NEW!!! WikiTree.com DNA Project on FamilyTreeDNA.com!

Question

I am really excited to share this with you, especially for the genetic genealogists out there!

We now have our own WikiTree.com DNA Group Project on the FamilyTreeDNA.com website. (This is different than our in-house WikiTree DNA Project.) The new FTDNA public webpage displays the database information for FTDNA test kits and is more detailed than the information in the in-house DNA Project.

With your FTDNA kit number, you can belong to as many projects as you think will be helpful to your research. For each FTDNA test kit that you own, to join the new FTDNA WikiTree project:  

• Login to your FTDNA Account page.
• On the blue bar at the top of the Account page, click Projects and then Join on the drop-down menu.
• Search for the surname WikiTree and Join the project.

While you are in your Account page, please update your Most Distant Ancestors:

• On the blue bar at the top of the Account page, click My Account.
• On the drop-down menu, click Most Distant Ancestors.
• Enter the WikiTree ID & information about the test participant's most distant ancestors.

As an example, my test participant's:

Direct Paternal Name is entered as "Samuel Cooper-394, bc 1670 dc 1720 York, Virginia" which includes the WikiTree ID # Cooper-394.

And his Direct Maternal Name is entered as "Susanna (Miller-14488) Clemmer bc 1750 d 1806 PA" which includes the WikiTree ID # Miller-14488. If your ancestor doesn't have a WikiTree ID number yet, that's OK, just enter what you do know.  If you are adopted or your lineage is not known, you might just say "adopted" or "unknown".

This is going to be really exciting for FTDNA and WikiTree enthusiasts.  I already put all of my tests in there.  I am the FTDNA administrator for this project, so I will receive an email from them as soon as you join the project.  Kitty Cooper-1 Smith 

 

Comments

Awesome!  I just got my FTDNA kit in the mail yesterday, and will be returning it today.  Already joined the project.

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Great idea! I just joined.

Noticed when looking at the y-DNA map that someone's ancestor was from Durham, NH, where I work! (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-16537 Joseph NH)

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Yeah, that's our SmithConnections.com Group 58 yDNA forefather.  If you find anymore Smiths in the area, please convince them to do a 37-yDNA test. 

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I've only had my maternal line done (waiting for my brother to decide if he's going to help out & do the Y DNA test I bought). Are you going to have a project for Maternal lines too?

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I have joined the group and added the info to my oldest ancestors.

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Yes, the FTDNA mtDNA tests are already being collected: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/WikiTree/default.aspx?section=mtresults  

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This is great news! I've been wondering where to go for DNA for a while, and I think this will strongly influence my decision. (Of course, the other "decision" is actually getting the cash together!)

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I know I'm replying late to this thread, but I'm a little lost on how to add wikitree ID to familytreedna.

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Hi Tara,  

If you have not joined our GFR & WikiTree DNA Project, please use this Join link and sign in to your FTDNA account page to join us.  https://www.familytreedna.com/group-join-request.aspx?group=WikiTree&vGroup=wikitree  

Once you join our project on FTDNA, I should be able to do the rest if you have your Most Distant Ancestors posted on your test participant's FTDNA account.  

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Thanks so much for replying, don't worry I joined the group on ftdna before asking. I only have my maternal ancestry finished, I do not know my paternal side. I would appreciate it, thank you.

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Does this project apply to folks with auDNA?

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Yes, but see my answer to Laura below at the bottom of this thread.

Maybe auDNA is harder to track, or something, but FTDNA doesn't have charts for matches like they do for mtDNA and yDNA.  The project is on the FTDNA website.

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Oh boy! A whole new thing to learn!! I'm visiting my nearly-90 uncle, the last of his generation left, next month. (Phoenix in July, where it's lately too hot for airplanes to fly!) I've just ordered a Y-chromosome & autosomal to take with for him, plus mt & autosomal for me.

I understand DNA science reasonably well, but how it gets woven into genealogy will be a whole new bag of tricks. Just added DNA to my tags, but I'm pretty sure a lot more will be required, soon. Ready or not!

Answer 1

UPDATE!!  I am so gald to see our WikiTreers joining our FamilyTreeDNA WikiTree DNA Group Project!  After playing around with the Most Distant Ancestor fields, I think I have settled on the format I intend to use. Kay reminded me that the http://www. are not needed in the URL anymore, so that saved about 11 characters to toy with.  And I agree with Veronica that we need to include the surname. Thanks, Kay and Veronica.  

We have less than 50 characters to work with. Here are some examples of what I will use.

Most Distant yDNA Paternal Ancestor:

• Joseph Smith, NH see wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-16537
• Bro Joseph Smith, see wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-1807
• Bro William Smith see wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-2055
• And'w Fayette Smith, wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-47139

Most Distant mtDNA Maternal Ancestor:

• Susanna Miller see wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-14488
• Sarah Ashley Wilkins wikitree.com/wiki/Ashley-1176

I am so glad to see you all using the Most Distant Ancestor fields.  This is a great addition to our DNA Project!  

Comments

When the most distance known ancestor is not from America, do you want the province or town or or something entered next to the name?  For example, the most distance direct paternal ancestor for the kit I'm associating with the Wikitree project is from Dedham, Essex, England.

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Yes, that would be helpful if you can make it fit in the 50 character limit, and it might be more universally accepted than the WikiTree link. Some of the other project admins on FTDNA are not happy with the WikiTree links (they think it draws attention away from their own projects).  But, it is certainly the DNA kit owners choice as to how they wish to list their Most Distant Ancestors on their FTDNA account page.

Answer 2

Outstanding!

Answer 3

Thank you, Kitty! You're the best!

I think this will be a great way for WikiTree members to help each other make the most of their FTDNA tests, and to help figure out how WikiTree can make the most of them.

I'm heading over now to add myself.

Comments

I am currently waiting on my Results - 1 week it says!  On my way to add me too!  YAY.  Mags

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Just got them, see you in a couple of weeks! Mags

Answer 4

Great idea Kitty it will be very interesting seeing where all the wikitreers come from!!  Will start entering all my kits now.  Had a quick look at the project page, just see the usual ydna and mtdna reports.  Is that the main focus or will there be some capacity for looking at autosomal results or perhaps the oldest ancestors in some other way through the reports available through ftdna?

Comments

I asked if we can view the FamilyFinder results on the WikiTree Public Webpage today and was told that option is not available yet, but they would like to go that way in the future. 

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That's good news that it is at least on the radar.

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GEDmatch is how others can look at your Family Finder results.  Everyone who has taken an autsomal test (Family Finder, 23andMe, AncestryDNA) should upload to www.gedmatch.com and enter their GEDmatch ID on their DNA Tests page in WikiTree.

Answer 5

 Just realised the significance of adding the wiki-id!!  This is great, congratulations whoever thought of the idea.  Only thing is not everyone will understand what it means, it will be great if the idea can catch on.  So many times I've wanted to look at ancestral info and not all of the surname projects have links to genealogies.  Maybe an explanation should be added to the project page, with details on how to search the site for the name id.  Only problem is field length.  I have had a bottle of trouble adding mine in, had to delete some of the existing info.

Answer 6

Dear Veronica and others,

The Most Distant Ancestor text box on your FamilyTreeDNA account page is limited to less than 50 characters.

The Direct Paternal Name (yDNA forefather) or the Direct Maternal Name (mtDNA foremother) could alternatively be entered with the WikiTree URL address for the Most Distant Ancestor. Examples:

• http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-1807, Joseph, Sr.

or

• Joseph, Sr., http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-1807

These will not be active, click-able links on the FTDNA page. Readers will have to copy and paste the URL into their browser.

Remember, this Most Distant Ancestor info will be displayed on all of the FTDNA projects that you are a member of. This alternative method might be better for those viewing your info in your other surname projects where the WikiTree ID number will not be explained. For this reason, I think I am going to change all my entries to the alternative format.  I think/hope most readers will recognize that the URL needs to be copied and pasted into an internet browser.

 

Comments

Sounds good.  Although where possible (field length permitting) it would be better to also have the surname at the front, just so it doesn't look too out of kilter on the other project lists.

Answer 7

I joined today but noticed the results section is only Y and MtDNA.  What about those of us who have Autosomal?  What can we do to include autosomal testers more fully in the project?

Comments

Hi Laura,  the mtDNA and yDNA tables are all that are available for the public website.  To expand your auDNA research, you need to load your results on GedMatch.

This discussion explains how I use my auDNA test to find genetic cousins:  https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/229558/how-do-you-use-your-audna-test-on-wikitree 

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I have uploaded to Gedmatch over a year ago.  I have found cousins through it and have recently found a Koenig cousin via the new Wiki designation on Gedmatch matches.  

Looking for a way to contribute to the project using autosomal DNA. One idea might be using the X match option.   

Surnames would still be something that can be worked with but take a bit more work...

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Hello Laura,

Here are your ancestors who could have contributed to your X chromosome

https://www.wikitree.com/treewidget/Pennie-22/89#X

E-mail that link to each of your X chromosome matches and ask them if they share any of those ancestors.

Sincerely, Peter

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Hi Peter,  Thank you but I have already done that.  I have run almost every link off of GedMatch and others.  The only thing I have not done is paid to do triangulation.   I have a large spreadsheet of matches that match both me and 3 known cousins.  Only one of those cousins has data in Gedmatch

But people who match us in FTDNA also match us in GedMatch.  

So I am wondering if I even need to do triangulation.   One of the reports I ran out of Gedmatch shows the start and end points of chromosome matches by chromosome.  

I am really just looking for ways to use autosomal results in projects other than just doing the obvious matches.  

One thing I have started on spreadsheets is tracking surnames and matches because I often find that I and a cousin who do not match both match to a third person.  This is true for 5th cousins and beyond.  So I feel like there is actually more that can be done if you want to do the work.

Answer 8

This post has been quiet for a long time.  I never knew about it till today.
Is it all still current?

I always thought that the FTDNA earliest known ancestor spots in the way they were utilized were a bit of a dead end (no link to anyone's family tree to ascertain just who the person was) but with a wikitree link it opens it up.  good idea

Comments

Yes, if you have a DNA test with FTDNA you can join our WikiTree DNA Project:  https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/wiki-tree/about  Just click the Join button in the banner and log in to your FTDNA account to Join.

The EKA's have always been helpful for me because I study Smiths.  Sometimes it makes it much easier to know which Smith is the Earliest Known yDNA forefather.

Answer 9

OK, all this DNA stuff goes over my head.  I joined the group and added the distant ancestors.  Now what?