Author Topic: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM  (Read 11395 times)

Offline Flemming

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #72 on: Monday 27 July 20 19:23 BST (UK) »
Starting to get very cross with this. The <8cM matches often hold clues to way-back brick walls. If these are wiped by Ancestry, they'll be restricting how far back in time you can go with DNA. The 'they're false matches' argument simply doesn't cut it given the high number many of us have proven by paper research.  >:( >:(

Offline melba_schmelba

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #73 on: Monday 27 July 20 21:42 BST (UK) »
Starting to get very cross with this. The <8cM matches often hold clues to way-back brick walls. If these are wiped by Ancestry, they'll be restricting how far back in time you can go with DNA. The 'they're false matches' argument simply doesn't cut it given the high number many of us have proven by paper research.  >:( >:(
I agree I don't think it is really going to, or really intended to, help people. It is intended to improve Ancestry's bank balance  ::).

Also note this just popped up:

"The Ancestry.co.uk website will undergo scheduled maintenance on Tuesday, 28 July 2020, from approximately 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (BST). During that time, some portions of the site may be unavailable. Thank you for your patience"

Offline LizzieL

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #74 on: Thursday 30 July 20 08:30 BST (UK) »
Looks like the change to remove matches less than 8 has been put back till late August, but other changes still scheduled early or mid August
New message:



More accurate number of shared segments (beginning early August)

See the length of your longest shared segment (beginning mid August)

Distant DNA matches must share 8.0 cM or higher (beginning late August)
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott

Offline pharmaT

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #75 on: Thursday 30 July 20 09:09 BST (UK) »
Gives me more time to save some more matches.  There are so many.
Campbell, Dunn, Dickson, Fell, Forest, Norie, Pratt, Somerville, Thompson, Tyler among others


Offline lisalisa

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #76 on: Thursday 30 July 20 09:33 BST (UK) »
Nice to see this in the new msg re. the 'removals',

"Based on customer feedback, we are delaying this change until late August so you have time to review and determine if you want to save any very distant matches by sending them a message and/or including them in a note or group".

However it does seem to confirm that the 7s rounded up to 8s will be going too.  Too bad we can't tell which they are in the 8s.  I don't think any of the pages show the decimal value any more.

Offline Flemming

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #77 on: Thursday 30 July 20 09:38 BST (UK) »
If they were truly listening to customer feedback, they wouldn't be doing it all. Why can't they allow an opt-in or opt-out system? I can imagine only a fraction of users (i.e. serious researchers) would opt to keep the lower matches. Most people never seem to use the test other than for ethnicity, and others stick with the higher matches. How difficult would it be to keep everyone happy, not just Ancestry themselves?

Offline LizzieL

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #78 on: Thursday 30 July 20 10:56 BST (UK) »

However it does seem to confirm that the 7s rounded up to 8s will be going too.  Too bad we can't tell which they are in the 8s.  I don't think any of the pages show the decimal value any more.

When I list all my matches they are in order from highest to lowest. Where there are a number of matches with the same number of cM (to nearest whole number), they appear to be in random order - certainly not alphabetical, so I suspect they are ordered by the highest to lowest using the (hidden to us) decimal place.
Using this assumption, when going through my 8s, I have started with the ones at the bottom of my list and worked my way up. Even with 2-3  weeks extension to D-day (disappearance day), I will only have time to check those with a surname or location of interest. But there are still plenty of those.
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott

Offline lisalisa

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #79 on: Thursday 30 July 20 11:47 BST (UK) »

However it does seem to confirm that the 7s rounded up to 8s will be going too.  Too bad we can't tell which they are in the 8s.  I don't think any of the pages show the decimal value any more.

When I list all my matches they are in order from highest to lowest. Where there are a number of matches with the same number of cM (to nearest whole number), they appear to be in random order - certainly not alphabetical, so I suspect they are ordered by the highest to lowest using the (hidden to us) decimal place.
Using this assumption, when going through my 8s, I have started with the ones at the bottom of my list and worked my way up. Even with 2-3  weeks extension to D-day (disappearance day), I will only have time to check those with a surname or location of interest. But there are still plenty of those.

Yes, I've been doing a search of names, places, counties for public trees on 6 to 8, but when looking at all of the 7s (for example), I never managed to scroll to the end of them, so didn't try the 8s.

I shall have a break for a day or so, as the repetition of the scrolling/clicking soon makes my head swim. 

So I'm appreciative of the extra time, even though I'd like the option to keep them all.

Offline CelticMom

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Re: Ancestry removing matches less than 8cM
« Reply #80 on: Thursday 30 July 20 14:41 BST (UK) »
I’m quite annoyed ancestry are doing this. I’ve confirmed lots of matches in the 6 and 7 cm ranges. We are going to lose so much Valuable  matches that could help with confirming branches etc
Anderson & Marr - Midlothian & East Lothian
Bennett - Devonport
Catleugh & Shiells - East Lothian
Galvin, McLaren, Cullen & Dowling - Waterford, Ireland
Littlejohns - Plymouth & London
Mansfield - Benfleet & St Pancras
Michelin - London
Newlands - Midlothian & Fife
Paterson - Canongate, Midlothian
Rutherford and Johnston - Roxburghshire
Taylor - East Lothian & Berwickshire
Thomson - Leith & Muthill
Thorney, Hawkin, Lewis - Herefordshire
Small & Paulin - Northumberland
Varrall - Kent