Ready to Discover Your Own Family Story?

DNA can help bring clarity to questions about biological relationships that memories and family stories alone cannot resolve.

Family stories can be powerful. They tell us where we came from, who our relatives were and how one generation connects with the next. But sometimes a story contains a question that nobody has been able to answer with confidence.

The Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings investigation is an extraordinary example. Researchers spent years combining historical research, genealogy and advances in DNA analysis. By recovering genetic information from hair attributed to Jefferson and comparing it with living descendants, they produced new evidence bearing directly on a question debated for generations.

Your family question does not need to be historic

For most people, the unanswered question is much closer to home. You might want to:

• Confirm a biological father-child relationship
• Investigate whether two people are siblings
• Explore another biological family connection
• Resolve a question that has remained uncertain within the family

DNA testing provides a way to investigate those questions using biological evidence rather than relying solely on assumptions or recollections.

Start with the relationship you want to understand

There is no single DNA relationship test for every family situation. Paternity, sibling, grandparent and other kinship tests examine different relationship hypotheses. Starting with a clear question helps you choose the most appropriate test and understand what the result can tell you.

Simple samples, sophisticated science

Historical DNA research can involve exceptionally challenging samples and specialist techniques. Contemporary relationship testing is usually much simpler for the person being tested. A cheek swab can provide the DNA needed for many modern relationship tests, while the laboratory carries out the genetic comparison and statistical analysis.

Clarity can matter

Sometimes a DNA result confirms what a family already believes. Sometimes it provides an answer where uncertainty has persisted. The value is not in creating a particular outcome, but in giving people scientific evidence about the biological relationship being tested.

Take the first step

Every family story is different. If yours contains an unanswered question about a biological relationship, That DNA Company offers DNA relationship testing to help you investigate it with clear, science-based evidence.

Discover your story. Confirm your connections. Start with the DNA test that matches the relationship you want to understand.

References

1. Smithsonian Magazine: Jefferson and Hemings DNA investigation
2. Green et al., The DNA Legacy of Thomas Jefferson, bioRxiv
3. PBS NewsHour: Lock of hair settles questions about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings