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General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: jillruss on Friday 05 October 18 11:56 BST (UK)
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As everyone seemed to rave about gedmatch and how useful it was, I took the plunge and uploaded my DNA stuff to it a couple of weeks ago.
I've been able to access the results for most of that time (they were very quick) but I'm finding I'm not really that bothered (and I AM a very keen family historian!). I thought it would add valuable info to my genealogical research but all it seems to do is give me another list of matches a la Ancestry but this time with no access to possible trees (okay, the odd one has uploaded a Gedcom). So, really its just a repeat process of emailing people on the list who haven't tested with Ancestry and probably 9 times out of 10 getting no reply.
Speaking of Ancestry: why do I have some people on my gedmatch list of matches who, according to the 'A' before their kit number, have also tested with Ancestry but do not seem to appear on my original Ancestry match list? Why would that be?
I thought people who had bothered to go the extra mile and upload to gedmatch would be 'true' family historians and would be much keener to make contact than the average A tester ( I have always had to initiate contact on A ) so, for a change, I sat back and waited to be contacted. Nothing!
I read somewhere on another thread that Gedmatch could be helpful in finding unknown natural fathers in my tree. Can anyone explain how?
I don't mean to be negative (and it didn't cost me anything!) and perhaps I have a lot to learn. I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube to try and get into the whole gedmatch thing but I still only see a list of names and email addresses.
Jill
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I've have a similar view to you about it, Jill.
I think I've mentioned some of my feelings on other threads. They even got my eye colour wrong!
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Gedmatch hasn't given me any new leads, but I will stand up for it. People who aren't interested in their family history are unlikely to upload it to GED match. Doing such a proactive step is a bit of a commitment to being interested in the genetic background of your family. It surprises me that you've had such a poor response. I haven't yet tried contacting anyone though.
Martin
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Add me to that, I just don't get what it about, I also thought I be contacted by someone on that long list of email addresses but not one.
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I found a probable second cousin on Gedmatch who had tested with a different company. We are just trying to work out in the scheme of things as she is related to my biological Unknown grandfather.
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Just to add that most of the gedmatch listings are also on Ancestry and no close matches or decent trees. Also, the trees that are attached are very poor.
Martin - are you sure that these people are interested in their family history as it doesn't look like it to me.
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I uploaded my results years ago. I couldn't make head nor tail of it then and haven't bothered looking again.
It's all too much for me I'm afraid. ::)
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Unfortunately, it's only too common. Most people seem to be takers, not givers. Very surprising because I have received a lot of help from Rootschatters. If anything comes up which I know about, I start writing. My paternal family seems to have no interest in family history.
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Well, I must say I'm glad its not just me! I thought I was missing something!
I'm just emailing a few of them that didn't test with Ancestry as a sort of yardstick as to what kind of reaction you get from Gedmatch matches. I am finding that the vast majority of them appear to be American but I have discovered a few US relations via Ancestry and two of them turned out to be descendants of the natural fathers of two of my great grandparents so I'm loathe to discount them out of hand.
I'll wait and see if I get any replies!
On the plus side - nothing to do with Gedmatch - one of my brothers has just agreed to do the Ancestry test so that might give me a bit more to go on.
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It's main benefit to me has been in comparing kit numbers on a one to one basis, when others do match at ancestry, should match with me somewhere or might match with somewhere.
One to many pretty useless, especially when you consider how few matches they actually provide.
Regards Margaret
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I think maybe I'm going to have to eat my words!
I sent off just 3 emails yesterday and this morning I have a very nice reply (gosh! someone actually replied!) from a lady in New Zealand and, from what she says, its looking as if we have common ancestors in Aberdeen. I won't count my chickens yet though!
Perhaps I might go further down the list and send a few more emails after all!!
Jill
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Just to add that most of the gedmatch listings are also on Ancestry and no close matches or decent trees. Also, the trees that are attached are very poor.
Martin - are you sure that these people are interested in their family history as it doesn't look like it to me.
Gadget, I just think that so many people seem to have trouble with their uploads, that onlu the more committed researchers would use GEDmatch.
Martin
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I had a lady on Ancestry contact me, on her tree was the same family as I had, on paper we shared 4th gt grandparents. Her gt grandmother never married but had children with a man she lived with.
She had her DNA on Ancestry, I haven't but told her I was on GEDmatch with 2 others who have linked on GEDmatch for this family.
She's now having to take out the family, her gt grandfather isn't who the family said fathered gt grandmother's children.
None of us on the one to one had any links even down to 1cM. ;D
On GEDmatch I have proved my paper trail for both paternal and maternal lines so I am happy with being on there as it's produced 8 known hits from other DNA companies to my own. I have several outstanding that I'm trying to find the family links.
I have had more respond to me than haven't.
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I've had my data on GEDmatch for 3 or 4 months, and as I've been too busy doing my research and other activities I haven't tried contacting anybody, but I am a bit disappointed that nobody has tried to contact ME.
Martin
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Please don't be too ready to dismiss Gedmatch; it takes time to get to grips with all that it offers and does require some patience and slight ability to manipulate spreadsheets. I've just spent 10$ on Tier1 utilities and consider it to have been excellent value if only for its Triangulation Beta utility. This will give you a series of Triangulation Groups, associated Gedcoms (if there are any) and the email addresses of the TG members. Copying the lot into Excel and adding columns to indicate if there is a Gedcom match, date of email, date of response, is relatively straightforward despite it being many years since I last used Excel.
It's a good start to attempting to discover those "cousins" and won't necessarily produce quick results. TG members may have other things to do and unfortunately although many upload to Gedmatch they don't always provide a Gedcom.
Travel hopefully and persevere - I've had a few successes and found most TG members have responded positively.
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I have taken a DNA test on Ancestry sometime ago and now someone has suggested that I should download my results to Gedmatch.
If I was to do this could people still see my results on Ancestry? Or, want I think is would be more likely, I would been transferring them totally to Gedmatch?
I am afraid I am more of a "pen & paper" person!
Dave
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Strayer, by downloading your data from Ancestry, and then uploading it to GEDMatch, you then have the opportunity to compare your data with people who have done the same after being tested by other GEDMatch-compatible companies.
Martin
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Dave,
Your Ancestry results will remain exactly as they are on Ancestry and you and anyone else can continue to access them as you do now.
You upload your raw data to Gedmatch so it is "copied" (for want of a better explanation) and you can then compare it with results of other people who have also uploaded their data from various other companies.
For example I tested with FTDNA, and uploaded my data to Gedmatch and also to My Heritage. Now I can look at my original results and matches on FTDNA, and also on My Heritage (where I have picked up some different matches), and also on Gedmatch (which I don't use very often as I find it a bit too confusing, though many find it useful).
:)
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Dave, just to clarify, I tested on Ancestry and downloaded my results and uploaded them to Gedmatch. They are now on both sites. It's not too hard to do and they give clear instructions.
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I, too have been disappointed by the lack of contact from Gedmatch users. I will say that I've had better response from the people I have contacted myself than with any other source - all but two have replied to me, whereas I've had no response from FT DNA, My Heritage users and 50/50 from Ancestry (I've no matches at all on Livingdna!). I assumed that those who bothered to upload to Gedmatch, presumably interested family history researchers, would without fail, upload a Gedcom as well, otherwise what is the point? I cannot understand the vast list of "matches" I have with no tree at all - there is nothing to filter all the thousands on my match list. Having said all that, I do suffer from a paucity of matches - only one better than a possible 4th cousin - and he is adopted, so another barrier!
Steve
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Thanks for your help, Martin, Ruskie & Nana.
I will be definitely uploading to Gedmatch.
Dave
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I used the gedmatch site to gather those Ancestry testers
I have had some matches and sent emails off confirming links and paper trails. Thats been a boon. And yes some dont respond. But thats also ok
I dont expect miracles so I dont look for them. Just an opportunity to get MY kits out to as many people as possible . If they wish to contact then thats great. If I see somebody I think is a close match then I contact them seeking confirmation
Like most the smaller more distant matches I leave be unless again there is a name match
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I can empathise with a few on here. I come from a long line of No Dads in all of my families. Which does cause problems.
I also have long lists of people who share my DNA without putting a family tree on. I really do not understand someone who would do that.
The main one for me was with a family connection that proved where my fathers family came from in Essex when his g grandfather had lived in Kent for most of his life. Just one of my No Dad lines. Because of the DNA I have now proved what took an awful long time and a lot of work..
Of the few who have put trees on, very, very few have any matching names, but the most frequent one is Smith. lol
I have only had contact with about six people, most have been helpful. I have tried contacting others who I can see a possible connection to, but have not had any replies.
Very frustrating.
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I find that there are many with three people on the tree. Private, private and, you guessed it, private. Many come from my most recent 'no dad' line (from shared matches) and often they are from a no dad line too or know a name but nothing else. Grrrr :D :D