Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere!



Go Back   Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere! > Research > DNA Questions

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 27-03-19, 17:18
Phoenix's Avatar
Phoenix Phoenix is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,617
Default Going down the Rabbit Hole

I click on a DNA match, to try to work out how we are related.
No joy, so I look at the shared matches, choosing someone with a tree. I don't get the colour coding, so I can't really tell, unless I explore them and their shared matches....

Two minutes later, I have no idea who I was looking at to start with.

How do you keep tabs on this, to actually record useful information?
__________________
The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 27-03-19, 17:26
kiterunner's Avatar
kiterunner kiterunner is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 25,271
Default

I write them down in a set of notebooks.
__________________
KiteRunner

Family History News updated 29th Feb
Findmypast 1871 census update
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 30-03-19, 09:45
marquette's Avatar
marquette marquette is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,251
Default

I started with the easy ones - I filtered the matches by "common ancestor", they mostly have a family tree of some description. Then the Public Linked trees.

I used the colour coding to note which family they belong to. Yellow for father's side, Red for mothers. Specific families got an extra colour so I didn't have to keep checking - Green for Worner/Rodford, Pink for Brazill, Purple for Dawson/Page (mostly because there are not many of them). I used Starred Matches to be able to keep track of any matches I want to investigate more, or check to see if there are more matches coming up. I only had one Tupper match but now i have two, they don't match each other, but their family trees match.

On the page which shows Pedigree and Surnames, Shared Matches and Maps and Locations - there is a box above these headings and I use it to note as much as I need. I do note the common ancestor, because you can look at the note box on the first matches page, without having to page through again. I write who their ancestor was (in a family of 4 siblings who came to Australia, the MRCA is their parents, so I note the child's name. I also note shared matches as sometimes this helps and also likely names or places in their tree, so I can go back to them later.

Sometimes I write "tree of 6 people, all private" or "mostly USA, Wakefield name" (I have several matches with no known link, but they all have the Wakefield family in their trees). A couple of matches have now add more to their tree, which is helpful.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 30-03-19, 13:05
maggie_4_7
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by marquette View Post
I started with the easy ones - I filtered the matches by "common ancestor", they mostly have a family tree of some description. Then the Public Linked trees.

I used the colour coding to note which family they belong to. Yellow for father's side, Red for mothers. Specific families got an extra colour so I didn't have to keep checking - Green for Worner/Rodford, Pink for Brazill, Purple for Dawson/Page (mostly because there are not many of them). I used Starred Matches to be able to keep track of any matches I want to investigate more, or check to see if there are more matches coming up. I only had one Tupper match but now i have two, they don't match each other, but their family trees match.

On the page which shows Pedigree and Surnames, Shared Matches and Maps and Locations - there is a box above these headings and I use it to note as much as I need. I do note the common ancestor, because you can look at the note box on the first matches page, without having to page through again. I write who their ancestor was (in a family of 4 siblings who came to Australia, the MRCA is their parents, so I note the child's name. I also note shared matches as sometimes this helps and also likely names or places in their tree, so I can go back to them later.

Sometimes I write "tree of 6 people, all private" or "mostly USA, Wakefield name" (I have several matches with no known link, but they all have the Wakefield family in their trees). A couple of matches have now add more to their tree, which is helpful.
That is pretty much what I am doing.

I have sorted all 4th cousins and closer now into groups by which family name on my direct ancestors they are descended from and by English and Scottish, and also by country, because some from the same line are in 3 or 4 countries. I have also added a note on about their direct ancestor and how they are descended. So people are sometimes in three groups but at least two.

Of course there is an unknown group for 4th cousins and closer, and I have 23 in that some without trees and some with that I can't see the link for the life of me.

Distant ones I am trawling through those with trees and having a quick look, a couple were quite fruitful in that I spotted the link immediately.

Last edited by maggie_4_7; 30-03-19 at 13:07.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 30-03-19, 13:26
kiterunner's Avatar
kiterunner kiterunner is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 25,271
Default

The vast majority of mine are "unknown", Maggie.
__________________
KiteRunner

Family History News updated 29th Feb
Findmypast 1871 census update
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 30-03-19, 13:37
maggie_4_7
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by kiterunner View Post
The vast majority of mine are "unknown", Maggie.
I still don't understand why people haven't uploaded a tree, it baffles me.

I have sent a few messages, I think about 10 and have only had 2 replies and then asked another question of both and no reply since.

On two I can actually fill in some blanks for them and explained a bit of the information and still no reply.

I had contact already with a few of my matches so we converse regularly on new finds anyway.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 30-03-19, 14:00
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 9,274
Default

Someone mentioned that a lot of people have done DNA testing to discover their ethnicity and stop there. Hence the lack of trees.

I can't understand either why these people wouldn't want to take it further.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 30-03-19, 14:21
Margaret in Burton's Avatar
Margaret in Burton Margaret in Burton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire
Posts: 5,153
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ElizabethHerts View Post
Someone mentioned that a lot of people have done DNA testing to discover their ethnicity and stop there. Hence the lack of trees.

I can't understand either why these people wouldn't want to take it further.
That was me

My friend and her husband tested for ethnicity reasons only. Neither have a paid sub to Ancestry and don’t want to. They just aren’t interested in finding distant relatives.
__________________
Marg
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 30-03-19, 14:26
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 9,274
Default

It seems a waste of money, Marg.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 30-03-19, 14:40
Margaret in Burton's Avatar
Margaret in Burton Margaret in Burton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire
Posts: 5,153
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ElizabethHerts View Post
It seems a waste of money, Marg.
Quite possibly but their decision. I offered to be the manager and use my account but they still said they weren’t interested.

I’m sure they aren’t the only ones who have that attitude.
__________________
Marg
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:22.


Hosted by Photon IT

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7 PL3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.