The Leeds Method with Ancestry.com’s Colored Dots
Yesterday I watched a YouTube video by Larry Jones of DNA Family Trees called “How to Cluster Your DNA Matches With Ancestry’s New DNA Matches Beta.” It reminded me of my failed attempt to do the Leeds Method on Ancestry.com using Blaine Bettinger’s Chrome extension. The main issue, though, was that we could only use one colored dot per person. Ancestry has recently solved that issue by offering us the capability of adding up to 24 colored dots per person!
So, I’ve been working with Ancestry.com’s “colored dots” today using basically the same steps as the Leeds Method. If you are new to the method, it uses basically your 2nd & 3rd cousins (or those between 90 cM and 400 cM) to create groups of DNA who are likely related to you and to each other through a common ancestral line. The hope is that you’ll get 4 different color groups representing your four grandparent lines. You can read more about the Leeds Method by clicking here.
Although the steps Larry laid out were very similar to the Leeds method, there were a few differences. Here are the steps I’m using to do the Leeds Method with colored dots directly with Ancestry:
STEPS
-
- Find the first person who shares less than 400 cM with you.
- Click on the person’s name then on “Shared Matches.”
- Click on “Add a Group” then “Create Custom Group” for that person. (You can use the default color or choose your own.)
- Name the group “Group #1” for now. (We will change the group names after we identify them later.)
- Scroll down to the end of the 3rd Cousin group (which should be about 90 cM) and add that person to the group by selecting “Add to Group” and then clicking “Group #1.”
- Add everyone above this 3rd cousin to Group #1 in the same way. (By the way, this great tip is from Larry Jones in the video. It’s easiest to start from the bottom of the list or the pop-up box gets in your way!)
- Click the “back” arrow to go back to your match list and find the first person – UNDER 400 cM – who is not already in a color group.
- Go to STEP 2 of this list and continue until all of your 3rd cousins and higher (in other words, everyone above 90 cM) are assigned to at least one color group.
NAMING YOUR COLOR GROUPS
-
- Find the first person on your list who belongs in only one color group.
- Can you identify how that person fits in your tree? If so, label that person based on your 4 grandparents (or 8 great grandparent couples – your choice!)
- Check and make sure the label makes sense by looking at other DNA matches with that color.
- Find another person with only one color and repeat these steps.
- Continue labeling these color groups. Hopefully, by the time you get to the end of your 3rd cousin list, you’ll have all of your color groups identified!
In this view, you can see the names of the custom groups. I used my four great grandparent couples to name my group. Also, I went WAY lower than the original sort which used 90 cM as the low end of the matches. In doing so, I ended up with an “unknown dad’s side” group that needs solved.
More amazing techniques. Thank you!
Thanks, Robin!
Should I include the matches my full siblings have between 90cM and 400cM even if the match is less for me?
Hi, Nancy. I have tested two of my siblings and I’ve also tested my dad and two of his siblings. I find it easier to just work with one person’s matches at a time. However, if you’re only working with matches of 90 cM to 400 cM – and possibly higher – then that would probably work just fine. 🙂
Hello
What does it mean when a 1st cousin has 3 groups?
I’m new to this!
Hi, Melanie. It most likely means one of two things. Most likely, all 3 of these groups are related to whichever side of your family this 1st cousin is from – so paternal or maternal. But, it is also possible that this cousin is related to you in an additional way. For example, they might be a 4th cousin on the other side of your family. But the first scenario is most likely.
Dana
Okay, so, the 4 colours don’t necessarily mean 4 grandparents (2 maternal/2paternal)?
Melanie. Not necessarily! Once you create the 4 color clusters, you need to figure out what they mean. If a 1st cousin is matching 3 of them, it is very likely those 3 are on one side – either maternal or paternal. The other color cluster is likely the other side and might represent 1 or 2 grandparents. If it only represents 1, then you are likely missing the 4th grandparent. (Although you hopefully have matches to this 4th grandparent either higher or lower than this original chart!)
Hi Dana,
I’ve been organizing my matches manually with 23andMe and also used geneticaffairs to autocluster from 23andMe and ftDNA. I’m completely overwhelmed with the autocluster results – I don’t even know where to begin. I have 2 lines at the great-great grandparent level that are mysterious – one being my surname. Everyone up to the gr-gr-grandparent is accounted for, we’re all related as expected. But the grandfather appeared out of thin air and nobody knows much about him. Clustering was suggested to me, but I’m unsure how to apply the results. Two days ago I received my AncestryDNA results. I see they’ve made it inconvenient to use 3rd-party tools, but it’s hard to avoid this company because their database is so big. I hated to contribute to them, but finally gave in. OK, my current question is hopefully simple: how do you organize spreadsheets from different companies to be the most useful? I’m unsure if anyone ever merges the data, and pretty sure I should try to use the same categories and colors. I thought I’d ask before I get to work. I’ve been researching for decades, but incorporating DNA is new for me – and confirming and disproving theories has been rewarding, for the most part. 🙂 Thrulines has been the most interesting part of ancestry so far.
Gina
Hi, Gina. Most of us have the most DNA matches on Ancestry and so it is usually the most help. I do not combine the clusters from the various companies – though I do look for people who have tested at more than one site. If you have identified clusters relating to your 4 grandparents, for instance, you could keep that in mind and compare it to clusters at another site.
And, yes, ThruLines can be very interesting! Some people have great ThruLines, but others have messy ThruLines. Regardless, remember they’re just clues and work to verify or disprove them.
Best wishes!
Dana
Who and where do you start your second, third, fourth, etc color group? Thanks Robin!!
Hi! You start with the next person UNDER 400 cM who does not yet have a color 😊
No matter which site you’re using – Ancestry or one of the others – you want to create your chart starting at 400 cM and going down to 90 cM. After you’ve created this initial chart, you can add people who share more and less cM INTO the already created color clusters.
A variation I used, because info on some ancestors is more available, I used great-grandparents for one side of the family and great-great grandparents for the other, making 6 color groupings, and I use both surnames to label the family lines. One of the 4 has NO identified matches, must check that further!
Yes, that’s a great variation. I’m assuming you mean you started with columns for those great grandparents on one side and 2x great grandparents on the other and sorted into them instead of a completely natural sort. That is a perfectly good solution for those who know a lot about their family and DNA matches.
Erica can you please send me a step by step analysis to doing such a spread sheet?I have some ancestors with more information on than others.
Respectfully,
Robert S
I only have 3 matches between 90 and 400cM. Can I use further away matches?
You will still get clusters based around likely common ancestors – they just won’t be clustered around your 4 grandparent lines. Since you’re working with smaller matches and will need to work with more of them, you might try Genetic Affairs’ AutoCluster which is an automated Leeds-like method and creates the clusters for you. It can run hundreds of matches at a time if needed. Another good option is DNAGedcom’s Collins’ Leeds Method.
Is it common to have matches who fall into more than one group?
Hi, Tam. It is common to have matches who fall into more than one group. These groups “likely” do not represent just a single grandparent line, though they might.
Thanks, Dana!
I learn something new everyday and like the idea of going to the bottom of your 3C list to start color coding. For the most part, especially when helping others quickly identify their 4 grandparent lines, the 24 colored dots now provided by Ancestry are enough. My own personal 24 dots represent my Great-Grandparent couples and 2GGparent couples, along with splitting out a brickwall line I had at the 3GG level. Here’s an example of a Group name: Henry/Shaffer(2). This represents my 2GGrandparents John Henry & Sarah Shaffer. I’ll be sending many people to this link to get started. Thank you, Dana!
Carol, Ancestry’s new dots are a wonderful new tool that can be used in so many ways. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Hi Carol,
I have coded each of my eight great grandparents with their own color. I’m reading about your color coding each pair with a color, which would give me more dots for higher ups.
Have you run into any snags by doing your color coding this way?
Hoping for tips before I re-code them all.
Thanks!
Maggie
I also have color-coded with 8 dots for 8 great grandparents. It does mean that your closest matches get 8 colors. But, I think this is a great way to quickly view how your matches are likely related to you!
Dana
Thanks so much for your preparedness to help others to research their ancestry.
My question is Dana, I am still somewhat confused; those people that are above 400 cM, where do I place them or record them in the research?
I also have 7 groupings and several assigned only one colour. Others have at least two or three colours. Am I In assuming those with single dot that do not have a second or third cousin shared, the link is on the paternal side?
Thanks so much
Hi, Nicole. Great question! After you’ve created your initial Leeds Method chart, you can add the higher matches at the top. Open their shared matches and assign them colors based on the people in that original chart.
As far as your own chart, I don’t quite understand what you’re asking but am happy to provide some quick feedback if you send me a screenshot to drleeds@sbcglobal.net. Please also include a column with the amount of DNA.
Dana
Hi,
I am trying to see if I can use this method to solve a brick wall I have in my tree. I have at least 6 of us who are all 2nd cousins from my set of great grandparents. I am interested in researching my great grandmothers mother and that side of the family. there is a woman with a maiden name that is not known. I am trying to find her parents and perhaps siblings. This is someone b. 1780 in NC. I have identified her husband and his parents. These people match my aunt between 20-40 cMs. But the mother and her family is illusive. Has anyone had success using this method this far back?
Hi, Sue. We can use autosomal DNA results to work about 6 generations back. The Leeds Method would probably get you back that far, but that would be very time-consuming. When going back that far in time, I recommend one of the Leeds-like automated methods: AutoCluster at Genetic Affairs or the Collins’ Leeds Method tool at DNAGedcom.
Hi, Sue. I’m not really sure if they have or not. You also might try a Leeds-based tool, AutoCluster at Genetic Affairs. From there, you can create clusters even with these smaller amounts of cM and then work with specific clusters. Best wishes!
I started this using only fourth cousins and have gotten them all neatly into 8 groups (Already knew who the 3rd and closer belonged to) and which great-grandparent each belong to. It has been very helpful!
That’s great, Kathe! A neat twist. 🙂
Which method did you use starting with 4th
Hi, Kathe. I’m sorry I don’t quite understand your question. Could you give me a little more details? Thanks!
Dana, I am working on an unknown parentage for someone and am up to 12 groups and still going! What would cause this to happen? I think there are a lot of 1/2 relationships and maybe even some endogamy, as both lines are Jewish. I haven’t worked with this many groups before.
If both lines are Jewish, there is likely endogamy. And, I haven’t really worked with a lot of endogamy. Is there a lot of overlap between the groups? I would expect there to be. Endogamy is just hard to work with using DNA.
When adding people to a group, do you include all of your 90-400cM matches who match the person you started with, or do you use some minimum number of cMs that your matches must share with each other? I’m Jewish and most of my matches match most of my other matches.
Hi, Sara. Unfortunately, the Leeds Method and clustering in general don’t really work with endogamy. That’s because, like you said, most of your matches match most of your other matches. Oftentimes, endogamy only creates one group – which, of course, is not really helpful.
Thanks for sharing Robin and the detailed instructions!
You’re welcome, Dennis!
What happens if you don’t get any group with more than one dot color? I do have 4 distinct groups and only one group is known. The paternal grandfather is unknown and the both grandparents on maternal side are unknown (adopted mother). Only other person that took tests are paternal uncle and paternal grandmother. They don’t show any other grouping and only one other match. I guess I have my work cut out for me.
Hi, J Dub. Are you saying your (or whoever took the test) paternal uncle and paternal grandmother took the test and didn’t show up in any group? Did you start with 400 to 90 cM and then go back and add in those higher matches? Or did you run an AutoCluster report?
Hi Dana, thank you for all the good info.
Could you tell me if this set up works with MyHeritage? My DNA sits only with them, i have not DL raw DNA. Just getting started.
Missing is paternal side of family, only certain of names of parents and Grands. Grands only from a 1920 census.
Thank you so much
Hi, Marlene. The colored dots (aka Custom Groups) are a feature built into Ancestry so they would not work with MyHeritage. If you are trying to identify some close paternal family members, I highly recommend testing at Ancestry. They have the largest database and the most trees – and they have some great tools. Best wishes!
Your method is good but ridiculously naive. It is not “one fit all”. I started to do the same without knowing that you already developed this method. Yet, I have NO ONE above 150cM in my matches, and for a person in question (my great grandpa) about whom I know almost nothing about, the highest matches are around 50 cM – and – are around 5th cousin relationship (and no appearing endogamy there!) so I’m 7 generations back and still cannot fit my great grandpa for sure anywhere – yet having more questions, more surnames that I identified that can be involved around that level of ancestry…
Hi, Iza. This is definitely not a solution for everyone. I am very vocal about that when I speak at different events, when I travel, and when I interact on Facebook. However, I probably need to be more vocal about it on my website. The Leeds method, and clustering in general, does NOT work in all cases. It does not work with endogamy, though it will SHOW endogamy to those who did not know it existed in their family. It does not work well with pedigree collapse, though it also can SHOW pedigree collapse. It does not work if you don’t have a handful of 2nd & 3rd cousins. And, of course, it cannot work on a specific branch of your family if that branch hasn’t tested or if those who have tested are distantly related! However, it DOES work wonderfully for many people and it has helped hundreds, possibly thousands, of people to identify their biological parents and other close family members, identify DNA cousins, and break through brick walls.
All of my lines on this tree share all four colors or at least three of them. Is that normal?
Why would this happen?
Hi, Johnson. I would love to take a look at your chart and give you some quick feedback. If you’d like me to do that, just email me a screenshot of your chart. Please include the number of cM. Thanks!
I am just starting with this process and want to confirm my approach to a mini-endogamy issue. I have great-grandparents who had a brother and a sister who also married. (Their families of origin were from different places, so there is no long-term endogamy.) I also know who their parents, my 2nd great-grandparents, are. All of my Ancestry-match 2nd and 3rd cousins from this part of the family derive from one of these 2 marriages, so all of us can go back to either or both of the sets of 2nd great-grandparents. But I have 4th cousins and beyond whom I can trace to one — but not both — of the sets of 2nd great-grandparents. So I’m thinking that in this case I begin 2 groups with the known 4th cousins, who will have 1 dot each, and in their shared matches I will pick up the closer cousins who will likely end up with 2 dots each. Hoping that this makes sense when you read it, I ask for your thoughts about this approach. Thanks, Dana
Hi, Jay. If you are able to separate cousins out into 2 groups based on which of these couples they descend from, I would definitely do that!
I ended up with 22 groups and not one of the single dot matches is identifiable in my tree. Your instructions didn’t say what to do if you couldn’t place the match in your tree. Perhaps this method doesn’t work for those of us with Endogamous ancestors. My tree has all 8 great grandparents. What can I do to make this work?
Yes, unfortunately, this method does not really work for endogamy. In endogamy, “everyone” is related to “everyone” through their DNA, so the DNA cannot be used to separate them. If the endogamy is only on one side, though, it can separate the two sides. And, as far as what you can do to make this work… many people, myself included, have been working on an answer. As far as I know, no one has solved this problem yet. Instead, there are some guidelines many of us recommend on working with endogamy. You can message me if you’d like more information. I should write a post and will when I can!
Hi
Really want to try this out but any pointers for when the matches are a bit more distant? I manage my grandmothers DNA on Ancestry and her closest matches are three 3rd cousins (119cM, 107cM & 97cM). The rest (417) are listed as 4th cousins ranging from 63cM downwards.
Is it worth doing this method or is there a more effective way?
Thank you in advance,
Aaron
Yikes! Those are low matches. I would suggest using an automated tool such as AutoCluster or the Collins’ Leeds Method. You can find both under “The Leeds Method” tab on my site. (Personally, I use AutoCluster now.) You should still get clusters and can work with them, but the common ancestor will be further back on your tree.
What if I get more than 4 groups? Would that likely be because of multiple marriages by one or more ancestors?
Hi, Tracy. There are quite a few reasons you might get more than 4 groups. 2nd cousins potentially create 4 groups, while 3rd cousins hypothetically could create 8 groups, but realistically create more. So, if you don’t have a couple of 2nd cousins representing each grandparent, you could get more than 4 groups. If there is significant overlap between 2 clusters, you can combine them into one cluster.
Hi, thanks for this, it is really interesting as well as helpful.
I have several known first cousins who obviously end up in the same group. How do I know which of our common grandparents the group should be named after?
Got it sorted. Thanks!
Hi, Lee. For the actual chart, you should start with 2nd cousins. Then, you can name these groups – hopefully based on grandparent lines. THEN you can add in these 1st cousins. If you ended up with 4 groups, these cousins should end up in 2 – either your paternal or maternal. Hope this helps!
Hi! I am learning so much from your work! Thank you! So, i’m working on the tree of my daughter’s father, whom I will call “M.” He never knew his own father. For most of his life, his mother told him it was one man, and then when he was in his 30s, she told him it was really another man. So, I have this second man as M’s father. M was an only child. He did his DNA with ancestry a couple of years ago, and, so far, we have quite a few matches, even one who is supposed to be “close family,” but even though I built that match a tree myself, we still have no idea how they might be related. He has 33 matches in the area of 527-90 cM. Could your method help with this kind of situation? I might add that I have tried to personally reach out to every match in this list, because almost NONE of them have trees, but no one will respond. It’s the most difficult research I have ever attempted. Thank you for any advice! –Cathy Reese, tree on ancestry.com at REESESPIECES2019
Hi, Cathy. Yes, this method should help you. But, if people don’t have trees, you will have to be able to build some trees yourself. Sometimes, this is basically impossible. For example, maybe the person just shows a name as John Smith. That’s not helpful! But, sometimes this is possible. Maybe they have a unique first or last name or a username you can Google. Hope this helps!
I am trying to solve a mystery with my paternal line, and thankfully I had my Dad take a DNA test before he passed. I just tried this method on his Ancestry results, and I ended up with 10 different groupings going down to the end of the 3rd Cousin list. At least one of those seems to overlap, which makes sense, since there does appear to be some intermarrying with that set of groups. But I’m also seeing a unrelated line getting mixed in with those, which would indicate that my Dad’s maternal grandparents were related in some way, but they are from different parts of the country.
Started this trying to figure out one mystery, and now there appears to be another. Are there any other tips for trying to separate these clusters?
Hi, Jennifer. Great question! The best way I can help is if you email me an image of the chart. Then I’ll give you some quick feedback. If you’d like to do that, please include a column listing the # of cM of shared DNA for each match.
Hi Dana –
First, thanks for sharing this & the time you take to respond to everyone – that is a lot of kindness & energy!
I applied the Leeds/Ancestry dots to my research group – my maternal grandmother’s line (I know who she is, no DNA, deceased) – I am searching for her biological parents – my great grandparents – unknown as of now.
What do I do now that I have the dots?!
I have 14 people, 3 groups – 2nd to 3rd cousins that I know are connected via the maternal grandmother.
The dot clusters range from being in all 3 groups, to only being in one group.
If I do not know who my bio great grands are – can I use the sorted matches in such a way as to find out any useful information? If so, would you mind telling me?
Thanks!
Hi, Steph. I would first work with each group separately, and see if you can find ancestors that are in common in 2 or more of the trees. You can also work with them as a single group. A lot of it depends on how many of your matches have trees.
But, in general, yes! This is a good tool for helping you identify your bio great grandparents.
Hope this helps!
Dana
I just shared this article with someone else looking to identify their g.grands and just saw your reply. Thanks for taking the time.
When I first did the dots, I was thinking…umm, I have zero idea on what to do with this (DNA is not my forte). But, I just started going through the trees that were available on my matches and BOOM – it started happening. Suddenly, I am DNA matched to the descendants of this group of siblings…and my strongest DNA connection in that group led me to my great grandfather!
I was shocked honestly. Because I had no idea what I was doing.
Your method and all of the tips and help you gave other replies, all of it helped me tremendously – so – Thank You. A lot.
Hi Dana , fascinating article . I manage mine and my mums recently obtained DNA that we had tested at Ancestry .
My mum has 4 “second cousins “ that we know nothing about . Their names and trees ancestors do not match any of ours .
I therefore decided to do the dot colours method as you have explained .
Mums closest match I didn’t include as they have over 500 shared CM .
I therefore started and named the groups but have ended up with 5 groups . Three can be attached to my mums grandparents but there appears to be 2 spare groups possibly for my great grandad . All of these unknown second cousin are in these 2 groups . However some of the people in the 2 groups don’t share DNA so we are very confused as surely both groups would have some of his dna if both groups belong to him . I’m thinking he may have had some illegitimate children .
On checking after wards The lady with the 500 plus Cm is in both groups along with a lot of other people !
I wonder if I have done something wrong .
Kind regards
Sharon
Hi, Sharon. It’s fine to have 5 groups! With the 500+ cM person belonging in both groups, these two groups are likely closely related. And it could be, like you suggested, that the groups are from 2 different spouses/parents.
The next step is to figure out how the people in the groups are related to each other. Do some of the people in each group have trees? If so, can you find any connections? If not, can you work on building some of the trees out to find connections? Then, can you connect the two groups to each other?
The last step is to figure out how you’re related to the groups.
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much Dana, but please can I check with you if this works for my situation?
On Ancestry I only have six 3C matches! These do form 4 distinct groups but two groups have only 1 person in them. Is it still reasonable to say that this is my 4 great-grandparent couples lines?
I have an unknown biological father, so I really don’t want to screw up!
If I was to try it with 4th cousins to get 8 lines, what cM boundaries would I use please? Ancestry bundles 4C-6C together so I’m not sure where to stop.
Many thanks.
Those 6 groups may, or may not, represent your 4 great grandparent couple lines. But, even if you had more matches and slightly bigger clusters, we couldn’t say that for sure – until you identify the people in the group and how they’re related to each other then how they’re related to you. I do suggest going ahead and adding some higher 4th cousin matches. Go as low as you need to, really. But, I don’t think anyone would ever really get 8 groups representing another step back. But, you hopefully will find those groups that don’t match your bio father’s side and those are the clusters you should work with. Hope this helps!
Okay, so I am trying to find the parents for a person we will call Bob. Bob has a high match of 2086. Birth years are 1928 for 2086 and 1978 for Bob. So we are going to presume that this is grandparent or uncle. After doing the dot method in ancestry, I have four colors. Lets say blue and green are together with several people. 2086 would be in the blue green group. Meaning it matches two groups. Then the next matches are 690 and 519 and they are siblings. They are in group purple. Then 540 and 442 – 442 is the daughter of 540 and they are group yellow. All the yellows down to 100 cm are only yellow. All the purples down to about 100 cm are just the one color. So its like I have three groups. there are blue people, green people and blue green people. then there are all the people that are purple. then all the yellow people. why do i have three lines. I just don’t really understand it enough maybe.
Hi, Lori. I would say the blue & green groups appear to be one side of Bob’s father – whether maternal or paternal – and the purple and yellow are likely the other side. So, I’m not exactly sure from what you said, but it appears you have 4 groups: blue, green, purple & yellow. But, a lot of the blue & green are forming a group. That is likely because either you have someone in that group that matches both blue and green and has “tied” these two together, or because those two groups are closely related to each other. I hope that helps!
Hi Dana!
Thank you for sharing such a valuable tool! I’m hoping that you can give me some guidance that will let me use it correctly and successfully! I’m helping an adoptee identify her birth family. Her closest matches are 2 people that match at 252 cMs across 17 segs. Her next matches, that are less than 90 cMs, total 7 with cMs ranging from 146cMs to 95cMs. Using the Leeds Method of choosing matches that are less than 400cM and more than 90cMs there are a total of 9 matches with 3 color dots. Since there are so few matches, should I include matches less than 90cMs? How low should I go?
I have done so many mirror trees on the matches that had information that my head spins every time I look at the list! Thanks in advance for any help or guidance. I look forward to your response!
Hi, Pamela. Yes, you should go ahead and go with lower matches. And, you can really go fairly low, though the lower the match the less useful it is. (We do avoid using matches that are 7 cM or lower, though.)
Pingback: Gresham Grisham Gresham DNA published to FTDNA – Elwald
Pingback: Gresham Grisham Gresham DNA published to FTDNA - Gorrenberry
Nice of you to put this information together for others! I’ve also been using this method myself. Love the dots, as previously I’d been using the Shared Match list to sort, but at that time only had the one star and a typed label for that purpose. Those dots are a time-saver!
I’d like to share my color choices as they provide a speedy visual, which hopefully may help others.
I use light blue and light pink for the mother’s paternal and maternal lines, respectively; and dark blue and dark pink for the father’s paternal and maternal lines, respectively. Further breakdown of branches can either be with a variation of those (as available) or an odd color, but I do try to keep it visually consistent so I always know at a glance what side and branch I’m working with for any of the numerous kits I’m managing. Jumping back and forth between kits, I don’t need to constantly hover over the group name to see what line it is.
On the stickier ones, where I know through a Shared Match that it is on the paternal side, for example, but not what line, I’ll use a dark yellow (light yellow for maternal) , and label the group as either Maternal or Paternal, with the word “Unsorted” until some match comes along to direct me to the correct line.
I reserve the Stars only for those matches whom I’ve identified and added to a tree.
One funny exception: I’m working on identifying the father of someone who is colorblind. It was interesting going over what colors he can see, and then choosing his family palette! Whatever works, right?! 😊
Keep up the good shares, Dana!
Hi, Valerie. First of all, thanks for your kind words! And, you’ve got some great color ideas! And, I love how you worked out which colors your colorblind friend could see to make something that worked for him. Maybe Ancestry should be aware of that and offer different shapes. If they gave us several shapes, along with all of the colors, we’d be doing great! Can you imagine 4 shapes and then using pinks and blues for your 8 grandparents? And, you could do those in the notes field, but then you can’t do as much with them. Anyway, thanks for writing!
Hi Dana,
Thank you for the work you do to educate those of us trying to track down biological parents. My sister and I are trying to find my mother’s biological father. My mom is 86 and we were able to track her mother down and even share photos/momentos with a second cousin. Due to the maternal side being very Scandinavian and newer to North America, it was easy to track this with your system. The difficulty we have is with the paternal side. There are five colors representing that side. Some 400-90cm have one color, others some combination of 4. I can group some and I think one group comes from a particular area. I’m starting to wonder if there was intermarriage. Can you share some pointers?
Hi, Karen. Did you do a chart on a spreadsheet before assigning the colored dots? If not, I suggest doing that so you can see everyone at one time. Then, for those 5 colors, look to see if there is “heavy overlap” between any of the colors. What I mean is, do most of the people in one color also belong to another? If so, I would combine them. If not, are most of your matches smaller – like under 200? And, in these colors are there not many that are above 300? If so, these could truly represent separate groups. In that case, you just work with one group at a time trying to find the connection between members of that group. And then you try to connect groups to each other. I hope this helps!
Hi Dana,
Thank you for the work you do to educate those of us trying to track down biological parents. My sister and I are trying to find my mother’s biological father. My mom is 86 and we were able to track her mother down and even share photos/momentos with a second cousin. Due to the maternal side being very Scandinavian and newer to North America, it was easy to track this with your system. The difficulty we have is with the paternal side. There are five colors representing that side. Some 400-90cm have one color, others some combination of 4. I can group some and I think one group comes from a particular area. I’m starting to wonder if there was intermarriage. Can you share some pointers?
Thanks so much – and also some of the info in the comments/replies has been very helpful. My question: would you please screenshot an example of a spreadsheet as I would like to know all of the headings to include in my spreadsheet?? Thank you!
Hi, Sheila. My columns (and headings) are usually quite simple. I have the column for the shared match’s names, a column for the # of centimorgan, and then columns for each of the colors I create. I later can go back and name these columns using the appropriate surnames. That is usually all I do! 🙂
Dana
7-1-2020
Hi Dana, Thank you for responding. Yes, I followed your prior site instructions and hade made a spreadsheet of 44 shared matches, of those only 8 are >200 cM (I stopped at 400 cM). Your advice helped me see that one family group belongs to “MacI”, another group is likely “G”. Definitely helps us to see possibilities to research. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge!!!
Karen
I love and so appreciate your work, Dana. Thank you!
Because I have an unknown grandparent, I’ve found it helpful to have group names on display in the list. I get that by using the “Notes” field for each DNA match to indicate the MRCA. That way, in looking at the list, one has text reminders of the Group names.
Of course, this hint should really go to Ancestry.com: DISPLAY the group names in the Match list!
Example:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/79zw2ugovskqvlb/Screen%20Shot%202020-07-08%20at%2010.50.10%20AM.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vjb7rnqh9o552or/Screen%20Shot%202020-07-08%20at%2010.51.13%20AM.png?dl=0
Thanks for the kind comment and the suggestion, Lynda. And, yes, I absolutely agree and I don’t think I’ve talked about it in a post before. But, when clustering your matches it is a WONDERFUL idea to have your MRCA – most recent common ancestor – written in your notes field for all of the matches you’ve identified. This helps you to easily see what the cluster represents. I also include which CHILD of that MRCA the match is descended from. 🙂
I’m helping a friend determine if her father’s parents were siblings. Will the Leeds Method help? She does have close matches on her paternal and maternal sides. Before I begin, is there anything I should do differently that may help me in the end? I’ve already done a lot of basic group matching and it appears that the likelihood of incest is high.
Hi, Shawn. The Leeds Method would show just one cluster for the dad’s side since the ancestors would all be the same. However, people often get only one cluster for the dad’s side. For example, if one of the grandparent lines has not tested – which often happens with recent immigrants but can also happen in any family – then you would be missing this “4th cluster.” If you’d like to email me, I’m happy to talk with you and point you (or your friend) to additional resources if needed.
In STEP 2. Click on the person’s name then on “Shared Matches.” Do you do that with each person, or do you click on “Add to Group” on the person on the “DNA Matches Page”.
Hi, John. For step #2, you will add EACH person to that group.
Also, I actually now recommend doing the Leeds Method on a spreadsheet first and THEN adding the colored dots. I am going to go back and rewrite this post. I’m glad you commented on it and asked this question so I can update this!
Dana
Thanks for your reply. I did actually check each persons Shared Matches and in doing so was able to see which person matched my father’s line and which person matched my mother’s line. This enabled me to use different colors for parental or maternal matches. One thing I am confused with is how do I use this when I am finished. My main purpose fro doing this is to find my common ancestor on my parental line. My Y-DNA test showed I do not match my surname Hale, my Y-DNA matches Acker, Aker, and Akers. I contacted an Aker at Family Tree DNA, that I have perfect matches at 12 markers and 25 markers, and a Genetic Distance of “2” at 37 markers and “3” at 67 markers. My 2nd great grandfather was born in the same VA county (Wythe) and during the time that his Aker ancestors lived in Wythe County, VA. A distant Hale cousin told me her mother told her and her brother, they were not Hale, they were Aker. The mother said an Aker was taken in by a Hale family. I think this Aker may have been my 2nd great grandfather. I am hoping this method will lead me to my common Aker ancestor.
Hi, Dana,
I love this method, but hit a snag when I got to the last step of the process. The first person with one color does not have a searchable tree or a common ancestor. How can I tell where he’s from? He also shows up as a 1st or 2nd cousin, but I don’t know him. Should I just go to the next person with that color and base it on them?
Thanks!
Hi, Julia. You really have two issues here. As far as whether or not to include this match, I would skip him on your initial chart since he may be a 1st cousin. If you use any 1st cousins, they would divide your matches into just paternal or maternal matches. And, that’s great! But, we are hoping to divide our matches into 4 groups based on our 4 grandparent lines.
On the other hand, it is always fine to have the first match in a cluster – or any match – that doesn’t have a tree and does not have an ancestor in common with us that we can easily identify. After we create our clusters, are next step is to figure out what those clusters represent. So, you are working with the group as a whole and trying to figure out how they match each other and how they match you. You won’t be able to figure that out for every match. Some matches will not have trees. So, you need to concentrate on your other matches in that cluster.
After figuring that out, though, hopefully you can go back to that higher match and figure out who they are. Or, you might be able to message them and they might be able to work with you to figure it out. I am currently working on two courses – one on the Leeds Method and one on building trees for your matches. I hope to make some announcements soon, so stay tuned!
Hope this helps!
Dana
Wonderful! Thank you so much!
I grouped my mother’s DNA at Ancestry by her 16 sets of 3rd great-grandparents but because there are some unknown parentages and endogamy, this has been extremely time consuming and I have so many in my unknown group.
I tried your method (using Ancestry dots) with her sister and had 11 groups of matches at the 2nd and 3rd cousin level. Two of those groups descended from the same set of 2nd great-grandparents. Because I had so many without trees and thought maybe I made some errors. I did it again but this time I added 4th cousins with 30cm or more to each group. I still had the same 11 groups but, with more known family and trees, I think I have a better understanding how the clusters go together and where to begin.
I sorted my fourth cousins into the already existing color clusters. I have many 4th cousins that don’t fit into these clusters. Should I create groups for those 4th cousins?
I read that this method doesn’t work with endogamy but it appears to give me a very good visual of where my matches fit into my family. It is more helpful with this family than using the 16 groups of 3rd great-grandparents.
Do you have any cautions or suggestions before I continue?
Hi, Diana. Sorry for the delayed response! As far as endogamy affecting your matches, it does matter “where” this endogamy occurred. For example, if you are Ashkenazi Jewish on both sides and your mom and dad are showing up as related to each other – well, clustering won’t help much. But, if the endogamy is only on maybe one grandparent line – then you’ll still be able to easily sort your 4 grandparent lines.
As far as using the dots, I think most people are better off doing the Leeds Method on paper or a spreadsheet and THEN transferring the results to Ancestry’s dots. Working directly in Ancestry really only works well if your 4 grandparent lines – or whichever lines have matches – are distinct and there is not any overlap between those lines.
If you have 4th cousins that are not falling into any of your already created groups then, yes, I would create new groups for those matches.
Hope this helps!!
Dana
Hi Dana,
This is all so helpful. I will try the spread sheet.
Thank you so much for your time!
Diana
You’re so welcome! Thank you for your kind words & best wishes!
Dana
I have done this Ancestry method and the regular Leeds’ Method. I have 9 groups with a lot of overlap. I am not able to isolate any of the single-color folks into a shared surname. What should I do next? Thanks in advance from another genealogist named Dana!
BTW, after I sent my message, I was able to figure out that one of my single-color people is definitely on the maternal side (I am trying to figure out the paternal side). Additionally, one other match shares half of the surnames with the above. Please help me make sense of this! Thank you in advance! Dana
Hi, Dana. (And I love meeting people – especially genealogists – named Dana!) If you email me your chart, I’m happy to provide some feedback. Please include the number of cM shared for each of the matches. My email is drleeds@sbcglobal.net
Dana
Hi Dana.
I recently discovered that my grandmother on my paternal side was adopted through my research. I’m using your method to see if I can figure out who her biological family was. I have been able to sort all of my DNA matches who I believe are related to me through my paternal grandmother and have them all in one group. My question is do I need to create a separate tree for these individuals in order to find the definite link for her biological mother and father. Thanking you in advance for any guidance you can give me. Sincerely Catherine
Hi, Catherine. It’s really up to you. But, if you’re adding relationships that you aren’t sure of, I would create a new tree and make it both private and unsearchable. And, once you figure out the true identity, it’s up to you how you put that in your tree. Ancestry does allow you to put two fathers on your tree – one biological and one adopted. So, you could do that and continue to work with both sets of ancestors.
Hope this helps!
Dana
Hi Dana,
Thank you so much for this informative article! I sorted my matches according to the instructions, and now I have a new match that showed up yesterday who is 204 cM. To add color coding to the new match, do I click on Shared Matches and give her the same colors that show up in the list? Thank you for your help!
Molly, Exactly! And, you’re very welcome! 🙂
Thanks so much! Going with the approach that “if a little is good, more is better,” I ended up using all 24 colors – maybe that isn’t the best approach, since I am not entirely clear on the concept! I added the new 204 cM match and she has 9 colors. She has her tree available, so it’s easy for me to see how she fits in – I can identify our MRCA (my great grandparents). Should I leave all 9 colors, or should I eliminate all but the color that represents the MRCA? Also, since my mother is color coded, anyone new who matches on my maternal side would end up getting the 7 colors she has. If I add those colors to a new match, is that more or less helpful? Thank you!
Hi, Molly. I think you should be able to combine many of the colors. Having a person in 9 different groups is probably not very helpful. I suggest you actually start with a Leeds Method chart instead of jumping directly into the dot system. And then consoldiate. If you want to work from where you are, when you click on this person do a lot of the people share the same 5, 6, 7, or 8 colors? If so, try to combine some of them so you don’t have so many colors.
Hi Dana – I took your suggestion and created a Leeds Method chart. Fortunately, there are 4 distinct groups with no overlaps, so it is easier to wrap my brain around what I am creating with the colors. To answer your question, there is only one person who shares several colors with the other match I mentioned. I messaged him to see if I can find out any new information.
Thank you for your help!
Pingback: 10 Ways to Group Your DNA Matches into Genetic Networks – Family Locket
Thanks Dana! So I’ve gone through and done this for my mother’s DNA profile using her matches between 90 – 400 cms. But she has lots of matches below 90 cms that through research are known to me. So I just add those to the proper color group? Also, I have her two brothers’ DNA. If they have a match that is the same as my mother’s, although it doesn’t fit in the 90-400 cms, I’m assuming since my mother’s does, I can attribute that match and assign it the same color group. Make sense?
Hi, Roxanne. Yes, add those lower matches to the proper color group(s) you have already created. If a match does not match any of the color groups you’ve already created then create a new group.
I generally recommend keeping the siblings charts separate. BUT, you can add them as different pages to the same spreadsheet. And, I DO recommend you use the same colors when you realize it is the same group. This can particularly work with those original groupings.
Dana
Hi Dana,
Thank you for this post. I’m trying to figure out a Mystery Great Grandfather of My GreatUncle’s who has tested with Ancestry. His Great Grandfather would be my 3x Great Grandfather. I have been having an awful time trying to figure out who this mystery Grandpa is.
I’ve been told to try the Leed’s method and I thankfully came across your post on how to do it on Ancestry. I came up with some crazy results. Does this happen often? I ended up with 14 Groups instead of 8 or 9 like I was hoping I would for with the Great Grandparents! Any help you can give me would be great. Thank you so much.
Hi, Angie. You might try this post – https://www.danaleeds.com/leeds-method-a-lot-of-clusters/ – and this post – https://www.danaleeds.com/consolidating-clusters-example/ – and see if they help.
Best wishes!
Dana
Hi Dana,
Is there a professional company or group that will help with creating a Leeds chart? I’ve tried several times but have been unsuccessful despite tutorial, videos, diagrams… etc.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi, Mary. First of all, I’m working on a workshop for people to get more in-depth knowledge of how to use this method. You might find that helpful!
Second, if you send me your attempt at a chart, I would be happy to provide some brief feedback and/or corrections to help you on your way.
Sincerely,
Dana
Hi Dana, I’m trying to use this method to work out how I’m connected to some of my matches. But I only have 3 matches which are between 400-90cM in Ancestry. Can I still use the method but bring in matches lower than 90cM?
Yes, go ahead and use lower matches. It will still create helpful clusters.
Dana
I have done clusters, Ancestry dots, and a lot of traditional genealogy. When I tried the Leeds Method, I found the use of a spreadsheet to be very useful. While dots are nice, the spreadsheet allows more information to be added including a comment column. One of the things I did was to add a column with the known relationship in addition to the cM total. So even though I used the recommended 400-90 range, I could easily see which ones I had already identified as 1st cousins (or 1st cousins once removed) and avoid using them as a Group Basis person. This made it easily understandable which two grandparent lines a 1st cousin related to. It also made it easy to see 3rd cousins and know they would be identifying a generation back. In addition to Ancestry, I also used it for 23andMe. I found the simpler display on the spreadsheet provided a better perspective than a detailed chromosome browser view. I now have my Leeds spreadsheet pinned as a reference document in Excel. Thanks for this wonderful tool. Have you ever tried doing a combined spreadsheet of all the DNA companies? The tester names could be all put in one spreadsheet and you could then use the Leeds Method to identify relationship groups.
Thanks, Alan! I’m glad you have found this method useful.
As far as a combined spreadsheet…I usually recommend people keep them separate. However I do think creating a master spreadsheet showing your different matches, what part of the tree they belong to (possibly based on 4 grandparents or 8 great grandparents), which site the matches are on, and how much DNA they share with you can be very useful. Other details could be added – such as their exact relationship, whether you’ve added them to your tree, their real name, etc.
Hi, please for clarification. when you say add everone above the 3rd cousin that is below 90 to the first group. How far up to i go? as far as Cm? all the way to the intial cousin under 400? im a little confused when i did this and moved on to the next person under 400 for the next color group the shared matches had the same people in yellow? is this correct? sorry im so new at this. Thank you
Hi, Mary. If you’ve listed your matches between 400 and 90, then you add all of the people on the list who are shared matches. You do not type in any additional people. This video might help: https://www.rootstech.org/video/you-can-do-dna?lang=eng (My part starts at about 40 minutes in, though I recommend the entire video!)
I have just started assigning colours to my ancestry dna matches and think I may have made a few mistakes, how do I go back to correct this
Also struggling as adopted so the names don’t mean anything to me and obviously don’t know (if it’s even possible to tell) if they are on my maternal or paternal side
Hi, Lynda. I’m glad you reached out! Correcting the dots on Ancestry is pretty easy, though maybe not intuitive.
If you need to remove a dot from a person: click on the pencil and then on “remove from group.” Click next to whichever group(s) you need to remove the person from, then click “remove from group.”
If you need to rename or change the color of a group: you can click on the pencil next to someone in that group and click on the pencil and then either option (add or remove). Each group will come up with a pencil beside it. Click on the pencil to change the color or name.
As far as the struggle…I totally understand! The Leeds Method was designed for adoptees, so it will hopefully help you. After you create clusters, try to figure out how the people in each group match each other. Then try to see if you can find connections between two or more groups. If you have higher matches, they might be a part of two (or more) groups. While you won’t originally know which part of the family they’re from, you can hypothesize that it is either your maternal or paternal side and that other groups are from the other side.
Best wishes!
Hi Dana, I hope I’m not too late! I did Leeds on my grandparents level, worked fine. Proceeded to do on my uncle, who would be 100 years old, to get to my great grandparents. Started at 291 cM ( next highest in the 600s) down to 40 cM to capture more than 15 matches. End result only 3 columns! What does that mean??
Hi, Val. That’s nothing to worry about! 🙂 Having less than 4 groups is very common. It often means either only 3 of the 4 lines have tested at that particular level (meaning in that range you don’t have any cousins from 1 line) OR that two of the lines are combined. They could be combined because he has a 1st cousin in this list OR because of intermarriage between two lines.
Hope this helps!
Hi , my mother was adopted I’m doing the colorleed method now when i go to a shared match and color code it, do I color code every shared match on that list of person shared matches like group 1 I got to the shared matches and put them all in the same color am I understanding that correctly I’m new to colorleed method thank you
Yes, you would color code every shared match on that list (though most people can stop at 90 cM). I know a lot of people like doing this directly in Ancestry, but I still prefer either doing it in a spreadsheet or on a piece of paper so I can see everything at once. 🙂
Hi, Shelby. Yes, you color everyone that matches that person. I know some people like to do this straight in Ancestry as this post suggests. I prefer using a spreadsheet or piece of paper where I can see everything at once.
Hi Dana,
I have already colour coordinated my various matches based upon family/ethnicity ie James/Welsh; Brant/Native,
How will the Leeds method help me in finding out my great grandfather on my maternal grandfather?
The Leeds Method often helps you see your 4 grandparent lines. If you can already see that, great!
I just recorded a presentation on Legacy Family Tree Webinars where I uncovered an unknown great grandfather who wasn’t who he said he was. If you haven’t watched it, I encouarge you to! It’s titled “One Man, Multiple Names: A DNA-Based Case Study.”
If you have one other first cousin from the knokwn maternal grandfather, or if you know a single person who matches this grandfather, you can possibly solve the case by diagramming your Shared Matches with this cousin. Again, the video explains it in more detail.
Best wishes!
Dana
Pingback: DNA and Google Maps: Breaking Through Brick Walls to Reveal a Love Story – MyFamilyPattern.com
Pingback: DNA and Google Maps: Breaking Through Brick Walls to Reveal a Love Story - MyFamilyPattern.com
Now that I have clustered my 90-400 cM matches into 4 groups using Ancestry dots (per your instructions), I am trying to figure out why I did it. LOL!
I guess each individual has their own next step (what to do with these groups), and that just depends on what they are looking for/trying to solve?
Am I looking at this big picture correctly, or am I missing something?
The only thing I can think of to do next is to take each match in the group related to my question, one by one, and see if I can figure out where they fit into my tree. Including them all in my tree will be a challenge though!
I am trying to prove my bio paternal GF in my tree (hypothesis based on research so far) is the correct person. Maybe not possible, but I’m trying.
Hi, Dena. After creating clusters, my suggestion for the next step is to figure out how the people in each cluster match each other. Then figure out how that cluster is related to you!
But, yes, each person’s goals are different! Some are working on more recent mysteries – like yours. While other are working farther back.
In most cases, DNA should help prove a bio paternal GF! (It would be harder if there was a lot of intermarriage, for instance.)
Best wishes!
Dana
Hi Dana! Thank you for creating the Leeds Method.
I am on Ancestry and started with my first match 400cM’s or under to 90cM’s and created my first group by clicking on Shared Matches with this first match. Then added the appropriate colored dot.
Then I returned to the entire list to click on the next cousin without a dot and clicked on shared cousins and added those who are in the same cM range.
Etc…
Is this correct?
I watched possibly a variation of your method on YouTube and am wondering if I’ve done it correctly?
Also, now that I’m sorting the 2nd-3rd cousins…
I’m seeing the cousins who were “unassigned” popping up after I’m finished.
Does Ancestry use this to figure out where my mystery cousins should go?
Ex. My cousin that I know quite well was at first incorrectly put under paternal side by Ancestry.
Recently she was put in a rather large group of unassigned cousins.
My dad has tested, my mom hasn’t and is deceased.
After I finished assigning dots yesterday I found they put her in my maternal list. No dot.
The method I used apparently skipped her as well as others.
She does fit in the 90-400cM range.
She wasn’t the only occurrence of this either.
I did scroll through my entire list twice to make sure I had left out anyone.
Is my mistake clicking on shared matches to add my dots?
I’m excited about using your method in hopes of finding my moms siblings who are twins.
Like her, they were taken from my grandmother and put up for adoption (1930’s or early 40’s)and no one has heard from them again.
Thanks
Hi, Cari. First of all my apologies. Somehow I stopped receiving notifications of comments so I’m quite behind.
First of all, your first steps that you asked about are correct. As far as the unassigned DNA matches, AncestryDNA is usually correct but it does make mistakes. And sometimes it assigns even closer matches to “unassigned.” I believe this is sometimes because they are newer matches that just haven’t been assigned yet.
I honestly don’t understand why you weren’t seeing some of these unassigned matches as you did the Leeds Method. I actually use a spreadsheet instead of working directly in Ancestry with the colored dots. I start by listing all of the matches between 400 and 90. This should assure that I don’t miss any matches. You might try that. (And, no, I don’t think your mistake was clicking on Shared Matches – that’s how I do it, too. Not sure what happened.)
I hope you are able to find your mom’s twin siblings! I’m sure that was very difficult for your mother.
Best wishes, Dana
Great information. I have several matches that have multiple colours on my spreadsheet- does this mean multiple marriages with my grand parents?
Hi, Clifton. Oftentimes people with multiple colors are direct descendants of the grandparent couple, so they are related to 2 grandparent lines instead of one.
Dana
Dana do you have any tips when the closest relative is only 113 cm and everyone else is under 66 cm?
Hi, Ashley. There are several reasons why people may have very few matches. For example:
– If the tester’s recent ancestors lived outside of the U.S.
– If the tester is from a very small family
– If they are from a population that hasn’t tested much
It also depends on which site you have tested with.
My recommendation would be to make sure you are on all the major testing sites. You have to pay to test at Ancestry (which is currently on sale for only $39!) and 23andMe, but you can transfer your raw DNA data for free to MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA. You might have more matches at one of those sites. You can also target test people – actually ask specific relatives to test. Of course, this doesn’t work if you are trying to identify an unknown biological parent.
Hope this helps!
Dana