how does a profile get "Connected" to the TREE?

Question

The Shadd family goes back to circa 1730 and yet the Descendants are not any "DEGREES" from anyone??  Why not and what do I do that causes it and I don't know it...I read the Unconnected instructions, it does not really say what needs to be done, except to add profiles of Ancestors.  I guess I just keep my nose to the Research Grind Stone and not notice.

Comments

Hi Carole!  In this case, the connection is most likely going to happen closer to the current time, so it will be useful to find the marriages and descendants of the children.

The moment that you are waiting for, and you can never predict exactly when it is going to happen, is when you don't have to make a profile for a family member BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS ALREADY IN THE TREE.  If that profile is already connected, and we can connect this family, then the goal of being connected is accomplished.

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Sometimes it happens through the marriages of the kids, sometimes even through the second marriages of their spouses....

When i find a new surname entering the family, i run a quick search to see who with that name already has a profile in WikiTree, and if the geography makes it a promising lead for further investigation

Answer 1

A twig or branch gets “connected” when a profile you create gets connected by descent or marriage to an already connected profile that is itself connected to the main tree.  Lots of branches and twigs aren’t yet connected, many never will be.   Sometimes you can connect by looking for siblings of one of your ancestors.

Answer 2

If you go to the Find menu at the upper right and click on Connection near the top of that menu, you can enter your profile there.

I think that you are already Connected and probably a cousin to many in the Relationship finder.

Comments

You are 20 degrees from me and I am connected to the big tree. About 80+ percent of the WikiTree people are connected to the big tree.

Answer 3

That would be the way to go about it, adding ancestors' pages until one connects through marriage or otherwise. As you go, pay special attention in case a name pops up in close match field in the creation stage. Working on collateral ancestors helps a lot.

You may want to look at this:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connectors_Chat

Comments

Not just ancestors.  Look for sibling marriages, or descendant marriages.  Often those are where the Connection will come.