What is the Leeds Method?
The Leeds Method is a way of color-coding your DNA matches into ancestral groups without needing family trees to do so. The aim is to discover four clusters of matches that correspond to the direct line of each grandparent. It was developed in 2018 by Dana Leeds to help someone identify unknown biological family. Many people with solid family trees now use the Leeds Method to research their mystery branches.

Who Gets Most Benefit from the Leeds Method?
* You have many 2nd-3rd cousin DNA matches (Dana suggests 6 to 8)
* Your grandparents come from different areas (less chance of inter-marriage up the lines)

Steps:
1. List 2nd and 3rd cousins. Skip close family and 1st cousins. Use cousins who share between 90 and 400cM
with you.
2. Assign a color to your first DNA match.
3. Open that person’s shared matches and assign each of them the same color in the same column.
4. Locate the first person who does not have a color assigned and assign them a color in the next column.
5. Open that person’s matches and assign each of them the same color in the same column.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until all of your 2nd and 3rd cousins have at LEAST one color assigned to them.

Analyzing the Results:
* 4 columns, No Overlap: likely shows matches to your 4 sets of great grandparents.
* Fewer than 4 Columns, No Overlap: likely 2 or 3 of your 4 sets of great grandparents.
* Some Overlap: likely those results are on one side of your family.
* Lots of Overlap; Pedigree collapse, etc.

Websites:
www.danaleeds.com/dna-color-clustering-the-leeds-method-for-easily-visualizing-matches/

Many other videos available.