Brick Wall" You are stuck, can't find another generation further back; can no longer even connect a male surname to any definite location in a given country any more. You know that they had to come from somewhere and the question now is where did they migrate from.

If you are to this point, it is definitely time to consider investing in some DNA testing which is currently available through Ancestry.com. Normally these tests run $99 each but they presently are having a sale at $79.00.

By doing your DNA, you may turn up some ethnic backgrounds that you never knew you had in your family tree or you can rule out various nationalities also.

Some folks like to get their DNA tests pretty soon after starting work on their family tree because they can post their DNA test results with others who have matches to your DNA groupings. You can then exchange information back and forth with one another, thus developing areas of your family tree that you might not have been able to expand before.


If you are wanting to validate the male lineage of your family, be sure to have a male member do the testing. If you are female, you can have a brother, father, or father's sibling do the DNA test. If you are more interested in the female side of the family, you, a sister,or mother can do the test.

I am new to the entire process of reading DNA test results and if you have problems understanding them also, don't be afraid to ask for assistance. Just know that you are opening up an entire new avenue of research and investigation once you do your tests.