When can I use "Confirmed with DNA"?

Question

Dear fellow genealogists,

As I embark on constructing my family tree online using documents passed down from my grandmother, I have diligently entered the available information. Through DNA testing on my father and maternal grandmother, coupled with Gedmatch analysis, I have verified their genetic relationship to me and updated their profiles on Wikitree accordingly. Now, I am encountering distant relations whose family trees align with mine, affirming genetic relationships with great and great-great grandparents. Given the impossibility of DNA testing these deceased individuals, may I ethically mark these profiles as 'confirmed with DNA'? Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Kleinjan

Answer 1

Here is the link to the DNA confirmation help page: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:DNA_Confirmation

As you get farther back than parents and grandparents you need additional tested family members to confirm with DNA.  You also need to add a specific statement showing how the DNA of the testers matches.

Comments

Thank you.

As I mentioned it's great and great-great grandparent matches (3rd cousin and closer) to my father and grandmother, so according to the 5 steps in the link shared it seems that a single autosomal DNA test is perfectly fine to mark it as "confirmed with DNA"

---

No, except for a parent- child relationship you need to match another descendant (cousin) to go farther back.  My father and I both tested, so I can confirm that he is my father.  My cousin and I both tested so we can confirm our mutual grandparents.  I need to match more distant cousins to confirm relationships farther back.

---

I get the gist of it.

I have tested myself as explained in my post that's how I verified my relationship with my father and grandmother. It was quite easy to align 2nd and 3rd cousins with my grandmother and father's DNA test, so following the instructions of what you shared it's 3rd cousin or closer and it is.

Basically I found a match for my grandmother and my father being 2nd and 3rd cousins, I looked at their trees and they shared great and great-great grandparents. As explained in the link you shared it's not that difficult to grasp.

---

From the link you shared, I quote:

"If you answered "yes" to the five questions above you can use a single test match to mark each relationship back to your most recent common ancestor(s) as Confirmed with DNA." And "If your match is a third cousin you can confirm relationships back to great-great-grandparents. (See example image at right.)" And the 4th step "If your DNA test match is a third cousin or a second cousin twice removed [1] or closer, continue."

Thus I followed each of the 5 steps and confirmed the match as instructed, and it's quite clear instructions. Also what is the likelihood of getting a false positive for a 2nd and 3rd cousin match with familytrees aligning perfectly? i.e., Found a 2nd cousin match on Ancestry for my grandmother, looked at his (Louis Neethling) tree and it just so happens that his great grandparents are the same exact people as my grandmother's great grandparents. This is not by chance.

I'm following the instructions given by the link you shared, thank you very much.

---

It sounds like you are all set!