Get the Most out of your DNA test

No matter which test you have taken, there are a few essential actions you should take to get the most out of your DNA test. You may not be able to do all of them all at once, so come back to this page often and check it out again to see if there is anything else you could be doing to maximise the value you get from your DNA test.

You may wish to share the link to this page with any potential recruits so that they can see what they will get if they test.

Make yourself visible to your cousins

1) Use your kit number and password to Log in to your personal webpage and explore it. Add as much information to your personal webpages as you can - this will optimise your chances of successful collaboration with your DNA matches. Also, be sure to complete the Beneficiary page so that your DNA serves as a legacy to your family.

2) You must add your MDKA information (Most Distant Known Ancestor) including dates & locations for both birth and death. The format we recommend is the same as the one above, but you may have to abbreviate it as only a certain number of letters are allowed in this field. Location of birth is the most important piece of information. Here is an example:
James RYAN b1835 Shallee, Tipp d1879 Longstone, Tipp m Kathy BURKE
To add this information, simply click on your name in the top right of your homepage - Account Settings - Genealogy - Most Distant Ancestors ... I have posted instructions on how to do this on the following link ... http://farrelldna.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/essential-information-everyone-should.html

3) Send us your Ryan Ancestral Line (from you up to your Ryan MDKA). This will go up on the Patriarchs Page on the WFN website or you can post it yourself on the Post Your Pedigree Page on this blog. This will potentially help other people to connect with you. Please provide it in the following format:
1) James RYAN b c1835 Nenagh, Tipperary, d 12 Nov 1879 Shallee, Co. Tipperary, m 13 Apr 1860 Maria BATES
2) Mortimer RYAN b 1861 etc ... (birth, death, marriage details)
3) Abigail RYAN b 1890 ... (as above)
4) Francis RYAN b 1917 … (as above)
Researcher: (insert your initials here)
Your email address: (use AT instead of @)
DNA Kit numbers: (insert the last 4 numbers of your DNA kit numbers)
Link to your online tree: www.xxxxxxx.com 

4) Optimise your Privacy settings so that your potential cousins can see your results:
  • Hover over your Name in the top right
  • Click on Account Settings, then the Privacy & Sharing tab at the end of the menu bar above
  • Then scroll down to last section entitled Project Sharing
  • under Group Project Profile, simply tick the box on the right beside “Opt in to sharing” …
  • Then click the orange Save button (bottom left).


5) Create your MDKA Profile. In essence, this is all the information you have about your Brick Wall. And the more information you can give about it, the better the chance of breaking through it. There are lots of clues and circumstantial evidence from documentary data that may help you identify a possible connection with other members of the group.  This applies to all project members but is most relevant to members with Irish ancestry given that the records tend to peter out about 1800. Check out this MDKA Profile page for instructions on how to complete the profile for your own MDKA. You can also view an example of it here.

6) Add your Ancestral Surnames (click on your name in the top right - Account Settings - Genealogy - Surnames). I suggest to put SURNAMES in capital letters and Locations in normal text, as this makes the surnames "jump out" and easier for the reader to scan through.

7) Upload your Family Tree as a GEDCOM file so that you have a version of your family tree on your FTDNA webpages.   This is particularly important if you have done a Family Finder test (autosomal DNA). You can also add your Family Tree manually if it is easier for you. And if you have a Family Tree online, leave a link to it in the About Me section of your Personal Profile. Click here for specific instructions on uploading a Gedcom file - https://www.familytreedna.com/learn/ftdna/how-to-family-tree/



Check out Project-related Resources

There are a lot of resources that are particularly relevant to the Ryan DNA Project and you should check out and use these as you feel appropriate.

8) Join the Ryan Genealogy Forum on Facebook if you haven’t already. It is a great place for sharing information and keeping in touch with recent developments.

9) Check out the various pages and the previous posts on this website. It has a lot of useful information that will help you understand your results and where you fit in to the larger project.

10) Join the relevant Haplogroup projects
Your results will reveal your haplogroup (i.e. your particular branch of the Tree of Mankind, also known as the Y-Haplotree). Once your results arrive, make sure you join all the relevant projects as these will assist us in the further analysis of your data and in particular your deep ancestry (where in the world your particular ancestors originated several thousand years ago). The projects are run by volunteer project administrators and they are a rich source for advice, guidance, and support. Frequently there is an associated mailing list or Facebook group you can join to keep abreast of up-to-date developments (this is a fast-moving field). If you are not sure which projects to join, ask the Admins - they would be happy to do it for you if you want them to.

Relevant Y-DNA haplogroup projects for each of the Lineages identified thus far include the following:
If your haplogroup project is not listed here, you can see if there is a specific project for your haplogroup on this list: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Y-DNA_haplogroup_projects

11) Join the relevant Geographical Projects
Relevant Y-DNA geographical projects for each of the Lineages identified thus far include the following:
There may be other geographical projects that are relevant to your ancestral line and you can find them on this list: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Geographical_DNA_projects


Check out General Resources

There is a lot of information out there about genetic genealogy in general and it can be a bit confusing knowing where to find it. Below is a selection of our "best bits".

12) FTDNA have a lot of useful information in their Learning Centre. Be sure to check out the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).

13) The ISOGG wiki is a great place to start looking for general information about any topic related to genetic genealogy, including your particular type of test.

14) Read Kelly Wheaton's beginners’ guide to genetic genealogy: https://sites.google.com/site/wheatonsurname/beginners-guide-to-genetic-genealogy

15) Download and read the e-book from the resources tab on your myFTDNA homepage.

16) There are a variety of different YouTube videos on genetic genealogy which have been prepared by ISOGG members and Project Administrators.

17) Sign up to the relevant genetic genealogy mailing lists, forums and Facebook groups. These can be great sources of help if you have a specific question. See the list here: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Genetic_genealogy_mailing_lists.
We particularly recommend:

18) Read blogs written by experienced genetic genealogists. See this list of genetic genealogy blogs: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Genetic_genealogy_blogs

19) Read the relevant articles about your specific DNA-test ...

Y-DNA - traces your father's father's father's line
Y-DNA basics: http://www.familytreedna.com/learn/dna-basics/ydna

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) - traces your mother's mother's mother's line
mtDNA testing for advanced users: http://www.familytreedna.com/learn/mtdna-testing

These two pages are relevant if you have taken the full mitochondrial sequence (FMS) test:
mtDNACommunity: http://www.familytreedna.com/learn/mtdna-community
mtDNA scientific collaboration: http://www.familytreedna.com/learn/mtdna-results-donation

Autosomal DNA (atDNA) - traces all your ancestral lines
Understanding Family Finder results: http://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=17
Understanding Population Finder results: http://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=22


Please let me know if any of these links are broken or cease working.


Maurice Gleeson
Jan 2018

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