**Important - We Need a Town Search Option on the FF Match Page

[DNA145]

I have had tremendous success searching the Family Finder Matches Page by town with the old format. If it wasn't for that option, I never would have achieved that success.

The Matches Page is set up differently than the family tree search. People who put family names and towns on their match page do not necessarily upload trees.

Now, with the new upgrade, that option to search by town is no longer available.

Searching for matches is very different when you have Ashkenazi Jewish DNA as I do. Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe usually didn't have surnames until the Napoleon Decree of 1810.

During the surname adoption process, sometimes men in the same family took on different surnames. Due to this highly endogamous population, it is equivalent to searching in the dark when clues are unavailable. Surnames aren't good enough since so many men adopted common names equivalent to Smith or Jones.

By eliminating the option for us to search by town, it has highly reduced my chance of finding matches.

**FTDNA, can you please resolve this and add that option to the Family Finder Matches page?

Thank you

[gtc]

**FTDNA, can you please resolve this and add that option to the Family Finder Matches page?

FTDNA management doesn't read this forum. They may pay more attention to the Facebook page, but that's only a maybe.

Reckon you'd do better writing direct to the CEO.

[DNA145]

FTDNA management doesn't read this forum. They may pay more attention to the Facebook page, but that's only a maybe.

Reckon you'd do better writing direct to the CEO.

Thanks for your suggestion.

I sent a private message to FTDNA's Facebook page and a message to Bennett Greenspan.

I hope it gets resolved!

[hansonrf]

I have had tremendous success searching the Family Finder Matches Page by town with the old format. If it wasn't for that option, I never would have achieved that success.

The Matches Page is set up differently than the family tree search. People who put family names and towns on their match page do not necessarily upload trees.

Now, with the new upgrade, that option to search by town is no longer available.

Searching for matches is very different when you have Ashkenazi Jewish DNA as I do. Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe usually didn't have surnames until the Napoleon Decree of 1810.

During the surname adoption process, sometimes men in the same family took on different surnames. Due to this highly endogamous population, it is equivalent to searching in the dark when clues are unavailable. Surnames aren't good enough since so many men adopted common names equivalent to Smith or Jones.

By eliminating the option for us to search by town, it has highly reduced my chance of finding matches.

**FTDNA, can you please resolve this and add that option to the Family Finder Matches page?

Thank you

I could not agree more.

[Darren]

Hello,

You can also enter in suggestions directly here: https://www.familytreedna.com/suggestions

-Darren
Family Tree DNA

[LornaHen]

Search match/surname/place suggestion

Hello,

You can also enter in suggestions directly here: https://www.familytreedna.com/suggestions

-Darren
Family Tree DNA

which I will also do Darren.

My suggestion is that instead of defaulting the search to both match and surname and NOT allowing the ability to search the places that it be made more explicit what is being searched as the default.
Why not a search box and three check boxes one each for match name, surname/place list name, surname/place list place.
All ticked, all searched, one ticked, just that searched.

I'm with the person who said they missed the place search, it is often far more important than a surname.
And personally I find it annoying that the default includes the surname list when I 'm trying to find a match by name instead.

Lorna

[GenealogyKeeper]

Excellent Approach Recommendation

+1 for me!

[larzus]

I know this thread is a bit old but I heartily concur. This is so necessary. I, also, have solved match mysteries through town name searches.

I, also, will plead via the recommended channels.