Very important point that everyone who takes the DNA test also publishes their tree. I have SO MANY cousin matches, yet only four people have made their tree available! I guess these folks are like the ones who got their test as a gift & were only interested in finding out their ethnicity. I've asked them to share, but so far... crickets!
Dizzy Derwish same thing here. So frustrating when they have no published family trees! Most of them (I think) are paternal cousins, & that's the side where I'm having problems with information-gathering. Aaargh!
I have a lot of that too. Sometimes they don't even reply when you contact them. My adopted son's closest match (a 2nd cousin) wont respond at all to me or my daughter. Soooo frustrating.
Thank you so much for being a part of our community for so long, Shawntel! We're thrilled to hear that you're still making such exciting discoveries. Have a lovely day!
I'm just amazed to be able to prove scientifically the matches to my distant great grandparents 300-400 years ago with the help of other descendants that have also taken the DNA test! It helps if you get as many people in your family to take the DNA test, as we all inherit different amounts of DNA. I love being able to pieces together all the puzzle pieces - so exciting!
One thing I found is, my brother has just done 3 generations. I did my DNA and now where to connect the dots with all of these cousins. It is daunting but so exciting as well. Years ago my mother connected me to my Italian cousins. There were 2nd, third, fourth, etc. cousins in California. I was flabbergasted. I lost touch but I know my family is huge.
I am so happy, I connected with a girl who ended up being very close to me. She ends up being my 1st half cousin 2x removed and her grandmom was my 1st half cousin and her great grandfather was my half uncle. I end up discovering that my father had 2 half brothers through my grandma that I never knew well wasnt allowed to know. We have been speaking quite often since meeting on ancestry and were so glad to have met each other. She has other cousins she always knew about but I searched her out and she is so excited to have me in her life. She has two half siblings like me so I have more cousins. We even connected on video and will likely meet up one day. My life is changed by meeting her. I'm so grateful!!
We're so glad to hear it, Robyn! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this with us. We really appreciate it! Thanks again, and have an awesome day. 😊
This narrowed down and immediately identified 24 matches I share with my uncle. The amount of time, paper, and research it would've taken to do this is...well, it's "infinity!"
My mum is adopted and I bought her the test for xmas... it has been really interesting! Mum found her biological mum years ago but unfortunatly they did not get along. We knew from her side that her ancestry was Dutch and Scottish. Mum has really dark tan skin, dark/medium blonde hair and blue/green eyes. She had always speculated her biological father was of some type of darker skinned ethnicity....interestingly mum was almost half scandinavian, irish and western european with only a trace amount of middle eastern/jewish.... I am hoping to use the ancestry cousins to broaden what I have managed to find from what we know of mums bio mum and possibly even connect to her paternal line. We get stuck on the bio maternal line at the point of immigration as naturalisation and immigration papers do not list next of kin :( so fascinating!
And here in 2018--I'm looking at 1000+ fourth cousin matches! a lot more than that actually. Interesting how that blew up. Partly it's because of my family but still that's a lot more than the 20 she talked about here!
Hi Debi. Thanks for the comments. Congratulations on your success so far. Please look at the links that are in this post to help you with your research. We have many other great articles on our online Support Center. We also have many other videos on this UA-cam channel that may help move your research forward.
I am looking at this almost 9 years later and WOW has the data grew! You said on average 20 4th cousins. Mine has 1000+ 4th cousins or closer! Wish I was as savvy at researching as you are! Thanks for all the info you have shared!
My oldest sister, her dad, and aunt took the test last year. Turns out, he's not her dad. Thanks to the test, they did find her biological father. He was tested, and showed parent/child. We're still trying to figure out who our mom's biological parents and siblings are. We think we found 1 half-sibling, but she passed away after Thanksgiving, and we weren't able to get much done with her.
This was an excellent tutorial on what to do. It has made me excited to do some digging into the results. I had been disappointed that the results had seemed to be returning such distant relationships - but I misconstrued the distance and the confidence percentage to equate with whether we were related at all - so it was good to hear the DNA info and be reminded that all the results are related to me. So I may not find the connection but there is one somewhere!
I just mailed back my DNA test, and I'm anxious to learn my results. I am adopted and my ethnicity was sketchy, so I wanted to have a better idea of my roots. I never even considered I may find people that share the same bloodline. Right now my bio family tree starts with me, and ends with my Daughter. I now have some hope to find blood relatives, and after many years of searching for my bio mother without much luck, I may now have some new clues in my search.
If you are asking if you can tell by looking at someones tree IF they have submitted DNA: no. If someone chooses to state on their profile they have submittted to one of Ancestrys tests, than yes, that would be a way to know. If you sent in a sample, than you will have a separate screen to click on, whereby you will see those matches to your DNA (or whomever is the subject) as well as their tree IF it is public.
Your genetic ethnicity is a comparison of your DNA with known populations in specific areas of the world, using a database full of DNA reference samples from those populations. That ethnicity reaches back hundreds of, or even a thousand, years. The cousin matches are people who have very specific segment of DNA that is identical to yours. Their ethnic DNA signature may be very different from yours - in fact, siblings can have different ethnicity results.
If you looked up the history of the company that Ancestry acquired : Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation a few years ago and the basis of the DNA being compared with is not only THEIR databases, acquired over decades of research and sampling from all over the world, but they also used National Geographic databases. As more people send in their DNA, they will continue to evaluate those samples as well as be able to ascertain if they hold enough DNA segments that match other Ancestry member
It would be great for adoptees if they could compare several trees to find common ancestors. Without having a known tree, the only way now is to look at each matched DNA tree to try & find those common links..
I used AncestryDNA to get information on my father’s family, since he was adopted. I’ve been able to get information on his paternal side, but nothing on his maternal side. I now have 830 4th cousins or closer matches. An Ancestry representative suggested I select the ‘Favorites’ star for my maternal side. While this helped identifying matches on my maternal side, I still don’t have a clue about my father’s maternal side. Some of the matches are listed as 2nd and 3rd cousins; yet, we haven’t been able to determine the matches.
Did your father take the AncestryDNA test or did you? Also, have you opted into the beta experience for the new and improved DNA Match List yet? If not, you can do this by clicking on EXTRAS | Ancestry Lab.
This is so awesome ..lots of information~! thank you!~ However, i can't seem to follow your pages...mine look different. I however was able to see the map you went over and found a 4-6th cousin here in my city! and many others nearby and i am not originally from here!~ lol Is there a chance you can start videos of how you got to certain pages? Perhaps i missed it..will keep trying!
Hi Debi - You can find newer videos with updates screen shots here: www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/exploring-ancestrydna-for-more-family-discoveries
I like the idea of using a Fact to copy a link to your matches' tree and dna page, but a lot of people don't use Family Tree Maker with Ancestry, and either use a different program or no program at all. I changed it around just a bit so that it works even better on Ancestry, with or without FTM, and it makes the links actually clickable so you don't have to copy/paste. I add 1 Fact with only the matches member name, and then I add 3 "Web Links" which are addable under the Sources column; one link to the member's tree, one link to their dna page, and one link to the common ancestor, like this: i.imgur.com/NaQJFWB.jpg then I add a reciprocal link on the common ancestor, linking back to the matches' person-page in your tree, like this: i.imgur.com/UWwqzf9.jpg and if they're a common ancestor for more than one match, then just add more links.
Thank you so much for another excellent video. I binge watch these over and over. I have a question. I know you strongly recommend one tree, yet my mother is adopted, and I have created a separate tree for the biological line. What do you recommend in that case? I know it's throwing off some of my matches.
Creating a separate tree for biological and adopted families is certainly an option. Another option would be to add a second set of parents (under EDIT | Edit Relationships) on your mother's profile in your main tree. Then set them to be the "preferred" parents. That way, anyone that looks at your tree when viewing you as a DNA match will see the biological information. Hope that helps! (Crista)
You should still test yourself as well if you haven’t. Having as many people as you can take the test really helps to keep things cleaned up so to speak.
would love to see a couple other filters added to the DNA results. One would be to search for those where you've created a note...the other would be to be able to search by the member name. I've emailed a lot of people and I've put notes on their results page but can't find them again without going through ALL the results and there's 54 pages!
Thank you Crista for more great information! I have never seen such a bunch of crybabies regarding this whole DNA thing. Somebody didn't get the result they thought they would, somebody else just got confirmation of what they already knew, blah, blah, blah. Get a grip people and stop complaining about every dang thing because it's obvious that you probably do this in every area of your lives anyway!
LOve ya', Crista! You have been SOOOOO helpful to my searches. Recently I took the autosomal DNA test at AncestryDNA and two of your main competitors. The Ancestry results came very fast, but a number of its matches have been problematic. The other companies' are fine. I checked each raw data file from each company using the GEDmatch "DNA file diagnostic utility," and discovered that only Ancestry's had "No-calls = 29081 = 4.2051243491174 percent. This kit has an unusually high number of no-calls, which usually results in a larger number of false matches." I deleted and re-loaded the file twice, in case the problem was me, waited the requisite time, and got exactly the same number of "n-calls." Is Ancestry aware of this problem? I assume I'm not the only one to experience it.
For my DNA matches (and there probable line of descent) I made a DNA Connection custom fact. For our MRC I put in Common Ancestor for both, the match has Match to XXX, and the tester's initials, and for the parent-child relationship between DNA Connection. Then I made a group for DNA Connection is not blank, and then color coded my group. So I can look at any view but pedigree and see what children's descendants I have matches with.
Wonderful video! Great tips that will really help. I have problems researching my mother's paternal side because of an unusual surname. So far I've found 4 different spellings; ugh! I think a lot has to do with census takers spelling phonetically, but it's very frustrating. BTW, I have 300 4th cousin matches, 25 3rd cousin, 20 2nd, & 1 1st cousin matches.
Susan Holmes I was going to say the same thing!! But I’m watching this video on my 60” tv and all the names are fuzzy. About 20 minutes in, is one of those common ancestors Henry Dismore? I have lots of Cowans in my matches. See if I’m a cousin! My username is melburch430 :)
This is what Ancestry told me: On her profile in your tree, add a Web Link. Then, copy and paste the URL of the match page with your bio mom into that space. Now that she has been tested, you can use SHARED MATCHES with her to determine which matches are maternal and which are paternal.
You do not have to subscribe to ancestry. You can use it for free. Have to use a cc but at the end of the 10 day trial you can call them and say that you do not want to pay for it and all they do is turn off the ability to view most of the documents.
The tools in this helpful but out of date video seem a lot more sophisticated than the current ones. Do you now have to pay an advanced sub to get these?
Your DNA is matched to all the other Ancestry.com members who have taken (or will take) the DNA test. Then you compare what you each know about your ancestry to determine which line you are related through. I have some lines where I know more than the other person (thus I am helping them grow their family tree) and some lines where they know more than me (helping me grow my tree).
Thank Crista. I would be interested in how that goes for her. If I understand you correctly, she would probably take the 4th cousin or less (I haven't found 3rd or 2nd cousins yet) and expand the surnames of those matches, copying to a spreadsheet and then have the program rank all of them by frequency. From that result I assume it would give her strong hints to her likely ancestors. It would be great if I could ask ancestry to plug in those usernames and let it derive that result.
I am working with a woman right now who is getting surname lists from each of her matches and comparing those in a spreadsheet to figure out who her biological family may be.
Hi, Robyn. Thanks for sharing your story. It must be wonderful finding some unknown relatives. We're so excited to hear that you've made these life changing connections. We hope you continue to enjoy these new relationships. If you'd like to share more, please use the link below. support.ancestry.com/s/article/Submitting-Your-Success-Story?language=en_US
I'm adopted and my biological cousin did the DNA of my biological mother. I's still trying to figure out how to connect the link of my biological mother to her profile in my tree. i just wish that when a match is made that it indicated if it was maternal or paternal.
On her profile in your tree, add a Web Link. Then, copy and paste the URL of the match page with your bio mom into that space. Now that she has been tested, you can use SHARED MATCHES with her to determine which matches are maternal and which are paternal.
Someone at Ancestry Support gave me a great idea. I was having a problem with how do I separate maternal DNA results from paternal. Well, since my mother was tested, there is a button near the top that says 'MOTHER". If you click on it, it removes all that are not on my maternal line. So I clicked on the 'Star' to mark them. Then unclicked the 'Mom' button and I could now see who is on my paternal side.
some very useful information. would be nice, now, if this could be updated (slightly) because, being in the UK means most of my matches are in the US at the moment, but I have not yet connected my family line to the US family lines!
Does the DNA results only match you with a shared ancestor if it is within a certain range? The reason I ask is that my mother and her sister have "hint" matches that appear on their results but they are not on mine. Their DNA tests are linked to my tree.
I have 869 4C or closer..........I believe that some or many of those may be more distant. The reason is one grandmother is of French-Canadian ancestry, and my "Swedish" Great-Grandmother is of "Forest Finn" ancestry. Both groups were very insular for 200-300 years. I think it throws the algorithm off.
The biggest issue I find with shared DNA matches is sheer volume. Since checking my matches this morning, there have been another 8 matches in the last 2 hours.
It can be overwhelming. The best thing to do is to use a system to keep track of them. I use Family Tree Maker and detailed notes on my DNA match page. I'll be sharing my system in an upcoming video. If you haven't subscribed to our channel yet, be sure to do that so you will be notified when that video is uploaded. (~Crista)
Excellent information, thanks so much for these lessons! My question: What are the chances that 4th cousins (possibly once or twice removed) are not recognized as DNA matches? I have met two such cousins. One is descended from my 2x great grandfather's sister, and the other, from his brother. All three of us have undergone DNA testing, and none of us are matches with each other. All of our trees appear to be well-researched and documented, except for the fact that there are no birth records to prove that the supposed siblings, born between 1785 and 1800, all had the same biological parents. My 3x great-grandfather followed the Baptist faith, so his children would not likely have left behind records of being baptized in infancy. All of his children were likely born in Dutchess County, NY, and I have not been able to locate any record of births there outside of baptismal records. Is it more likely that these siblings were adopted and not related by blood, or that the DNA connection between us has simply disappeared over time?
There is a possibility that 4th cousins share no detectable amount of DNA. It is also possible that there is no genetic relationship. Is there anyone in your family who is an older generation that could be tested (a parent or aunt/uncle)? If not, invite other family members (1st cousins on that side of the family) to test as they may have inherited the matching pieces of DNA needed to confirm the relationships with those 4th cousins and hence that set of 3rd great-grandparents.
As of last year, there are no more living members of the generation preceding mine. I do have siblings and many cousins, though, and I believe my sister has an interest in being tested. I will encourage her to get on it. Thanks very much for your guidance!
Thank you. So helpful. How do we find more information on say a 3rd great-grandmother. It just ends. I have contacted other matches. They have not been able to proceed further either. Thank you.
I am a highly multiethnic person with many unknown family lines. My father was African American. Many African Americans have European ancestry without knowing where it came from. African American Genealogy is very difficult. Growing up not knowing my father nor his side of the family adds to the difficulty. Many of my matches have multiple ethnic backgrounds just like I do, and I cannot tell how I am matching them. A chromosome browser is strongly needed for me to figure out how I am related to these people. Many of the matches could be false positives. Without having a chromosome browser, I have no way of knowing if they are false positives or not. My ethnic background: On my father's side: African American and French Creole with discovered genetic ancestral connections to Acadians , Amerindians (USA,Canada or both) and British as well as possibly Dutch and Danes. On my mother's side: Cape Verdean (Portuguese,West African), Madeiran Portuguese, Azorean Portuguese, Romanian Ashkenazi Jewish, Latvian Ashkenazi Jewish, Puerto Rican (Spanish,West African,Taino Indian), German, English, Highlander Scottish, Irish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, Swiss, and Welsh with discovered genetic ancestral connections to Quebecois French, Acadians, Eastern Europeans, Swedes, and Finns as well as possibly Danes. I cannot rely on people's family trees because I have many unknown family lines. I don't think AncestryDNA higher-ups take in consideration of adoptees, estranged family members, and African Americans who tend to have very little knowledge of their ancestral roots.
I know this is an older video and I found it VERY helpful ..up until the part about showing cousins based on "clues". For many years I have been trying to correct faulty trees on Ancestry website..because people add data from "clues" from Ancestry that are completely faulty. The"clue" recommended is on two totally separate and different families with similar first names..people do not do research realizing the differences in age and locations and mix this two different families. My issue is if Ancestry is going to call someone my "x cousin" based on this faulty research...how can it be accurate??? Besides that Awesome video!! Thank You
Start with your close matches. For example, do you have any 1st cousins who have tested? If you share around 800cM of DNA with them, that is genetic evidence that your parent and their parent are full siblings and that you share the same set of grandparents. Then, look at the shared matches with that 1st cousin. Do you have any second cousins listed there? If you share around 200 cM of DNA with them, that indicates that their grandparent and your grandparent are full siblings and that the two of you have the same set of great-grandparents. Work your way back one generation at a time, looking for cousins who descend from the siblings of your ancestors.
How do half sibling matches show up on your matches? Close Family- First Cousin match came up, just wondering is this typical for a half sibling match? Thanks!
That is typically the category in which we place 1/2 siblings. Click to view the match. Then click the little "i" in the circle in the header. This will tell you how many centimorgans of DNA you share with this individual. Half siblings share an average of 1700 cM. This is also the same amount of DNA you would share with a grandparent/grandchild or that an aunt/uncle would share with a niece/nephew. So, be sure you aren't looking at one of those relationships. Good luck! (Crista)
Any way to have all the Ancestry DNA matches & the matches’ matches downloaded and also sorted into a family tree or tree pile based on my Ancestry DNA matches without me manually doing this for each of my parent’s matches? For example to put together all my mom’s mom’s matches and have it figure out in which matching pile they belong to such as potentially a 3rd great grandparent. Thanks, might be an algorithm app opportunity here.
Deep breaths! ;-) 1. Do you have a public family tree attached to your DNA results? This will help you and your matches sort through things. 2. Do you have any close family members (parents, aunts/uncles, or 1st cousins) who have also tested? Comparing your match lists will help you sort out which line of the family tree your matches are connected to you through. 3. Filter by HINTS to see if Ancestry has discovered any shared ancestors in your family tree and the family trees of your matches. 4. Use the SHARED MATCHES feature on your match's page to see who else is likely connected through that same branch. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if I can help further. (Crista)
I have figured out my matches if they have a leaf with it. But how do you go about figuring out how you are related to someone if it just has their tree and common surnames?
Use the Shared Matches feature to help you figure out which branch of your family tree they connect to. Then, you sometimes you have to do some family history research and extend their family tree by a generation or two to find the connection. Here are some tips: thegeneticgenealogist.com/2017/03/11/are-you-doing-everything-to-identify-your-matches/
I do not have a paid subscription to Ancestry but I have taken the DNA test. I am the only one in my family to take the test. Since I do not have a paid subscription, will I still be able to add the results to my guest account and from there will I be able to find matches and contact them?
Hi Dave, thanks for stopping by. We would like to reassure you that you are not required to have a paid membership to take advantage of the features the AncestryDNA test has to offer. You will have full access to your estimated ethnicity breakdown, DNA matches and will be able to contact your matches to collaborate with them.
What is annoying to me, as a scientist, is that I cannot see the marker signatures as in the previous version. I have a definative relation with a gentleman's family, on the prior version, that does not even show up on the new DNA version. Not only that, I cannot even see the genetic marker information of these new people to determine relationship. I have not found a single definative relation in this new version.
My husband has over 6600 DNA matches with 4th cousins or higher. Why would he have so many? What is the best name to put as the main name when a person has changed their name? Both first and last or similar to their name but different.
Does your husband come from a population that practices a lot of endogamy - like French Canadian, Puerto Rican, or European Jewish? That would cause a large number of matches. As for the name - that is up to you. I choose to put the birth name in as the primary name and enter the other as an alternate name.
Yes, European Jewish. I thought to put in the birth name if available also, but since most were born in Europe, I guess the next best would be what is on the ship's manifest. Dilemma, my husband has family who have completely changed their name, ex. Michael Jones to William Fox. In that case, what do you suggest? Thanks.
Ancestry - Wow.. I've been trying to figure out why the Puerto Ricans I'm related to they don't even know each other. Yet their family is all from the same side of the island. It's because that whole side of the island is related?
+Laurie Fugate Registering the test simply links it to your account. You have to then link it to a tree in your account. If you didn't do the extra step, then you might not have linked it to your tree. Go to your DNA page, then click on the gray 'Settings' button with the little gear icon on it. On that settings page are several options you can change, including "Family Tree Linking", which lets you link the dna test to a tree in your account and to a specific person in that tree, whoever took the dna test.
Wondering how to go about find birth records pre 1900s. or birth records in general, vitalstats charges to much imo for something with just some names on it. I was told to check churches, but how would u find a church from 1887 or 1852?
Some birth records were kept at a county level prior to 1900. Use the Card Catalog (found under the SEARCH menu) and filter down to the state level and then by BIRTH to see what is available online. If the record is not available online (or only the index is available online), you would need to contact the county offices to get a copy of the original. City directories, maps, and county/local histories can be great resources to determine which churches existed in the time and place your ancestors lived. (Crista)
I find these videos extremely helpful. I have a match that says, “first cousin.” I don’t know the man. He is about 15 years older than me. I have contacted him. We shared family names, but no matches. I’ve even asked my parents, who are in their late 80’s, and they don’t recognize names. Any tips on what else to do?
I just had the same happen. It turned out my grandfather appeared to have children with another woman. The cousin was the child of a previously unknown half sibling.
We had 3 Y-DNA37 tests done to answer one specific question. This was done through Family Tree DNA - Sicilian Project. Can this be linked as you described doing in this video? Chris Garner
I look to see if cousins from either side are already on the list. I can tell depending on which cousin is listed if it is the maternal or paternal side of the family
One question I have...I appear to have 6X more shared ancestors with my paternal uncle--that I do with his daughter. Could this be due to different parts of DNA being passed on, or is it a deeper look/resolution?
Are you having any trouble getting AncestryDNA to load with Chrome? I have tried for the last week and can not get it to load with Chrome after having no problems for over a month. AncestryDNA does not work very well with Internet Explorer and it is the only way I can get in now. I spoke to someone a week ago and she said to go in through Explorer, but I assumed she was going to talk to the tech department about it, but I guess not. Just wondering if you were having issues as well.
Chrome sometimes has extensions or add-ons that interfere with the AncestryDNA pages loading correctly. If you open a Chrome Incognito window and login to AncestryDNA and have no problems, an extension or add on is likely the culprit.
I have a match who contacted me. She's been looking for her biological father's family since she was very young. She's now in her 70's. She knows little of her biological father and therefore does not have a family tree. She matched to "my" 1st cousin (on my father's side) as a 1st cousin but her match to me states I am a 2nd-3rd cousin to her. It's been my experience that ALL my Aunt's & Uncle's kids on my father's side would be my first cousins. So how can this woman be a 1st cousin to my 1st cousin, yet a 2nd-3rd cousin to me? I must also note that I know my 1st cousin personally (in fact, I know all of them and many of my 3rd-4th cousins as I am the family historian who has been working on our family tree for more than 3 decades) but yet that 1st cousin (who is my Aunt's daughter) is listed in my matches as a 3rd-4th cousin. So, not only is the match with this new relative mixed up, the match with my 1st cousin is definitely incorrect on Ancestry DNA as she is clearly not my 3rd-4th cousin. Can you please help?
Hello Lynn. I would be happy to take a look at your DNA Match list and your family tree and see if I can help you make sense of your DNA matches. If you want to send me a private message to ASK @ ancestry.com, I will give you the instructions for sharing that information with me. (~Crista)
When you are viewing your DNA match, if their tree is connected to their DNA results, it will come up on the match screen. If it is not connected to their DNA results, you will see a little drop-down box that allows you to select to view the public trees on their account. If their family tree is private, you will need to message them to request permission to view their tree.
i have a question to ask ...i am new at this and watching this so helpful I am adopted and wondering how to start my tree with name do i use my birth name witch i do know or my adopted name . if im looking for my biological family so i as of now have anyone to add to my tree .... and i did find a match on ancestry for a close family member with my birth name . but he has not singed in for a year i did send a message but i dont think he will be seeing it .
Hi I am adopted too and it is kind of pointless doing an "adoptive" family tree if you are looking for your birth family, as none of you are genetically related so you won't match in any case. If you know your birth surname then make your tree in that name and ake it public as the chances are you might find other birth family members with that name as you have already suggested. I too was in the same position as you. I had a close family match with a lady (an aunt or cousin) whose account was being managed by her husband and he had not been online for a year so when I direct messaged him I got no response, but recently, his grandson showed up as my second cousin, so I messaged the grandson and he then spoke to his grandparents and the grandad remembered his password and we have been corresponding since and he has been very helpful. I was adopted 57 years ago, so I may well still be a 'secret' as back in those days if a lady got pregnant out of wedlock, it was considered a very shameful thing so sometimes the ladies didn't tell anyone they'd had a baby even their close family. What I am hoping is if he is talking to the wider family about me, then maybe my birth mother might 'come out' and own up to me as she would probably be about 77 if she is still alive. I don't know how old you are, but you might be lucky if the matched relative of yours does come on line or if you get another match in the future. Good luck in your search.
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Very important point that everyone who takes the DNA test also publishes their tree.
I have SO MANY cousin matches, yet only four people have made their tree available!
I guess these folks are like the ones who got their test as a gift & were only interested in finding out their ethnicity.
I've asked them to share, but so far... crickets!
Dizzy Derwish same thing here. So frustrating when they have no published family trees! Most of them (I think) are paternal cousins, & that's the side where I'm having problems with information-gathering. Aaargh!
I have a lot of that too. Sometimes they don't even reply when you contact them. My adopted son's closest match (a 2nd cousin) wont respond at all to me or my daughter. Soooo frustrating.
I dont see the point of keeping it private. Isn't that the whole point? Not like I'm going ask my 4th cousin to borrow money 🤣
Thank you so much for being a part of our community for so long, Shawntel! We're thrilled to hear that you're still making such exciting discoveries. Have a lovely day!
I'm just amazed to be able to prove scientifically the matches to my distant great grandparents 300-400 years ago with the help of other descendants that have also taken the DNA test! It helps if you get as many people in your family to take the DNA test, as we all inherit different amounts of DNA. I love being able to pieces together all the puzzle pieces - so exciting!
One thing I found is, my brother has just done 3 generations. I did my DNA and now where to connect the dots with all of these cousins. It is daunting but so exciting as well. Years ago my mother connected me to my Italian cousins. There were 2nd, third, fourth, etc. cousins in California. I was flabbergasted. I lost touch but I know my family is huge.
I think all these old videos need updated to the current tools.
I agree.
I agree,and also think they should update the site. It freezes up on me all the time.
There may be updated videos, and if there are, they should add a link to the newer ones in the description of the older ones.
I am so happy, I connected with a girl who ended up being very close to me. She ends up being my 1st half cousin 2x removed and her grandmom was my 1st half cousin and her great grandfather was my half uncle. I end up discovering that my father had 2 half brothers through my grandma that I never knew well wasnt allowed to know. We have been speaking quite often since meeting on ancestry and were so glad to have met each other. She has other cousins she always knew about but I searched her out and she is so excited to have me in her life. She has two half siblings like me so I have more cousins. We even connected on video and will likely meet up one day. My life is changed by meeting her. I'm so grateful!!
That is so lovely. Thank you for sharing, Robyn.
@@AncestryUS it's was totally not expected but it has been an interesting journey so far.
We're so glad to hear it, Robyn! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this with us. We really appreciate it! Thanks again, and have an awesome day. 😊
This narrowed down and immediately identified 24 matches I share with my uncle. The amount of time, paper, and research it would've taken to do this is...well, it's "infinity!"
My mum is adopted and I bought her the test for xmas... it has been really interesting! Mum found her biological mum years ago but unfortunatly they did not get along. We knew from her side that her ancestry was Dutch and Scottish. Mum has really dark tan skin, dark/medium blonde hair and blue/green eyes. She had always speculated her biological father was of some type of darker skinned ethnicity....interestingly mum was almost half scandinavian, irish and western european with only a trace amount of middle eastern/jewish.... I am hoping to use the ancestry cousins to broaden what I have managed to find from what we know of mums bio mum and possibly even connect to her paternal line. We get stuck on the bio maternal line at the point of immigration as naturalisation and immigration papers do not list next of kin :( so fascinating!
And here in 2018--I'm looking at 1000+ fourth cousin matches! a lot more than that actually. Interesting how that blew up. Partly it's because of my family but still that's a lot more than the 20 she talked about here!
Your family had ton of kids
Hi Debi. Thanks for the comments. Congratulations on your success so far. Please look at the links that are in this post to help you with your research. We have many other great articles on our online Support Center. We also have many other videos on this UA-cam channel that may help move your research forward.
I am looking at this almost 9 years later and WOW has the data grew! You said on average 20 4th cousins. Mine has 1000+ 4th cousins or closer! Wish I was as savvy at researching as you are! Thanks for all the info you have shared!
My oldest sister, her dad, and aunt took the test last year. Turns out, he's not her dad. Thanks to the test, they did find her biological father. He was tested, and showed parent/child. We're still trying to figure out who our mom's biological parents and siblings are. We think we found 1 half-sibling, but she passed away after Thanksgiving, and we weren't able to get much done with her.
I am struggling what to do but now looking at your videos I will now get going thank you.
You can do it!
This was an excellent tutorial on what to do. It has made me excited to do some digging into the results. I had been disappointed that the results had seemed to be returning such distant relationships - but I misconstrued the distance and the confidence percentage to equate with whether we were related at all - so it was good to hear the DNA info and be reminded that all the results are related to me. So I may not find the connection but there is one somewhere!
I just mailed back my DNA test, and I'm anxious to learn my results. I am adopted and my ethnicity was sketchy, so I wanted to have a better idea of my roots. I never even considered I may find people that share the same bloodline. Right now my bio family tree starts with me, and ends with my Daughter. I now have some hope to find blood relatives, and after many years of searching for my bio mother without much luck, I may now have some new clues in my search.
Mark Cunico hi just wondering if you found what you were searching for?
please re-narrate. this should be done better.
Any luck?
How did it go ?
If you are asking if you can tell by looking at someones tree IF they have submitted DNA: no. If someone chooses to state on their profile they have submittted to one of Ancestrys tests, than yes, that would be a way to know.
If you sent in a sample, than you will have a separate screen to click on, whereby you will see those matches to your DNA (or whomever is the subject) as well as their tree IF it is public.
Your genetic ethnicity is a comparison of your DNA with known populations in specific areas of the world, using a database full of DNA reference samples from those populations. That ethnicity reaches back hundreds of, or even a thousand, years. The cousin matches are people who have very specific segment of DNA that is identical to yours. Their ethnic DNA signature may be very different from yours - in fact, siblings can have different ethnicity results.
Thank You. So much I still didn't know. I am learning so much.
Great presentation. Thank you!
If you looked up the history of the company that Ancestry acquired : Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation a few years ago and the basis of the DNA being compared with is not only THEIR databases, acquired over decades of research and sampling from all over the world, but they also used National Geographic databases.
As more people send in their DNA, they will continue to evaluate those samples as well as be able to ascertain if they hold enough DNA segments that match other Ancestry member
Awesome information! This was very helpful. I didn't know what to do with my matches.
I ran a dna for both my mom and dad, as presents. My kids did this for me! But my dad isn't listed as my parent.
It would be great for adoptees if they could compare several trees to find common ancestors. Without having a known tree, the only way now is to look at each matched DNA tree to try & find those common links..
I hope you get your grandmother tested love to see the results ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
lol. u don't see the bigger pic do more re church n see where it goes to a national data crime base by governing n world wide search
I used AncestryDNA to get information on my father’s family, since he was adopted. I’ve been able to get information on his paternal side, but nothing on his maternal side. I now have 830 4th cousins or closer matches. An Ancestry representative suggested I select the ‘Favorites’ star for my maternal side. While this helped identifying matches on my maternal side, I still don’t have a clue about my father’s maternal side. Some of the matches are listed as 2nd and 3rd cousins; yet, we haven’t been able to determine the matches.
Did your father take the AncestryDNA test or did you? Also, have you opted into the beta experience for the new and improved DNA Match List yet? If not, you can do this by clicking on EXTRAS | Ancestry Lab.
Ancestry My father is deceased. Is the information you provided available through the mobile app?
This is so awesome ..lots of information~! thank you!~ However, i can't seem to follow your pages...mine look different. I however was able to see the map you went over and found a 4-6th cousin here in my city! and many others nearby and i am not originally from here!~ lol Is there a chance you can start videos of how you got to certain pages? Perhaps i missed it..will keep trying!
Hi Debi - You can find newer videos with updates screen shots here: www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/exploring-ancestrydna-for-more-family-discoveries
Thank you for explaining so clearly.
I like the idea of using a Fact to copy a link to your matches' tree and dna page, but a lot of people don't use Family Tree Maker with Ancestry, and either use a different program or no program at all.
I changed it around just a bit so that it works even better on Ancestry, with or without FTM, and it makes the links actually clickable so you don't have to copy/paste.
I add 1 Fact with only the matches member name, and then I add 3 "Web Links" which are addable under the Sources column; one link to the member's tree, one link to their dna page, and one link to the common ancestor, like this:
i.imgur.com/NaQJFWB.jpg
then I add a reciprocal link on the common ancestor, linking back to the matches' person-page in your tree, like this:
i.imgur.com/UWwqzf9.jpg
and if they're a common ancestor for more than one match, then just add more links.
+Frank O. That's a clever way to keep track of your DNA matches. Thanks for sharing, Frank. (Crista)
Very helpful. Thank you Christie.
Thank you so much for another excellent video. I binge watch these over and over. I have a question. I know you strongly recommend one tree, yet my mother is adopted, and I have created a separate tree for the biological line. What do you recommend in that case? I know it's throwing off some of my matches.
Creating a separate tree for biological and adopted families is certainly an option. Another option would be to add a second set of parents (under EDIT | Edit Relationships) on your mother's profile in your main tree. Then set them to be the "preferred" parents. That way, anyone that looks at your tree when viewing you as a DNA match will see the biological information. Hope that helps! (Crista)
It does, and I feel famous that you wrote me back! Thank you!
You should still test yourself as well if you haven’t. Having as many people as you can take the test really helps to keep things cleaned up so to speak.
OMG I have 100 2,3 and 4 cousin matches! And I just completed my DNA
Thank you for this presentation, it’ll help me weed through them all
Definitely need an updated tutorial on this.
Thanks, Paula. We've got it on the list for a refresh.
would love to see a couple other filters added to the DNA results. One would be to search for those where you've created a note...the other would be to be able to search by the member name. I've emailed a lot of people and I've put notes on their results page but can't find them again without going through ALL the results and there's 54 pages!
+Susan Crayne I just started starring those I have added notes to and/or messaged to help me quickly find those people.
Great informational video.. Thx u !
You should now see a link in the video description above.
Thank you Crista for more great information! I have never seen such a bunch of crybabies regarding this whole DNA thing. Somebody didn't get the result they thought they would, somebody else just got confirmation of what they already knew, blah, blah, blah. Get a grip people and stop complaining about every dang thing because it's obvious that you probably do this in every area of your lives anyway!
Hope all people will share info like you have. Cause if I would love to go further back as I can go
LOve ya', Crista! You have been SOOOOO helpful to my searches. Recently I took the autosomal DNA test at AncestryDNA and two of your main competitors. The Ancestry results came very fast, but a number of its matches have been problematic. The other companies' are fine. I checked each raw data file from each company using the GEDmatch "DNA file diagnostic utility," and discovered that only Ancestry's had "No-calls = 29081 = 4.2051243491174 percent. This kit has an unusually high number of no-calls, which usually results in a larger number of false matches." I deleted and re-loaded the file twice, in case the problem was me, waited the requisite time, and got exactly the same number of "n-calls." Is Ancestry aware of this problem? I assume I'm not the only one to experience it.
Hi Rob! I would love to have our DNA science team take a look at your test results. What is your Ancestry user name? (Crista)
Hi Crista -- Thanks for reading and getting back to me. (I'm impressed!) My Ancestry user name is rmbtoronto.
For my DNA matches (and there probable line of descent) I made a DNA Connection custom fact. For our MRC I put in Common Ancestor for both, the match has Match to XXX, and the tester's initials, and for the parent-child relationship between DNA Connection. Then I made a group for DNA Connection is not blank, and then color coded my group. So I can look at any view but pedigree and see what children's descendants I have matches with.
What is MRC?
Where I forget to put the A in MRCA in Most Recent Common Ancestor!
Wonderful video! Great tips that will really help. I have problems researching my mother's paternal side because of an unusual surname. So far I've found 4 different spellings; ugh! I think a lot has to do with census takers spelling phonetically, but it's very frustrating. BTW, I have 300 4th cousin matches, 25 3rd cousin, 20 2nd, & 1 1st cousin matches.
I think we may be cousins. I have almost all of your names in my tree also.
Susan Holmes I was going to say the same thing!! But I’m watching this video on my 60” tv and all the names are fuzzy. About 20 minutes in, is one of those common ancestors Henry Dismore? I have lots of Cowans in my matches. See if I’m a cousin! My username is melburch430 :)
I guess you have to pay the subscription fee to connect any of these cousins etc to your tree? Or even see their details. Clever business model
This is what Ancestry told me: On her profile in your tree, add a Web Link. Then, copy and paste the URL of the match page with your bio mom into that space. Now that she has been tested, you can use SHARED MATCHES with her to determine which matches are maternal and which are paternal.
You do not have to subscribe to ancestry. You can use it for free. Have to use a cc but at the end of the 10 day trial you can call them and say that you do not want to pay for it and all they do is turn off the ability to view most of the documents.
The tools in this helpful but out of date video seem a lot more sophisticated than the current ones. Do you now have to pay an advanced sub to get these?
Have just come across this video - interesting the difference from 9 years ago - I have 585 4th Cousins or closer.
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing with us.
Yes, 9 years and still no chromosome browser. Really interesting difference :D
Your DNA is matched to all the other Ancestry.com members who have taken (or will take) the DNA test. Then you compare what you each know about your ancestry to determine which line you are related through. I have some lines where I know more than the other person (thus I am helping them grow their family tree) and some lines where they know more than me (helping me grow my tree).
Thank Crista. I would be interested in how that goes for her. If I understand you correctly, she would probably take the 4th cousin or less (I haven't found 3rd or 2nd cousins yet) and expand the surnames of those matches, copying to a spreadsheet and then have the program rank all of them by frequency. From that result I assume it would give her strong hints to her likely ancestors. It would be great if I could ask ancestry to plug in those usernames and let it derive that result.
Great video, thanks!
I am working with a woman right now who is getting surname lists from each of her matches and comparing those in a spreadsheet to figure out who her biological family may be.
Hi, Robyn. Thanks for sharing your story. It must be wonderful finding some unknown relatives. We're so excited to hear that you've made these life changing connections. We hope you continue to enjoy these new relationships. If you'd like to share more, please use the link below.
support.ancestry.com/s/article/Submitting-Your-Success-Story?language=en_US
I'm adopted and my biological cousin did the DNA of my biological mother. I's still trying to figure out how to connect the link of my biological mother to her profile in my tree. i just wish that when a match is made that it indicated if it was maternal or paternal.
On her profile in your tree, add a Web Link. Then, copy and paste the URL of the match page with your bio mom into that space. Now that she has been tested, you can use SHARED MATCHES with her to determine which matches are maternal and which are paternal.
Someone at Ancestry Support gave me a great idea. I was having a problem with how do I separate maternal DNA results from paternal. Well, since my mother was tested, there is a button near the top that says 'MOTHER". If you click on it, it removes all that are not on my maternal line. So I clicked on the 'Star' to mark them. Then unclicked the 'Mom' button and I could now see who is on my paternal side.
Amazing. Can't wait to begin when life settles down to a milder chaos.
some very useful information. would be nice, now, if this could be updated (slightly) because, being in the UK means most of my matches are in the US at the moment, but I have not yet connected my family line to the US family lines!
Does the DNA results only match you with a shared ancestor if it is within a certain range?
The reason I ask is that my mother and her sister have "hint" matches that appear on their results but they are not on mine. Their DNA tests are linked to my tree.
I have 869 4C or closer..........I believe that some or many of those may be more distant. The reason is one grandmother is of French-Canadian ancestry, and my "Swedish" Great-Grandmother is of "Forest Finn" ancestry. Both groups were very insular for 200-300 years. I think it throws the algorithm off.
Is it save to ask the distant cousin to have an online zoom call? Or even ask them to hang out together face to face if possible?
The biggest issue I find with shared DNA matches is sheer volume. Since checking my matches this morning, there have been another 8 matches in the last 2 hours.
It can be overwhelming. The best thing to do is to use a system to keep track of them. I use Family Tree Maker and detailed notes on my DNA match page. I'll be sharing my system in an upcoming video. If you haven't subscribed to our channel yet, be sure to do that so you will be notified when that video is uploaded. (~Crista)
Excellent information, thanks so much for these lessons! My question: What are the chances that 4th cousins (possibly once or twice removed) are not recognized as DNA matches? I have met two such cousins. One is descended from my 2x great grandfather's sister, and the other, from his brother. All three of us have undergone DNA testing, and none of us are matches with each other. All of our trees appear to be well-researched and documented, except for the fact that there are no birth records to prove that the supposed siblings, born between 1785 and 1800, all had the same biological parents. My 3x great-grandfather followed the Baptist faith, so his children would not likely have left behind records of being baptized in infancy. All of his children were likely born in Dutchess County, NY, and I have not been able to locate any record of births there outside of baptismal records. Is it more likely that these siblings were adopted and not related by blood, or that the DNA connection between us has simply disappeared over time?
There is a possibility that 4th cousins share no detectable amount of DNA. It is also possible that there is no genetic relationship. Is there anyone in your family who is an older generation that could be tested (a parent or aunt/uncle)? If not, invite other family members (1st cousins on that side of the family) to test as they may have inherited the matching pieces of DNA needed to confirm the relationships with those 4th cousins and hence that set of 3rd great-grandparents.
As of last year, there are no more living members of the generation preceding mine. I do have siblings and many cousins, though, and I believe my sister has an interest in being tested. I will encourage her to get on it. Thanks very much for your guidance!
Thank you. So helpful. How do we find more information on say a 3rd great-grandmother. It just ends. I have contacted other matches. They have not been able to proceed further either. Thank you.
Here are some quick tips for breaking through those genealogy brick walls: ua-cam.com/video/9m2PwS6ZcSI/v-deo.html
As you keep adding people to your tree does ancestry update things like the shakey leaf in Ancestry DNA and DNA Circles?
Yes. As you add information to your family tree, the shared ancestor hints and DNA Circles are updated.
Can we link people on our matches to the person on our tree?
Not yet. ;-) But, that's a great suggestion. I will pass it on to our product managers.
I am a highly multiethnic person with many unknown family lines. My father was African American. Many African Americans have European ancestry without knowing where it came from. African American Genealogy is very difficult. Growing up not knowing my father nor his side of the family adds to the difficulty. Many of my matches have multiple ethnic backgrounds just like I do, and I cannot tell how I am matching them. A chromosome browser is strongly needed for me to figure out how I am related to these people. Many of the matches could be false positives. Without having a chromosome browser, I have no way of knowing if they are false positives or not.
My ethnic background:
On my father's side: African American and French Creole with discovered genetic ancestral connections to Acadians , Amerindians (USA,Canada or both) and British as well as possibly Dutch and Danes.
On my mother's side: Cape Verdean (Portuguese,West African), Madeiran Portuguese, Azorean Portuguese, Romanian Ashkenazi Jewish, Latvian Ashkenazi Jewish, Puerto Rican (Spanish,West African,Taino Indian), German, English, Highlander Scottish, Irish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, Swiss, and Welsh with discovered genetic ancestral connections to Quebecois French, Acadians, Eastern Europeans, Swedes, and Finns as well as possibly Danes.
I cannot rely on people's family trees because I have many unknown family lines. I don't think AncestryDNA higher-ups take in consideration of adoptees, estranged family members, and African Americans who tend to have very little knowledge of their ancestral roots.
Thanks, very helpful.
I know this is an older video and I found it VERY helpful ..up until the part about showing cousins based on "clues". For many years I have been trying to correct faulty trees on Ancestry website..because people add data from "clues" from Ancestry that are completely faulty. The"clue" recommended is on two totally separate and different families with similar first names..people do not do research realizing the differences in age and locations and mix this two different families. My issue is if Ancestry is going to call someone my "x cousin" based on this faulty research...how can it be accurate??? Besides that Awesome video!! Thank You
My question is once i get my dna how do you tell if the people you added to your tree prior to dna are correct or not
Start with your close matches. For example, do you have any 1st cousins who have tested? If you share around 800cM of DNA with them, that is genetic evidence that your parent and their parent are full siblings and that you share the same set of grandparents. Then, look at the shared matches with that 1st cousin. Do you have any second cousins listed there? If you share around 200 cM of DNA with them, that indicates that their grandparent and your grandparent are full siblings and that the two of you have the same set of great-grandparents. Work your way back one generation at a time, looking for cousins who descend from the siblings of your ancestors.
How do half sibling matches show up on your matches? Close Family- First Cousin match came up, just wondering is this typical for a half sibling match? Thanks!
That is typically the category in which we place 1/2 siblings. Click to view the match. Then click the little "i" in the circle in the header. This will tell you how many centimorgans of DNA you share with this individual. Half siblings share an average of 1700 cM. This is also the same amount of DNA you would share with a grandparent/grandchild or that an aunt/uncle would share with a niece/nephew. So, be sure you aren't looking at one of those relationships. Good luck! (Crista)
Any way to have all the Ancestry DNA matches & the matches’ matches downloaded and also sorted into a family tree or tree pile based on my Ancestry DNA matches without me manually doing this for each of my parent’s matches? For example to put together all my mom’s mom’s matches and have it figure out in which matching pile they belong to such as potentially a 3rd great grandparent. Thanks, might be an algorithm app opportunity here.
I d like to know how you tell the difference between mother or fathers side of the relatives
I have 25 2nd cousins, 57 3rd cousin matches and over 600 (I got tired of counting).
count your blessings! ,
WOW!!!
I have 860 4th cousin matches feeling very overwhelmed!! Any Tips?
Deep breaths! ;-)
1. Do you have a public family tree attached to your DNA results? This will help you and your matches sort through things.
2. Do you have any close family members (parents, aunts/uncles, or 1st cousins) who have also tested? Comparing your match lists will help you sort out which line of the family tree your matches are connected to you through.
3. Filter by HINTS to see if Ancestry has discovered any shared ancestors in your family tree and the family trees of your matches.
4. Use the SHARED MATCHES feature on your match's page to see who else is likely connected through that same branch.
Hope that makes sense. Let me know if I can help further. (Crista)
This is super helpful, but has it been updated at all? Especially since Ancestry is directing us away from the desktop software.
I have figured out my matches if they have a leaf with it. But how do you go about figuring out how you are related to someone if it just has their tree and common surnames?
Use the Shared Matches feature to help you figure out which branch of your family tree they connect to. Then, you sometimes you have to do some family history research and extend their family tree by a generation or two to find the connection.
Here are some tips: thegeneticgenealogist.com/2017/03/11/are-you-doing-everything-to-identify-your-matches/
I do not have a paid subscription to Ancestry but I have taken the DNA test. I am the only one in my family to take the test. Since I do not have a paid subscription, will I still be able to add the results to my guest account and from there will I be able to find matches and contact them?
Hi Dave, thanks for stopping by. We would like to reassure you that you are not required to have a paid membership to take advantage of the features the AncestryDNA test has to offer. You will have full access to your estimated ethnicity breakdown, DNA matches and will be able to contact your matches to collaborate with them.
Alot of people related too have really small trees. While I have a pretty big n detailed. I had over 400 without any cousins from ancestry.
I like it. Ots almost like a game to me to find out how I'm related to people
These are my people. We are the Meherrin, Tuscarora, Nansemond, Chowanoke, and Nottoway American tribes of Virginia.
This is awesome validation thanks. I'm doing the same thing into Roots Magic
What is annoying to me, as a scientist, is that I cannot see the marker signatures as in the previous version. I have a definative relation with a gentleman's family, on the prior version, that does not even show up on the new DNA version. Not only that, I cannot even see the genetic marker information of these new people to determine relationship. I have not found a single definative relation in this new version.
where is that link to the other video you mention ??
My husband has over 6600 DNA matches with 4th cousins or higher. Why would he have so many? What is the best name to put as the main name when a person has changed their name? Both first and last or similar to their name but different.
Does your husband come from a population that practices a lot of endogamy - like French Canadian, Puerto Rican, or European Jewish? That would cause a large number of matches.
As for the name - that is up to you. I choose to put the birth name in as the primary name and enter the other as an alternate name.
Yes, European Jewish. I thought to put in the birth name if available also, but since most were born in Europe, I guess the next best would be what is on the ship's manifest. Dilemma, my husband has family who have completely changed their name, ex. Michael Jones to William Fox. In that case, what do you suggest? Thanks.
Ancestry - Wow.. I've been trying to figure out why the Puerto Ricans I'm related to they don't even know each other. Yet their family is all from the same side of the island. It's because that whole side of the island is related?
Question about attaching DNA test to tree...is that what I did when I first registered my DNA test or do I have to do something else?
+Laurie Fugate
Registering the test simply links it to your account. You have to then link it to a tree in your account. If you didn't do the extra step, then you might not have linked it to your tree.
Go to your DNA page, then click on the gray 'Settings' button with the little gear icon on it.
On that settings page are several options you can change, including "Family Tree Linking", which lets you link the dna test to a tree in your account and to a specific person in that tree, whoever took the dna test.
Wondering how to go about find birth records pre 1900s. or birth records in general, vitalstats charges to much imo for something with just some names on it. I was told to check churches, but how would u find a church from 1887 or 1852?
Some birth records were kept at a county level prior to 1900. Use the Card Catalog (found under the SEARCH menu) and filter down to the state level and then by BIRTH to see what is available online. If the record is not available online (or only the index is available online), you would need to contact the county offices to get a copy of the original.
City directories, maps, and county/local histories can be great resources to determine which churches existed in the time and place your ancestors lived. (Crista)
I have 183 4th cousin matches....
I would like to know why after submitting my DNA five times it comes back negative.
My gene pool is not too big: many of my ancestors repeat many times. That complicates the degree of relation with my matches. I am from Paraguay.
I find these videos extremely helpful. I have a match that says, “first cousin.” I don’t know the man. He is about 15 years older than me. I have contacted him. We shared family names, but no matches. I’ve even asked my parents, who are in their late 80’s, and they don’t recognize names. Any tips on what else to do?
I just had the same happen. It turned out my grandfather appeared to have children with another woman. The cousin was the child of a previously unknown half sibling.
9:42 She knows all her 1st and 2nd cousins 😳
I cannot relate.
I don't understand how I could be a match with people who have no shared ethnicity with me.
We had 3 Y-DNA37 tests done to answer one specific question. This was done through Family Tree DNA - Sicilian Project. Can this be linked as you described doing in this video?
Chris Garner
Smart testing both parents to see what side they're related.
I look to see if cousins from either side are already on the list. I can tell depending on which cousin is listed if it is the maternal or paternal side of the family
What's the family tree maker program that you use on this video
It is called Family Tree Maker and can be purchased through Software Mackiev here: www.mackiev.com/ftm/index.html
+Ancestry is that program available for Australia and mac
Yes. And, yes.
One question I have...I appear to have 6X more shared ancestors with my paternal uncle--that I do with his daughter. Could this be due to different parts of DNA being passed on, or is it a deeper look/resolution?
This is so cool I wanna try it I think my descent is like Mongol, Xiongnu, Huns idk
You should listen to the music Band named The Hu..they are amazing and love their Mongol Heritage.
Are you having any trouble getting AncestryDNA to load with Chrome? I have tried for the last week and can not get it to load with Chrome after having no problems for over a month. AncestryDNA does not work very well with Internet Explorer and it is the only way I can get in now. I spoke to someone a week ago and she said to go in through Explorer, but I assumed she was going to talk to the tech department about it, but I guess not. Just wondering if you were having issues as well.
Chrome sometimes has extensions or add-ons that interfere with the AncestryDNA pages loading correctly. If you open a Chrome Incognito window and login to AncestryDNA and have no problems, an extension or add on is likely the culprit.
I have a match who contacted me. She's been looking for her biological father's family since she was very young. She's now in her 70's. She knows little of her biological father and therefore does not have a family tree. She matched to "my" 1st cousin (on my father's side) as a 1st cousin but her match to me states I am a 2nd-3rd cousin to her. It's been my experience that ALL my Aunt's & Uncle's kids on my father's side would be my first cousins. So how can this woman be a 1st cousin to my 1st cousin, yet a 2nd-3rd cousin to me? I must also note that I know my 1st cousin personally (in fact, I know all of them and many of my 3rd-4th cousins as I am the family historian who has been working on our family tree for more than 3 decades) but yet that 1st cousin (who is my Aunt's daughter) is listed in my matches as a 3rd-4th cousin. So, not only is the match with this new relative mixed up, the match with my 1st cousin is definitely incorrect on Ancestry DNA as she is clearly not my 3rd-4th cousin. Can you please help?
Hello Lynn. I would be happy to take a look at your DNA Match list and your family tree and see if I can help you make sense of your DNA matches. If you want to send me a private message to ASK @ ancestry.com, I will give you the instructions for sharing that information with me. (~Crista)
I have not had DNA testing. Does the DNA testing show on public trees? I could then find new people based on documented common ancestors. Thanks
does anyone know why her screen is blurry or it is just me?
Poor camera that's all. Wish she would make an updated video as this is 7 years old and things have changed a lot
I sometime wonder if I put my tree to "private" if I would get more messages from people.
how do is see their (matches) family tree (we are both subscribers to ancestry). Their name is not recognized in the member directory?
When you are viewing your DNA match, if their tree is connected to their DNA results, it will come up on the match screen. If it is not connected to their DNA results, you will see a little drop-down box that allows you to select to view the public trees on their account. If their family tree is private, you will need to message them to request permission to view their tree.
i have a question to ask ...i am new at this and watching this so helpful I am adopted and wondering how to start my tree with name do i use my birth name witch i do know or my adopted name . if im looking for my biological family so i as of now have anyone to add to my tree .... and i did find a match on ancestry for a close family member with my birth name . but he has not singed in for a year i did send a message but i dont think he will be seeing it .
Hi I am adopted too and it is kind of pointless doing an "adoptive" family tree if you are looking for your birth family, as none of you are genetically related so you won't match in any case. If you know your birth surname then make your tree in that name and ake it public as the chances are you might find other birth family members with that name as you have already suggested.
I too was in the same position as you. I had a close family match with a lady (an aunt or cousin) whose account was being managed by her husband and he had not been online for a year so when I direct messaged him I got no response, but recently, his grandson showed up as my second cousin, so I messaged the grandson and he then spoke to his grandparents and the grandad remembered his password and we have been corresponding since and he has been very helpful.
I was adopted 57 years ago, so I may well still be a 'secret' as back in those days if a lady got pregnant out of wedlock, it was considered a very shameful thing so sometimes the ladies didn't tell anyone they'd had a baby even their close family. What I am hoping is if he is talking to the wider family about me, then maybe my birth mother might 'come out' and own up to me as she would probably be about 77 if she is still alive.
I don't know how old you are, but you might be lucky if the matched relative of yours does come on line or if you get another match in the future. Good luck in your search.