Whether a DNA test is necessary to research your family history — what DNA can and can't tell you, and how far the paper trail alone will take you.
Short answer: no. A DNA test estimates ethnicity and matches you to relatives, but it does not tell you your great-grandmother's name, where the family farm was, or why they left the old country. That comes from documents.
What DNA does well
DNA is great for confirming a connection, breaking through an adoption or unknown-parent wall, and finding living cousins. It's a clue-generator, not a family tree.
What the paper trail does
Census, vital, church, immigration, land, and probate records build the actual tree — names, dates, places, and stories, generation by generation, back to the documented wall. No test required.
Our research service is entirely record-based. If you already have DNA matches, we can use them as clues — but you don't need a test to start. See how it works →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a DNA test to build my family tree?
No. A documented family tree is built from records — census, vital, church, land, and probate. DNA is a helpful clue for confirming connections or breaking through unknown-parent walls, but it isn't required.
What can DNA tell you that records can't?
DNA is strongest for adoption cases, unknown parentage, and finding living relatives. For names, dates, places, and the family story, documentary records are what you need.