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FamilyTreeDNA and WikiTree Collaboration – In Two Easy Steps!!

Roberta Estes

I’m thrilled to see that FamilyTreeDNA and WikiTree have joined genealogical forces!

FamilyTreeDNA  has announced a second option for tree connections for their customers – WikiTree. If you’ve been a blog subscriber for long, you know that I love WikiTree and use it almost daily.

A few months ago, FamilyTreeDNA obsoleted their own family trees and encouraged their customers to migrate their family trees to MyHeritage. Now there’s an additional option for FamilyTreeDNA customers.

This is NOT an either/or decision, because you can easily choose both. You can link to your MyHeritage tree, or you can link to your WikiTree profile, or both. I’m doing both because I want the maximum reach for my testing dollar!

Katy Rowe at FamilyTreeDNA  has done a wonderful job of providing examples of how to use the various WikiTree DNA features, here, in her blog article, so I’m not replowing that field.

I do want to show you how to implement the new WikiTree connection in two easy steps.

But first, let me tell you why I love WikiTree so much, and why you will too.

Why I Love WikiTree

Let me confess – in general, I don’t care for one-world-trees, but WikiTree is the exception because WikiTree has built a platform that incorporates a collaborative community.

I will always maintain my detailed genealogy information in my desktop computer program, and I will also maintain my trees at both Ancestry and MyHeritage, which are subscription sites that facilitate records searching. Both have different strengths and weaknesses, but WikiTree is free, and everyone can participate.

I think of WikiTree as an “ancestor information aggregator” or maybe a “data repository” that’s available to everyone.

People often ask, “How can I preserve my research for future generations?” and WikiTree is certainly an excellent answer.

Here’s the link to my profile at WikiTree so you can take a look.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Estes-2153

Click on any image to enlarge

I’ve made this much of my profile information public, but just so you know, you’re in charge of what information is private and what is not by clicking on the little lock at the top right of your profile page.

You can see that there’s a lot of information available to help with just about everything WikiTree, including privacy selections.

On my profile, you might notice that I’m fairly active.

At right, I’ve entered the DNA tests that I’ve taken, except I need to update this to include both Ancestry and MyHeritage.

WikiTree shows other testers who have tested and may match people related to this ancestor, populating the information up and down the tree appropriately.

WikiTree also populates Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA information up the tree to the appropriate ancestors. I can’t tell you how much I LOVE THIS!! As you know, I encourage everyone to “collect” the Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups of their ancestors because they not only are genealogically relevant, but haplogroups also reach back before surnames where no other tests can reach – and let’s face it, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Here’s the DNA section of my mother’s profile, with my mtDNA test showing for her, because I’m her direct matrilineal descendant and received my mitochondrial DNA from her.

In the autosomal section, you’ll find other people who might share some of her DNA, and where they tested.

Wait! What??? There’s a new person, Helene, that I don’t know. I need to run right over and take a look at Helene’s profile. Because I can just click on these tester’s name to see their tree, I immediately know how they are related to my mom.

My Tree

You can also see my tree easily from my profile by clicking on the “Ancestors” tab.

And you know what, I didn’t have to build the entire thing. I only had to build the part that is unique to me, until I connected with a WikiTree profile that already exists.

Step 1 – Getting Started at WikiTree

WikiTree has provided a series of instructional pages to help you get started, here.

This article tells you very specifically how to begin to set up your profile and find your ancestors.

You can approach this one of two ways:

My recommendation is to try searching for your grandparents and great-grandparents first because you only need to provide information until you connect with a profile that already exists.

And yes, after you get started and “settled in,” you absolutely will want to review the profiles of each ancestor, add sourced information, and make corrections, if needed. If there’s a conflict, the comments serve as a discussion area, there’s a profile manager, and if needed, there are moderators with specialties to help. That’s what WikiTree is all about – jointly beneficial collaboration.

Once you’ve set up your profile at WikiTree, you just provide a link at FamilyTreeDNA to your WikiTree profile. That’s it. Seriously, just this easy.

Step 2 – Entering Your WikiTree ID at FamilyTreeDNA

Sign on to your account at FamilyTreeDNA.

On your personal page, in the upper right-hand corner, click the down arrow, then “Account Settings.”

Then select “Genealogy” and “Family Tree” and scroll to the WikiTree section at the bottom.

You’ll just copy and paste your WikiTree profile ID.

You can find your WikiTree profile ID in two places. The URL is shown at the top of your profile page, or you can click the link button, which copies the link for you. Be sure you’re on the profile of the page you want to enter into the account at FamilyTreeDNA . I manage several accounts, so don’t forget whose profile you’re viewing.

Back at FamilyTreeDNA, just paste your WikiTree profile ID link into that field at the bottom of the page, and click “Save.” That’s it!!

It takes effect immediately, so now your matches can choose to view any tree you have made available at FamilyTreeDNA.

Viewing WikiTree Trees of Your Matches

I’m signing on to my Mom’s account at FamilyTreeDNA, which I manage, to show you how WikiTree availability appears to your matches.

On my Mom’s match with me, if you click on the little tree icon at far right, you’ll see that you can now select from both trees that I have available, MyHeritage and WikiTree.

If you click on WikiTree, you will see my profile page. Just click on the “Ancestors” tab to view my tree!

That’s it.

I’m signing in right now to every FamilyTreeDNA kit that I manage and adding their WikiTree profile link. This is SO EASY, and FamilyTreeDNA says that more collaborative features are on the way!

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