The Question Today I want to discuss one of the most frequent questions I get: Why did I get more than 4 color clusters on my Leeds Method chart? (I’ll address the issue of getting less than 4 clusters in a future post.) The Simple Answer There are basically two answers to this question. You don’t have enough second cousins. (We will also discuss this in a future post.) You need to do another step which is consolidating (or combining) some of your clusters. Key Concepts As we discuss this, let’s keep a few key concepts in mind: The goal...
The Long-Awaited Trip to NARA For years, I’ve dreamed of researching at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. It just hadn’t worked out until about two weeks before the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference (ECGGC). Realizing I’d be close to D.C., I seized the opportunity. My preparations for this first NARA research trip were thorough, and they paid off! I returned home with almost 2,000 images of land and military records for my family studies. A Rocky Start at NARA Although I felt quite prepared, my first day at NARA wasn’t problem-free. I had planned to...
I recently discussed how and why you might need to consolidate your clusters when doing the Leeds Method. I also shared an example and went through the process step by step. But even after consolidating your clusters, some of you will still have more than 4 clusters. In fact, some of you will still have quite a few clusters. But, why? Well, for many of you it’s because you don’t have any—or don’t have enough—2nd cousins. Why Second Cousins? The Leeds Method attempts to use 2nd and 3rd cousins to sort your DNA matches into groups of people who are...
I posted earlier this week about how and why you might need to consolidate (or combine) your color clusters on your Leeds Method chart. Today, I’d like to share an example from a reader named Bruce. Original 9 Clusters When Bruce sent me his chart, he had sorted 50 people into 9 clusters: With a lot of clusters and a lot of overlap, Bruce’s chart would be more helpful if we consolidated some of his clusters. Although not always possible, we are hoping to be able to create 4 clusters based on his 4 grandparent lines. Rearranging the Clusters To consolidate clusters,...