DNA: Ancestry and FTDNA Strategies (Charts)


Autosomal Testing Services provide Ethnicity Estimates, Matches and Tools.  This is just about matches.

Two methods of working with Matches: Ancestor and Cousin
Ancestor Method: Ask a question and look for a common ancestor.  Such as: who are Charlie’s parents?

Cousin Method:  Find a cousin whose relationship you know and find others who are related in the same way.

Ancestor Method Overview

1.       What is the question?
2.       Who is the best match?
3.       What is focus person’s relationship to the best match?
4.       Find common or shared matches between focus person and “best match”.
5.       Find shared matches for the shared matches to build a genetic network or circle.  Contact matches or work on their tree.
6.       Contact matches or work on their tree.
7.       If you are stuck, build a mirror tree and attach your DNA.

Ancestor Method Detail

1.       What is the question?
2.       Who is the best match?  Someone with greater than 15 cM or more, shared surname, shared location/date, and ethnicity matches for certain situations.  Consider if a match has a tree. 
3.       What is the focus person’s relationship to the best match?  Find age of match or match’s parent.  If not the same as focus person, estimate how many Is that generation removed from the focus person’s age?  Use a Relationship Chart to determine the relationship.
4.       Find common or shared matches between you and “best match”.  Look for family groups (1st cousins or closer, shared administrator).  Limit to 4th cousins.
5.       Find shared matches for the shared matches to build a genetic network or circle.  Find the most likely generation.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.
6.       Contact matches.  They may already know the answer.  To just work on their tree may be quicker.
7.       If you are stuck, build a mirror tree and attach your DNA.




Cousin Method in AncestryDNA: Go fishing and see what you find

Actions
Comments

Set up personal information

Use settings button at the top of the DNA home page.  Especially attach a tree to your DNA.  Ask a relative if you can use their tree. 

Record everything about 2nd cousins and closer
Decide on a record keeping system
Spreadsheet, index cards for Matches & Correspondence.  Could Use Ancestry “Note” feature but it is limited.
Set a cutoff for best matches
You won't know this at the beginning, EH,VH, centiMorgans
Circles (not New Ancestor Discoveries)
Identify branch of family for all of them
Shared Ancestor Hints
Use filter for shaky leaves, record all of them
Search for common surnames on match list
Filter at top of the List of Matches. On the Individual Match Page scroll to the bottom to see all the surnames.  Look for common surnames and alternate spellings.
If no tree, look to see if it's just not attached
This will be tedious, but sometimes worth it.
Shared Matches on indiv match page
Use to make your own "circles", does not require that your match has a tree.  It only goes back to 4th cousins
Use Filter to see Genetic  Communities
Build your tree back in time and add descendants for ancestors
Build mirror trees
Mark speculative entries
Kitty Cooper uses ?? In suffix field
Look for Shared Locations on indiv match page
Look for Ethnicities on the continent level
Blaine Bettinger says they are not reliable on the country or regional level yet.
Communicate with selected matches
Use tan button on profile page (not green button on indiv match page)
Log all your correspondence
Next Steps
Test selected family members from older generations or from specific family lines
Probably use FTDNA to test.
Transfer raw data and tree to FTDNA
Transfer raw data and tree to GedMatch
Transfer raw data and tree to My Heritage
Consider working with X chromosome matches
In certain situations
Decide about using Third Party software




Cousin Method in Family Tree DNA
Set up personal information
On Dashboard "Manage Personal Information".  Go to Personal Profile.  You need to add surnames and Earliest Known Ancestors.  These are not automatically picked up from your tree.
Upload raw DNA data from another testing service.
Click on DNA tests in main menu bar.  The click on Autosomal Transfer.
Upload family tree gedcom
Go to My Family Tree in main menu bar.  Click Upload Gedcom on upper right.
Decide on a record keeping system
Spreadsheet, index cards for Matches & Correspondence
Set a cutoff for best matches
You won't know this at the beginning.  Maybe the top 10.  CentiMorgans for FTDNA are significantly higher than AncestryDNA so you can’t compare them.
For your best matches, get a valid cM number.
Ask for help if you want to do this.
Record everything about 2nd cousins and closer

Make genetic networks
Use ICW filter, record all of them to make your own networks or "circles"
Search for common surnames on match list
Surnames that match yours will be bold followed by the rest in alphabetical order.  Click on the surnames to see the full list.
Build your tree back in time and add descendants for ancestors
Build mirror trees
Can’t do this at FTDNA.
Look for Ethnicities on the continent level
Communicate with selected matches

Log all your correspondence
Next Steps
Test selected family members from older generations or from specific family lines
Transfer raw data and tree to GedMatch
If you have tested with multiple services, only move one to GedMatch
Transfer raw data and tree to My Heritage
For certain situations
Connect to Geni.com
On Dashboard at bottom, click on Partner Applications
Consider working with X chromosome matches
Decide about using Third Party Software


No comments:

Post a Comment