About us
Here are some bits of guidance to assist you with FamilyTreeDNA.com in general and Colonial Ancestors DNA Project in specific. Each FamilyTreeDNA kit number and account page is specific to one particular test participant. This means that my brother's YDNA test can not be on the same kit number as my autosomal DNA test. Each test participant has a separate account.
Types of DNA tested
Earliest known YDNA and mtDNA ancestors
myFamilyTree for autosomal ancestors and matches
Click the myFamilyTree button on your home page and enter the details of your family tree. Do this by uploading a gedcom (click the little gear icon in the bottom right corner) or by entering your ancestors manually. Keep it updated with new information. This is especially important for FamilyFinder/Autosomal Transfer tests because this is where your matches will find family surnames they share with you and where your earliest known autosomal ancestors can be viewed.
Autosomal tests with 23andme, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage
If you have an autosomal DNA test from AncestryDNA, 23andme, or MyHeritage, you can copy those test results to a new FamilyTreeDNA.com account through this link: https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer The transfer/copy is free. To open the contact information for your matches is less than $20. This will be the Family Finder kit number for that test participant.
Join Projects!
1. Login to your FamilyTreeDNA account using your kit number and password. (You may have to log out of another kit if you have it open.)
2. On the right side of the home page, is a section box called Group Projects. Click the Join A Project link.
3. On the Projects - Join page, enter a Project name in the Search by Surname text box, such as colonial or Smith.
4. In the Matching Projects results list, click on the Project you wish to join. This will add the Project to your list of Projects for this FTDNA account.
5. Do the same for each FTDNA kit number that you manage, as appropriate.
Advanced Matches, especially for autosomal DNA matches
To search for autosomal/FamilyFinder matches in the Colonial Ancestors DNA Project (or any other project you belong to, or the entire database)
* Login to your FamilyTreeDNA kit number account page. (You may have to log out of another kit if you have it open.)
* On your Home page, in the bottom section (Additional Tests & Tools), click on Advanced Matches
* Filter the Advanced View for the test you want to search for
* In the Show Matches For: drop down, select the Project you want to search
* Finally, click Run Report.
More information is available on the FamilyTreeDNA Learning Center: https://learn.familytreedna.com/
Types of DNA tested
- There are three types of DNA that we are working with. Most of you have a Family Finder DNA test from FamilyTreeDNA, or an autosomal DNA test that you copied to FamilyTreeDNA from an AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or 23andme account. FamilyFinder and other autosomal tests are the same, so you only need one test. The autosomal/Family Finder DNA test will give cousin matches across all family lines for the past 6 to 8 generations. My autosomal DNA test can give me cousin matches on any of these surnames, including the question marks where I don't know the name of that ancestor: https://www.wikitree.com/treewidget/Cooper-1/10
- YDNA is passed from each father to each of his sons and shows us the paternal line of forefathers (no females). FamilyTreeDNA offers the YDNA test to test a male’s paternal genetic ancestry. The YDNA remains relatively unchanged for millennia except for occasional mutations. Here is my brother's YDNA line of forefathers: https://www.wikitree.com/treewidget/Cooper-5404/89.
- Everyone has a mother, so everyone has mitochondrial DNA. MtDNA is passed from each mother to each of her children and remains relatively unchanged for millennia except for occasional mutations. My brother and I have the same mother so we have the same mtDNA: https://www.wikitree.com/treewidget/Cooper-1/89
Earliest known YDNA and mtDNA ancestors
- For each FamilyTreeDNA account/test number, please login and go to the home page. In the top right corner is the kit number. Click that and then select Account Settings.
- In Account Settings, go to the Genealogy tab and click Earliest Known Ancestors.
- Please enter the earliest known paternal yDNA forefather on the test participant's paternal line (father to father to father; no females), and the earliest known maternal mtDNA foremother on the test participant's maternal line (mother to mother to mother). There should be one of each. One paternal line YDNA earliest forefather and one maternal line mtDNA earliest foremother. These probably will not be your all-time earliest ancestors which will be in your autosomal DNA ancestors.
myFamilyTree for autosomal ancestors and matches
Click the myFamilyTree button on your home page and enter the details of your family tree. Do this by uploading a gedcom (click the little gear icon in the bottom right corner) or by entering your ancestors manually. Keep it updated with new information. This is especially important for FamilyFinder/Autosomal Transfer tests because this is where your matches will find family surnames they share with you and where your earliest known autosomal ancestors can be viewed.
Autosomal tests with 23andme, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage
If you have an autosomal DNA test from AncestryDNA, 23andme, or MyHeritage, you can copy those test results to a new FamilyTreeDNA.com account through this link: https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer The transfer/copy is free. To open the contact information for your matches is less than $20. This will be the Family Finder kit number for that test participant.
Join Projects!
1. Login to your FamilyTreeDNA account using your kit number and password. (You may have to log out of another kit if you have it open.)
2. On the right side of the home page, is a section box called Group Projects. Click the Join A Project link.
3. On the Projects - Join page, enter a Project name in the Search by Surname text box, such as colonial or Smith.
4. In the Matching Projects results list, click on the Project you wish to join. This will add the Project to your list of Projects for this FTDNA account.
5. Do the same for each FTDNA kit number that you manage, as appropriate.
Advanced Matches, especially for autosomal DNA matches
To search for autosomal/FamilyFinder matches in the Colonial Ancestors DNA Project (or any other project you belong to, or the entire database)
* Login to your FamilyTreeDNA kit number account page. (You may have to log out of another kit if you have it open.)
* On your Home page, in the bottom section (Additional Tests & Tools), click on Advanced Matches
* Filter the Advanced View for the test you want to search for
* In the Show Matches For: drop down, select the Project you want to search
* Finally, click Run Report.
More information is available on the FamilyTreeDNA Learning Center: https://learn.familytreedna.com/