Research Like a Pro with DNA Study Group: Research Planning

Last week in the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group, we discussed Research Planning.  I love the planning stage of a research project.  This is where everything starts coming together.  My research objective is to extend the ancestry of my research subject (the grandmother of the person whose DNA I am using for this project). With my research objective in mind, I used my timeline and DNA information to create a summary of known facts.   

Based on what I already knew from analyzing both traditional and DNA sources, I was able to write a hypothesis about who the ancestral couple for my research subject might be.  I then assessed what records might be missing that could help prove or disprove this hypothesis.  I referred to my locality guide to help me know where to find these records and made a list of all possible record collections to search.  I then listed DNA tools that I might be able to use to help achieve my objective. 

I created quite a lengthy list of possible records and DNA tools, so I had to really evaluate which ones would BEST help me reach my objective and then decide which were the most accessible.  Here is my prioritized research strategy: 

Traditional Genealogy Sources 

• Verify trees for two Ancestry DNA matches with attached sources from another Ancestry DNA match’s tree. 
• Discover parents of an ancestor of two other Ancestry DNA matches. 
  • New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
• Search for Immigration records for research subject’s father (may or may not have traveled to the U.S. at some point) – May list parents 
  • New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
• Build quick trees for FANs of research subject to discover how they might connect into the family tree of one DNA match. 
  • Two FANs that traveled with her to America 
  • The uncle that the research subject was going to meet in Cohoes, NY.  He was also a witness at her wedding. 
  • The grandfather of one of her traveling companions.  He lived in Cohoes, NY 
  • The head of the household where the research subject was living on the 1915 NY State Census 
    • Revisit the immigration record of traveling companions and double-check family relationship info.
    • New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
    • New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980 
    • New York, Naturalization Index (Soundex), 1792-1906
    • New York, Naturalization Petitions, 1794-1906 
    • Albany, New York State Census, 1915
    • New York State Census, 1925
    • 1920 United States Federal Census

DNA Tools 

• Pedigree Triangulation: identify where matches’ trees intersect with each others’ trees and places where the descendant of the research subject’s pedigree might intersect with the DNA matches’ trees. 
• Shared cM evaluation: consider the probability of each possible relationship 
• WATO Tool to discover the likelihood of the descendant of the research subject fitting into the hypothesized places on the family trees. 

I’m excited to follow my research plan and work on proving the ancestors of my research subject!