How DNA can help break down your family history brick walls

If you've been researching your family history for any length of time, you've probably come across a brick wall. It might be an ancestor who seems to appear from nowhere, an unknown father, a missing marriage record, or a family line that simply comes to an end.

For many years, the only way to solve these problems was by searching through more records and hoping something new would turn up. Today, we have another powerful tool available – DNA testing.

DNA won't replace traditional genealogy, and it doesn't provide all the answers on its own. But when it's combined with careful research, it can provide vital clues that simply can't be found in historical records. In some cases, it can help identify unknown parents, confirm family relationships, reveal where an ancestor came from, or point you towards records you might never have considered.

In this article, we'll look at how DNA testing can help break down family history brick walls and examine three real examples where it helped solve long-standing genealogical mysteries.

Why DNA can solve problems that records can't

Traditional genealogy relies on historical records such as birth, marriage and death certificates, census returns, parish registers, wills and land records. While these are invaluable, they're not always complete. Records may have been lost, never created, or simply don't contain the information you need.

That's where DNA can make the difference.

Your DNA contains evidence of your biological family relationships. When you take a genealogy DNA test, your results are compared with millions of other people. If you share DNA with someone, they're listed as a DNA match, giving you a clue that you share a common ancestor.

On its own, DNA rarely provides the answer. The real breakthrough comes when you combine DNA evidence with traditional genealogical research. A group of DNA matches can point you towards the correct family, confirm a suspected relationship, or provide entirely new leads when the paper trail has come to an end.

Over the last few years, I've used DNA to solve several cases that couldn't have been resolved from documentary evidence alone. The following three examples show how powerful that combination can be.

Case study 1: How DNA confirmed the correct ancestor

My 3× great-grandfather, Angus Kerr, appeared in the 1841 census in Ardrossan, Ayrshire, with an age that suggested he had been born around 1820. Family tradition said he came from the Isle of Arran, but when I searched the parish registers on ScotlandsPeople I found several possible baptisms for an Angus Kerr on the island.

After comparing the records, I narrowed the possibilities down to four candidates. The strongest was an Angus Kerr who was baptised in Kilmory, Arran, in 1815, but I couldn't prove he was the right person from the documentary evidence alone.

The breakthrough came when I took an AncestryDNA test.

Several DNA matches, all descending from the same Kerr family in Kilmory, Arran, pointed to the 1815 baptism. When I combined the DNA evidence with the parish registers, census records and other sources, it became clear that this was my direct ancestor. The age recorded in the 1841 census had simply been rounded down, which was common in that census.

This is a good example of how DNA doesn't replace traditional genealogy. Instead, it provides another piece of evidence that can help confirm the correct conclusion when the records alone leave room for doubt.

Case study 2: Identifying an adopted client's birth parents

One client came to me after taking an AncestryDNA test. He had been adopted in the USA and wanted to discover the identity of his birth parents. The only information he had was that his birth mother had come from England, together with a brief summary from the adoption agency that contained no names or other identifying details.

By analysing his DNA matches and researching the family trees of his closest genetic relatives, I was able to identify the correct family. The DNA evidence also enabled me to trace his father's side of the family, confirming that his biological father was originally from Jordan. Throughout his life, people had often commented that he looked Middle Eastern, so discovering his paternal ancestry finally explained why.

By combining the DNA evidence with traditional genealogical research, I was then able to identify both of his birth parents. Through people connected with his birth parents and online records, I was also able to obtain photographs of his mother and his paternal grandfather. For the first time in his life, he was able to see photographs of members of his biological family.

This was a case that would have been virtually impossible to solve through historical records alone. DNA provided the crucial clues, while documentary research confirmed the conclusions.

Case study 3: Identifying an unknown paternal family through DNA

One of my DNA matches contacted me after appearing as a second cousin on AncestryDNA. She had been adopted and knew nothing about her biological father's side of the family.

By analysing our shared DNA match, together with the wider network of DNA matches and their family trees, I was able to establish that her biological grandfather was the brother of my own paternal grandfather. This allowed me to identify her paternal family and explain exactly how we were related.

As with the previous examples, DNA alone did not provide all the answers. It pointed me towards the correct family, while traditional genealogical research provided the documentary evidence needed to confirm the conclusions.

The missing piece

DNA testing has changed family history research, but it doesn't replace traditional genealogy. Historical records remain the foundation of good genealogical research, while DNA provides another source of evidence that can help confirm relationships, identify unknown families and solve problems that records alone can't.

For many people, myself included, DNA has provided the missing piece of the puzzle. Combined with careful genealogical research, it can often solve problems that have remained unanswered for years.

Need help with your family history or breaking through a brick wall? 

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