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Take an AncestryDNA® test
One of the best ways to find members of your biological family is to take an AncestryDNA® test. Even if the person you're trying to find hasn't taken the test, a close relative of theirs may have. The good news is that DNA testing is becoming increasingly popular; there are currently 28 million people (and counting) in the AncestryDNA database.
When your results are ready, they'll be published on your Ancestry® account. While you’re waiting for results, start a tree and begin documenting your biological family. Once you get your DNA results, attach them to your tree.
Buy an AncestryDNA® kit
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Review your closest DNA matches
From your DNA homepage, click View All DNA Matches to see a list of your biological relatives who have taken the AncestryDNA test. Your matches are ranked by how much DNA you share; the higher a match is on your list, the closer your relationship is. If you don't have a close relative match yet, don't worry; your list of matches is updated continually.
Start with the closest match and check out their family trees. When your matches have public, linked family trees, you'll see the number of people in their tree. If their tree is green, it's public. If it's gray, they have either a private tree or no tree. A lock means the tree is private. A green leaf signifies that a common ancestor was found. If you want to see a match's private tree, ask whether they'd be willing to share it with you.
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Contact your matches
From your list of DNA matches, click a name, then click Message. Introduce yourself and explain that you're looking for a member of your biological family. Your message may come as a surprise, so it's smart to be sensitive to the possible family dynamics. Ancestry’s Barefoot Genealogist has some insights about handling her own unexpected AncestryDNA matches. Not everyone checks their Ancestry messages regularly, so check back for a reply.
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View your shared matches
From your list of DNA matches, click a name, then click the Shared Matches tab for a list of matches that you and that match have in common. Review the family trees of your shared matches for surnames, places, and specific people that are the same within the group. If a 1st cousin match doesn't have a tree, consider contacting them and working together to build one. If you identify an ancestor who appears in at least two of your shared matches' trees, you've found someone to research.
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Look for common ancestors
When you learn the name of a possible ancestor, investigate how closely they're related to you. Use the predicted relationship to estimate the ancestor's generation in the tree you created; for example, a common ancestor with a 2nd cousin may be your great-grandparent. Enter the ancestor in a great-grandparent spot in your tree—it doesn’t matter which one. You can move them once you figure out where they fit.
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Start descendancy research
When you find an ancestor, find their descendants generation by generation, identifying all the children, grandchildren, and so on, up to the present. Work forward until you reach people who could be your parent. Even vague, non-identifying information from your adoption files or from your adoptive parents can be helpful at this point. Use Ancestry trees, obituaries, and online directories to piece together the unknown line of your family. Check out our article about finding living people.
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Contact living family members
In tracing your family, you may find potential grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and parents. Even if you don't know how you're related, contacting these people may help you fill in the gaps. Once they've heard your story and processed the information, you might gauge their interest in taking a DNA test to confirm your suspicions.
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Hire a professional
If you hit a brick wall, consider hiring professional researchers. Ancestry ProGenealogists® has a long track record of helping people research their biological families. Our genetic research packages combine DNA evidence with traditional genealogy research to find unknown relatives. Prices start at $3,700 USD.
