If you build it: Connecting AncestryDNA matches

Researchers who are using autosomal DNA testing know the importance of testing as many of your known relatives as possible, especially the elders of the family.  I love it when a 2nd cousin shows up among my matches because that can help in sorting.  I don't know about you, but I don't have a money tree.  In the absence of unlimited funds to purchase atDNA tests, something that I have had success with is finding those 2C1R, 2C2R, 3C, 3C1R and so on that I do not know who have tested.  After my grandparents passed we did not have the family gatherings every few years so I haven't kept up with my cousins who are spread across the US.  With the over abundance of testers with very small trees in my matches, the odds are in my favor that there are those among my matches who aren't showing up in the AncestryDNA circles because their tree isn't built out far enough.  I think this is one of the times when having Colonial American lines really makes things easier.  This process will not work if you have only a handful of 4th or closer cousins.  If that is the case for you I would suggest working the first few pages of your Distant Cousins to see which of the 4th cousins are SHARED for you and that Distant Cousin.

My Cook lines and also my Jakes/Harger lines(both paternal) are ones I have been focusing on lately.  I have a lot of genealogical questions for which I'd like to find answers. The steps are pretty much the same regardless of which group I choose.

• Select a Focus Group(ex. my Jakes/Frizzell Great Grandparents)
• Find a close cousin among the matches who is in the Focus group(you can do this by choosing one of your matches from the DNA circle if you have those)
• Browse thru the Shared Matches that you share with that cousin.  Pick a few that have the smaller trees to build out in search of the MRCA.  
• Don't ignore the larger trees.  Look at all the ones that aren't in the circle to see if they have a path that might lead to the Focus Ancestor.  I've found many who were only a generation away from the MRCA which would have put them in the circle.
• Contact the match with any knew information you find and ask them to consider uploading to GEDmatch.  It's always nice to get a message from someone who can extend your family tree.

Utilize the NOTES feature on your match's page.  Connections lead to more connections as each of you may have documents, pictures or stories that would help the other in their research.  I guess this is why it upsets me a great deal when I cross paths with a researcher who is only researching his or her direct line. Don't be someone who misses out on finding that extra something just because you are only interested in your direct line.