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Dalton America A Family Group Project |
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Background Origin of the Daltons
at the Focus of Our Project History of Our Family Group
Project How
do I join the Dalton America project? Privacy and Sharing my DNA
Results
For Y-DNA Members How do Y-DNA results tell me about my ancestors? Working with my Y-DNA Matches- Step 1: Your Y-DNA Matches -Step 2: Adding your family information -Step 3: Locating your Family Subgroup -Step 4: Connecting with matches For atDNA (FF) Members How do atDNA results tell me about my ancestors? Working with my FF Matches - Step 1: Reading my FF Matches - Step 2: Preparing my FF dashboard - Step 3: Connecting with my FF cousins Return to Dalton America Home Page |
Working with Y-DNA matchesStep 4: Connecting with matches (Y-DNA)Your investment in Y-DNA will pay dividends as you learn information about your family by corresponding with your matches. So, you begin that process when a match is identified, and hopefully continue it as you and the match explore information and stories of your family. Before the First ContactGather Available Information. Before you
email your match, check to see if they have posted a family tree.
If so study it for information relevant to your email. Also check
to see if they have posted a Paternal Earliest Known Ancestor. If your
match does not have a family tree, be prepared to request some
information about their four grandparents. And in return, send
them brief information about yours Get Email Address. Click on the name of
the match. When the dialogue box opens, click on the email address
of the match. Your email program should open with the address
inserted. If not, copy the address and put into your email. Writing the MessageFinding about your family, where and how they lived, the stories about them, is all fun. Greet your match as the cousin they are. Briefly introduce yourself and ask if they are interested in exchanging information, indicating your willingness to do so. Be gracious, concise, interesting, courteous, and patient. If you would like further advice from experts, see these tips on pdf. A couple words about patience and disappointment. Few of your matches do family research everyday. They have jobs and obligations that take their time. Give them time to respond. It is alright to send a second courteous message in a couple weeks, but don't demand their participation. As far as disappointment, our family group project is now two decades old. Many of the original participants are gone and they may not have left email contacts or managers for their results. If your email bounces back, email one of the administrators and let us check for an alternative email address. If we cannot provide one, it is unfortunate, but may happen. If you receive no response, it may be a sign that their email address is still active but without a person there to receive your email. Unfortunately, in your family research, disappointment will be mixed in with the joy of discovery. Subsequent ExchangesOnce you have established a connection with your match, there are three primary objectives for the exchange.First, information that each other has about the family. Birth dates and places, marriage dates and places, death dates and places, military service, land owned etc. Information is often passed down through families and if so is accessed only through contact among family members. Second, sorting true from false information. Information passes from generation to generation with elaboration and erosion of memory. Explore the sources for the information that you are sharing. Do not fear a challenge to how you acquired information. It is part of learning about ancestors. And do not fear to ask your match where they obtained the fact. This process of exchange is even more important in the age of the internet in which false and disinformation can spread so widely and so rapidly. When you obtain the sources of information from your match, evaluate its reliability and record where the information came from. Third, family stories. Vital information on ancestors is one thing, but stories about ancestors -- "We understand Martha was an outspoken woman. Uncle Roy used to tell about the time . . ." -- provide much more depth in your knowledge of your ancestors. They can finally come to life. Recording the InformationThe final stage is to capture the information from the connection to your match in your own records, noting its source so you can give credit. Such thoroughness will pay dividends for many years in the future for whomever reads about your family. |
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