WikiTree.com and DNA
6 p.m. Friday 10 May 2024
Park Hotel, Kiltimagh
by Paddy Waldron
WWW version:
YouTube version:
TBA
Introduction
Genetic genealogy involves both comparing DNA and comparing
family trees. There are multiple websites designed to assist
in each task, but few designed to assist in both tasks
simultaneously. All have their own advantages and
disadvantages. This talk aims to convince the audience that
the advantages of WikiTree.com, properly used, greatly outweigh
the disadvantages.
For several decades, I remained an advocate of desktop genealogy
software over web-based family trees. Efficient data entry
using keyboard shortcuts, and control of my own backups, seemed
preferable to battling slow broadband and trusting my work to the
whims and financial imperatives of a commercial website owner.
In more recent years, as my database grew larger and my remaning
life expectancy grew shorter, my views changed and I have become
an advocate of a collaborative single world tree, in particular
WikiTree .
Outline
Questions for the
audience ...
- Who has not yet started recording the family history for
posterity?
- How do you record the master copy of your genealogical
findings?
- Who has not yet committed anything to writing for posterity?
- Who uses pen and paper?
- Who uses word processing software?
- Who uses standalone genealogy software?
- Who uses a genealogy website?
- Who makes regular backups?
How can
there be more than one editable, correctable, single world trees?
- Collaborative genealogy is popular!
- Would you prefer to find your DNA matches on a single accurate
world tree rather than on multiple incomplete error-ridden
stand-alone trees?
- Are you willing to make compromises involving control,
workload, accuracy and speed?
- FamilySearch.org, geni.com, WeRelate.org and WikiTree.com all
share similar objectives:
- to have exactly one profile for every individual who has
ever lived:
- "It's not your tree or my tree. It is our tree"
- to merge duplicates when identified
- to avoid errors going viral
- to document sources
- etc.
- ... but there are differences:
- FamilySearch generates duplicates by turning sources into
new profiles, e.g. three profiles for each birth in a large
family
- geni.com allows duplicates to be created for free but
charges to merge them
- WikiTree.com has an emphasis on DNA confirmation
- etc.
- ... and there are other, uneditable, uncorrectable, behind the
scenes, single world trees:
- AncestryDNA ThruLines and "Common ancestors" hints
- MyHeritage Theories of Family Relativity
How do you
and your matches link your new genealogical discoveries to your
DNA kits?
- Are you "fishing in all the gene pools"?
- FamilyTreeDNA.com
- 23andMe.com
- DNA.ancestry.com
- MyHeritage.com
- LivingDNA.com
- GEDmatch.com
- Have you linked your pedigree chart to each of your own DNA
kits?
- Have you linked a pedigree chart to every other DNA kit that
you manage?
- You will need to do your matches' genealogy for them to push
their known ancestry back to the common ancestor or, more
likely, ancestral couple, whom you share with each match.
- Do you update your pedigree charts with every new discovery?
- Do all of your newfound cousins do likewise with their
pedigree charts?
- Are you all frustrated by the need for all this duplication of
effort?
- exporting and uploading new GEDCOM files
- editing multiple online family trees
- creating linked matches at FTDNA
- Why not a single world tree for DNA analysis?
- A DNA match without a linked family tree containing at least
one generation of deceased ancestors is virtually useless.
- If the match name is unusual or if there is a pattern to
shared matches and triangulated matches, then it may be possible
to reinvent the wheel.
- Each DNA subject who neglects to link a family tree to his or
her DNA kit potentially causes thousands of matches to reinvent
the wheel in this way.
- The time wasted on repeating research on well-documented
recent ancestors would be better spent elsewhere.
Why WikiTree.com?
- Like Wikipedia for genealogists
- Crowd-sourced genealogy
- Both most of the data and much of the software are open-source
- The pedigree of WikiTree
- born 5 November 2008, annual WikiTree day
- married to GEDmatch, mitoYDNA, 23andMe, etc.
- will it die? "100% free" and "forever"
promises, but clouds evaporate.
- Life would be a lot simpler if
- the DNA comparison websites stuck to DNA and the family tree
websites stuck to family trees, and everyone agreed on
protocols for linking
- just one side of the match had to update just one single
world tree with each new discovery
- updates to the single world tree acted as a feedback
loop for an intelligent system to suggest new hints,
which might explain the possible relationships behind DNA
matches.
- ... but we still seem to be a long way from this ideal
- WikiTree is:
- a family tree website with links to DNA kits,
- not a DNA comparison website with links to pedigree charts.
- Intelligence or stupidity?
- most website users want accuracy before profit
- many website operators want profit before accuracy
- WikiTree.com uses the real intelligence of its users
to learn from past mistakes and to correct errors in the tree
- the rest of the world has been embracing artificial
intelligence
- the DNA companies seem to be using artificial stupidity
to generate hints, rarely, if ever, learning from past
mistakes or correcting errors in the tree
- Life is too short and your family tree is too large for it to
remain practical to do it all on your own.
- There is no need to reinvent the wheel if good genealogists
have gone before you.
- Who wants to check 12,385 separate user-donated trees at
ancestry.com for Brigham Young? Or even 98 separate
user-donated trees at
ancestry.com for Annie Keppel?
- Adoptees are the only ones who are able to have two
profiles.
- WikiTree has unique features like single-click
ANCESTORS and DESCENDANTS buttons on every profile,
Relationship Finder, Connection Finder, etc., etc.
How to use WikiTree.com
- Sign up here
- There are three levels of free membership
- Guest account (includes advertisements)
- Family Member account (includes advertisements and allows
communication with others)
- Wiki Genealogist account (removes advertisementts and
includes edit rights on open profiles created by others, but
requires you to first read and accept the Wiki Genealogist
Honor Code here)
- You will be assigned a WikiTree ID of the form Waldron-201,
where Waldron is your Last Name At Birth (LNAB) and the 201
indicates the 201st Waldron profile added to WikiTree.
- A real human official (volunteer) greeter will welcome you.
- There are twice monthly New Member Q & A sessions via
Zoom: next one on Sunday 26 May
- Signing the honor code allows editing of post-1700 profiles
- After a little experience, complete self-certification to
allow editing of pre-1700 profiles
- In due course, qualify to edit pre-1500 profiles
- Anyone who has signed the Honor Code can correct errors
- Duplicates can be merged with 30 days notice
- Upload a small GEDCOM file, maybe starting with just your
direct ancestors, and allow the GEDcompare system to search for
whichever of those ancestors are already on WikiTree.
- The maximum GEDCOM allowed is 5,000 people, but
smaller files are strongly recommended.
- If you would like an existing WikiTree user (e.g. me) to help
connect you to the main body of the single family tree, then add
him or her to your trusted list here.
DNA features of
WikiTree.com
- DNA kits can be linked to the WikiTree profiles of active
members and of deceased individuals
- Linking DNA kits to the profiles of deceased individuals
prevents their matches from wondering why they are not replying
to messages via the DNA websites.
- Add details of your DNA kits, in particular your GEDmatch kit
number and your mitoYDNA.org kit id here
- GDPR is cited for
- discouraging the addition of WikiTree profiles for living
individuals, unless you simultaneously invite them to become
registered members; and
- prohibiting the linking of DNA kits to profiles of living
individuals who are not registered members;
- so you must persuade your DNA matches to at least register,
link DNA kits, and add at least one generation of open
profiles for deceased ancestors.
- DNA kits are listed on the profiles of all individuals who
should match
- e.g. Brian Boru (d.
1014)
- his descendant Conor O'Brien's
Y-DNA Test reveals haplogroup R-FGC13418
- the R-FGC13418 mutation is thought to have occurred
somewhere between Brian and Conor
- the enlightened and supportive early participation in the
new science of genetic genealogy of Conor, Lord Inchiquin
(1943-2023) was greatly appreciated by the millions who have
followed his example. He would have been delighted to be the
centre of the attention here today.
- e.g. Patrick Sarsfield,
1st Earl of Lucan (d. 1693) - the Sarsfield Homecoming
Project comprises three parallel searches:
- an archaeological dig
in Belgium for Sarsfield's remains
- a search among living Sarsfield males on FTDNA and
elsewhere for any man who might share his Y-DNA signature
- a search on WikiTree and
elsewhere for anyone who might share his mtDNA signature
- WikiTree and GEDmatch
- WikiTree and 23andMe
- WikiTree and mitoYDNA.org
- WikiTree and yourDNAportal.com
- One Name Studies (can be linked to FTDNA surname projects),
e.g.
- Degrees of confidence:
- DNA confirmations
- Project: DNA at
WikiTree.com
- WikiTree project at
FamilyTreeDNA.com
- Seeing known or suspected relatives on WikiTree who are
already in the DNA system will encourage others to swab or spit
- Known or suspected relatives on WikiTree who are not yet in
the DNA system can be encouraged to swab or spit
- WikiTree is a great way to find candidates for mtDNA and X-DNA
as well as Y-DNA and autosomal DNA comparisons
Mayo people on WikiTree
More advanced
features of WikiTree
Further reading