New Tree Tool ???

[keigh]

How do you attach a family tree from one kit to another?

Currently I'm in the process of slowly rebuilding a pedigree family tree on the new Family Tree site. Since my brother loaned me his DNA, I'd like to attach the same tree to my brother's kit. Is there a way to do this on site?

There doesn't seem to be a way to load the tree as a GEDcom from my kit's page and download it on his kit's page. So other than typing the whole dang thing over again (which I'm not about to do) what can be done?

[efgen]

I notice that where there is only a given name and no surname, the tree repeats the first 4 letters or so of the given name as if it were a surname.
Ex: Susan Susa; Mollie Molli; etc.

Strange! Can you please report this to Customer Support so they can document the issue and send it to IT? On the Contact page below, please choose Other Topics / Technical.

http://www.familytreedna.com/contact.aspx

Thanks!
Elise

[efgen]

I've noticed something else strange going on. For a few trees, when I type a name in the search box, I get a tree portion that seems to be orphaned from the root. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have seen a couple of cases like this, and I think the issue has been reported to IT. However, can you report these examples via Customer Support if you haven't already? Additional examples may help IT troubleshoot the issue and may help bump the priority.

Thanks!
Elise

[Katydid]

Elise, I unfortunately didn't write them down, but if I come across them again I'll report them.

I have seen a couple of cases like this, and I think the issue has been reported to IT. However, can you report these examples via Customer Support if you haven't already? Additional examples may help IT troubleshoot the issue and may help bump the priority.

Thanks!
Elise

[WCoaster]

Still needed: a simple pedigree view

Since the new tree doesn't generate a surname list, the only way to find shared surnames is to use the search feature. But, even in Ancestry View, that pulls up every individual by that name - including in-laws. There's no way to know who's who until you've dragged and clicked your way through half the tree. It can be pretty frustrating when the name you're searching for is something like Jones.

We really do need a simple pedigree view similar to those at Ancestry and Gedmatch, and/or a surname list with collateral names omitted.

[DanStone]

Possible to merge match with existing Family Tree person?

Please forgive me if I'm missing the obvious, but I'm wondering if it is possible to merge a match with someone already existing in my family tree, or if it is only possible to add them as a new person?

For example, my father now has Family Finder results with FTDNA and I already have a Family Tree here at FTDNA for my account with several generations back on my paternal side. In my account's Family Tree, my father appears in my matches, but when I try dragging his entry over my father's profile in my Family Tree, I only seem to have the option to add him as myself, my spouse, my sibling, my son or my daughter.

What am I missing? If there is not a way to merge him with his existing entry in my Family Tree, I would like to suggest this as something that be would be very helpful to add.

Thanks for any information,

Dan

[prairielad]

Please forgive me if I'm missing the obvious, but I'm wondering if it is possible to merge a match with someone already existing in my family tree, or if it is only possible to add them as a new person?

For example, my father now has Family Finder results with FTDNA and I already have a Family Tree here at FTDNA for my account with several generations back on my paternal side. In my account's Family Tree, my father appears in my matches, but when I try dragging his entry over my father's profile in my Family Tree, I only seem to have the option to add him as myself, my spouse, my sibling, my son or my daughter.

What am I missing? If there is not a way to merge him with his existing entry in my Family Tree, I would like to suggest this as something that be would be very helpful to add.

Thanks for any information,

Dan

Providing your fathers name is somewhat similar to how it is listed in your tree, your tree should have a link icon on his name.
There is also a link icon is bottom right of myFamilyTree page if it finds possible links to people in your match list

EDIT
If icon is not present, try editing your fathers name in your myFamilyTree by re entering his name under view profile>edit and enter name as it is listed in your match list. After it is linked you can revert the name back to way you wish it listed in tree.

edit: edit function is no longer there after linking, so it will be listed as shown on match list.

[DanStone]

Thanks very much for the tips! You were correct about the names being too dissimilar. Once I edited the name so it matched, the link option appeared. I really appreciate the help.

[clintonslayton76]

New Family Tree feature

My concern with this feature is the privacy block, which I, as the owner of the tree, cannot see the effects. I see EVERYBODY on my tree, down to the newest babies. How can I know what another user with Family Finder is seeing. Most of the Family Finder results are so "private" that they are meaningless for research purposes, and the Chromosome feature in Family Finder unwieldy and limited to five people at a time. How can I know that the Privacy feature on my Family Tree upload is doing anything?

[Tenn4ever]

My concern with this feature is the privacy block, which I, as the owner of the tree, cannot see the effects. I see EVERYBODY on my tree, down to the newest babies. How can I know what another user with Family Finder is seeing. Most of the Family Finder results are so "private" that they are meaningless for research purposes, and the Chromosome feature in Family Finder unwieldy and limited to five people at a time. How can I know that the Privacy feature on my Family Tree upload is doing anything?

Do you administer any kits besides your own. I administer several cousins kits (which I match) so I pull up their kit to view what their match to me looks like.

[graycan]

All of a sudden, I am seeing a ton of dead people marked private in the tree tool. I think something changed today.

[larzus]

Something I would like to see in the family trees

I don't know how feasible this is but lately I've taken a bit of time searching for primary sources for ancestors in my matches tree, seeking our connection. I've spent a lot of time deducing that their trees are just wrong - therefore their surname list is wrong too. This happens to the best of us occasionally.

Is it possible to have a checkbox somewhere in each individual that we could check if we have DNA verified the ancestor? I know it would still be prone to researcher error/endogamy issues etc, but it would be really nice. If the present inaccuracies are acceptable then this would be way less problematic. A basic image is fine, it wouldn't have to link or have any greater functionality than to be turned on/off and be visible.

Something that you could see in the tree view, eg a small star would be fine, so I would know that A) these branches are 75% likely to be right whereas these others might not be due to NPE/incorrect record/name change etc and B) this is a tree of someone actively verifying their family and presumably taking all due care.

I have only verified three branches, one back to 1700 and two back to circa 1800. The other lines have good paper trails but misinformation happens.

This is a kind of daydream, not a carefully thought out proposition - but it would be nice . People wouldn't have to do it, but some would and it would help.

[tlgarrison]

I don't know how feasible this is but
Is it possible to have a checkbox somewhere in each individual that we could check if we have DNA verified the ancestor? I know it would still be prone to researcher error/endogamy issues etc, but it would be really nice. If the present inaccuracies are acceptable then this would be way less problematic. A basic image is fine, it wouldn't have to link or have any greater functionality than to be turned on/off and be visible.

I think what you are asking is already in place. If you go to your matches (upper left corner when in tree view) you will get a list of your matches to you. You can drag your match over on top of that person in your tree. So if you did not have that person in your tree already you would have to expand your tree out to get to that person and then drag the match on top of that person. It changes the icon by putting a ring around the icon displaying you match that person. As an example it puts a Y67 and Family Finder symbol around my Father. For my mother it puts Just a Family Finder symbol because that is the only test she has.

I think that is close to what you were asking for.

[larzus]

Yes, this is close. But what I want is a way to show that my ancestors are verified.

Eg I have verified two fourth cousins which has increased my confidence in the intervening path - as in my father, my father's father, my father's grandmother etc. The three of us are all fourth cousins to each other and descend through three children of the MRCA couple. One of them tested with 23andMe Version 4 and I used gedmatch to find her. The other is here on FtDNA plus on gedmatch. But he doesn't want his tree on here and I'm not sure how to add him to mine without advertising how he connects. I think he would be annoyed.

I can use notes for this so it can be done. But I'd quite like to look at the tree and see at a glance where the tree is most solid.

I've heard that some people on Ancestry upload a specific picture to each DNA confirmed individual and they can see at a glance who has the picture and who doesn't. It supposedly helps to deduce where you might have an NPE or where you need to find more cousins to test.

I'll try putting in some more verified connections and see what happens There are probably features of this tree that I haven't discovered through fear of annoying others.

[keigh]

Try adding a logo of a DNA helix in the icon section of an ancestor's tree info.