DNA Musings No. 16: Maybe it’s not just about dead people anymore

Is DNA expanding how we think about genealogy? Our family trees are changing from tall skinny trees into broad fat trees. When we started using DNA in our genealogy research, we needed to have a broad tree to identify our DNA matches – after all, our DNA match list is made up of descendants not only of our direct ancestors, but also of their siblings. So, it was important to know the descendants of all our distant grandparent’s siblings and their surnames so we could recognize DNA matches.

The initial purpose of finding DNA matches was so we could contact them and perhaps find an unknown photo of our direct ancestor. Or family stories about our direct ancestor. Or information that takes us another generation back.

But something unexpected has happened. Now that we have that broad tree, genealogists are increasingly finding connections and establishing relationships with their living relatives! Think about it. You have a genetic connection with a distant cousin in the same way that you have that connection with your ancestors. And you have to use those same genealogy research skills to find them.

For me it has always been about the family stories – the brush with fame, the overcoming of obstacles, the increased understanding of historical events. I’m always looking for interesting people, people who did good things and people I was proud to have as ancestors. I like thinking about how I might have inherited strengths from my ancestors. In our broad tree, we can find people we admire, people who have remarkable family stories, people who lived through and bring to life events in more modern history. And unlike our ancestors we have an opportunity to meet and interact with them!

The change from a skinny tall tree to a broad fat tree is welcome news because it provides a whole new way to get people hooked on genealogy.