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.

Confused by your AncestryDNA cousin matches? Learn how to sort matches using shared centimorgans, group them by family line, and compare family trees to find your connection. These beginner-friendly tips will help you turn DNA results into real genealogical discoveries.

One of the most common questions I get as a genetic genealogist is “Did you find any long lost relatives when you tested your DNA?” The short answer is yes, a few actually. Most of them were unknown to me at first, but there was one long lost relative in particular who I started looking for well before taking my DNA test. 

Confused by your AncestryDNA results? Learn how to understand ethnicity estimates, centimorgans, and cousin matches in this beginner-friendly guide.