Genealogy has traditionally relied on documents: church and civil registers, census records, probate documents, obituaries, old letters, and other archival sources. From these, researchers try to reconstruct who was whose child, sibling, or more distant relative.
DNA testing, however, has fundamentally changed the landscape.
While a historical document shows us what was recorded at the time about a person’s family relationships, DNA can provide evidence of biological relationships.
And the two are not always the same!
A mistaken entry in a birth register, a name change, an adoption, a child born out of wedlock, or simply a previously unknown family relationship can remain hidden in the records for decades or even centuries. Appropriate DNA matches, however, can reveal family connections that we might never have discovered through traditional sources alone.
It is important to remember, however, that a DNA match on its own is not a complete family tree.
Based on the amount of shared DNA, several possible relationships may fit. That is why one of the most fascinating aspects of modern genealogy is connecting the two types of evidence: interpreting genetic matches alongside documents, family trees, and other DNA matches.
This can be even more significant in heir research. If, for example, an unknown or uncertain line of descent needs to be investigated, DNA can open up a new avenue of research or help examine and substantiate a suspected biological relationship.
There is, however, another very important distinction to keep in mind:
Genetic relatedness and legally established kinship are not necessarily the same thing. Even if a DNA test strongly supports a biological relationship, it does not automatically mean that the person is legally an heir. In inheritance matters, the law of the relevant country determines what evidence can be accepted in the proceedings.
DNA research and its results therefore do not replace birth records and archival research, but rather add a new layer of evidence alongside them.
And perhaps this is what is changing our profession the most: today, we can ask not only “What do the records tell us?”, but also “Is the genetic evidence consistent with them?”
And when the two tell different stories, that is often where the truly fascinating research begins.