Frequently Asked Questions

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What does a Search Angel do?

As genetic genealogists, search angels assists you in your search for your biological family by using your DNA matches to find connections to locate common ancestors. We use our extensive traditional genealogy skills to build those families' trees out to locate connections between your different DNA match groups.

Why should I get help from a search angel?

Search Angels are experienced in understanding how your DNA matches work together, what centimorgans are and what they mean, and we take the guess work out of your DNA matches. If you have a theory, we are also happy to take a look at your case to see if you are on the right track or find what you are missing.

What should I expect working with a search angel?

With us at Twisted Branches DNA, you can expect to be contacted quickly (often within minutes or hours of your request or email). You will be asked to share your DNA matches with us. How to do that will depend on the site you used for your DNA testing. We will use our special skills behind the scenes. We will contact you as soon as we have any information for you and keep you informed on what we are learning about your biological family. All of your information is kept confidential. We understand that knowing where you came from can be very important, and we respect your need to find where you biologically belong for any reason, whether you feel ungrounded not knowing or you just want to learn your family medical history. When we get close to finding your close biological family, we will provide you contact information to attempt to make contact. As this is your journey, we will not do so unless you specifically ask us to. It is your decision to reach out or not.

How long will it take to find my biological family?

Some cases can be completed in as little as a day or two. We personally have dealt with cases where the answers were found within a few short hours. However, as much as we would love to say every situation will be quick and easy, there are situations where it can take a while to determine biological family. Unfortunately, our success depends on your quality of matches and the quality of their trees. We can tell you from our experience that it can be harder to find the biological family for people of color and recent immigrants, especially from areas of the world that do not have genealogical records available online. There are also areas of the United States that do not have the highest quality of records available online. With all that said, we won't give up just because it's hard. We are in it with you for the long haul.

Who do you work with?

We will work with anyone who needs our help.

  • Adoptees

  • Adult children/grandchildren of adoptees

  • Adult children of unknown paternity (sperm donor, affairs, etc) or their children

  • Anyone who has DNA matches that just do not make sense to what they thought they knew

  • Traditional genealogists looking to get confirmation with genetic genealogy or looking to break through brick walls in their family trees.

What do I need to do to work with a genetic genealogist?

All you need to do is take a DNA test. Ancestry DNA is the gold standard for this type of research. It is possible to for us to work with MyHeritage testers and 23&Me testers, but the best results will be found using Ancestry DNA. If your search angel genetic genealogist determines it would be a good idea to upload to other platforms, they will explain how to do that. If you are thinking of ordering a DNA test, we strongly encourage you to use Ancestry DNA, either order from their website or through Amazon.

Who can you not help?

We cannot help anyone who has not taken a DNA test, and we cannot help you find lost siblings or missing people unless they have also taken a DNA test. Because we look to the past, we can find those who came before you and those who led up to you, but we are not private investigators.