Check your GEDmatch settings

If you have uploaded DNA kits to GEDmatch please check to make sure your settings on the GENESIS side are as you would like them.  If you have uploaded duplicate kits, the software that they are using seems to mark the 2nd kit as the duplicate.  PLEASE make sure that the 2nd kit isn't the only one you have designated as Public because doing so will keep you from showing up in the One-To-Many Reports of your matches.  You can check the status of any kit by using the DNA File Diagnostic Utility located on the Genesis page under DNA Applications(see image below).  If that is what you want to do that's fine of course but if that was not your intention you will need to modify your settings.

You can change the status of your kits at any time by clicking on edit(the pencil image) beside the kit # and name and then selecting Yes, No or Research for that kit.  Be sure to click on change after any modifications.

This happened with my cousin's kit.  Neither of her kits were showing in the One-To-Many Reports of her half brother, or any of her other matches.  It may not be obvious to the manager if they only view that Kit's One-To-Many Report as they will see all the others they expect when running it for that particular kit.

If you have taken an Autosomal DNA test and haven't yet uploaded to GEDmatch Genesis please consider doing so if you agree with their User Policy.  We have all of our family DNA tests there and have also uploaded or tested at FTDNA & MyHeritage.  I have two tests at FTDNA that aren't at AncestryDNA but they are at GEDmatch GENESIS & MyHeritage.  I know I need to test at 23&me eventually when it becomes financially possible.

Using DNApainter to visualize match "coverage" & collect more clues

I've been using  DNApainter(a WONDERFUL DNA analysis tool by Jonny Perl) for a while now.  I'm not sure the exact date, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes after I read about it in the Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques Facebook Group.  You can learn more about both of those by clicking on the linked text.  DNApainter is free but has additional tools available for subscribers.  Today I subscribed and I've been playing around with it.  I wanted to see what kind of coverage I had from my matches at GEDmatch.  I had used my kit and my Mom's kit to phase my DNA matches.  My Dad passed before we began DNA testing.  While the Paternal Phased kit is not a true comparison against his it will show all the matches I have which aren't Mom's which are presumably paternal. 

• At DNApainter,  I created A New/ Blank Profile --I named mine Marie GEDmatch
• At GEDmatch, I ran Tier 1 Matching Segment reports for each phased kit and saved each as csv files. You should set the minimum cMs high enough to reduce by chance matches.  I set mine at 12 cM for this.  I can delete matches if necessary later.
• At DNApainter, I opened the New / Blank Profile and used DNApainter's premium feature to Import Paternal phased (P1) & Maternal Phased(M1) match list.
• As I imported each phased group, I chose a color, name, and identified it as paternal  or maternal matches.

It was abt at 74% coverage(I wish I had taken a screenshot then but I didn't) and I wanted to import the data from the painting I had done on my main profile.  I exported the segment information from that main profile and imported it into the Marie GEDmatch profile.so that I could identify more matching segments.  

Below is a screenshot showing only the GEDmatch Import as Active(using the key)

Once the main profile is imported here is how mine looked. Now to look at each chromosome and collect the clues.

Uploading your 23andMe results to GEDmatch Genesis

Those that have tested at 23andMe on the new chip(starting Aug of 2017)  cannot upload to the main GEDmatch database but can upload to the GEDmatch Genesis section(currently in beta).  I had updated the "Download from Test Site & Upload to GEDmatch" post to show changes but I think the information on the GENESIS upload may be buried in that post.  That said,  I thought I'd post this specifically for those who tested at 23andMe and received their results after July 2017.

Downloading your file from 23andMe
To download your Raw Data from 23andMe log on to your account if you have multiple kits associated with your acct make sure you have selected the proper test.  Select the Tool option and then click on Download.  You should see a page similar to the one below.

This page contains information about the raw data file.  Scroll down and select the "Submit Request" button.  Follow directions on that page for obtaining the file.

Uploading the file to the GENESIS section of GEDmatch
You will need to register if you don't already have a GEDmatch account.

Register for GEDmatch

Once registered return to Genesis page
Log on and select Generic Uploads as shown below in the highlighted section of the screen capture.

Follow the directions on that page and make sure you wait for the file to upload.  Once it uploads you should see a notice and the kit number.   These upload instructions will also work for any of your other DNA results from AncestryDNA, FTDNA, earlier 23andMe, or MyHeritage files that you have downloaded and wish to upload to Genesis.

Comparing Paternal Aunt to her Nieces & Great Niece in Chromosome Browser

I think this is a good illustration of the randomness of DNA.   I'm comparing Me, my sister, and my daughter to my paternal aunt(my daughter's maternal great aunt.)  Click on the image to enlarge.

The above segment matches are of segments matches which are  5cM or highter  on the FTDNA chromosome browser.  I've uploaded to GEDmatch and can do One To One comparisons.  I'll be able to run a list of matches and other comparison reports once it batch processes.

At GEDmatch with a threshold of 7 cMs or greater:
I match my Aunt at 1610 cMs over 39 segments(largest segment of 102cMs)
Sis matches Aunt at 1548 cMs over 45 segments(largest segment of 158 cMs)
My daughter matches her Great Aunt at 785 cM over 25 segments the largest is 72 cMs

For more DNA tools and reference click on the link in the blog menu at the top of the page (DNA Tools & Reference Links)

AncestryDNA match category spread for my family's tests.

Mom's AncestryDNA matches include
2 children
1 granddaughter

2nd Cousin AncestryDNA category
(which includes some projected 1st-2nd cousins & 2nd-3rd cousins)
11 cousins--3 of which have uploaded to GEDmatch.com
AncestryDNA estimated shared cMs ranges from 623 cMs over 21 segments --235 cM over 9 segments
All are Paternal cousins except one--a known maternal 1C1R of the Acuff/Hale variety

3rd Cousin AncestryDNA category
39 cousins--6 of which have uploaded to GEDmatch.com
AncestryDNA estimated shared cMs ranges from 188 cMs over 9 segments-- 91 cMs over 5 segments

Subtracting those 50 matches and the 3 immediate family from her total shown 4th Cousins or closer match total and she has 2,266 4th cousins.  For the record all of Mom's 3rd cousins or closer have been asked if they would consider uploading their results to GEDmatch.  Looking at Mom's matches made me curious how the numbers compared to my results as well as those of my daughter, and my sister.

Mom is very fortunate to have many of  her closer cousins who have tested.  I wish more of the closer cousins would upload to GEDmatch.  It certainly would make sorting the matches easier.  In the end though it is their choice and more times than not, it is just not a priority for them.

Ethnicity--My results at FTDNA's MyOrigins 2.0

FTDNA launched MyOrigins 2.0 today.  Mine results are shown below along with my ethnicity reports according to DNALand, and AncestryDNA.  MyHeritage has promised to make it's full Ethnicity report available free to all those who have uploaded their raw data(I've uploaded 4 tests) there from any of the other sites.  This and the coming of a chromosome browser, and downloadable matches were mentioned in the MyHeritage Webinar that was made available for free at Legacy's FamilyTreeWebinar site last week.



The two biggest changes from the earlier version were the increase in Scandinavian(decrease in West/Central Europe) and the addition of 4% Sephardic Jew.   I've never had ANY Jewish amount even traces in any of my other tests results, so that was interesting to see.

AncestryDNA

Notice the high amount of Irish at AncestryDNA and the low Scandinavia.  Also the Finland amount intrigues me as that region is showing up in my sister's results

DNA Land Results

To give you an idea of what is included here is the listing that pertains to my results from DNAland

Northwest European

Includes: Scottish Argyll_Bute_GBR and British in England; Icelandic in Iceland; Norwegian in Norway and Orcadian in Orkney Islands

Does not include: Saharawi in (Morocco) Western Sahara; Piapoco in Colombia; Estonian in Estonia; Basque/French and French in (South and 1 other site) France; Basque/Spanish and Iberian Population in Spain; Finnish in Finland and Gambian in Western Gambia

Indo-Iranian

Includes: Balochi, Brahui and Makrani in Pakistan

Does not include: Turkmen and Uzbek in Uzbekistan; Hazara, Pathan and Sindhi in Pakistan; Iranian in Iran and Gujarati Indian from Gujarat (expat in Houston TX)

Finnish

Includes: Finnish in Finland

Does not include: Nganasan and Russian in Russia; Belarusian in Belarus; Estonian in Estonia; Norwegian in Norway; Ashkenazi Jew in Poland and Ashkenazi Jew from East Europe especially Lithuania (expat in Baltimore MD)

Ambiguous Northeast European

Northeast European is a general category containing Finnish and North Slavic

Ambiguous West Eurasian

West Eurasian is a very general category containing Arab/Egyptian, Ashkenazi/Levantine, Central Asian, Northeast European, South Asian, South European, Northwest European, Southwestern European and Central Indoeuropean

GEDMATCH

From the Eurogenes K13, one of the Admixture tools at GEDmatch

There are many other Admixture tools at GEDmatch that you may use once you upload.  I chose this one because I thought it would be the most accurate for my lineage.  I think we can all agree that I'm mostly European.  :-)  In my opinion, being able to validly interpret a person's Ethnic mix using their DNA data is still in the infancy stage.

Attempt at comparing MyHeritage test amounts onsite to MyHeritage test Uploads at GEDmatch

I have been curious to compare how my matches at MyHeritage show up(amount-wise) when they are uploaded to GEDmatch.  Today I noticed that I had  three new matches from MyHeritage at GEDmatch in addition to one that I'd had for about a week.  Uploaded MyHeritage kit are those identified by a prefix of the letter H.  That gave me a total of 4 matches to compare the reported amounts from MyHeritage to the matching amount at GEDmatch.  Sadly, I was only able to positively identify one of the matches.  I could not find the other 3 matches among my 89 matches at MyHeritage.  I did a scan of all nine pages and when that didn't result in me finding any of the 3 matches  I did a search for the full names and email user names.  Still nothing.  So then I looked up to the amount shown at GEDmatch + 10cMs nothing that looked like a match despite the fact that most of the users appeared to have used their full name.

Below are the amounts from GEDmatch and the comparison with the one match I was able to identify.  

Below is a screenshot of the last two matches on my My Heritage DNA matches.  They were sorted from Greatest Total Amount to smallest.  Why are matches 2, 3 and 4 not listed?  Is the Total Matching Theshold to make the list 15 cMs?  Smallest amount to be considered a segment match 5 cMs?

More questions than answers.  I did check the DNA Match quality info button, as well as the DNA help files to see if I could find the answer to the above questions but did not see anything listing what the cutoff amounts were to be listed, nor the minimum amount of cMs to be considered a matching segment.  I'll post an update if I figure out the answers. Comments are always welcome.

Visuals of DNA randomness

Segments Mapped to the Grandparents

Looking at a Segment map where 3 of the 4 Grandparents have tested and there is a phased kit with the DNA of the untested Grandparent.  It is easy to see that while we can be genealogically kin to someone the lines get whittled down at random.  

There are several instances more so on the Paternal side where the entire chromosome copy is from one grandparent.   4(PGF) 3(PGM) 0(MGF) 2(MGM)  

Granted there are still DNA segments which passed thru each of the grandparents, when entire chromosomes are passed, especially the larger chromosomes, the other lines which didn't "make the cut"  are no longer represented on that particular chromosome.

(Image below is a segment map generated from my database using Genomate Pro.)

PGF(Paternal Grandfather) PGM(Paternal Grandmother)

MGF(Maternal Grandfather) MGM(Maternal Grandmother)

Paternal Phased Kit Comparisons

Running a One to One comparison of the Paternal Phased kit of my sister(full sibling) against my Paternal Phased kit 

Ignore the lower part of the line(Blue & Gray) as this is Phased kit comparisons and only contains Paternal DNA  

Green=Match

Red=No Match

I did not include the X in the comparison because as full siblings and females we have an identical Paternal X chromosome. (Image below from comparison tools at GEDmatch.com)

Working AncestryDNA circles and a few observations

My sister and I have both tested at AncestryDNA.  When I am working on a segment and it is pointing in the direction of a specific ancestor, I always check my AncestryDNA circles to see if I have a Circle for that particular ancestor or ancestor couple.  I work the circles.  What do I mean by work?  I have a spreadsheet template I use.  I begin by adding the Ancestor's name at the top.  The spreadsheet has columns for:

• Ancestry User Name
• Match or Match to Circle
• Estimated cMs/segments
• Group(Child thru which they descend)
• GEDmatch #(known and added as they upload)

I add the info for each circle I work and this helps me to track not only who matches me but the descendant pathways.  Also and probably the most important thing for me is that I can see at a glance which tester would be the most valuable to have their info at GEDmatch.   I generally write those who Ancestry estimates match me on multiple segments or at amounts greater than 15 cMs.  I ask them to consider uploading to GEDmatch if they are not already there and if they have uploaded, how to identify them among my many matches.  I want to focus on these larger matches for a number of reasons. The circle membership gives me a pretty good idea of where they could match me. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the matches but I feel if you focus on the larger ones, those will help in identifying others.   I also like to look at the smaller matches and see how their estimated segment matches are in comparison with my sister's results.  If they match her at amounts over 15cMs I also message them. 

Stay focused on the larger matches when trying to get folks to GEDmatch.  However do not forget the randomness of DNA.  Siblings can vary greatly in what matches they have.

My sister and I are a great example of that.

Since Mom tested I was able to make phased kits(thanks to GEDmatch tools) which show the matches that each of us got from Dad(who passed before we began DNA testing.)  I have compared my Paternal Phased Kit to my sister, Becca's Paternal Phased Kit and also compared each of our Maternal Phased Kits.   Below are the results

Comparing Paternal Phased for Marie and Paternal Phased for Becca(Full siblings)

(Chr 1-22, X not included)

Largest segment = 134.6 cM

Total of segments > 7 cM = 1,526.2 cM

33 matching segments

Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 1.6

Comparing Maternal Phased for Marie and Maternal Phased for Becca(Full siblings)

(Chr 1-22, X not included)

Largest segment = 145.6 cM

Total of segments > 7 cM = 2,513.8 cM

50 matching segments

Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 1.3

So you can see that on our Paternal lines we appear to have gotten a greater variety, while Mom seems to have given us more of the same.  

Table below shows another example of the randomness. The amounts shown are those estimated by Ancestry and they tend to be slightly higher at GEDmatch.

Comparing segment matches we have to
members of a Paternal Ancestor Circle.  

Shared Ancestor Hints are just that--Hints

I was extremely happy to get 14 new 4th cousins or closer matches on my AncestryDNA results overnight.  I wish people understood the importance of uploading to GEDmatch. Too many treat the circles or the DNA Hints as facts.  To them it is unnecessary to upload their raw data atDNA results to GEDmatch because Ancestry has told them the connection. Sure,  if you don't want to prove your research, go ahead and believe that!  Ancestry gives you hints and clues,  It is on you to investigate and research those.

I have the perfect example among my matches.  This match is kin to me on my Mom's side thru the Luna line at my 4th Great Grandparents.  She is not DNA kin to me or my Mother but she shows as DNA kin to my daughter and the Shared Ancestor Hint is my 4th Great Grandparents(my daughter's 5th Great Grandparents)  Clicking on the "i" shows that my daughter and this match have a shared estimated atDNA of 6.6 centiMorgans(cMs) shared across 1 DNA segment.

Ancestry has done a better job on their wording on the Shared Ancestor Hints than they did when they first appeared.  [If you want to learn more about hints & shared records watch Ancestry's Crista Cowan and her presentation, "Don't be a Searcher, be a Researcher" from RootsTech 2017.


What we should hear  "You have a 6th cousin through the Luna line of your maternal Grandmother with whom you share a 6.6 cM  portion of DNA across 1 segment.  It is possible that it may be through that Luna line. You need to investigate further"

Instead many people feel that they don't need to investigate further and take that info at face value whether it is through lack of understanding, laziness or just not really carrying to know the truth. I'm not talking about those that just tested to learn ethnicity and don't care to do more. I am fine with that.

Thankfully this match agreed to upload to GEDmatch.  Since both of my daughter's Paternal Grandparents have tested I was able to tell that the connection was through my daughter's Paternal Grandmother's lines.  I was also able to take it back a step further in finding where to look as my daughter's PGM's Mother(my daughter's Great Grandmother) had also tested.

The match amount at GEDmatch to:
Daughter:  11.3 cMs on 1 segment
Her  PGM:  12.4 cMs on 1 segment
Her PGM's Mom 12.6 cMs on 1 segment

I should also mention that while my Daughter tested at AncestryDNA, her PGM tested at 23&me and her Great Grandmother tested at FTDNA.  We can compare all of these test at GEDmatch.

I did run the One to One for this match against my results and my Moms and she didn't have any measurable DNA match with us.

Those tricky DNA circles

I have began working thru the probate records of my Paternal Grandfather's Ogilvie and Harris lines which come together at my 5th Great Grandparents. My tree is at Ancestry where I have tested along with my sister and my Mom.  All of our DNA results are at GEDmatch as well.  As I work and look thru hints I like to check the profiles of others who have linked to or uploaded information.  When I visit their profile it also lets me check to see if there is a DNA match between me and that person.   I can also select other tests I admin to see if any of them match.  One of the good things about this is that if that person manages any other test and they match the test you have selected they will also appear beneath that profile, even if you don't match the profile but do have a match with one or more test which they admin.

Clicking on the word "your" lets you select other tests you admin to check against their profile

It's unclear to me when you don't find a match if it means they don't match you or if perhaps they haven't tested.  At this point I only give weight to the matches...and not any additional when they don't because I don't know if they have tested.

In this particular case my sister has the larger matches(17-20 cM segment) with both of these persons who tested and my Moderate match with the D.E. kit is only 6.6 cMs.  Ancestry has put us all in the Ann Knox circle together.  At this point there is not a Ogilvie or Harris Circle even though I do see descendants from at least 4 lines that descend from them working on trees.  Likely not enough of them have tested or the ones that have tested do not have DNA in common.  I contacted the main profile person and heard back from them within an hour(almost a record).  Now here is where it gets tricky.  The researcher has several tests at Ancestry(self, parent, sibling and maternal uncle) Along with the being included in the Ann Knox Circle for the testers profile, Shared Ancestor Hints for  Jacob Sutton and wife Ann Knox are shown as well as William Ogilvie and Mary Harris.   Since the Sutton/Knox and Ogilvie/Harris are on different sides of the main testers family we were able to determine that the match my sister has with  her is likely Ogilvie/Harris.  Looking at others who match at smaller amounts along the same segment and knowing the likely line, I have been able to find several others who appear to all have lineage back to this Ogilvie/Harris couple though I am still working on it.  To add too this.  The particular segment along which my sister(we are full siblings) matches is one which I and my sister do not have in common.  For that segment I have matches which come from our Paternal Grandmother's side of the family  This helps to know because it tells me if I match my PGM and my sister doesn't match me along that segment, that she got the only other segment that Dad could have given her....the one he got from his Dad, our PGF.

This is why it is important to look at the matching segments rather than rely on the DNA circles.  I cannot stress that enough.  I feel like the best approach to the DNA circles is to work them looking over the matches and trying to get as many as possible that match you at large amounts to GEDmatch where you can examine them more closely and prove or disprove each of the matches for that circle.

Dear Cousins: If you have taken an atDNA test, please consider uploading to GEDmatch

Downloading Your Raw DNA Data

AncestryDNA ---- FTDNA ---- MyHeritage ---- 23andMe

If you have taken an Autosomal DNA test PLEASE consider uploading to GEDmatch. Even if your only reason for taking the test was to find out your ethnicity.  When you test, your matches are restricted to those who have also tested at that same site.  By uploading to GEDmatch you are able to compare with others who have taken an autosomal DNA test at any of the other companies and uploaded to GEDmatch.  Below are instructions for downloading from AncestryDNA, FTDNA, MyHeritage and 23&me. Follow the instructions for the download and then scroll further down the page where you will find the instructions for uploading to GEDmatch.

If you tested at AncestryDNA
From your DNA Insights page click on Settings in the upper right just below your DNA Page header.

On the settings page you will see the option to Download Raw Data.  Click on that and follow the instructions.  Also while you are at the page consider linking your DNA to  your Tree.





After you have downloaded your file from AncestryDNA you will want to upload to GEDmatch.  Use the file you downloaded and follow the instructions under the Uploading to GEDmatch.com section.

If you tested at FTDNA
From your myFTDNA Dashboard:

Or from the myFTDNA Menu on the Left

After clicking the Download Raw Data link you should see a screen like this.  You can download Builf 36 if you are uploading to regular GEDmatch and build 37 if you are uploading to GEDmatch Genesis.
;Save the file somewhere you can  Browse to and DO NOT open the file.  You will upload the zipped file to GEDmatch.

After you have downloaded your file from FTDNA you will want to upload to GEDmatch.  Use the file you downloaded and follow the instructions under the Uploading to GEDmatch.com section


If you tested at 23&me

The transfer of the raw data from 23&me to GEDmatch is easier than ever. You can now transfer straight from 23&me to GEDmatch see image below.  No need to deal with the upload section of this page if you are able to transfer a copy straight to GEDmatch.

****Please note if you received your results after Aug 9th you may not be able to upload to GEDmatch but should be able to upload under the GEDmatch Genesis section located at the bottom of the column on the right. ****

I've retained the old instructions for anyone who would rather download their data and then upload the file to GEDmatch.
From your 23&me page. Log in.  It should give you a warning that DNA can contain sensitive info.

Select the Tools Tab from your top and then you should see the Browse or Download tabs. Choose Download and scroll down the page. Click on the button to submit your request. You will be prompted to select what DNA you want to download.choose the autosomal test1-22 and X and follow their instructions.

If you tested at MyHeritage

Uploading to GEDmatch.com

Once you have downloaded your Raw Data.....it's time to upload to GEDmatch.  If you have not registered you will need to do so in order that you may access the site.

After registration, you should be able to log in with your email and password which you chose.

Upload your Raw Data and fill out the info for your kit.  Your kit is usually ready shortly after uploading for One To One comparison but it will normally take at least 24 hours for the batch it is in is completely processed so that you can run the  One To Many for your kit and begin trying to figure out how you match to all those folks.

A listing of the DNA kits you have uploaded will show in the "Your DNA Resources" section located in the left panel of your GEDmatch dashboard page.  You may have to scroll to see it.  See the example below.

While you are waiting for the batch process...you might consider uploading a GEDCOM and linking it to your test results.

Hope you have found this helpful.

The importance of DNA testing siblings

This week I was contacted by a DNA match. She went on to tell me that her file was at GEDmatch and that we had in the range of a 4.7 generation match. The first thing I always do after being contacted by a match is to run their One To Many and then do a Find within page for my email address. I did this and found mine in the 4.7 range. Hit next....and surprise. Mom and my sister match her at 6.7. Of course this means that I need to run the One To One comparison for each of us to this match and see what is going on. Upon doing that for both Autosomal and X I can tell you why I match more than my sister matches.

My best guess is this. On Chromosome 4 that is a match from my Dad's side that my sister didn't get. On this portion of Dad's side I also match a Morrow/Sutton cousin. I should also note for later research that since my sister doesn't match this on this segment to the Morrow/Sutton cousin which is from my PGM side...that my sister on this segment of her DNA from Dad got the part that Dad got from his Dad(PGF). Ran the One to One of the Morrow/Sutton cousin and my DNA match and they also matched which I was 99% sure they would. My sister appears to match her on the end of Chr 4 but at less than 5 cMs so I believe that is noise from colonial lines. On Chromosome 5 you can see the smaller match at just under 9 cMs between my sister and Mom.....a segment which I didn't get.from Mom. If I had already identified which side of Mom's that I got this section along..I would know that my Sister got the one from the other side of Mom's lines since we do not match. Another clue is found with the 5.38cM match that both me and my sister share with this DNA match on the X. Mom doesn't match this and I tend to believe it is most likely from Dad's side.. If so ..this will provide me with more clues as the X has certain inheritance patterns. I have looked back along My current theory is that this line is from Dad's side and that this and the segment that I have on Chr 4 is from the Craigs and or Knox line as this line is one further down the Morrow/Sutton lines.

Things to think about....If my sister had been the only one who tested for my family we would have totally missed the Paternal connection and likely written the Maternal match off as being too far back. Thankful that my sister tested because while we have a good deal of matches in common we have more that we don't have in common than I thought we would. I guess when you get out beyond 3rd cousins that happens even in ones that are heavily colonial. Something else that is very interesting. This DNA match has mostly Canadian ancestry....could their be a Loyalist in there somewhere?

This shows how Mom's kit, Dad's phased kit using mine(Mine minus Mom's DNA) and my sisters kit all match the DNA cousin that contacted me.

AncestryDNA Circles Spreadsheet strategy

This post is about how I am using the info in my AncestryDNA circle to choose which members in the circle would be most beneficial to ask to upload to GEDmatch.com.  If you are not aware of how DNA circles are formed please see the recommended reading links listed at the end of the article. They do have limitations.  You will need segment matches, chromosome browser, triangulation, documented research working together to prove descent.

I have been using the info from my autosomal DNA test which was done at AncestryDNA to map my DNA segments to my Ancestors.  I downloaded my raw DNA and uploaded to GEDmatch where I can compare to others who have tested at any of the other major sites and uploaded their results to the GEDmatch.com website.   I did also do the transfer to FTDNA of my results and other kits I admin because everyone will not upload to GEDmatch....It would be great...but it's just not going to happen. Much like a chromosome browser at Ancestry.  I can deal with that though.

I've tried setting some goals for my larger DNA circles.  My goal is to get as many of my DNA circle matches to upload as possible.  That said, there are other things I'd like to know in deciding which of those circle members would be the most helpful to my research.  

• Which of the members have matching DNA segments with me?
• How many centiMorgans does Ancestry guesstimate we share?
• Along which path do they descend?
• Are they uploaded to GEDmatch?

I chose one of my larger DNA circles---Jabel Putman 54 Members of which 24 match my kit.

After navigating to my DNA circles and selecting the Jabel Putman Circle this is what it looks like

From the Circle page I click on LIST to show the matches.  This particular circle has 3 pages of matches.  I opened my notepad and copy and pasted the listing of matches to my kit.  I then edited the info and inserted tabs so I could paste it into a spreadsheet.  I did a FIND & REPLACE ALL with DNA MATCH TO CIRCLE and replace with OOO,  Then I did a FIND & REPLACE ALL with DNA MATCH and replaced that text with XXX.(be careful not to reverse those two if you try this)

Once I had my layout like I wanted it, I pasted the info into a spreadsheet and adjusted the columns and added a column for GEDmatch # LINE(of descent). To really get an idea of what can be gained by seeing the kit at GEDmatch, I also added a SEGMENT MATCH column.  There are several other columns in the circle listing(Admin, Group and Connection Strength) and I chose to keep them with the exception of the image files.  I added formatting to make the spreadsheet more visually informative.  In the rows where the circle member was a DNA match to me (XXX) I shaded those rows a pale green. I began populating the GEDmatch # Column by adding the #s of the matches which I knew had uploaded to GEDmatch. While viewing the matches in List Mode, click on Relationship to determine that members line of descent and note it in the LINE column.  I chose to include the child and the grandchild in that column.  For the Segment Match column I viewed the profile for the matches(those with XXX), clicked on the i while viewing to find the guesstimated amount of shared DNA  After I had gotten the spreadsheet populated and formatted to my liking, I sorted by those who had XXX in the match column adding the word ASK in the GEDmatch # column for those who matched me but who had not yet uploaded to that site.

Below is a screenshot of a copy of my spreadsheet(I edited out/modified usernames)

It's a pretty good representation of the randomness of DNA inheritance even though we really have no way of knowing 100% for sure if this ancestor is responsible for the segment match

Looking at the spreadsheet now lets me know the answers to my earlier questions and will let me make the most of my time when contacting my matches and recommending that they upload to GEDmatch..

Recommended reading to learn about AncestryDNA's Circles

Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gem's article

Genealogy Junkie's AncestryDNA starter page

Also Roberta Estes' DNA Explained has many articles about AncestryDNA circles.

DNA Logic Puzzles

My Dad always loved the Logic puzzles in the Dell Puzzles Magazines. As I'm working on DNA matches today I can't help thinking about him.  Not just because I am working on my paternal matches but that he would like the logic I am using.  While I have had my DNA results and those of my Mom for over a year, my sister's results came in not long ago and we now have her kit at GEDmatch. She is a full sibling but there seems to be a good variation in the people which we match due to the randomness in the 50% which you get from each of your parents..  What does that mean for me? I can take her kit....run it with Mom's to phase out Mom's matches and create a kit of Sis' DNA she got from Dad...which I can then compare to my DNA which I got from Dad.  If I know that one of us matches Dad's Mom along one segment..and it's a segment that we don't match along....I then know that the other one of us matches Dad's Dad along that segment which we don't have in common.  After all...Dad only had two to offer...so you got one or the other.

An Example:
Chromosome 4 on my Paternal side(which I can see by using the phased kit) I have a section from about 4-40 which I know I can attribute to my Paternal Grandmother's  Morrow/Sutton lines. My Sister has NONE of these same matches along that same segment of her Paternal side(I can again distinguish her Paternal from her Maternal matches by using the phased kit of her DNA she got from Dad mentioned earlier).  By this I can conclude that the matches along that segment for her are from my Paternal Grandfather's side and somewhere back along the Cook/Putman or King/Manire lines.


While this won't solve all of my unknowns, it is a big help in knowing where to look for the connection for these matches. So many times I wish that the matches had some idea of which side I match them along.This is one of the greatest things about having a parent and a full sibling that have also tested.