How are you accessing your AncestryDNA results?

If you have taken an AncestryDNA test and are viewing your results exclusively thru the AncestryDNA app you are missing out on the full experience.  It's easier for some of us who access our results thru a personal computer to forget that there are many who don't do that.  It's hard to compare results with other matches as well if you are not looking at the same layout--especially if you in one state(or country) trying to explain to someone in another place who is not seeing the same thing you see because they are using the app and you are seeing the Desktop version of the website.  So now one of my first questions that I ask other matches before comparing is how are you accessing your results?   

There is a workaround for those who do not have a computer.  Using the browser on your device, view as desktop site.  Directions on how to get to that option in Chrome are in the image below.  

It's also easier to get to the Sharing preferences when you are viewing it as a desktop site.  

See my June Blog Post for How to Invite others to view your AncestryDNA match list

We should not forget that some people do DNA tests merely for ethnicity results and have no desire to actively research their family history.  Too, there are others who don't realize there is more to it than just the ethnicity results especially if they don't see the desktop site view.  So if you have never seen your results other than in the app or mobile view, I challenge you to try just once.  You might like it.  If not, nothing lost other than a few minutes of your time.  

mtDNA results of my Paternal Aunt

I woke up to find that my Paternal Aunt's mtDNAFull test results were finished processing.  What a great way to begin 2019.  After reading over her results and her match list I did what I have done any other time that I get new DNA test results.  I work the closer matches.  Regardless of whether it's atDNA, mtDNA, or YDNA I build floating trees which contain the matches ancestors. YDNA and mtDNA matches may not connect with your line til back about 500 or even a thousand years but having the trees(Or the direct Father or Mother line for YDNA or mtDNA) of the matches will help you see how they connect with each other and sort new matches.  With mtDNAFULL,  I would only work with the genetic distance of 0-1.  In YDNA I use genetic distance 2 or less at the 37 & 67 marker and 0-1 at 111 markers.

My daughter had tested a while back so I had the mtDNA for her, myself and my Mom.  She had a backwards mutation which was present in the descendants of my 4th Great Grandmother's sister so I haven't felt compelled to test myself or Mom.

Dad's YDNA   R-M269 tested Y111 markers
Dad's  mtDNA   Haplogroup:  U3a1c
Mom's mtDNA Haplogroup:   H3-T152C!


The Y and mtDNA tests are at FTDNA and I purchased the autosomal tests there also for the ones who did the other testing with the exception of my daughter.  In her case, transferred her autosomal from AncestryDNA into the account at FTDNA in which she did the mtDNAFull test.

The research trees that I work with are all at Ancestry.  I have them set as private trees and selected the option that keeps them from showing up in searches.  I do have trees on FTDNA so that my matches can see my pedigree chart but I don't really add to them much other than linking matches so that they will sort out Paternal and Maternal.

I have trees named:

• Y-DNA Cook(e)--This tree contains each of the closer matches for my brothers YDNA test at  37, 67 and 111 maker levels   For our family this is a group of Cook(e) men who are from the Shem Cook(e) and Amelia Co Virginia Cook(e)s the exception being a group of Patterson men who also match us closely even at 111 markers who likely descend from a Cook who was raised as a Patterson.  I note the  highest level of testing in the Suffix field and the Genetic Distance(ex.  First & Middle Name:  John F  Last Name:  Cook   Suffix:  Y67 GD=1)  While I do keep a spreadsheet with the closest ones I include as many as possible of those who have trees and check the hints to see if I can find additional information as we are still looking for the connecting generations despite knowing which group we most closely match.  
• Dad's mtDNA Tree- this is the one I started on today including the matches of my Paternal Aunt's mtDNA who had trees available.  Of the 12 GD=1 matches about 7 of them did have a pretty good tree.  mtDNA surnames generally change every generation but I am finding names which I'm familiar with in the matrilineal lines of these matches(Deason, Sheppard, Rushing)  These are families that all travel together from Maryland on down thru the Carolinas with some coming thru Georgia and settling in Bedford Co TN and Lower Middle KY before moving on to other parts of the SE USA.  The matrilineal line for Dad and his sister was also a line that appears twice in their ancestors as they have pedigree collapse back at the 2nd Great Grandparent level.
• Mom's mtDNA Tree--This tree consist of the GD=0 matches of my daughter. There is an unusually high occurrence of the Combs family in this tree.  My mtDNA goes from my maternal Grandmother's Hale line, on back thru Hitchcock, Fleming, and Combs.  My research on Nancy Combs Fleming has pretty much been at a standstill for a good while as I've not been able to find many sources though I do find lots of claims in online trees.  Like the names in my Dad's mtDNA tree, they seem to be repeating and could be people that the Combs and Hitchcocks traveled with coming South and West when the lands opened up.  
• Paternal Line DNA Puzzles  --This tree contains the trees of matches that I have built out when I was studying a triangulation group at other sites or shared matches at Ancestry.  I can generally tell if a match is Paternal in that they won't match with my Mom's results.  She Tested at Ancestry but we have her file at MyHeritage, FTDNA and GEDmatch.
• Maternal Line DNA Puzzles--I use the same technique described in the one above adding matches that are maternal for me and or my siblings.  Sometimes I will put the shared cM amount in the suffix field of the Puzzle trees.

This process works for me.  It might not work for everyone especially if you don't have many matches  but it does seem to keep me on track.  I hope you find this useful and I'd like to hear if you try it or if you have a process that helps to keep track of your matches and their connections.

How to send a Share link of your DNA results from your AncestryDNA test

I've found it useful to send share links to some of my closer matches so they can see who matches my test. The top question after I do that has always been "How did you do that?"

I thought it might be useful to post about the process and include some other information from that page as well.  Hope that anyone wanting to know how to do this or explain it to others will find this helpful.

In order to send a share link you need to be viewing the DNA Insight page for the kit which you want to share.

It should look something like the above image across the top.  You will want to click on the button with the Gear logo and the word Settings.  That will take you to a page which has several different options: Email Settings, Privacy, Family Tree Linking,  Research Content, Sharing DNA results and Sharing Ethnicity Results.  Below I have two images showing how how the page should look at the top and as you scroll down to the section where you can send invites to view your DNA results.  I did edit out the names of people that have a share link TO my DNA results in the example.

Scroll down to the section called Sharing DNA results

If you had sent DNA share invites prior to this there would be a listing of users that were allowed to view your results as well as their permissions/role and the REMOVE buttons which you could use to "unshare" at any time.

Once you click on the Invite Others to Access DNA Results you will have a window pop up which looks like this.  From here you can add emails or usernames of people whom you want to have access to the DNA test.  Choose Roles for that person(typically Guest unless you want them to be able to change trees to which your DNA is linked.)  Click on Send Invitation and you should get a notification when they accept your share link.

Column along the Right side of Webpage

Please note in the column along the right side of this page you will find the links to Download Your Raw Data or to Delete Your Test(This requires that you enter your password--This can not be undone) 

Don't Discount the Double Check

Today I was reminded of why you should always double check things.  I have been working with several other researchers on a Chromosome 20 puzzle .  We have 5 people who match along a given segment(with slight variations in the length) and who all match each other.    I had been waiting on my mother's results so that I could at least narrow down the lines over which I needed to search.  Those results came in Friday afternoon and late Saturday I ran a check on three of them against my Mom's results and neither matched.  This told me that the segment match was along my father's lines.  I noted this without writing it down and planned to email the researchers Sunday morning to let them know that we could narrow it down to Dad's lines.  Sunday morning came and I sat down to write the email and always one to double check...I checked again.  I input the numbers of the only kit that I hadn't run a one to one on with my Mom's kit....The only reason I had not ran this kit against hers was that this tester was a known closer cousin of one of the others and I thought that running just one was enough.  Was I ever puzzled when they had a match....Not on Chromosome 20...but on Chromosome 21.   It was a smaller match than the ones we were working on.  So I checked my notes and ran each of the remaining test against my Mom's.  None of them matched her accept this kit. I ran a One to One on mine and his and I had a match with him on Chromosome 21 also but it was smaller than the segment that he and Mom shared and that was why it was not showing in my Genome Mate.  So now, in addition to my Chromosome 20 puzzle...I have a Chromosome 21 puzzle.  One puzzle at a time....