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Just ordered my DNA test kit
- Thread starter CarolB08
- Start date
jorghes
LostCousins Superstar
Ancestry allows you to upload a GEDcom instead of building it by scratch and if you already have an ancestry tree, you simply link the DNA results to you in that tree (or alternatively the person who the DNA test is for). That is what Ancestry uses as a basis for giving you hint leaves in the DNA results.
All family tree programs I've every come across will export in GEDCOM, format so presumably you don't have a family tree program at all. In this case now is the time to get a tree program and start using it - it will make a phenomenal difference to your productivity. Also consider using Family Tree Analyzer to pick up errors and omissions, even help you identify entries for LostCousins (it's free and there are lots of people in this forum who use it).
You can get a 30 day free trial of Family Historian here (it's the tree program I'd use if I were starting today).
I know you're not in the UK, but for those who are, please use this Amazon link so that you can support LostCousins when you buy Family Historian (or anything else, for that matter).
PaulC
LostCousins Member
Got my Ancestry DNA results last weekend. The ethnicity results are rather vague (as expected) but are at least consistant with my research and haven't thrown me any curveballs. My ancestry comes out as 96-100% England, Wales & NW Europe, with the West Midlands & North West England highlighted as the only specific region, and 0-3% Ireland & Scotland.
Of course the real interest is in the DNA matches: I've got just one 3rd cousin then about 5 pages of 4th cousins, the first 40 or so with a confidence rating of "high" or better - I can only assume this is more or less average? I've already picked out about a dozen matches where I can see a definite relationship and these seem to come from all quarters of my tree. Since I often feel anxious about making some catastrophic blunder and researching the wrong family this is all very reassuring! I reckon Ancestry could do with some more/better ways to filter the results, but first impressions are all good and I'm rather glad I took the plunge into the realm of DNA testing.
I've been on Ancestry for about seven years now and in that time I've only had the occasional interaction with other users. In the last few days I've been contacted by about six or seven of my DNA matches, so that's quite a (welcome) change of pace! I'm now exchanging messages with a lady from the US who is a third cousin of my mum.
Of course the real interest is in the DNA matches: I've got just one 3rd cousin then about 5 pages of 4th cousins, the first 40 or so with a confidence rating of "high" or better - I can only assume this is more or less average? I've already picked out about a dozen matches where I can see a definite relationship and these seem to come from all quarters of my tree. Since I often feel anxious about making some catastrophic blunder and researching the wrong family this is all very reassuring! I reckon Ancestry could do with some more/better ways to filter the results, but first impressions are all good and I'm rather glad I took the plunge into the realm of DNA testing.
I've been on Ancestry for about seven years now and in that time I've only had the occasional interaction with other users. In the last few days I've been contacted by about six or seven of my DNA matches, so that's quite a (welcome) change of pace! I'm now exchanging messages with a lady from the US who is a third cousin of my mum.
Katie Bee
LostCousins Member
I have just ordered an Ancestry DNA test, so I have a few questions.
I have read Peter's Masterclass and found it interesting and helpful.
How much information do I put in a family tree on Ancestry?
Do I just put in my direct ancestors or do I add siblings etc?
I am not a subscriber to Ancestry, will I be able to contact matches or will they have to contact me?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
K
I have read Peter's Masterclass and found it interesting and helpful.
How much information do I put in a family tree on Ancestry?
Do I just put in my direct ancestors or do I add siblings etc?
I am not a subscriber to Ancestry, will I be able to contact matches or will they have to contact me?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
K
You don't need to be a subscriber to contact your matches, but you won't be able to see their trees unless they give you permission (even if they're public - though if they ARE public, why wouldn't why?).
As far as how much information to put in the tree is concerned, there has been a lot of discussion about this recently, especially in the public vs private trees thread - it's best if you read that thread through from beginning to end as there are lots of factors to consider.
Katie Bee
LostCousins Member
Will do! I had been putting off reading that - I got part way through the first one, but it wasn't that relevant to me at the time.
Bryman
LostCousins Megastar
Am I expecting too much? I ordered a couple of test kits, autosomal from Ancestry and Y37 from FTDNA, using the Black Friday discount offers. That was on Thursday 22/Nov in NZ but a day earlier in USA so not actually on the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to the tracking references given to me with the order confirmations, the Ancestry kit has been passed between various buildings/companies within Bell Gardens, a suburb of Los Angeles, but has still not reached the airport after 10 days.
The FTDNA kit was sent from Houston, Texas, to DHL at Melrose Park, a suburb of Chicago (!?!), where it arrived a week later.
I realise that this is a busy time of year but wondered how this schedule compared to other members experiences. How long is a reasonable length of time for me to await movement towards the final delivery destination?
According to the tracking references given to me with the order confirmations, the Ancestry kit has been passed between various buildings/companies within Bell Gardens, a suburb of Los Angeles, but has still not reached the airport after 10 days.
The FTDNA kit was sent from Houston, Texas, to DHL at Melrose Park, a suburb of Chicago (!?!), where it arrived a week later.
I realise that this is a busy time of year but wondered how this schedule compared to other members experiences. How long is a reasonable length of time for me to await movement towards the final delivery destination?
Helen7
LostCousins Superstar
I live in England, and I ordered 2 Ancestry kits for my husband and myself on 2 August last year, and received them just 2 days later on 4 August. My husband got his results back on 19 August, whilst I had to wait till 31 August for mine. But overall not too long to wait, though of course a quieter time of year. Sounds like they are being slow getting your kits to you, but they were probably swamped with orders from the Black Friday sale.
canadianbeth
LostCousins Star
Mine took quite some time to arrive as well, but then just about everything does when coming from the U.S. to Canada. But I also noticed that it seemed to take a considerable time to get to the airport in LA. It took much less time for the little box to make its way to Ireland with my sample. I was actually afraid that because the box was so small that Canada Post would lose it, but no.
Katie Bee
LostCousins Member
I ordered mine the day before Peter and it was delivered the following Monday too.
UK orders appear to come from Germany, so not far.
I seem to remember another discussion saying that you cannot order an Ancestry DNA test if you live in Germany.
That seems strange as the kits are posted from there. We have to send them back to Ireland.
UK orders appear to come from Germany, so not far.
I seem to remember another discussion saying that you cannot order an Ancestry DNA test if you live in Germany.
That seems strange as the kits are posted from there. We have to send them back to Ireland.
Bryman
LostCousins Megastar
That is what I had half expected and thought that a week was plenty of time for a kit to make some progress towards me here in NZ from Oz. Perhaps NZ really is at the end of the World and folks in Texas are not sure in which direction the journey should start. That kit has been stationary in Chicago for almost a week, waiting for instructions as to where to go next. Fortunately, there is no desperate rush. My main concern is that it does not get lost.
However, there must be at least one follower of this discussion working in the USPS at LA because that kit has started moving shortly after my original post. It looks as if that one may even have reached NZ (it is a direct flight from LA) after almost 2 weeks.
I suppose that I should be grateful for the well documented trail produced for both packages. Here in NZ, the Track 'n Trace service tends to be in two parts -
a) collected from source location, and
b) given to Rural Post driver for delivery
with nothing in between.
I realise this is an old post, but I have just prepared my DNA sample ready for posting back to Ancestry. I am going through Peter's masterclass but I am confused. It says 'First create a list of ALL your ancestral surnames including any genuine variant spellings (ie ignoring mistranscriptions)'. Does this mean both up and down a tree i.e. a 3rd cousin who is the same age as me as well as a 1st cousin 4x removed born in 1895?
I want to make sure I get this right to make the most of my Ancestry DNA test.
I want to make sure I get this right to make the most of my Ancestry DNA test.
Sorry if it isn't clear - what I'm talking about in the Masterclass is the surnames of your direct ancestors. In most cases they'll also be the surnames of your 'brick wall' ancestors.