About Genetic Voyage
DNA, family history
and the search for answers.
I'm Peter Salenius, the creator of Genetic Voyage. I work methodically with genetic genealogy: DNA matches, shared DNA, shared matches and chromosome segments, combined with historical records and traditional family-history research. This site shares the guides and tools I build to make that work clearer and more practical for other researchers.
It started with
two missing men.
Some of the most difficult genealogy problems are the ones hiding inside your own family.
I have spent more than 30 years researching family history, working with archives, parish records, civil registrations, family trees and historical sources.
Genetic Voyage did not begin as a business idea. It began with personal research problems that traditional genealogy could not completely solve.
Two branches of my own family tree were missing. Together, they left roughly 25% of my ancestry unexplained.
My paternal grandfather's father was unknown. The documentary trail eventually led to an unmarried mother in an Östergötland poorhouse in 1910.
On my maternal side, my grandmother's father disappeared during the upheaval surrounding the Finnish Civil War of 1918.
For years, traditional records provided clues but no definitive answers. Then autosomal DNA opened another path.
By combining historical research with DNA matches, shared-match analysis and segment triangulation, I was eventually able to identify my biological great-grandfathers and reconnect with family branches across national borders.
That experience became the foundation for Genetic Voyage: a place for learning, investigating and working through difficult genetic genealogy questions with curiosity, transparency and evidence.
Genetic genealogy, step by step
- Genetic genealogy and DNA match analysis
- Understanding shared DNA and possible biological relationships
- Using shared matches, family trees and chromosome-segment information where available
- Combining genetic clues with historical records and traditional genealogy
- Practical guides and tools that help you investigate your own family history
What makes this field so interesting
- How can a DNA match be connected to the right branch of a family tree?
- What can the amount of shared DNA tell you, and what can it not tell you?
- How can shared matches help narrow down possible family lines?
- How do DNA results compare with documented family trees and historical sources?
- What do you do when several possible relationships fit the same DNA result?
Follow the evidence.
Not the tree.
A family tree can be an excellent hypothesis. DNA and historical records can help you test that hypothesis, and sometimes show that the expected answer is not the right one.
Curious by nature.
Careful by design.
Genetic genealogy combines family history, genetics, probability and detective work. That combination is powerful, but it also makes it easy to jump from an interesting clue to an unsupported conclusion. This is how I try to work, and how the guides and tools on this site are meant to be used.
Start with the evidence
I begin with the DNA data, family information and historical records that are actually available, rather than assuming a particular relationship from the start.
Compare multiple clues
Shared centimorgans (cM), shared matches, family-tree structure and chromosome-segment data all add context when they are available. No single clue necessarily identifies a relationship on its own.
Test competing hypotheses
Possible relationships are hypotheses to investigate, not established facts. Several different biological relationships can produce similar DNA results, so alternatives stay on the table until the evidence separates them.
Look for independent support
DNA evidence is strongest when it is compared with records, known relatives and other relevant information. I encourage you to look for a second line of evidence before treating a conclusion as settled.
Be transparent about uncertainty
Endogamy, pedigree collapse, incomplete family trees and missing segment data can all complicate interpretation. Where uncertainty remains, it should stay visible rather than being replaced with false certainty.
Treat tools as aids, not verdicts
Calculators and clustering tools can help organize evidence and compare possibilities. Their results depend on their assumptions and on the quality of the data you enter, so they are a starting point for investigation, not an answer.
From old records
to modern DNA.
Genetic Voyage brings together two sides of genealogy that are sometimes treated separately: traditional historical research and genetic evidence.
Archives, parish records, civil registrations, historical sources and family-history research.
DNA matches, shared matches, chromosome segments, triangulation and genetic genealogy research.
Turning that experience into guides, practical research resources and interactive tools.
Learn it.
Test it. Research it.
The goal is to make complex concepts easier to understand and to help you ask better questions about your own DNA results.
DNA Academy
Guides that explain genetic genealogy in plain English.
- Understanding DNA matches and shared centimorgans
- Shared-match analysis and the Leeds Method
- Combining DNA clues with traditional genealogy
- The limitations and uncertainties of genetic genealogy
DNA Tools
Free interactive tools for exploring possible relationships and organizing DNA evidence.
- Compare possible relationships for a given amount of shared DNA
- Organize matches and shared-match evidence
- Use results as support for further investigation, not as a verdict
Research Resources
Templates, workflows and resource collections that help turn scattered clues into a documented research process.
- Practical guidance for linking DNA matches to records
- Material for working with historical sources
A healthy dose of
skepticism is useful.
Genetic genealogy deals in probabilities and interpretation. A DNA match, or a calculated probability, does not automatically prove a specific relationship.
Guides and tools are support, not proof
Use the guides and tools here to support further investigation, together with the relevant family trees and historical documents.
Check important claims
Please verify important claims against reliable sources, including original records and the documentation of the testing company you use. Where a guide relies on specific sources, they are listed with it.
Results depend on the data
Endogamy, pedigree collapse, incomplete trees and missing segment data can all change how a result should be read.
Information changes
DNA databases, genealogy platforms and research practices change over time. If you spot something outdated or incorrect, please let me know.
Your family history
belongs to you.
Genetic Voyage is built around privacy, independence and transparency. Interactive utilities are designed to run client-side where possible, so personal research data can remain in the researcher's hands rather than being unnecessarily uploaded to a server.
Who makes this site. The guides and tools on Genetic Voyage are created by me, Peter Salenius, based on my own research experience. Where a guide or tool page shows a publication or update date, that is the date it was last reviewed. Where scientific or technical claims are made, sources and further reading are listed on that page where possible.
Contact. Questions, corrections or suggestions are welcome. Please use the contact form.
Affiliate links. Genetic Voyage is supported by its readers. Some links on this website are affiliate links, meaning we may receive a small commission if you purchase a product or subscription through them, at no additional cost to you.
We do not accept sponsored reviews. Recommendations and comparisons are intended to remain independent, transparent and focused on practical value for genealogists.
There are still
stories waiting to be found.
Learn the fundamentals of genetic genealogy, explore practical research methods and start investigating the branches of your own family history.