DNA results are back!

[hurworth]

I'm thinking it might be a good idea transferring to one or two other sites. 

I've found Ancestry to give me the most matches for one branch of my family (although the two closest matches from that branch have either no tree or a large 8,000+ locked tree, and don't reply to messages - fortunately I know who they are and how they're related so don't need their input and besides their trees are probably still incorrect ... the DNA match confirms that their gtgt-aunt hadn't died childless afterall). 

For another branch FamilyTreeDNA has the most matches from a couple of lines. 

For another branch (the patrilineal one...I was just starting to get a bit worried that there had been NO matches AT ALL up this line) MyHeritage had a 1C1R, 2C and 2C1R.

My preference is FamilyTreeDNA but you may not be able to upload today because the site is undergoing an upgrade and rather slow.  You'll also need to adapt your DNA file slightly (I can explain how if you're interested).

MyHeritage I find easy to navigate and quite a few people have trees.

There's is no charge to upload to them, but if you want to use the chromosome browser at FamilyTreeDNA there is a one-off fee.  But you can add that later.

You just never know where your known cousins have tested, and these known cousins are usually what you need to confirm things and knock down brick walls.

For me what works best is having fingers in lots of pies.

[Finley 1]

I need a new brain to be able to tackle anymore of this....



xin

[jillruss]

Just picking up on those replies which put forward the theory that if they open their tree to DNA matches, no one will bother contacting them. I have given up contacting people with locked trees as the few I have tried contacting either don't reply or show no inclination to help work out where the connection is.

I am steadily working my way through contacting matches which give enough of a tree to help me work out sideways and where possible backwards to see if there is a possible connection. I am also contacting closer matches without trees in case they have done enough research to help work out how we match. Some reply and some don't but they are generally more forthcoming than those with locked trees.

You don't have to put a full tree on with your precious photos etc. You can also just have a tree visible to DNA matches. I only have a rudimentary tree on Ancestry but it should be enough for people to see names. We are all entitled to our different approaches and I respect that but I don't think curling up like a poked hedgehog gives you the best value for money from your DNA test.

Oh, and you may wish to check your settings to make sure they allow you to receive messages from contacts. Mine were set to not receive messages and it took me a few days to realise this.

Very interesting thread though and great to read different perspectives.

I am one of your poked hedgehogs! I take your points - but it seemed to me that I was getting zilch answers to my messages and that its highly likely that anyone notified of a connection with me could easily view my tree when public, glean what they wanted and not bother to reply. (I have a poor opinion of humankind, it has to be admitted). Equally, I can see it from the opposite aspect and admit that I'm ignoring people with no trees or private trees, because what's the point?

You say: You can also just have a tree visible to DNA matches. . I'm new to Ancestry - how do I do that? I've been onto my Settings page but can't see anything to click to achieve this.

You also say: Oh, and you may wish to check your settings to make sure they allow you to receive messages from contacts. Mine were set to not receive messages and it took me a few days to realise this.  Ditto - how do I make sure of that?

All of my 'Distant Cousins' that I've looked at so far are no use at all. Would you bother delving deeper than 4th-6th cousins, good to high confidence?

Jill

[Finley 1]

I am spending time - deleting 5th - 8ths with no tree or less than 10


xin

[diplodicus]

xinia,

My advice to you is to sloooow down. Diving into the gene pool increases the possible number of cross-matches, connections, etc by a factor of about 200. Bearing in mind the amount of work you are probably doing simply to stay on top of your tree constructed "the old fashioned way" it would be a shame to lose control of all that because of the gene-match possibilities. Remember, your genes are with you forever so there's no rush.

I would suggest the following:

1. Load your test results to both gedmatch.com and ftdna.com. This is free of charge and each site has clear instructions on how to do it. I reckon that it will take you about two hours work spread over a couple of days. Then I would forget all about them for the time being. Your results are there for others to view and if they're interested, they can contact you. The reason I suggest not doing anything with these additional results is that they will inundate you with 'stuff' and to use them well will require you to increase your understanding of SNPs, centimorgans, pileups and all the other aspects of gene matching.

2. With your Ancestry matches, I would recommend following a few of your closest matches and sweating them as hard as you can to see where that gets you. Use the gold star icon and the blue "new" buttons to help you filter matches that you might wish to find without wading through pages of other names.

2.Use the "Add note" function. I record all my shared matches' names and the latest date I looked. This way you can click on the note icon to read what it says without having to click on "View Match". I believe there is an extension for the Chrome browser that enables you to view all your notes? I also record the "Amount of Shared DNA" result which you can find for each match by clicking on the little "I" icon next to the Confidence Level (e.g. Confidence: High  i  ).

3. I use Excel to record shared matches. This becomes very time-consuming but it reveals all sorts of matches that the Ancestry software doesn't.

I match to A and we share a match with X
I match to B and we share a match with Y
I match to C and we share a match to X and Y.

Therefore I deduce that X and Y are related and A is also related to Y and B to X and C is connected to A and B as well!(dodgy I know but it works for me). The reason I do this is because Ancestry only reports shares with 4th cousins or closer. So when you've finished processing your 4th to 6th cousins, you will suddenly find 5th to 8th cousins connecting two of your connections hitherto unconnected in Ancestry. I have one progenitor who is an ancestor of 28 (and counting) matches of whom over half don't show him as a shared match!

Although you will find some shared matches in the "moderate" confidence matches, always keep your 4th to 6th up-to-date before venturing further into the depths.

Ancestry inserts new results into your pages in five days out of seven (presumably new tests?). These may result in new shared matches appearing in those individuals you have already examined but they are not highlighted in any way. I can see no alternative to trawling back through all your results to see if any new shared matches have emerged.

Forget all about Scandinavia, Western Europe and Ireland. It is rarely of any use (well, speaking as someone with English Irish, Scots and Welsh great-great-grandfathers).

Alternatively, you could open a bottle, of wine, light the fire and .....

[Finley 1]

Thanks for that intense response


I am too dim to understand -- the lights gone out   

other things pulling my brain to pieces at the moment.

BUT I do appreciate and will reflect on your wonderful comments.. if and when I gather myself.


xin

[Finley 1]

This doggy cannot put the bone down....


please can someone explain the percentage on this??

xin

[sugarfizzle]

Xin, You are correct, you cannot put the bone down!!

Don't concentrate too much on ethnicity results, they appear unreliable. However, I will try to explain them as much as I can.

Your ethnicity shows 70% Western European, 26% Scottish and Irish, 0lus small amounts of others, as you can see.

This is not within your paper trail limits, but supposedly refers to your roots from thousands of years ago.  Whether you take any notice of this is up to you, I personally haven't taken much notice of mine. They are not generally considered to be reliable, though ancestry peddle their tests as being accurate for ethnicity - who can prove them wrong?

Your clip shows ancestors from your tree, concentrated in SE England, a few from SW England. The dotted lines could indicate emigration, or perhaps a mistake on Ancestry's part in interpreting your locations!

Hope this helps a bit. The best advice is, as diplodicus says, slow down. Experiment a bit, make a few contacts, make a few notes.

And don't panic!!

Regards Margaret

[Finley 1]

Thank you all.

yes  time to leave it for a while.. 

and get 'a life'   

xin