Research Question Progress

Another month has flown by and it is time to check in on my progress for the research questions I posed two months in for the DNA study group.

On question #1, identifying the parents of Bridget, I am not much further along than I was last month. I tried to create a Leeds Method chart using my Dad's DNA matches between 400 and 90 centimorgans, but he only has 15 matches in that range across the matches on Ancestry, MyHeritage and FTDNA. Only two of these matches are O'Briens. I haven't added any to the 76 matches I had last month. I am continuing to build floating trees for some of the more promising matches in this group, some have links back to La Salle County, Illinois and Ireland, but I have yet to figure out how they are connected.

For question #2, determining the generation of connection with the Pennsylvania O'Briens, I have an idea on how to proceed but it may involve YDNA testing to confirm how this group is connected to ours.

Question #3 has been the bright spot of my research, and one of my biggest successes to date. I believe I've been able to confirm with DNA that Robert Gran Taylor Gibson was the father of Mary Alice Cain Read. This post puts the long search into perspective.

On question #4, I've built a Leeds chart using Allison's Mom's DNA matches. Her grandmother's DNA matches will show more connections to resolve the question on the father of Cora Belle.

After resolving one of my original four research questions, I have begun to create some new ones. The first of this group is looking for siblings of my 3rd-great-grandfather Gabriel Vasquez in order to dig into Chilean records. I've built a Leeds Method chart using the DNA matches for my Mom and her two sisters, and have access to additional matches through uploading autosomal DNA results on to FTDNA. Now I need to sort through the data.

The next one involves isolating the Amado matches on my Mom's & aunts' results. I haven't really started this one, but the work above with the Leeds chart and expanding the pool of available matches also applies here.

I will be adding some other new research questions in 2025 once I receive the Big Y700 and mtDNA full sequence results. FamilyTree DNA's Million Mito Project looks super cool.