RootsChat.Com
General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: IgorStrav on Thursday 17 May 18 21:16 BST (UK)
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It seems a bit like everyone else, I've found DNA tests/results a little disappointing.
I've done 2 - 23&Me and Ancestry, and I uploaded my data to GEDMatch.
Whilst a lot of potential matches have popped up, not a single one has been in touch with me.
Of the ones I've been in touch with myself (and have replied - several haven't bothered even to do that), we've not been able to find any potential link - and the other parties don't seem to have been interested in doing further research themselves to find out where the connection might be.
In fact, I spent a long time following up a line for a contact, which he had done very little research on. I was very hopeful to find a link somewhere, as locations and dates were very close to my own lineage - but no joy, or at least as far as I could get back.
So I fear no brick walls are falling down for me so far.
I have one person who has replied, and I think I have been able to work out which line we must be connected on by the fact that we have no shared matches.
This particular line is, of course, my most difficult one, with common names, reluctance to marry or register childrens' births, and East End of London locations. There are no unusual occupations, or places of birth for me to cling to. And even if I find a 'possible' for one of my ancestors, I have no way of proving it.
I think I will leave the DNA alone, and concentrate on digging away at my own tree (with help from always fantastically helpful Rootschatters).
Who knows, perhaps someone will contact ME with helpful information.....
Apologies for depressing post. I wasn't overly hopeful, but all these Ancestry DNA people who either have no tree, or have 5 people on a tree, or haven't attached a tree........
:(
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Well that`s a shame, I have not done anything re DNA nor have any of my contacts-well to my knowledge, but how rude not to acknowledge someone else`s work and their sharing of the results.
It is generous to share and a real family tree hunter will always do that.
Can`t understand people who don`t carry the information as far as possible.
I wonder if anyone in the future will try to find out about us !
Viktoria.
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It seems a bit like everyone else, I've found DNA tests/results a little disappointing.
I've done 2 - 23&Me and Ancestry, and I uploaded my data to GEDMatch.
Whilst a lot of potential matches have popped up, not a single one has been in touch with me.
Like you, I have many potential matches at gedmatch, but have not had much luck with contacts. My closest match is somebody who I matched with at ancestry, I suggested she upload to Gedmatch. Perhaps other Gedmatchers upload after someone else has suggested it to them, and are not really interested in the wider picture.
I don't contact matches at Gedmatch very often, as there is usually so little to go on - there are precious few trees, much fewer than at ancestry, which in itself is dire.
Two people have contacted me from Gedmatch, I have replied promptly, both of them are at Ancestry with trees, but we have not established a match as yet.
At Ancestry, nobody has contacted me at all. I have sent many messages, some of which are replied to, many more are not.
But I am still happy with my experience, would do so again. Two brick walls broken down, other lines confirmed where there were question marks, etc etc.
Regards Margaret
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Just this week I found match on Ancestry that may help to break down brick walls for me and the the match.
I have Richard and Elizabeth Cory who appeared in the village of South Hill, Cornwall in 1768 and baptized two daughters. I am descended from one of them. They appeared in this village out of the blue and disappeared, no marriage or burials found for them anywhere in Devon or Cornwall.
When their daughter Elizabeth (my ancestor) married in the same village in 1794 the witnesses were two Richard Corys. So possible that one of the Richard's is the brides brother and the other her father.
My DNA match has a Richard Cory brickwall too. Also in eastern Cornwall a bit further north. His Richard married in 1782 in Morwenstow.
The dna match is 5th to 8th cousin so a suitable relationship to have if his Richard is brother to my Elizabeth. We share 13 centimorgans in 1 chunk so we are very hopeful about this match.
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That's brilliant mgeneas, very pleased for you, must be really cheering that you have a brick wall looking more fragile than it was!
I suppose I'm feeling defeated by my East London St George in the East (and environs) relatives, who MAY be connected to Norfolk/Suffolk - if the DNA match I've found is on that line, as I believe.
Because I can't quite see how, at present, I'll be able to prove that the East Anglian lot moved into London, although it is probably quite likely they did, potentially at the very end of the 18th/very early 19th Centuries.
Onwards and upwards, though!
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Frustrating but not entirely unexpected, this is just like online member trees all over again. Should be a great collaborative tool to share information, but most are poorly researched and owned by people who gave up and will never see your messages.
Still, it's not a waste of time, as when you do manage to communicate with someone who knows what they're doing and is willing to share, the results are great. Within a week of getting my results I made contact with a third cousin who shared her collection of old family photos, and found someone with a tree that managed to identify a sibling of an Irish ancestor that I never would have found otherwise.
The database will keep on growing and as that happens there will be more people with something to offer.
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So far my DNA results have fallen into two categories.
The first is confirmation of my paper research. I have linked strongly with three people whom I found during my research.
The second is links to my fathers mothers line which I knew very little about as my father was estranged from her.
Other than that confusion and frustration, but then I do have an unknown line with no paper trail. This might lead to some answers.
Oh and my son is my son. ;D ;D ;D
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Nanna52, I bet you were relieved when you found out your son was your son - all those nagging doubts over the years dispelled! ;D ;D
On a different note, were you not able to find out anything about your grandmother through conventional means? Depending upon which country your father was born in, I would have thought conventional paper trail would have established this. In UK this would be reasonably easy, unless she had a very common name. Just interested, not questioning your genealogy skills!
Regards Margaret
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Grandmother I have started on now. We have a very strong one hundred year rule in Australia and South Australian records are not the best online. Having said that there is also an unknown father in the line that creates problems. I have struggled to decide whether to follow step fathers line or leave it. So keep putting it in the later basket. ;D
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In some ways it is easier in GB. Up until fairly recently you could order practically any birth, marriage or death certificate, however recent. I'm not sure, but I think this has changed now. I remember about 5 years ago a contact applied for and was given the birth and marriage certificate of someone who was still living, so that he could contact him.
I thought this was strange that he applied for them, let alone was sent them.
Then 1939 Register comes along - nobody who was born less than 100 years ago is shown, unless full documentary evidence of death is supplied. This is very strictly enforced by The National Archives. Not many people born in 1918 are still living today. If I was one of them, I would love to see records of when I was a young girl.
The 1921 UK census is probably the last one that I will see, 1931 got destroyed, 1941 wasn't taken, and I was born in 1950. If I'm still alive in 2052, the census will probably be the last thing on my mind.
Good luck in your searches, and everyone else.
Regards Margaret
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Just a thought...
You will see that I have added my Gedmatch and FTDNA kit numbers to my. profile info at the bottom this post.
One day, someone will use it... probably.
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Just a thought...
You will see that I have added my Gedmatch and FTDNA kit numbers to my. profile info at the bottom this post.
One day, someone will use it... probably.
I used your gedmatch number to compare to mine. We are not at all related. That must be a huge relief to you ;D ;)
It was a useful exercise for me as I see you still have a long list of matches on the one to many matches option but mine has mysteriously reduced from a very long list to a mere eight ???
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it all still blows my mind.. I have had TWO contacts.. out of goodness knows how many possibles.
( cos I have given up on it) One is my Nephew who I have known all HIS life and adore him :) xx the other a cousin that was lovely to find.. But was almost there with her on the paper trail.
:(
:(
xin
:(
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Thanks to everyone for their responses.
I have found another way of tracking down DNA contacts on Ancestry - it may be more productive.
I spent some time looking through the latest HINTS - there are more now that Ancestry has the 1939 Register, and simpler to add than looking up on FindMyPast and typing in the info as I did before.
These hints mention some of my more remote connections (I'm a great one for following up siblings' lines for clues), and then there are attached public Ancestry Trees for additional review.
I don't usually look at these in detail, as I often find the research is quite questionable - but now if you see a reasonably researched tree, you can click on the owner and it will say if it's a DNA match or not.
I just turned one up and have written to say I can see where the DNA link likely comes from, and I have more info on that person and their parentage - fingers crossed this may inspire a response!!
Onwards and upwards.
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I think this is amusing while reading this post. I checked the two GedMatch numbers and match with both.
Nanna52 I have a small match with you lowering the threshold to 5, and have two Williams lines which are difficult to trace.
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
12 5,294,487 7,734,199 5.8 524
Diplodicus my match with you is a bit stronger but I do have a lot of Welsh - Jones in particular and Irish from Dundalk :-) Haughey, Rice, Branigan.
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
11 45,050,190 65,938,993 9.0 1,367
My kit no. is A629633
Gail
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GailB my great grandfather was a Williams from Denbigshire, or somewhere else. I don't think he was always truthful. He married and came out to Australia where they settled in Bairnsdale. This is off the top of my head, but if it sounds familiar I will dig up his information for you. 5 is pretty small though isn't it.
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One of my Williams lines was from Wirral and probably way too far back to even consider being able to make a link. The other is my 4x great grandfather who was born in Anglesey but moved to Liverpool.
But as you say 5 is pretty small and at that level may not even be Williams could be any Welsh name.
Gail
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Hi Gail,
My Murthas left Dundalk in c1854 and settled In Sunderland. My mother’s tribe are all from the Tywi Valley between Carmarthen and Lampeter.
I will have a look on GEDmatch but am at grandchildren’s house so will need sharp elbows to gain PC access!
My maternal cousin (Huw) is on GEDmatch too so it might help eliminate one side. a224623
What fun😃
Malcolm Vincent
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Anglesey is the link then Gail. My 2 X great grandmother was Margaret Ellis (1830-1915). Her parents were John Hughes Ellis and Jane Jones. She married Owen Williams in 1853 and they arrived in Victoria in 1857, settling in Bairnsdale.
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Nanna
My Williams from Anglesey were there approximately 1784 which is quite a time before yours. Not saying they are not related but difficult to prove.
Diplodicus
Yes I match with your cousin, slightly less than I match with you.
My ancestors were descendants of Laurence Rice and Catherine Branigan (born in the 1820s) and the next generation descendants of Mathew Haughey and Catherine Rice born in the 1840-1860’s). So probably a bit later than your ancestors. Sponsors at the children from both couples were: Crosby, Woods, McLaughlan, Rice, Pepper, O’Neil, Murphy, Haughey, Fernan and Roddy, none of which match with your family name so I suspect the link is probably quite a bit earlier. I have exhausted the paper trail for my family from Dundalk.
Gail
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Gail I went on a wander through the trees on Ancestry and found one which goes a long way back with the Ellis family. In the direct line there was a Mary Williams who married Ellis Ellis in the late 1600's early 1700's. I don't have access to sources to prove or disprove this, but it does seem that way back there was money in the family. They seemed to be around the Taicroesion, Llechylched, area.
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Thanks Nanna, I will take a look at some trees and see if I can find anything, that looks interesting
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It seems a bit like everyone else, I've found DNA tests/results a little disappointing.
I've done 2 - 23&Me and Ancestry, and I uploaded my data to GEDMatch.
Whilst a lot of potential matches have popped up, not a single one has been in touch with me.
Of the ones I've been in touch with myself (and have replied - several haven't bothered even to do that), we've not been able to find any potential link - and the other parties don't seem to have been interested in doing further research themselves to find out where the connection might be.
In fact, I spent a long time following up a line for a contact, which he had done very little research on. I was very hopeful to find a link somewhere, as locations and dates were very close to my own lineage - but no joy, or at least as far as I could get back.
So I fear no brick walls are falling down for me so far.
I have one person who has replied, and I think I have been able to work out which line we must be connected on by the fact that we have no shared matches.
This particular line is, of course, my most difficult one, with common names, reluctance to marry or register childrens' births, and East End of London locations. There are no unusual occupations, or places of birth for me to cling to. And even if I find a 'possible' for one of my ancestors, I have no way of proving it.
I think I will leave the DNA alone, and concentrate on digging away at my own tree (with help from always fantastically helpful Rootschatters).
Who knows, perhaps someone will contact ME with helpful information.....
Apologies for depressing post. I wasn't overly hopeful, but all these Ancestry DNA people who either have no tree, or have 5 people on a tree, or haven't attached a tree........
:(
Totally with you on this, I don't get why people have bothered doing the DNA if they don't even respond to messages or are interested in connecting a link. It's rather frustrating. I've sent lots of messages of to those with matches to find a link and only about 2 have responded.
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Perhaps this might help you see a bigger picture???
My wife’s sister did an Ancestry test and I persuaded my wife to submit one too to help her sister’s research. She did.
She has no interest in genealogy and doesn’t have an Ancestry account. Her results aren’t linked to a tree.
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Perhaps this might help you see a bigger picture???
My wife’s sister did an Ancestry test and I persuaded my wife to submit one too to help her sister’s research. She did.
She has no interest in genealogy and doesn’t have an Ancestry account. Her results aren’t linked to a tree.
Yes, I do understand there are many reasons for doing a DNA test, some of which are entirely unconnected with genealogy.
I am speaking about the members of Ancestry who have been members for some years, have logged in relatively recently, and have either very limited trees or no trees.
I have no problem if they've not done any research but out of courtesy it would be great to have a reply to my polite and encouraging message, offering interesting research (if I can identify where our link is).
I have, however, decided to get over myself and just carry on with my own research.
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Shevy, I think lots of people get DNA kits as presents, and only swab their mouths or spit in a bucket to keep the present giver happy. I also think there are some people who do the test and then think the whole thing is too complicated. There must also be people that think they've got something that they don't want out in the open. I also think there are people that specifically have something to hide. I also think that some people are just more interested than others. If somebody gave me an FA Cup final ticket I probably wouldn't bother going.
Martin