I started using GEDmatch in 2018 because I had never met my father and knew absolutely nothing about him. My mother always told me he was dead. It was quite painful when teachers or professors assigned family trees and most of mine were blank. My genealogist friend who convinced me to do AncestryDNA really felt that it would be much more beneficial to upload the results to GEDMatch too. She prefers it as does a friend of hers who reunites adoptees with birth families.
My Life Changed Thanks to GEDmatch
And then a big life-changing surprise happened – We found my father and his family! He passed at the same time my mother did, sadly, so I missed meeting him. But I have connected with my first and second cousins who are so thrilled to know about me! I honestly never thought that I would ever know anything about my paternal side, but through GEDMatch, I not only know living relatives, but I’ve also been able to trace back to the 17th century so far!
My Advice For All Future GEDmatch Users
Give it a try. You WILL get answers, often to questions you didn’t know to ask.
Michelle – GEDmatch user
