Hi Phil & Biggles,
I did my test a couple years ago and have had results for a while now - I hear you about the frustration with no trees and no responses! - but I was just trying to find where on my Ancestry account it stated the total number of matches. (So far it’s 21070, now that I know where to look).
And yes, the most distant “relatives” may not be related at all, so unless they have something really relevant or are interested in researching a similar area or the like, and are responsive, I don’t usually bother.
I learnt that that through experience with ThruLines, which suggested a distant match was from a certain CA. I contacted the match to find out more about that ancestor and, to my delight, they responded and let me look at their tree but didn’t know the name I was talking about. Turns out they didn’t have any of my ancestors in their tree, nor I theirs, but some had come from the same área. So we surmised that we just have matching genes from the general gene pool of that area…
I was using the total number of matches as part of my explanation to someone (who’s curious about taking a test but doesn’t have any information about that part of their family) of that very thing - how we have soooo many matches, but only a few people ever respond, and that unless you and your matches have extensive trees, you may never know how you’re connected.
Therefore how important it is to do as much research as you’re able, and how the DNA test by itself may not answer your questions, but may be able to point you in the right direction, or give you clues.
