New GEDmatch X-chromosome comparison links at WikiTree

From WikiTreer-in-Chief, Chris Whitten comes this great announcement about new GEDmatch X-chromosome comparison links at WikiTree.

“Hi WikiTreers,

We just took another small step forward in our collaboration with GEDmatch.com.

As most of you know, you can click directly to view one-to-one autosomal test comparisons on GEDmatch from WikiTree profile pages and DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid pages. You can also do Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA comparisons through Ysearch and MitoSearch “[compare]” links on WikiTree.

One thing we haven’t had until now is easy X-chromosome comparison links. X comparisons can be especially powerful for genealogy because there is a more limited inheritance pattern on the X than the autosome and almost everyone who has taken an autosomal DNA test (all 10 or 12 million of us!) has X chromosome test results too. There is a lot of untapped potential for DNA confirmation using X matches.

Here’s an example of how you might use this. Look on your DNA Ancestors page — this is the “DNA” link on the pull-down menu that starts with your WikiTree ID — and scroll to the X Chromosome section. These are the ancestors from whom you inherited your X DNA. Choose one of the distant ones and click the DNA Descendants icon next to their name.

On your ancestor’s DNA Descendants page scroll to the X Chromosome section. These are the descendants — yourself and your cousins — who are likely to match each other on the X. If more than one of you are on GEDmatch you can click the “[compare]” links to see whether you match as you would expect.

Here are a couple examples of DNA Descendants pages where you can see the new GEDmatch comparison links:

Maybe a more informed genetic genealogist will follow up here with advice on doing the actual DNA confirmations, or with other ideas for using this new feature.

Onward and upward,

Chris

P.S. A big thank you to John Olson, Curtis Rogers, and our other friends at GEDmatch for enabling us to create these links. Thank you to Blaine Bettinger for his early and ongoing evangelism for X chromosome usage. (We used Blaine’s charts to create our XDNA ancestor and descendant pages.) And thank you to Mags Gaulden, Kay Wilson and the other DNA Project members for their leadership on these subjects, most especially — especially — thank you to Peter Roberts, who suggested this feature and helped it all come together, as he has with many of our DNA features.”

This is just great Chris (and Peter),

X-DNA is often overlooked, but can be a powerful tool because it’s inheritance is very specific. Click on your DNA link as Chris suggested and look at how this sex chromosome is inherited.

For a female:

From your Dad and his Mother.
From your Mother and her parents

For a Male:

From your Mother and her parents

It’s so specific. The Confirmation Citation is really informative too:

* Maternal relationship is confirmed by a 108.0 cM X chromosome match between John Kingman GEDmatch T782948 and his second cousin once removed Kelly Miller GEDmatch A721343. Their MCRA is Charles Cyrus Babst.

Take some time to look at some of those X-Matches WikiTree has posted for you. You might get a pleasant surprise.

My Dad and I from this new feature:

Chr	Start Location	End Location	Centimorgans (cM)	SNPs
X	2,710,157	154,551,755	190.1	16,903

Chr 23

Mags

Blew-up someones world this weekend…

I work methodically, how on earth did I just blow up someones world? Truly, it’s the way I work, slow and methodical. Find each piece and put into place.

When I say blow-up someones world I mean it in a good way. This time. Let’s take a step back and methodically go thorough this so at least you understand what I am talking about.

She is adopted

Of course she is. I could describe her in so many other ways too, but to know she is adopted is the only way to describe her today. I don’t think she frames her life to people she meets this way normally, but she framed her life this way to me, because when we met we talked about what we each did for a living. Of course when I told her what I did, she kind of looked at me sideways and from a distance. It’s something adoptees do when presented with something that might blow-up their life..

She briefly told me her story; she found her mother through the Adoption Disclosure Register of 1993 and had no idea who her father was…I did tell her that she would find her answers in her DNA.

A few months later she asked me for help.

She knew her mother, but the information she was given about who her father was, was incorrect. How did she discover it was incorrect? Because she paid a company to do a paternity test on a family member of the first person her Mother told her (paternity tests run into many hundreds of dollars). Then a family member of the second person her mother named (with a tiny bit of influence from me) had an FTDNA test (much less expensive).

The second test proved no DNA match to the second man named. Seems the more “no answers” she got the more her drive was ignited to know the truth.

Driven to Know

I talked with someone once who helps Adoptees. She told me a horror story about a client who, when given a bit of information on where the researcher thought the clients father/mother might live, spent an evening knocking on doors and being incredibly confrontational with the families she encountered.

Imagine opening the door to a wild-eyed woman who thinks the world has lied to her for 45 years and sees a crack of light peering through a darkened tunnel. I can’t imagine how utterly terrifying it would be to have a child you didn’t know about, or one you had hidden from your family, or that you had tried to hide from, just appear, demanding you talk openly and frankly about her. Your secret.

She was shown a crack of light.

Back to today, to this client, who is fast becoming a good friend. I opened a crack in her dark tunnel. I was working methodically. But I did ask her if she would take on some of the research since I know she was capable and because I told her the story I just related to you above. Did she listen?

She did and she didn’t and well…it was like a can of biscuits. You push the the spoon in just a touch and POP it’s all out there.

And it is all out there.

She spent the weekend working social media with the information I gave her. We talked and texted over the weekend and each time I tried to get my, “take it slow”, “don’t go overboard with this”, ‘don’t be disappointed”, “don’t”, “don’t”, “don’t”… I got a text from her this morning…”______ _______ is my Dad, I just talked to him.”

It’s all good. It is. After 2 hours it’s all good. What a wild weekend for her. What a wild weekend for him. What a, “what can of busquits have I opened” weekend for me.

I wish I could have bubble wrapped her after our “revealing” meeting Friday night. At least I would have felt she and her newly discovered family could have had some protection – protection that in the end none of them seem to need.

Wow, what a weekend!

70k Doc – First Connection

The last Blog Post was all about the 70k Document. It’s a Descendants of John Gaulding compilation document from a DNA connected (who is not connected to my Gauldings yet) cousin who is the keeper of a lifelong Gaulding researchers research. Up to speed? If not please read the, My Dad Has a Y DNA match to two Gauldings.

Making DNA Match Connections

I, personally, have DNA cousins and also people who should be DNA cousins, who are not a match to me, that I have wanted to connect for quite a while. The cousins who we think share a Gaulding MCRA (Most Common Recent Ancester) with me are of course the ones I want to connect first and especially the Y-DNA matches.

BUT, I have this friend and we have known for 3 or four years that we have the Gaulding Surname in our respective limbs of the Big Ole Shared Family Tree that is WikiTree. We have never been able to make that connection until…

You guessed it, the 70k Doc.

I know I should be tracking down those Y-DNA connections so I can confirm my fathers line back forever…

I couldn’t resist Liz and our shared wonder at the fact that we do not match via DNA. Yes, I am absolutely my fathers daughter and he matches two other Gaulding Y-DNA testers. We are Gaulding’s for sure and according to the 70k Doc we share my fifth great grandfather, John Mathew Gaulding.

Why not a match?

Matching a MCRA at our 64, 4th great grandparents is about as far back as you can go with auDNA. Give or take a shake or two. Knowing Liz and I match further back than our 64, 4th Great Grandparents at our fifth makes a non-match a definite possibility.

The other factor might be that we didn’t inherit as much of the same DNA segment from our MCRA or that we didn’t inherit ANY matching segments of DNA from our MCRA. It’s the same as looking at a pair of siblings who have different color hair or eyes. I didn’t inherit the exact same things from our ancestors that my siblings did and it’s obvious when you look at us.

The Excitment of the Hunt

Over the past week or so, Liz and I have shot emails back and forth exploring names that might break down her brickwall. We finally did it a few days ago and couldn’t have done it without the 70k Doc. So this is revelation #1, Brickwall busting #1 and possibly pulled muscle #1 from Liz’s happy dance. Now we just need to verify all the genealogy we are looking at and we are done.

Now back to those two YDNA matches.

TEST Please!

To any male Gaulding, Gaulden, Gauldin, Golding, Goulding descendants, please test! In particular any descendant of John Gaulding of Verginia (any of them) or William Goulding of Bermuda. William names a nephew in his will, another William, who lived in New England. Be great to prove the theory that he was the father of John Gaulding of Virginia, imported by the Ripley Family.

Finding Birth Families: Genealogy and Adoption Research

Mini-Panel discussion about adoption. Mags will cover research done using DNA to find adoptees’ birth families.

“How can adoptees and birth families find each other? Genetic genealogy and traditional research sources can both help you trace long-lost relatives. Monica Byrne, Parent Finders Ottawa, will discuss adoption in Ontario and the resources of Parent Finders. Mags Gaulden, Grandma’s Genes, will illustrate the uses of DNA testing for adoption research.” OPL

Ottawa Public Library, Cumberland branch, 1599 Tenth Line Rd. March 19, 2018, 7PM – 8:30PM.

My Dad has a Y-DNA match to two Gauldings.

My Dad has a Y-DNA match to two Gauldings. This means we can confirm our family connections back to our most common recent ancestor. The other two Y-DNA testers are from a branch of the family that haven’t been connected to the main trunk by anyone with published information.

Distant Cousins and Gaulding Researchers

Over the past years I have been talking to a very distant Gaulding cousin (a close relation to one of the Y-DNA testers) who has one such unpublished document. To make the family connections she agreed to share it with me. The document arrived as a 70K word rich text document converted to a Word document format. There is no consistent numbering schemes. It does not follow any genealogical numbering system nor is it chronological, skipping around from sibling to sibling in one generation then back to the generation before. The formatting, because of the conversion, has globs of spacing and the indents and lists are crazy.

Making It Make Sense

It’s taken me weeks of night and weekend work to get it into a format to print so I can look at it, make notes and correct the formatting, chronology, indents and lists systems. I started three nights ago with the meat of the document. The “How are we connected?” work of getting the siblings, parents, grandparents, great grandparents all lined up correctly so I can start the research and sourcing to make it right (the author did not include his sources either).

The author of this document (in an introduction to the document) makes no excuses, no apologies for the document format or lack of sources and rightly so since it is not intended to be published.

My hope is to get the document in good nick, genealogically wise, make the connections to confirm my dad and their dad’s DNA connection and to send the re-formatted document file back to the cousin who sent it to me. What a wonderful labor this is. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate her willingness to trust me with this researchers life work. As I work, I will fill in the missing pieces on WikiTree from his work so you can follow along there if you’d like.

Follow along if you’d like

I think our most common recent ancestor is, John Gaulding, St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent, Virginia, (abt. 1665-1740).

Would the REAL Martin Ebert Please Stand

Well in this case Martin Ebert can’t stand, either of them, at least not on their own. They need a little bit of help from genealogists. Maybe a a good sweep with a broom and then prop them up with the broom. Oh, we could go into all sorts of metaphors for this. But the truth? If people see something on the internet and copy and paste it willy-nilly without checking it’s validity, then the REAL Martin Eberts of the world will never be able to stand-up.

My Task

I have been given a task. To locate a marriage record for Martin Ebert, b. 1780ishy who lived in Hull, Ottawa County, Quebec and died in Hastings, Ontario in 1783ish. Like how exact I am in those dates?

It appears that at some point someone connected a Martin Ebert who was born in York County, Pennsylvania – specifically his birth information – to Martin Ebert who lived and died in Quebec and Ontario.

It happens…a lot unfortunately.

I could say buyer beware. I could say if you wade into internet Genealogies you will find this quiet epidemic of copy and paste Measles. It is very contagious. What do you do about it? Read the information carefully and number one? Look for sources. Sources are the best inoculation.

Martin Ebert of Pennsylvania

Since I use, as most of you already know, WikiTree as my main Genealogy platform for my own family and for clients as well, I have been working on this task there. I was more than pleased to find that the Martin Ebert of Pennsylvania on WikiTree had NOT been connected to the Martin Ebert of Ontario on WikiTree.

As I worked I noted information for Martin of Pennsylvania, and discovered he lived all of his life in Pennsylvania as witnessed by the many entries for him being involved as a sponsor for Baptisms from the Records of the First Moravian Church, City of York, York County, Pennsylvania, 1758-1800. Be hard for him to keep up this religous sponsorships while living full time in both places. This would be a BIG red flag for anyone trying to connect Martin of Ontario with Martin of York, Pennsylvania. It’s just logical.

Martin Ebert of Quebec and Ontario

Where was Martin of Quebec and Ontario born? No idea yet. When and where was he married? No idea yet.

Martin was born sometime between 1783 to 1790. This based on numerous bits and pieces from the internet and via some guesswork of how accurate Census Data is.

This Martin could have been born in New York State. There are a few Martin Ebert’s born about this time in New York State. To figure out which one fits this Martin we can look to the unsourced information for the marriage of this Martin Ebert to Roxanne Waller. Most of the Internet Genealogies point to Utica New York in 1808 or by Ebert researcher, Carol Hutchinson, in Hull, QC.

This Martin of Canada can not be the Martin Ebert, son of John Martin Ebert and Anna Maria Smyser born in Pennsylvania, John Martin Ebert. Martin Ebert who was born in York PA, married Mary Eichelberger, died in York, PA and is buried there. As we shown above.

Martin Ebert who married Roxanne Waller somehow took advantage of the 1792 proclamation of Governor Alured Clarke “of 1792, which threw the lands of Lower Canada open to such American settlers as were willing to declare allegiance to the British Crown. These migrations took the typical form in British North America of group settlements consisting of ‘leader and associates’….”

Along with Philemon Wright and his Laborers and workers,”…The core of the first group of settlers consisted of four other families and thirty-three labouring men, 1 1 unmarried farmers, from different parts of Massachusetts.” ^[1] What is the route these settlers took? If they swung across New York and Near Albany then, per Carol Hutchinsons theory, that he born somewhere near Albany, then it could be likely he joined this group as one of the workers and made his way with them to Hull.

Carol Hutchinson points to the First Account Books Philemon Wright as a source for knowing Martin Ebert was in Hull as early as 1806 as witnessed by his log entry into the account book.^[2] Carol also lists him as living in Hull and being on the 1808 Militia Rolls – age of 24. “One is a militia list for Hull, Eardly and Onslow circa 1808. It lists Tiberius Wright and Philemon Wright as well as Eliad Waller, Eder Waller, (both sons of Truman Waller) and Martin Ebert as well as others for a total of 52.^[3]

His Wife Roxanne Waller. Roxanne’s family headed by her father “Truman Waller, 43, from Marlborough Township and formerly of Granville, New York” traveled to Canada, August 1801, with a group of families with lead by Dudley Moore. ^[4] Considering Roxanne’s estimated birth date is 1790? She would have been ten year old when her family traveled to Canada. This helps to substantiate Carol Hutchinson’s idea that Martin and Roxanne were not married in Utica New York as Internet Genealogies pose.

If the Ebert Family was the Ebert Family of Albany, that Carol has posed in her research, they were not far away from the Waller family, 65 miles south, in Granville, Washington County. Did they Migrate together?

Carol Hutchinson poses that Martin Ebert could have left Hull during the War of 1812, which would explain the birth of his daughter Elizabeth Catherine in Utica, New York, in 1815. Carol also points to a Mertin Ebert who was a part of Colden’s 5th Artillery and Infantry Reg’t., New York Militia. ^[5]

That he lived and died in Quebec and Ontario is fairly well documented.

1825 Land Information

“At the Bristol Township Line sometime before 1825, an American by the name of Martin Ebert had squatted on the East half of Lot 11, Range 2, which borders on the River. This property had been improved by an American squatter living in Bristol by the name of Uzal Pearson. Ebert Bought these improvements in 1827.”^[6]

1833 Land Grant

Name: Martin Eberts
Location: Clarendon, Pontiac
Acres: 100
Letters Patent Date: 1 Aug 1833^[7]

1851 Census

1851 Census. ^[8]

Est. Birthdate of 1779.

1861 Census

1861 Census.^[9]

Est. Birthdate of 1780.

Find-A-Grave: Memorial #77246563 His tombstone lists his dates as 1780-1873. According to Bob Sturgeon on Ancestry Message boards from 2001, “we now have an actual marker on his gravesite”. This grave marker was set in modern times and unfortunately may be carrying some of the internet misattribution with it.

Research Notes

1859 Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires

“Acquit and Discharge, Hector Russell to Martin Eberts”^[10]

1842 Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires

Martin Ebert
Record Date: 12 févr. 1842 (12 Feb 1842)
Record Place: Terrebonne, Québec (Quebec), Canada
Notary: Louis-Edouard Globensky
Notarial Act Number: 2766
Record Type: Vente (Sale)
Record Description: Vente
Participants: Martin Ebert and Stanislas Linssico^[11]

Other interesting Eberts

A Marin Ebert was born in 1788 in New York.

A Martin Ebert Born in NY in 1783. “Martin Ebert died 1873 in Bangor, Hastings, Ontario, Carol H., 2011

John Ebert, Census 1790, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York, United States^[12]

John Ebert, Census 1800, Berne, Albany, New York, United States^[13]

Derrick Ebert, Census 1830, Watervliet, Albany, New York, United States^[14]

Places To look for Martin and Roxanne and the illusive Marriage Record.

Granville, NY
Marlboro Township, UpperCanada
Albany, NY
Augusta, Ontario
Sattlers to Early Ottawa/Eardley
Settlement of Hastings – Bangor
Look for all state possibilities for Ebert Family.

The DNA

Of course there is DNA involved – I am all about DNA! Martin’s Descendant has done DNA testing with AncestryDNA.com and shared her DNA on GEDmatch (GEDmatch enables the sharing of DNA match information across all the testing companies). Ancestry created a DNA circle connecting others to Martin and Roxy. Unfortunately so far all the other matches reach Martin and Roxy through the same child. While my Martin Ebert Descendant reaches Martin and Roxy through a different child. What I would love to see pop-up are some testers from another direct line from Martin and Roxy. I would love to see a Marriage Record float down from the sky <I have Dreams>.

In a perfect DNA world I would also like to see DNA information from some of Martin Ebert of Pennsylvania’s Descendants. Ebert may sound like a unique surname to you but to me? After working this line for some time? They could be smiths for all the Eberts I am finding in the Canada and the United States North Eastern States

Sources

↑ “The Famous Township of Hull”: Image and Aspirations of a Pioneer Quebec Community, p. 341, by Bruce S. Elliott, prepared for a seminar in social history at Carleton University.[1]
↑ The Family History and Account Books of Philemon Wright, By Diane Proctor, BIFHSGO. Link given but it is not working.
↑ Martin Ebert Died 1873 in Bangor, Hastings, Ontario, By Carol Hutchinson, 2011.[2] and Bob Moody
↑ “The Famous Township of Hull”: Image and Aspirations of a Pioneer Quebec Community, p. 341, by Bruce S. Elliott, prepared for a seminar in social history at Carleton University.[3] via Thad. W.H. LEAVITT, History of Leeds and Grenville (Belleville: Mika Silk, Screening Limited, 1972), p. 133; United Church Archives, Toronto, Methodist Church in Hull, L. Canada, Baptismal Register, 182~1843, Micro. D.3.5.86
↑ War of 1812 Service Records, National Archives and Records Administration, Compiled Military Service records for the Volunteer Soldiers who served during the war of 1812, Washington DC, NARA M602, 234 Rolls
↑ Clarendon and Shawville, p. 21, by J. Loyd Armstrong, Dickson Enterprises, 1980. Ottawa Room, Ottawa Public Library. Call 971.4215 A736.
↑ Letters Patent Book: N Grants; Page: 179; County Index Volume: 1; Page: 830, Robert Dunn and Derek Hopkins, comp. Alphabetical Index to the Land Grants by the Crown in the province of Quebec from 1763 to 31st December 1890. Pointe Claire, Quebec: Quebec Family History Society, 2005. Ancestry.com.[4]
↑ Census of 1851 (Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada. Census of Nova Scotia, 1851. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management (NSARM): Nova Scotia Board of Statistics, 1851.
↑ 1861 Census of Canada for Martin Ebert, Litchfield, Canada East, Pontiac, “Census returns for 1861.” LAC microfilm C-999 to C-1007, C-1010 to C-1093, C-1095 to C-1108, C-1232 to C-1331, M-1165 to M-1166, M-1168 to M-1171, M-556, M-874 to M-878, M-880 to M-886, M-896 to M-900. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.
↑ Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1637-1935 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.[5]
↑ Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1637-1935 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.Image
↑ “United States Census, 1790,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKG-149 : accessed 7 January 2018), John Ebert, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York, United States; citing p. 193, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 6; FHL microfilm 568,146.
↑ “United States Census, 1800,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRC-P6H : accessed 7 January 2018), John Ebert, Berne, Albany, New York, United States; citing p. 68, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 22; FHL microfilm 193,710.
↑ “United States Census, 1830,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG1-L7Y : 29 July 2017), Derick Ebert, Watervliet, Albany, New York, United States; citing 462, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 84; FHL microfilm 17,144.

DNA and The Global Family Tree – Poll 1

In June your Grandma will be presenting a 3 hour Workshop at the Ontario Genealogical Associations Conference 2018. The subject of the Workshop is DNA and the Global Family Tree. In preparation for this I’ll be posting some polls to find interesting information from you, to mix into my presentation.

I’ll post polls to Grandmas Genes Facebook Page. Please do share these polls to your pages, blogs, message boards, Twitter, holiday table and consider it a gift to the OGS Conference 2018 Workshop participants.

Thanks!

2017 International Conference on Genetic Genealogy

Grandma’s Genes will be present and accounted for at the i4gg conference this weekend in San Diego. Two days of networking and talking and presentations and…

From the website for i4gg: “The DNA Detectives brings back i4GG 2017 in SAN DIEGO CA December 9 and 10, 2017, 9am to 6pm. The event will cover traditional Genetic Genealogy as well as Genetic Genealogy methodologies for unknown parentage. Newbie or expert, this is a great opportunity to learn from the cream of the crop. The event will be held at Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel 1433 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, CA. 92108 December 09 – 10, 2017.”

See you there!

Diversity In Genelaogy

A good bit has been made/stated/drooled over about the ethnic results in the new age of Genealogy – Genetic Genealogy. I help people daily with their DNA, sometimes it’s to dig deeper into their Ethnicity. Deeper than the fairly general ethnicity results information one receives from testing companies. But I have never thought about the diversity of a site, a Genealogy group or a conference. Diversity in Genealogy? I was asked point blank on Sunday morning at the breakfast table a very blunt Question. “Can you tell who is ‘Black’ on WikiTree?.”

The Real Question

After my initial shock that someone would ask that of me, I realized I had/have never, ever thought about it. And I answered her with that – I have never had the need or wanted to know or even considered someones ethnic make-up while working away at the Great Big Ole Collaborative Family Tree that is WikiTree. After the questioner realized that her wording may have been askew she explained the question in full.

The question turned out to be a very good question related to identifying Southern US Colonial and pre-1865 Slaves and how to connect them to their descendants. What better way than WikiTree?

But her question is not the reason for this post.

After one incredible weekend at the FTDNA ICGG2017 and after having been asked this very blunt question, I wondered? Who are we collaborating with on the other side of our computer screens? Who are WikiTree’s, WikiTreer’s.

What’s in your Genes WikiTree?

Being the Project Admin for the WikiTree DNA Project, I thought I would share a little of what I discovered while searching for the answer to this question. What makes WikiTree, WikiTree? It’s Volunteers, from the Genetic Perspective.

The Number and types of DNA tests for WikiTreer’s who are participating in the WikiTree DNA Project:

Big Y	123
Combined GEDCOMs Uploaded	261
DISTINCT mtDNA Haplogroups	264
DISTINCT Y-DNA Confirmed Haplogroups	212
DISTINCT Y-DNA Predicted Haplogroups	0
Family Finder	516
Genographic 2.0 Transfers	55
Maternal Ancestor Information	667
mtDNA	395
mtDNA Full Sequence	316
mtDNA Plus	382
mtDNA Subgroups	16
Paternal Ancestor Information	716
Predicted Y-DNA Haplogroups	188
Total Members	884
Unpredicted Y-DNA Haplogroups	0
Unreturned Kits	153
WTY	4
Y-DNA Deep Clade (After 2008)	45
Y-DNA Deep Clade (Prior to 2008)	26
Y-DNA Subgroups	12
Y-DNA111	191
Y-DNA12	437
Y-DNA25	415
Y-DNA37	410
Y-DNA67	308

And Who, Really, Are We?

FTDNA pie Chart of HaploGroups of mt-DNA tested WikiTreer’s who have joined the WikiTree DNA (FTDNA) Project.

Who are we?

Wikitreer’s appear to be people of all origins, based on the dispersal of HaploGroups across all spectrums of the Rainbow. Especially for the Y-DNA (father’s line) testers. For the mt-DNA (mother’s line) testers there is a larger percentage of the most common Haplogroup for mt-DNA “H”. I thought this was a really interesting thing to see, how very colorful we all are.

I have another set of charts showing the “Brightest Bulb in the Pack” HaploGroup too, but you’ll have to send me some BlueBerry Pie before I will answer anything about those, or the elusive Bossy HaploGroups, or the Elf HaploGroups or the WikiTree Tribble Haplogroups. Blueberry Pie? Ah, Come on, isn’t this post about colorful things and aren’t blueberries, after all, blue?

_{DISCLAIMER: No BlueBerries or Blueberry Pies have been harmed in the creation of this Blog. Grandma’s Genes does not endorse nor receive payment in blueberry pies by any DNA testing Company or anyone connected to them, despite the rumors to the contrary.}

DNA Raw Data to Gedmatch

I noticed a post today about auDNA Raw Data File upload to GEDMatch. The comment that struck me was the idea that people, in general, are nervous, overwhelmed, uncomfortable with the process of downloading their raw DNA data from their testing company and uploading to GEDmatch.

Well, to calm those nerves – we aren’t talking about brain surgery. Not talking about a 120 story tight rope walk. We are not talking about a trip to Mars.

Ir’s just downloading a file to your computer, then uploading the file to GEDmatch. It is exciting, there is no denying that. First time working with DNA results is incredibly exciting. You do all the file portation and in 8 to 24 hours you are connected to people from ALL the Genealogy Testing Companies – not just the company you tested with.

The Process

Get your DNA Tested for Genealogy

No you can’t upload a paternity test using DNA to a Genealogical Testing Site or to GEDmatch. Get a DNA test from one of the Genealogical DNA testing Companies:

FTDNA Family Finder
AncestryDNA
23andMe *
MyHeritageDNA

You can transfer from other testing companies, like LivingDNA, but until GEDmatch gets the Genesis database merged into the main database you may miss many, many matching opportunities with Genesis.

* “23andMe is now using the GSA chip for their new V5 raw DNA file results. This format is not compatible with the regular GEDmatch upload, but can be used with the GEDmatch Genesis upload.”

Register at GEDmatch

This one is easy AND you can protect your privacy by providing an Alias. Though I am not all that fond of Aliases. One of the first things I do when searching for matches is scan the one-to-many result for a kit to see if any of the known surnames appear in the list (this is easy using your browsers “find” feature). An initial (any initial) and LNAB (last name at birth) can be enough to protect privacy (in my opinion).

Download your Raw Data File to Your Computer

Here are the links to directions for downloading your Raw Data File:

FamiyTreeDNA Family Finder – Build 36 Raw Concatenated
AncestryDNA
23andMe
My Heritage
LivingDNA

You can download your raw Data from other companies and upload them into GEDmatch Genesis – Google it – “Download my raw data from _____.”

Make sure you know where the file ends up on your computer. When you download the file make sure it goes to your desktop or downloads folder. If you download it and have no idea how to find the downloaded file, then the anxiety can kick-in. If you can’t find it go back to your browser and click on Downloads in the browser to see where the file might have ended up.

Upload your Raw Data file from your computer to GEDmatch.

GEDmatch Notes — Gedmatch Communicates about current information on your profile page.

GEDmatch posts pertinent information about it’s site for users at the top of your profile page. Note the information about the 23andMe chipset and it working in Genesis?

Once you are on your Profile page you will see the above box on the right of your page. Click on the Generic upload and it will take you to:

• Upload For FTDNA
• Upload For Ancestry
• Upload For MyHeritage
• Upload Generic (this includes 23andMe and LivingDNA and more)

You’ll get your GEDmatch ID on the Screen at the end of the upload – Write it Down and share it if you are really interested in finding genetic cousins.

It is not all that hard and shouldn’t be anxiety producing. I would equate the feeling of joy with uploading your Raw DNA Data file to Gedmatch. But then again I am such a DNA geek…