Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Originally Posted by in_newengland View Post What I never liked was that the reason the Mormons want to help you with your genealogy is so that they can pray your ancestors into heaven.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katzpur
That's really a weird, not to mention inaccurate, way of putting it. At any rate, unless your relatives are actually their relatives, too, you can rest assured that they'll be safe from the praying Mormons.
It's what I was told when I first started genealogy and we had to make heavy used of the Mormon Family History Centers. I still don't think it's that far from the truth, as this article explains. They think you have to have certain rituals performed in order to get to heaven. Some people told me that and said it creeped them out. It does make me feel a little bit funny.
Mormons also believe that certain rites are necessary for entry into heaven and that the dead wait for this work to be done so that they can pass from spirit prison to spirit paradise, both of which are places souls wait to be resurrected after this life.
I'm 71, and really want to do a dna test while I still have breath. There were so many secrets in our family that were kept. It was the thing to do back then. But I'm not sure which one I should use. Are there any dna tests that people are very pleased with, and would tell others to use? Thanks in advance.
Use Ancestry the next time it goes on sale. Sign up for notifications from this thread. We update it when it goes on sale. Then upload your DNA to the free sites after you get your results back; that will take care of all the databases except 23 and me.
I discovered a first cousin once removed that I didn't know existed and got in touch with her. She was happy to learn about family history.
Have you uploaded to all the free databases? If not, you should. Directions are below. That makes your DNA dollars go farther to get more family matches or help more family with knowing their relatives.
I keep a public tree on family search that's easy to link to when I meet new relatives that need help. It allows them to see records attached to family so they see that it's right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roselvr
If anyone would like to upload to the free databases, see my thread Family tree and DNA general instructions, scroll down to where it says Now to the DNA. I give links and directions. I also tell how I started and the mistakes I made so that others don't waste time making the same mistakes I did.
Out of all the sites, Ancestry has the largest database, with 23 and me next. FTDNA has not helped me much. So far they're the only site that does male Y-DNA and the mtDNA testing which follows their mothers line. I've done my dads brothers Y-DNA but even with a very common Hungarian last name it hasn't helped. I suspect that at some point there was an NPE (what they call a non-paternal event) where a woman most likely either gave the son her last name or the last name of a husband that was not the child's father.
My Heritage has the best site of all of them in my opinion. For some people the ethnicity is not right but so far for me and my relatives it's been accurate. They can sort matches by different countries which I love. It was shocking to see that my uncle that lives in Hungary has 600 2nd to distant matches in the US. Both he and my dad (dads been deceased since 2006) did not know that their relatives came to the US at some point. They also show trees of matches as well as surnames if the match provides it. They also offer chromosome browser which is helpful to triangulate matches. My Heritage used to give it all free but stopped in December; now they give matching for free. They charge $30 for ethnicity and a bunch of other great tools. I'll be uploading my cousins DNA and paying the $30, it's worth it.
Tests are not $100 to $200 any more except 23 and me. Ancestry can be gotten on sale for as low as $59, same with FTDNA (Family Tree DNA) and My Heritage; $59 to $69. The 3 companies run sales for holidays; Valentines, St. Patricks, Mothers and Fathers day, summer sales then Black Friday and during the Christmas season. We have a thread in the genealogy section for sales. Page one of the Geneology & DNA Sites - Free Dates & Specials Thread - Post them Here
thread and the last post so you can get an idea of sale prices
What do you mean government? Are you talking about law enforcement solving cases with DNA? If so, that's only with 2 sites, FTDNA which is a private company and GEDmatch which is a public database.
Both FTDNA and GEDmatch allow you to opt in or opt out of matching. With FTDNA opting in was on by default the last time I was there to turn my matching back on. I turned opting in off. With GEDmatch, you have to actually upload your results from 23 and me, Ancestry, FTDNA or My Heritage then click on the icon to opt in for each kit you have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roselvr
My Heritage free upload policy No more extensions. Basically, uploads are still free. So is Exporting DNA Matches, Contacting DNA Matches, Shared ancestral surnames. They will be charging a one time fee for Ethnicity Estimate, Chromosome Browser, Trees of DNA Matches, Shared DNA Matches, Shared Ethnicities, Shared ancestral places. They do not know how much they will charge and will be testing different price points for the one-time fee. MyHeritage subscribers who already have a Premium, PremiumPlus or Complete Subscription do NOT have to pay anything to unlock the extra features for uploaded DNA kits. They can upload as many kits as they want and enjoy all the premium features for all uploads.
If you’ve done a DNA test before on another service, uploading your DNA data to MyHeritage can help you break down genealogical brick walls and uncover new relatives. Genetic genealogists call this “fishing in another pond†for DNA Matches, to benefit from the opportunity to be matched with the huge base of customers who have tested their DNA exclusively on MyHeritage. As we announced previously, starting today, December 16, 2018, users can upload their raw DNA data from other testing services for free, and they will still receive all DNA Matches for free, but unlocking extra features for uploaded DNA data will cost an extra fee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BOS2IAD
Then there is the second cousin that has me thinking there is a skeleton in the closet somewhere. She listed the surnames in her family as I did with mine. None of the names matched up. IOW, we each had a different list!
I heard from a woman who is an 8th cousin. She was adopted and had hoped to find relatives when she took the DNA test. Oddly enough, I was the only one she found. She was looking for info on her bio father. It's a shame that my grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle have all passed. They might have been able to help given what info she gave me. Her father was from Greece and lived in Boston, as did my family. I'm half Albanian and growing up, Albanians and Greeks interacted quite a bit. I explained all of this to her and wished her well in her search.
My husband found a photo of his mother and uncle that was attached to someone else's tree. It turns out the person with the tree is my husband's second cousin twice removed. This cousin is really into genealogy and knew more about my husband's family members than my husband knew!
Originally Posted by in_newengland View Post What I never liked was that the reason the Mormons want to help you with your genealogy is so that they can pray your ancestors into heaven.
It's what I was told when I first started genealogy and we had to make heavy used of the Mormon Family History Centers. I still don't think it's that far from the truth, as this article explains. They think you have to have certain rituals performed in order to get to heaven. Some people told me that and said it creeped them out. It does make me feel a little bit funny.
Mormons also believe that certain rites are necessary for entry into heaven and that the dead wait for this work to be done so that they can pass from spirit prison to spirit paradise, both of which are places souls wait to be resurrected after this life.
Well, this is neither the time nor the place for a debate on this subject, but the author of that little Huffpost piece didn't really explain the doctrine very well. At any rate, nobody needs the help of any Mormon to get into Heaven, and I'm sorry you were led to believe that to be the case.
Mine says I have over 68,000 matches and about 2,300 of those are 4th cousins or closer. It's a real chore/adventure to scroll through and check all of them. I suppose it depends a lot on how many of your related families have done the DNA testing.
It may also be a function of when your ancestors arrived in America. I found out my father's family came in the 1700's and there must be thousands of relatives out there. Mom's came in the late 1800's, so far fewer descendants around.
Are you saying that on Ancestry, when you send in your money for a DNA test, they also match you up with other people who have the same surname?
I did my DNA testing on 23&Me and it's mostly for finding out what you're made of/where you ancestors came from. You'll see the results as a world map and as DNA segments, in graphs, pie charts, etc. There's nothing about matching surnames. In fact, probably half the matches I get are anonymous. If I got a second cousin I might send them a message but I don't know their name and they are under no obligation to reply to me.
Seems that way. If a last name in my own tree is the same as one of my matches they'll show it. The name is the same but have nothing to do with one another relationship wise. Maybe waaaaay back but I'm familiar enough with the names that I know they aren't directly related.
It may also be a function of when your ancestors arrived in America. I found out my father's family came in the 1700's and there must be thousands of relatives out there. Mom's came in the late 1800's, so far fewer descendants around.
I thought about that too. The further you get from the first ancestors the more people there are in that tree!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
