Without really trying, I seem to have become a DNA detective, and it is both a fun and frustrating hobbie. Through a combination of good old fashioned ancestry research and using DNA science, I have been able to unravel many family mysteries these past few years. I have been recreating my paternal lineage which amazes me to no end; when I started I didn't even know my paternal grandmother's surname, and now I have over 700 years worth of paternal family history documented, an

Family history research can be fun, frustrating and filled with surprises. After almost 20 years of family history research, I can attest to this first hand. In my seemingly never-ending quest to discover my past, I have found all sorts of surprising information about my family, some good, some not so good, and some information is downright surprising. When I started this journey through my family tree, I'm not sure what I thought I would find, but I can honestly say that I n

A few years ago I started using DNA testing to assist with discovering more about my heritage after hitting a wall in my research. I had found these roadblocks to be extremely frustrating and, not being one who gives up easily (or at all!), I thought I would take a DNA test to try and solve some of these family mysteries. I first took an autosomnal test from Ancestry.com. The autosomnal test provided me with an overview of my genetic make-up, both maternal and paternal, and p