Black Friday weekend is right around the corner and it is now a tradition for most of the major DNA testing companies to offer their best deal of the year at this time.  These Black Friday sales are a great opportunity to pick up DNA testing kits if you've been thinking of testing yourself or other relatives and if you want to give any as Christmas presents it's best to buy now rather than later.  The sales will be over very quickly so take advantage while you can.

​Here is a quick round-up of the DNA sales on offer over the next few days:
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AncestryDNA has by far the largest autosomal DNA database at over 6 million testers and it is growing daily.  If you are interested in taking a DNA test for genealogy purposes then you simply cannot ignore the sheer size of this database.  Additionally if you have a DNA mystery or brick wall you are trying to solve using DNA, it is imperative to test at Ancestry to fish in the largest pond.  You cannot transfer into Ancestry as you can some of the other companies so you have to test with them direct.  They are offering their lowest price of the year for Black Friday so now is the time to buy if you've been holding off waiting for a good sale!
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The price of the AncestryDNA test in the UK has been reduced by £30 from £79 to £49 for Black Friday
(please note that this does not include shipping which is £20 for a first kit and £10 for each additional kit in the same order - maximum ten kits per order)
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 GMT

AncestryDNA are also running Black Friday sales in Ireland, the USA, Australia and New Zealand:

Ireland: Price reduced by €36 from €95 to €59
Shipping €20 per kit and €10 per additional kit in same order
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 GMT

USA: Price reduced by $40 from $99 to $59
Shipping $9.95 per kit
*sale begins 23rd November at 21:00 PST and ends 27th November at 20:59 PST
UPDATED: Amazon have made AncestryDNA kits a Cyber Monday Deal of the Day! They're selling kits for $54.99 plus free shipping - best deal I've seen for Ancestry by far but US only - see HERE


Australia & New Zealand: Price reduced by A$50 from A$149 to A$99
Shipping A$29.99 for first kit and A$10 for each additional kit
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 AEDT

Canada: Price reduced by C$50 from C$129 to C$79
Shipping C$19.95 per kit
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 ET
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Ancestry are also offering subscription discounts depending on your geographic location
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If you've been thinking about taking the plunge on Y-DNA or MtDNA testing then this is the time to do it.  There is a $40 saving on the Y-37 test and a $30 saving on the Mt FMS test.  For Y-DNA it is cheapest to start at Y-37 - if you want to test to Y-67 it is better to buy the Y-37 test and then upgrade to Y-67.  

In addition to the regular sale prices FTDNA also send out special holiday reward codes to existing customers during their holiday sale; you will receive one holiday reward code per kit each week on a Monday up until the end of the year.  These codes can be used in addition to the sale prices bringing the cost down even lower.  If you have existing FTDNA kits then all you have to do is sign in and click on "Holiday Reward" on your homepage:

​The reward codes look like this:

If you don't want to use your gift code you can share it with someone else or add it to the FTDNA Coupons 2017 Spreadsheet.  I will be publishing a selection of codes from my own kits on my Genes & Genealogy Facebook page each week so keep an eye out for those if you're looking for a particular code.

Here are my codes from this week (valid until 26th Nov):

If you use one of my codes please comment on the original post HERE so others know it has been taken

Also if you have been thinking of upgrading to a Big Y test this Holiday sale offers the best deal I've ever seen!  Firstly there is $100 off the regular price ($475 instead of $575) and you can also use a reward coupon on top of that - there are a few $100 and $50 off coupons so if you're very lucky you could get it for $375.  The best bit though is that anyone who orders a Big Y during the sale will have their Y-STR test upgraded to Y-111 for free!  In order to take advantage of this offer you have to already have taken a Y-STR test but if you haven't done that you could buy one in the sale and upgrade once it registers on the system.  For full details on how much this deal could save you check out Maurice Gleeson's calculations on his blog post HERE.

Don't forget that FTDNA also have an autosomal transfer option so if you have tested at Ancestry, 23andMe (V3 and V4 only) or MyHeritage you can transfer into FTDNA and get all of your highest confidence matches for free.  If you would like access to all tools and FTDNA's ethnicity estimate you can get those by paying a small $19 fee.

MyHeritage have also announced a Black Friday sale.  Their autosomal DNA kit has been reduced to just £39 in the UK (shipping costs £12 for one kit and is free if you buy two or more).  The price in Ireland is even lower at €39 (shipping costs €12 for one kit and is free for two or more) and the price in the US has been reduced to $49 (shipping costs $12 for one kit and free if you buy two or more).

It is also still possible to transfer into MyHeritage for free from any of the other major companies - HERE is a link to upload your results to their site.  MyHeritage is one of the newer offerings on the market but as more people test with them their database will grow and you will begin to see unique matches there.  It will, therefore, start to become more important for everyone, especially those with mysteries to solve, to be in this database in addition to the others.  Be aware, however, that there is a serious problem with MyHeritage's matching algorithm and this means the amount of DNA shared with matches on there has to be treated with great caution for now.  MyHeritage are aware of the problem and promise it will be rectified soon.  For further information on this issue see CeCe Moore's recent post HERE.
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​​23ANDME​

23andMe was the only major company not to be offering a Black Friday deal but on the Friday morning this changed so I've updated this article to include their offering.  In the UK it is a Christmas sale that runs through until 26th December that is being offered; £20 off either the Ancestry only service or the Health + Ancestry service.  Shipping costs £9.99 per kit (Standard 7 working days) or £19.99 per kit (Express 2-3 working days).  

A similar Christmas sale has sprung up for the European site (these kits are sold in Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands).  The sale runs until 26th December and offers €30 off the regular price of both the Ancestry only service bringing it down to €69 and the Ancestry + Health service bringing it down to €139.  Shipping costs €9.99 per kit (10 business days) or €19.99 Express Shipping (2-3 business days).

​In the US they are offering a Black Friday deal which ends on Sunday 26th November: $30 off the Ancestry only service bringing it down to $69 and $50 off the Ancestry + Health service bringing to down to $149.  Shipping costs $14.95 per kit (Standard 5-8 days) or $41.95 (Express 2-3 business days).  If you are in the US and want to get the Health + Ancestry test, however, there's an even better deal for Black Friday on Amazon - they're selling it for $99! This is just a 24 hour flash sale for Black Friday; you can see the deal HERE.

There is also a Christmas sale now up for Canada and it also runs until 26th December; C$30 off per kit for both the Ancestry only service bringing it down from C$129 to C$99 and the Health + Ancestry service bringing it down from C$249 to C$219.  Shipping costs C$19.95 (Standard 5-8 days) or C$29.95 (Express 2-3 business days).

While many of us begin our family tree research at home, there’s a whole world of family history information available offline. Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine explains how to use the wealth of resources held at archives, record offices and libraries around the country.

Today’s family tree researchers are fortunate to be able to access so many digitised records from the comfort of home, with a wealth of data available online which can save us hours of research in a record office or library. However, as you progress beyond beginner stage, your search for ancestors is sure to lead you to the rich resources held by the UK’s record offices, archives and libraries, and this is where your family tree moves to the next level as you access a whole new wealth of information.

A key rule of family history is always to double check any information that you find online, and record offices, archives and libraries are the places where you can do this, exploring historical documents which mention your ancestors, such as the census, parish records, old newspapers and trade directories. Expanding your research will also bring you into contact with the UK’s family tree community and you can meet others with the same interests at family history societies and genealogy fairs around the country.

Read on to discover why you should take your research beyond your own home, how to find out what information’s held where, and what you need to know before making a trip to an archive.

Archives, record offices and libraries

Britain’s local and county record offices, archives and libraries are the custodians of millions of records relating to our ancestors, and these form the building blocks of family history research. By using information from parish records, the census, newspapers, businesses and councils, you can explore what life was like for your ancestors and build your research into so much more than just names and dates on a family tree chart.

Many records such as business archives, church and school records and workhouse information can only be found in a record office or archive. The UK is home to millions of historic records which cover centuries of history and it hasn’t been possible to make all of this information available online. Handling records which carry an ancestor’s handwriting, or hold information about their lives, is one of the highlights of family tree research. Staff at these centres are one of its key resources; they are trained to help visitors make the most of their day, and discover resources of which you might not even be aware.

So, how can you work out what information is relevant to your ancestors, and where you can find it? Discovery, from The National Archives is a UK-wide catalogue which brings together listings of records held by more than 2,500 repositories across the country. More than 32 million records are listed, 9 million of which are accessible online.

You can also explore the holdings of the town or county record office for the area where your ancestors lived. Most UK archives have an online catalogue which lists the archive material that they hold, and you can browse a list of these repositories via the National Archives Discovery catalogue mentioned above. The catalogue also includes archive collections held by museums, universities and charitable trusts, which can be a valuable source of information for ancestors who worked in a particular occupation, or were part of a club or society.

Preparing for your visit

Once you’ve identified what documents you’d like to see and where they’re kept, there are a few simple preparations you can make ahead of your visit, to make the most of your research trip. Firstly, take a copy of your family tree (or the relevant section) so that you have crucial dates relating to your ancestors to hand. If you’ve been able to find catalogue reference numbers for the records you’re going to be looking at, take a note of these; you may even be able to order the documents beforehand to be waiting when you arrive.

Find out whether the archive you’re visiting allows the use of laptops and cameras, and if it’s your first visit, you’ll probably need to bring along a couple of forms of ID (such as a passport and utility bill) so you can be issued with a reader’s ticket. Also pack a couple of pencils and a notebook, as most archives don’t allow the use of pens, to protect the documents in their care.

Finally, once you’re at the archive, be sure to take a note of what facilities are available to researchers. Many places offer free of charge access to family tree websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past, and many have libraries of local history books which can be hard to find elsewhere. During your visit, be sure to take a note of which documents you consulted, even if that document proved not to be a help; this will save you needlessly repeating the search at a later date.

Why join a family history society?

Whatever stage you’re at with your family history, consider joining a family history society. The UK is home to hundreds of societies dedicated to tracing ancestors in different parts of the country, or those which specialise in specific surnames or ancestors who belonged to a particular religion or nationality.

Most societies publish a regular journal with articles written by society members, as well as holding meetings with talks by specialist speakers. Society members can often access the members-only section of the society’s website and are usually entitled to use the society’s specialist library or research facilities.

If you’d like to get involved, a good starting point is to visit the Federation of Family History Societies website where you can explore a list of British and overseas societies. Consider joining two societies – one in your own area, where you’ll be able to easily attend meetings and meet other enthusiasts, as well as a society in the region where the majority of your ancestors were based, to give you access to specialist knowledge of an area of the country which might not be familiar to you.

Family history society members are usually very willing to share their knowledge and expertise with others, and by attending meetings and getting involved with projects the society runs, you’ll have the chance to become more involved in the family history community and improve your own knowledge and research skills.

Your out & about essentials

Be well prepared for your research trips with this essentials tool kit:

• Sharpened pencils and a notebook
• A copy of your family tree
• Essential names and dates relating to the ancestor you’re researching
• Camera and laptop (if the archive allows these)
  
• Reference numbers for documents you’d like to look at (or pre-order these beforehand)

 
image copyright copyright Bibliothek Wissenschaftspark Albert Einstein

For more advice and tips on family history research visit the Family Tree website.