Sunday, December 3, 2017

DEALING WITH "COUSINS" WHO DO NOT POST A TREE



Are you frustrated that your "Cousins" (matches) on AncestryDNA, 23andMe, FTDNA or ??? do not have trees nor will they communicate with you?  Realize the greatest majority of the seven million who have tested have little or no interest in genealogy.  It will take time and effort to get them to help you with your quest. Try the following:
MIKE's RECOMMENDATIONS:    
PERSIST.  Do not give up.    
Be positive and cordial when communicating.    
Provide an email address for them to communicate with you.    
Understand the "calculated relationship" may not be accurate.  Verify it yourself or get help with the calculations.    
Provide your estimations of how you are related to your cousin.  Include family names, time periods and locations.    
Continue your efforts to contact matches and encourage them to exchange info, even if they do not have a tree.  It may take several attempts so add extra morsels of information each time.    
Be as helpful as you can with adoptees looking for their biological parents.    
Remember our ancestors may not have had the time or interest in preserving the family history so those you are contacting may only have recent history (themselves, their parents and perhaps grandparents recollection).    
Do not get any more frustrated, you have no control on those "Cousins" and can only do your best to enlighten them.    
Should you do mtDNA test.  I do not see much benefit to enhance genealogical research.    
Should your children / grandchildren test?  The elders are best as their DNA is diluted with each generation.  It is better to get all of their grandparents to test.    
May this help you.  Merry Christmas    MIKE          Sunday  12/03/2017  2100 PST