I've been studying GEDmatch results for several days. "A DNA geek's dream site," Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell called it. I regret not getting into the GEDmatch game earlier. But then, I've rarely been called a geek (although I would consider it a compliment if it happened).

Here's how I finally came to pull the trigger on GEDmatch: Last week we received an email from 'Mary P.', who thought she might be related to my husband - through the Quinn line - based on DNA results she'd seen online. Her inquiry is what prompted me to upload Bill's FTDNA results to GEDmatch.

While waiting for GEDmatch processing to be completed, Mary P. and I exchanged what information we knew about Quinn ancestries. We concluded their 2X great-grandfathers (William and Michael) were possibly brothers or cousins. When the GEDmatch comparison became available, it showed Mary P. and Bill were 5.2 generations apart! So maybe they are third cousins and certainly no more distant than fourth cousins. An exciting discovery for both of us!

Mary P. said, "This is the FIRST match I've been able to make in 7 years of internet searching." I found the confirmation both exhilarating and overwhelming. The GEDmatch "one-to-many" report showed hundreds of Autosomal matches closer than Mary P. No familiar names or email addresses, and no response yet from the top match, who is only 3.5 generations distant.

Which brings me back to the Legal Genealogist and her blog posting. If you're like me and slow to get up-to-speed on DNA matching, you'll want to review Russell's explanation of the GEDmatch tool:  www.legalgenealogist.com/2017/03/26/updated-look-at-gedmatch/. But now I have to get back to digging for the townland in County Roscommon where William and Michael Quinn originated...