Small DNA matches can be confusing for family historians. Are they valuable clues to your ancestors, or just false positives that waste research time? In this guide, you’ll learn what a small DNA match really means, when to trust it, and when to ignore it. With practical examples and tips, discover how small DNA matches can help solve family mysteries and strengthen your genealogy research.

When you're staring down a brick wall in your family tree, few resources are more revealing — and underestimated — than census records. These routine government snapshots can uncover how your ancestors moved over time, giving you helpful clues about where to look next. So let’s walk through how to use census records from Canada, the United States, and the UK to track your ancestors’ migration patterns and uncover the hidden chapters of their lives.

When you're tracing your family tree, it's easy to focus only on direct ancestors — your parents, grandparents, and so on. But sometimes, the most important clues are hidden in the lives of the brothers and sisters they grew up with. Researching your ancestors' siblings can be one of the most powerful strategies for breaking through genealogy brick walls.