GENERAL INFORMATION
There is a lot of information available on this site that can help you piece your family tree together. One of the major drawbacks with DNA companies is the lack of all the tools needed to really connect everyone together and explain how to do it exactly and precisely. It is the mission of this site to give you the tools to do that.
Ancestry DNA has the largest database but lacks a chromosome browser. Gedmatch can show you share DNA with other people and give you great information on your ethnicity but has no surname matching tool. 23andMe can also show you share DNA with other people but getting matches to collaborate is difficult and there is no surname matching tool.
My Heritage is great for individual tree’s but does not connect to a world tree. DNA matching works but the algorithm has some issues. Geni.com can connect you to the world tree but is very basic with DNA information, providing haplogroup information and limited autosomal DNA information on some profiles but lacks a chromosome browser.
Family Finder or FTDNA has the best tools for surname matching, a chromosome browser, gedcom information and members have the option to connect to the world tree and each other by connecting their DNA to geni.com.
To get the most out of this site, please read each block of information for instructions and benefits.
FREE MEMBER BENEFITS
- FREE GEDMATCH COLLABORATION
- FREE SURNAME ORGANIZER
- FREE MEMBER SEARCH
Everyone knows it is near impossible to piece your tree together, find lost ancestors, common ancestors or get more details about ancestors without connecting with other people. If you have been lurking in geneaology groups on facebook, by now you have probably seen multiple requests and posts from people asking for and sharing Gedmatch numbers and family tree’s.
People in general are still learning about shared DNA and shared ancestors. Many are interested in famous or royal ancestors. People get excited when they find matching DNA segments via Gedmatch but other than confirming shared DNA, how useful is the information? It is useful in that it can provide you with many clues to possible common ancestors, but without a surname tool, there is a lot of guessing, wishing and hoping. What does that information mean anyways? Learning how to do chromosome mapping can show you how to organize that information. Some people get it right away and others need more time to make sense of it. Do take advantage of all the information on this site and be sure to browse each page and come back as many times as you need to for it to make sense. You can also join us in our FB group by clicking on the icon at the top and network with members and get answers in a private setting.
Because Gedmatch lacks a surname tool, I have provided a free surname organizer and surname organizer search tool to help you get better results with your matches. This can be very useful because trying to organize this information in facebook groups is near impossible. The reason why; is people quickly forget about matches they get, aren’t sure what to do with the information and the information gets buried in posts comments and new subjects. The information people need to work out cousin and ancestor relationships with faster are Gedmatch numbers, FTDNA kit numbers (kit number shows up in haplogroups and surname projects) surnames in family tree, a geni profile link (so you can see how you are related if possible in a few seconds) and a way to contact members to discuss shared ancestors and other relevant information.
This system is set up to protect your privacy and your matches privacy from public view. No emails are shared unless you and the person you are working with want to do that outside of this site and networking is done in private groups on Facebook so that it too is safe from public view. Members are working toward a common goal and provide enough information to be able to make progress toward that goal.
No lurkers are allowed unless they are scientific genealogy experts or researchers and they will be screened. No medical data miners are allowed. No data will be given or sold to medical, insurance or pharmaceutical companies. This site is about genealogy, putting our trees together and networking with cousins.
FREE TOOLS!
To become a FREE GEDMATCH COLLABORATOR, PLEASE REGISTER FIRST.
Then, go to the link above that says MEMBER AREA. This is where you create your Member profile.
After you REGISTER, and are approved, you will be able to search the FIND A MEMBER.
After you fill out your MEMBER PROFILE, you can add as many surnames as you like to the SURNAME ORGANIZER.
Registered members can search for Members and search for Surnames using the SURNAME ORGANIZER SEARCH.
When enough people have added surnames to the surname organizer, it will be possible to view profiles and gedmatch numbers to see if there is a pattern for a specific end location number, cM, SNPs or time period of the common ancestor. Be sure to read the DNA Inheritance article to see why it is relevant as to which side of your parents the ancestor is on and how long ago they were born. For the best results, please share these apps with your friends in your favorite groups and get the word out. The more people collaborating, the better results everyone will have.
PAID MEMBER BENEFITS
What are the paid member benefits? For people who have familytreedna autosomal kits called FAMILY FINDER, becoming a paid member grants you access to the database and the ability to add your data to the database.
A lot of hard work has gone into the database with over 5000 entries and hundreds of hours of work by members mapping out surnames by end location numbers. What is in the database and why is the information so valuable? By following the instructions for HOW TO DO CHROMOSOME MAPPING, hundreds of surnames have been mapped out by end location number, cM, SNPs, common ancestor, ancestor of member and ancestor of match showing that specific surnames can be found by a very specific end location number on a chromosome. In other words, the end location number is the identifier.
What surnames are in the database? The link above that says SURNAME LIST, lists all the surnames in alphabetical order and can be copied and pasted into the DATABASE SEARCH bar to see all matching data. The DATABASE contains much more detailed and specific information than GEDMATCH because FAMILY FINDER has a surname search tool and a chromosome browser making it possible to map out surnames to end location numbers.
The FREE MEMBER AREA, MEMBER PROFILE and SURNAME ORGANIZER Tools can get members started on mapping out surnames in GEDMATCH but Gedmatch has no Excel download, making it cumbersome to put the information together faster. There is however, one caveat and that is once you find the end location number for a surname using FAMILY FINDER, you can find the equivalent in GEDMATCH, providing the person you match with is a match for you on FTDNA and GEDMATCH. The end location number in Gedmatch will be different, but the location on the chromosome will be visually about the same. It is important that the correlation is made carefully and precisely and that no mistakes are made. Mistakes are possible if you share lots of segments on a chromosome with your match or you and your match share more segments on Gedmatch than you do FTDNA. The reason why the end location number is different on Gedmatch is because each DNA company uses a different algorythm.
To become a database member go to the SUBSCRIPTION link above, on the drop down under REGISTER.
Pick a subscription level first, then REGISTER. You do not have to enter all the information at one time on your registration form but need to enter the
basics to get started.
After approval, you will be able to see the DATABASE page which is where you can enter data.
After Subscribing and Registering, you can search the DATABASE by User ID, Surname, End Location Number, cM or SNPs.
If you do not have a FTDNA kit, instructions for transfering your DNA kit to FTDNA or purchasing one can be found on the home page of this site.
Subscribing permits database access and registering allows access to the free member tools. Subscribers get both benefits.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS SITE
Regardless of the DNA company you currently reside with, there is always room for learning new things. Reading the pages listed under HOW TO GET AROUND THIS SITE can give you an idea of how and what chromosome mapping is.
Reading the HOW TO DO CHROMOSOME MAPPING page or watching the video will show you step by step how to do it and what it means.
Reading the page CHROMOSOME MAPPING EXAMPLE will show you what kind of results you can get by doing chromosome mapping.
Even if you do not have an FTDNA Family Finder kit, you can still use the same method as described by using GEDMATCH’s chromosome browser. The difference however is that GEDMATCH lacks a surname matching tool so the results are ambigous. Even so, by registering and collaborating with others by creating a MEMBER PROFILE, SURNAME ORGANIZER and performing SURNAME ORGANIZER SEARCHES, you can find a pattern of matching end location numbers when members list surnames by generation. It’s not perfect because GEDMATCH lacks an EXCEL download of matches but it is possible and using the free tools on this site can help you get more defined results rather than ambigous matching DNA segments.
In time, between the defined results using FTDNA’s autosomal DNA kit and Gedmatch, members can find the comparitive end location numbers for each, which in turn can help other members. Reading the DNA INHERITANCE guide can help make more sense of matches. DNA inheritance patterns help explain why you don’t inherit visible matching segments of DNA from all your ancestors, and where to look for matching segments from ancestors you do inherit from.