Research Progress February 2025

It's been a month since my last recap, so here is a progress check on my research questions. I completed the online WATO course from YourDNAGuide, but I'm rewatching some of the lessons because I'm finding it tough to apply what I've learned to my specific scenarios.

DNA Study Group research questions

1 - Identifying the parents of Bridget, my 3rd-great-grandmother, using my Dad's DNA results. I'm no further along than last month.

2 - Determining the generation of connection with the Pennsylvania O'Briens. For this one, I am applying lessons from the WATO course. It does seem like the generation of connection should be at either a sibling of my 3rd-great-grandfather John O'Brien or John himself as the father of James J. O'Brien with an earlier spouse.

3 - Verify the father of Cora Belle Medcalf using DNA matches. This one is waiting on information from Allison's Mom, and her grandmother's DNA matches.

4 - Identifying siblings of my 3rd-great-grandfather Gabriel Vasquez. Again, not much new to report here, but I am continuing to build out the matches from living descendants of this branch of the family.

5 - Identifying living descendants of Jose Jesus Amado and Gertrudis Palomino (my 5th-great-grandparents). I'm doing this, and making slow progress here.

WATO course research questions

1 - Determining the generation of connection of the Pennsylvania O'Briens (see #2 above). I've built out a tree using WATO and am trying to apply lessons learned.

2 - Determining the generation of connection of the mystery Leyva-Rivas matches.

3 - Creating a WATO chart using the resumed father of Cora Belle Medcalf.

FamilyTreeDNA research questions

1 - Interpreting Big Y-700 results. This is still pending, and I'm hoping to receive the full Big Y and Block Tree update before heading to Rootstech next month.

2 - Interpreting mt full sequence mitochondrial DNA results. This one has made the most progress, as I received my mtDNA haplogroup and have been added to the A2 mtDNA haplogroup project. FTDNA should be launching their mtDNA Tree of Humankind within the month or by Rootstech, so it will be really cool to see what changes and how mtDNA results can be used to break through adobe walls on my Mexican side of the tree.

3 - Identifying matches in FamilyFinder (FTDNA's autosomal match service) for the tests I administer. I've made contact with a match on my Mom's side of the tree and received a reply. I'm also working with a cousin to transfer AncestryDNA raw data to FTDNA in order to receive a Y-DNA haplogroup.