A RECENT meeting of the Winchester branch of the Hampshire Genealogical Society welcomed a talk by Toni Neobard.

The talk, entitled DNA: Secrets & Lies, examined statistics which show that a majority of people will take a DNA test as part of their research and follow up on ethnicity and matches but don’t explore the results.

Toni said that taking a test is useful but more than that it is necessary.  The most popular test is the autosomal test, which contains segments of DNA shared with everyone they are related to. It can prove new discoveries and it helps to break down brick walls and to corroborate an uncertain connection.

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In the example she shared with her audience, Toni found that DNA results can bring up questions for example using a common name to see where there is a link to solve a DNA match.

By running a shared matches filter, on each of the great grandparents cluster, even using first, second or third great grandparents and even up to the fifth generation is possible.

In another case she found papers in a family desk but only when her adopted father died as it had never been discussed before. There were a number of facts that proved beyond doubt through information on an adoption order.

The electoral register helped and finding a marriage certificate was also useful but different use of names was confusing. Using various methods she found matches in several groups or clusters and the aim is to find the most recent common ancestor.

In the case she was using, the name Septimus Sawyer arose.  Tracing both parents she found they lived in very close proximity. Septimus was the seventh child and was a GP and surgeon and obstetrician. He was also one of the chief suspects to be Jack the Ripper.

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The next meeting of the Winchester Group will be on Thursday, April 18 in the Millennium Memorial Hall, Littleton, starting at 7.30pm.

This will be the first “live” meeting this year and will be a members get together, when potential new members or those with an interest will be welcome.

For more details contact Tony Sinclair, the group’s leader, by emailing winchester@hgsonline.org.uk.