Prima Manita?

DNA cousin?

Are we genetically related?

Wohoooooooooooooo.

Abraços!

Abraços is “hugs” in Portuguese. And if you didn’t know that, it already tells me a bit about you and me : – )

Guess where my ancestors came from? Well, at the very least, some of yours too.

My ancestors are from an island in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean called São Miguel, Azores, Portugal.

Into

the

1700’s,

every

single

one

ancestors

came

from

the

island

São Miguel.

I’m technically, 100% Micalense.

Prior to the 1700’s, I’m assuming my ancestors were still from minha isla, BUT earthquakes, pirates, fires, flooding, priest scribbles, etc have prevented me from finding records. So, I’m stuck and can’t say for sure.

I do have ancestors who in the early 1700’s came from other Azorean islands: Terceira and Santa Maria.

I used to dream of finding ancestors from ALL the Azorean islands, but, I haven’t.

I’ve made it back on some of my family lines to the original settlers of the islands in the 1400’s. And, on some notable and noble lines prior to settlement in mainland Europe: Portugal, Spain, Flanders, Scotland and France.

Ready to find our common ancestor cuzzzzzzzzz?

New to the world of DNA and not sure where to begin? Here are some steps to get the ball rolling.

Step 1 – GEDmatch number

Do you have a GEDmatch number?

Send me it and if we’re a DNA match (more than 7cM) I’ll share all the information that I have with you! And I got tons of it.

If we share more than 20cM, I’ll invite you to work together to compare our trees so that we can find our common ancestor.

Step 2 – your family tree information

Tell me about your family tree.

Which of the following 4 scenarios applies to you:

(a) I have no family tree and not sure how to create one

No worries, I can get you started.

Start with what you do know! Write down everything you know, right now. Then go look for records. Begin with you and your parents. Find their birth, marriage and if applicable, death records. How about your grandparents? Don’t skip generations and slowly go back one generation at a time. You now have the beginnings of a family tree. Yup, the hardest part is starting, so do it now. Go!

(b) I don’t have much of a family tree

At least you have something and that’s a great place to start!

Tell me. What’s holding you back from working on your family tree? I might have some suggestions.

I hope you’re not dealing with a surprise. If you are, I’m sending you an e-hug and hope you’re getting the support that you need.

Mentally prepare yourself for the help you can expect from your DNA matches. Some of your matches may help you, but the lions share won’t for many reasons that simply have nothing to do with you and are not personal. Others, don’t want to get involved and “rat” out their family members. It’s complicated for all parties and every human reacts differently to the same situation. BUT, t may feel like a rejection when you are vulnerable and seeking.

This mama bear is sending you another e-hug and telling you to NEVER give up hope. You can get answers or at the very least close to them.

Remember, we ALL have to respect each individuals unique journey and knowing that going in will make this process smoother for you.

Anyhow, you got me!

Let’s get to it, shall we?

I’ve helped a lot of people who were/are looking for their biological parent(s) and I’m open to communication.

If you’re a close enough match, we can review our shared matches as a starting point and do descendant trees.

I swear I know more about other peoples families than my very own as a result of doing a gazillion descendant trees. Yup, a gazillion.

I shouldn’t call myself the DNA-connector. I should really call myself the descendants-tree-lady.

(d) I got a great family tree! Our connection will be easy to figure out given the fact we both have great trees.

Huh? Where have you been all my life? I’ve had less than 5 DNA matches who had trees comparable to mine.

Step 3 – 3 x great grandparents

Ideally, your goal is to get as far back as your 3x great grandparents on your family tree in order to work with ALL of your DNA matches.

In our case, if you’re a closer match, it’s not necessary and you’ll be able to add a few branches to your tree.

Step 4 – introduce yourself

I have a bio at ALL the DNA testing companies that I’ve tested at which you’ll have access to if we’re a DNA match.

Now it’s your turn.

Introduce yourself.

Tell me where you live and a bit about yourself. Where were you born? How about your parents and grandparents? What can you tell me about them?

I find if we exchange just enough basic information (locations, surnames, etc), I can easily narrow down where on my tree we can look at for our common ancestor.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, thankfully, I’ve tested my parents! That means, at the very least we’ll know which side of my tree the connection is coming from.

Step 5 – my tree

I’m proud of my tree : – )

~~Do you have any idea of how much time, energy, travel, money, begging, blood, sweat, tears and heart I put into my tree?!~~

I got a killer tree and I’ll ~~hand it over on a silver platter~~ share it with you. It goes into the early 1700’s on all lines and further back on some lines to medieval times.

Aaaaaaand … almost half my tree has been confirmed with DNA cousins. Yehawwwwwwwwwwwwww. That means, if you match one of those confirmed DNA cousins, it’ll be easy to find our common ancestor.

Step 6 – collaboration

I love sharing all the information that I have. Not only on my own personal family tree, but as you can see from this website … DNA!

I truly believe in collaboration and interconnection.

Step 7 – connecting

Our DNA has brought us together.

It will never cease to amaze me how our common ancestor had all these descendants who are now finding each other throughout the world. It feels like a miracle and it was unimaginable until 10 years ago when DNA testing came along.

I adore meeting my DNA cousins in person. If ~~you’re not crazy~~ you like the idea of getting together and find yourself in Toronto, let’s connect.