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DNA tree/s

Discussion in 'DNA Questions and Answers' started by CarolB08, May 25, 2018.

  1. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    While I am waiting the 6 to 8 weeks for any results to come back I have decided to make a DNA tree for Ancestry matches, I can not decide to make just the one tree for my Maternal and Paternal lines or two independent trees one my my maternal line and one for my paternal line, although this one would only contain 6 names. What have other people done ?
     
  2. uncle024

    uncle024 LostCousins Star

    How will you know which tree to put them in? I test with Family Tree DNA and hence have two trees Y-DNA and mtDNA. I have also done a Family Finder test which is equivalent to the Ancestry test so the results don't tell me which side of the family the match is coming from. However as a Paternal cousin has tested as well I can tell which are from my paternal line. So start with one tree and split when you know which side of the family the match is coming from. I am sure Peter addresses the issue.
     
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
  3. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Oh my goodness Uncle024 I had not thought of this, I can see this is going to test my intelligence :eek: right so one tree it is :) thank you for the advice. I seem to remember not so long ago in one of the newsletters, Peter doing a DNA masterclass, I think I shall have to take a look . I am going to need all the help I can get to do this.
     
  4. jorghes

    jorghes LostCousins Superstar

    To make sure you get the most matches possible, it would need to be one tree and you’d need to take it back as far as you can, then it makes it easier to be able to classify and figure out where the matches come from.

    Then you’d need to follow Peter’s instructions to find out what you can.
     
  5. Rhian

    Rhian LostCousins Member

    From what I see, the vast majority of people who test with Ancestry, and probably other companies, do not have any family tree online or anywhere. It also seems that the majority that do have something either do not have much or refuse to communicate with possible cousins.

    I am a bit negative about DNA testing due to poor results I have had but I am persisting. My partners test with Ancestry will follow Peters masterclass steps and hopefully the results may be better. My own method was more or less the same as the masterclass but using FTDNA instead. I would rather get 10 matches that were good and have communication with the potential cousins than have 10000 results that are useless but will work with whatever I can. It all gets very depressing when you get a match of 1.4% with someone with 60cM matches and they have no tree and do not answer emails.
     
  6. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    Most people who have taken DNA tests haven't done any research - that's why working through your matches starting with the (supposedly) closest is a strategy that generally leads to failure and frustration. But when you have matches with well over 10,000 genetic cousins it really doesn't that most of them don't have trees - the important thing is to make the most of your matches with people who do have trees, and that's what the strategies in the Masterclass are designed to achieve.
     
  7. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    I thought I had saved Peters masterclass on DNA but for the life of me I can not find it, is it available on the lost cousins site ?
    Ok folks so one combined tree with as much detail as I can muster is the way to go, now stupid question number 2 would you go with a tree you already have made on Ancestry or keep one specifically for DNA matches?
    Thank you all for the help you are providing to this dunce :)
     
  8. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    It was in last week's newsletter.

    There are also links to ALL of my Masterclasses on the Subscribers Only page, or if you're not a subscriber you can use the search at the top of any newsletter.
     
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
  9. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Thank you Peter, I will go and take a look and this time I will make sure I do save it as I have the feeling I will be referring to it on a frequent basis :)
     
  10. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Just got my results and I am amazed I actually have cousins :eek: no starred matches but 85 4th cousins or closer :) going to be interesting and fun sorting through these :)
     
  11. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Well having had a quick look at my results my 85 matches stretch to 210+ pages of 2nd cousins (2,) one who does not have a tree and one whose tree has 7 names and of course I do not recognise any of them :( 3rd cousins (2) one without a tree and one with over 11.000 people in it. And as to the 4th to 6th cousins well I lost count of how many do not have trees. And then there are pages of distant cousins.:rolleyes:
    I think I will leave any detailed look until tomorrow when I can study Peters DNA master class and actually make some sense of them all.
     
  12. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    You won't have any starred matches at first - because you're the one who decides which matches get a star.
    Ideally you would have done this before you get your DNA results - for a start there's a section headed Before you get your results.....
     
  13. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Oh well better late than never, I consider my wrist well slapped :p
     
  14. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    Carol, I posted the comment for the benefit of others following the discussion.
     
  15. CarolB08

    CarolB08 LostCousins Member

    Very sorry Peter I misunderstood the meaning of your reply.
     

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