DNA - What's the point?

[Nanna52]

Click on DNA matches, then shared DNA on the new page.  It shows you the numbers.

My son has 11,000 matches, 270 fourth cousin or better.

Where do you see the total number of matches? I can only see a number for 4th cousin and closer on mine.

NB 4th cousin & closer is misleading, as it includes matches assessed as likely 4th-6th cousins.

[avm228]

Thanks! Turns out I have 12,747 matches in total.

[Shiny1]

Ok, thanks for the help everyone.

Hopefully it will prove worth while then.

Michael

[brigidmac]

Your matches only show up on thru lines if you have spelt and dated them the same as your DNA match
For example if you have Margaret smith 1900 & your 2nd cousin twice removed has Peggy smith on their tree and your son has Peggy margaret smith    thru lines wont show or if one has 1905
I recommend using full name and the also known as option in facts section for each person .

Or changing the spellimgs on your profile s occasionally to see if different thru lines show up


Btw I disagree with the comments about ethnicity my paternal aunt is almost pure Scottish so anyone from USA etc who matches her but only has small Scottish percentage can work out which ancestor links

My mother has a European jewish grandfather and a Welsh grandfather and again the ethnicity has been a good starting point for finding common ancestor .

4th cousins may be closer than you think ...with remarriages and premarriages you may share ine grandparent and with testees being aged between 18 and 95 you could be separated by 2 generations so
4th cousin level could actually be a half cousin twice removed .

Enjoy your results

[Shiny1]

Ok that's great, thanks very much.

Michael

[melba_schmelba]

You should also use the common ancestors filter, which utilises thrulines and other people's trees, you should be able to select common ancestors on your DNA page. But you do need to put in a good base tree in for it to work, say to all your eight great grandparents at least, using full names, birth dates and places preferably. You can then scroll down your match page and if you click the match you will get a match page which should show how you are connected on the left, it will show more information and a little basic tree if you click the names of the common ancestors. You can also click the shared matches tab on the match pages to see who you both connect to, and you can use that to start putting relatives into coloured coded groups either on each match page, or on the main DNA match list page.

[Kaybron]

DNA was very useful to my husband.  He discovered he had a half brother.  Out of the blue he received a phone call from someone who thought he was related to my husband but did not know how. This person had been looking for his father for over 40 years and had, with the help of a second cousin match, narrowed down his father to be one of three.  He asked if my husband was willing to do a DNA test.  Six weeks later we had results back and they confirmed that my husband's father had a son, born a year before he had married my husband's mother.   

[brigidmac]

Kay that's great

I wonder how men feel when discovering a child they didn't know they had .Has your husband's half  brother met up with the rest of his birth family ?

[brigidmac]

Shiny I'm guessing the daughter who gave you the test has not done one herself .She must have thought it would be helpful to you in your research ..as hopefully it will be.

Do you have other family members who are interested in genealogy
Getting a known relative ....cousin. uncle .sibling .even child does help see the relationship lines and evaluate the unknown matches.
What is your closest match at the moment
With my aunt s DNA she had very few matches at first ...& Distant ones
Now a second cousin and some thirds have shown up .