How to Organize DNA Matches and Use the Leeds Method

What to record for each DNA match

You do not need to write a biography for every match. The aim is to capture the information that will help you recognize the person later and decide what to investigate next.

The free DNA Match Organization Tracker adds the practical fields you need for an active research log, including the match name and notes as well as the DNA and clustering information.

DNA match clues are more useful together

Shared cM is important, but it is only one part of the research picture. A predicted relationship is not a complete genealogy conclusion. Look for several independent clues pointing in the same direction.

For example, a match might share 150 cM with you, have a tree containing a surname you recognize, and appear in the same shared-match group as several people connected to one known branch. None of those facts proves the relationship alone. Together, however, they give you a much stronger research lead.

Leeds Method DNA clustering: step by step

The Leeds Method uses shared-match lists to sort selected DNA matches into color groups. This worksheet follows a practical four-line workflow: start with four matches that represent the four grandparent lines, build one colored grid for each starting match, then record any matches that appear in more than one color.

The method is most useful when you are working with matches you cannot yet place. A clean result can help separate your matches into four broad family lines, but the colors are a research aid rather than proof of a particular common ancestor.

Step 1: Pull your DNA match list

Open your DNA testing company's match list and sort it by shared cM from highest to lowest. The exact controls vary by company, but the goal is to work from a list where the strongest matches appear first.

Step 2: Pick four starting matches

Choose four matches to represent the four grandparent lines. Look in the 3rd–4th cousin range, roughly 90–400 shared cM, and choose people you do not already recognize as known relatives. This range is a practical starting point, not a hard cutoff.

Very close matches are poor starting points for this exercise because you already know how they connect, and their DNA may represent more than one grandparent line. The method is designed to help make sense of matches you cannot yet place.

Step 3: Fill in the page 1 table

Write each of your four starting matches into the page 1 table. Assign each match to the grandparent line you are using for that color and record the match's shared cM. These four starting matches become the reference points for the four grids on page 2.

Step 4: Open each starting match's shared-match list

Open the first starting match and find the list of people who are shared matches with both you and that person. The name and location of this feature varies by testing company:

• AncestryDNA: open the match's profile and click Shared Matches.
• 23andMe: open DNA Relatives, select the match, and click Relatives in Common.
• MyHeritage: open the match and look for Shared DNA Matches.
• FamilyTreeDNA (Family Finder): open the match and click In Common With.
• Other companies: look for a feature called shared matches, in common with, or relatives in common.

The exact interface can change over time, but most major testing services provide some version of this shared-match relationship view.

Step 5: Copy the names onto the matching colored grid

Take the names from the first starting match's shared-match list and copy them onto the matching colored grid on page 2. Do not worry if a name repeats within the same color. The purpose is to see which matches repeatedly occur together.

Step 6: Repeat for all four starting matches

Repeat the shared-match process for each of your four starting matches. Use one grid per grandparent line and keep the same color assigned to that line throughout the worksheet. By the end, the four grids should give you a visual picture of which matches are grouped with each starting match.

Step 7: Check for overlaps

Look across the four grids for matches that appear under two different colors. Put each overlap into the table on page 3 and record which two colors it appeared under.

An overlap usually means that the match connects through the shared ancestor one generation further back than the two lines it straddles. Do not simply delete these matches: the overlap itself can be useful information about how the family lines connect.

Step 8: Move active research into the DNA Match Organization Tracker

Once you have used the Leeds worksheet to identify useful matches, move the people you are actively researching into the DNA Match Organization Tracker . Use the same four colors in the Cluster column so the tracker and Leeds worksheet remain linked.

If a match appeared under more than one Leeds color, record all relevant colors in the tracker. This preserves the connection instead of forcing the match into a single line.

What to do when a match has more than one color

Multiple colors can be one of the most interesting parts of a Leeds Method worksheet. Do not automatically remove a match simply because it appears in more than one group.

In this worksheet, an overlap is specifically a match that landed on two different colored grids. Record the match on page 3 and note which two colors it appeared under. An overlap usually means that the match connects through the shared ancestor one generation further back than the two lines it straddles.

If a lot of your matches land in three or four colors at once, that usually points to endogamy or a small, intermarried community somewhere in your tree. It is still useful information, but the clustering pattern will be noisier to read.

DNA Match Organization Tracker: how to use it

The tracker is for matches you are actively working on, not for copying your entire DNA match list. Its purpose is to give each useful match one place where you can record what you know, what you are trying to determine, and what you have already done.

Step 1: Open or print the tracker

Open the file in a PDF reader that supports form filling, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview on Mac, or most current web browsers. You can also print the tracker and fill it in by hand.

Step 2: Add one row per match you are actively working on

Do not try to enter your entire match list. Start with matches you have already learned something about or people you are actively trying to place. This keeps the tracker useful as a working research log rather than turning it into another copy of your testing site's match database.

Step 3: Fill in information as you learn it

You do not need to complete every column when you first add a match. Fill in the fields as your research develops:

Step 4: Use the same Leeds colors

If you have completed the Leeds Method worksheet, use the same four colors in the tracker. If a match appeared under more than one color, record more than one color. This keeps the detailed tracker connected to the visual clustering work.

Step 5: Use all 30 rows before making a new copy

Each table page holds 15 rows, and the file includes two table pages, giving you 30 rows total. If you need more, duplicate a table page in your PDF editor or print extra copies of that page.

Step 6: Come back to it regularly

The main purpose of the tracker is to stop you from re-checking a match you already worked out. Update it when you learn something useful, contact someone, or change your working hypothesis.

This works especially well alongside other genealogy research templates when your DNA work becomes part of a larger family-history project.

Preview the free DNA Match Organization Tracker

The tracker is designed as a practical log rather than a replacement for your DNA testing service. Its purpose is to preserve what you have learned about matches you are actively researching and to make it clear what you have already done.

Keep DNA research separate from your finished family tree

DNA match research is an evidence-gathering process. Your finished family tree is usually a cleaner summary of relationships you are prepared to document. Keeping these two layers separate makes both more useful.

Use the DNA tracker for hypotheses, unresolved matches, possible common ancestors, and contact notes. Once a relationship is sufficiently supported, you can incorporate it into your broader genealogy records and family tree.

If you are ready to map a confirmed direct line visually, a pedigree chart can provide a cleaner ancestry-focused summary. For broader family relationships, see the main family tree templates category.