I don't understand Unconnected profiles

+6 votes
183 views
I am trying to understand unconnected profiles and I am missing something.  I have 30 unconnected profiles - 21 of them are connected to each other with the same last name. I just do not understand how this is possible. If these are my ancestors and I am connected to them, why aren't they also connected thru me? Also if there are 18 siblings and all of them are connected- why is one sibling not?

21 Mattson, 4 Singletary, 4 Warren, 1 Shattuck

 

Thanks, Susan
in The Tree House by Susan Fitzmaurice G2G6 Mach 6 (61.8k points)

4 Answers

+7 votes
 
Best answer
Wikitree's definition of unconnected is different than the usual thought. While you're connected to your parents and grandparents and vice versa, on Wikitree someone in the group needs to be connected to the global Wikitree. I've researched my line far enough back so I know I'm connected to other wikitreers through our distant common ancestors. As you extend your line back eventually, you will discover that the profile you are about to create is already on Wikitree. There is a good possibility that that person is connected to the global tree.

Help page http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unconnected
by Anne B G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
selected by Star Kline
As Anne mentions, WikiTree is different.  It focuses on creating everyone to one world-wide family tree rather than just your individual family tree.  Unconnected does not mean that your relatives are not connected to each other.  It means that we have not yet connected your branch of the tree to the larger tree.
I added 71 profiles yesterday and the day before and it still doesn't connect.
Susan, you're connected. Have you made the connection between these profiles and you?

Also the index that makes the connection is redone once a day (during the night in Connecticut,) so if you know they should be connected, wait til tomorrow.
I think I must have a truly odd American family as very few of the profiles on my family tree have already been on wikitree. I am eventually finding connections in the 1600s. This particular branch only goes back to the very early 1800s and hits a dead end -Trying to broadened further the past few days has only brought me 71 new unconnected profiles nearly all in the 1800s.
Elizabeth Frizzle-54 created a day or two back is now connected.

But the Mattsons seem to be detached.  I looked for a connection between Thornley L Mattson-397 and John L Mattson-472 and I can't find one.  Is John supposed to be connected to you?
I haven't found absolute proof of the connection yet. The name Thornley (first) exists in only two people I have ever been able to find internationally.  Thornley as a last name exists in Canada and Ireland.  Both  my  3ggrandparent Thornley L. Mattson and John L.  Mattson's son Thornley Thomas born in Ohio a generation apart. Thornley's father is John L. Mattson (another one).  I have been looking for over 30 years.  I can find not credible evidence that Thornley and John were brothers. They lived their adult lives 40 miles apart. They fit in a census age-wise as children, but I can't know it is them for sure.

I'm about ready to link them as an educated guess, but I really want proof.
+2 votes
The way it was explained to me, is that unconnected profiles are related by marriage, not by blood.  So for instance, my Aunt is still my Aunt, but not technically a blood relative, since she married my father's sister.

I'm not sure that this is the official definition, but it made sense to me.  

Kaitlynd
by Kaitlynd Valliant G2G1 (1.2k points)
+1 vote
I expect your case is one of a sibling not having parents properly married and thus you need to look at the relationships in the profiles concerned.

However, oftentimes there are subgroups which might have a surname you're interested in but don't connect to your tree, or any other trees.  WikiTree connections do include marriages, but as Anne says, a group of people need to connect with a member of the global tree, which more than 8 million profiles are already connected to.  Putting these facts together, a good way of joining your group to the Global tree is to trace back the ancestral lines of spouses in the group.  That will bulk up the size of the group and give you more families to make connections via.  Eventually you'll make your first connection and after that they will come fairly regularly (In my experience.)  I think it's more fun to find connections myself, but if you're anxious to get that first connection. to a subgroup, feel free to post a Wiki ID and ask for help.
by Dave Dardinger G2G6 Pilot (438k points)
+2 votes
The system only does short connections in real time.  For long-distance connections you have to wait a day or two for it to catch up.
by Living Horace G2G6 Pilot (626k points)

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