There are a few essential actions you should take to get the most out of your DNA test. You may not want 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.
If no one can see you, you won't be able to connect with your cousins. So try to make yourself as visible as possible (or as visible as you feel comfortable with).1) Post your direct male line pedigree on our Post Your Pedigree page. This is the single most important piece of information that you can share. You will need this in your collaborations with other project members. This will potentially help other people to connect with you. It would help if you could provide it in the following format:
1) James O'MALLEY b c1835 Westport, Co. Mayo, d 12 Nov 1879 Castlebar, Co. Mayo, m 13 Apr 1860 Maria COYLE, Newport, Co. Mayo
2) Morty O'MALLEY ...
3) John O'MALLEY ...
4) Abigail O'MALLEY … but not including dates for a) births <100 years ago, b) marriages <75 years ago, or c) deaths <50 years ago
Researcher: (insert your initials here)
Your email address
DNA Kits: (insert your DNA kit numbers)
Link to online tree: www.some-website.com
2) You should add your MDKA information (Most Distant Known Ancestor) to your FTDNA profile. To add this information, simply click on your name in the top right of your FTDNA homepage ... then Account Settings > Genealogy tab > Earliest Known Ancestors tab ... then enter the following information in the "Name and Birth/Death Date" field:
James O'Malley b1835 Westport, Mayo, d1879 Castlebar
It is essential to include place of birth information so be as specific as you can.
Use this abbreviated format because only 50 letters are allowed in this field so you won't be able to fit a lot in. You should also fill in the other fields if you can - Country of Origin and Paternal Ancestral Location.
Click on your name in the top right ... then 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.
4) 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). Just click on Family Tree in the menu at the top of your homepage.
Then click here for specific instructions on uploading a Gedcom file - https://www.familytreedna.com/learn/ftdna/how-to-family-tree/
You can also add your Family Tree manually if it is easier for you.
5) 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. Scroll down to Matching Preferences and make sure the Opt in to Matching button is switched to "On" (blue). For Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching decide whether you want to have this "On" (blue) or "Off" (grey).
Next, click on the Project Preferences tab. Scroll down to Project Sharing and make sure the Opt in to Sharing button is set to "On" (blue).
Your terminal SNP marker will be in the heading for your group on the project Results Page. Enter this in FTDNA's Discover feature and this will generate a list of recommendations for projects to join.
For example, here are the recommended projects for Group 3a, which has the overarching SNP BY35730.
Joining all the relevant projects will assist 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).
Maurice Gleeson
Sep 2022
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