23andMe Trouble – Step-by-Step Instructions to Preserve Your Data and Matches

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I don’t know what the future holds for 23andMe, but the financial floodwaters are rising. I’ve been torn about whether I should risk alarming people, perhaps unnecessarily, by writing about this, and if so, exactly what to say.

I’ve decided that the responsible action is to share my concerns with you and suggest that you act proactively – just in case.

Contrary to linking within this article which is what I normally do, I’m placing a list of relevant articles about what’s happening at 23andMe at the end for your reference. There are quite a few. I’ve located reputable articles without paywalls. There are even more publications today.

What’s Going On?

If you’re following the saga of 23andMe, you’ll know that they have been in financial trouble for some time, worsened by their data breach in October 2023. Not only was customer information accessed and downloaded, but 23andMe reacted extremely slowly, which made the situation worse. Lawsuits followed. I’ve written about the deteriorating situation several times.

Their financial situation has continued its decline ever since.

Recent developments, including the inability of Anne Wojcicki to raise funding to take the company private again, the $30 million data breach settlement this week, a further drop in their stock price, and just yesterday, the resignation of the board of directors in its entirety (except for Wojcicki), makes their future increasingly uncertain if not outright bleak.

Concerns

I am very concerned about the future of 23andMe. Never having experienced anything like this in our industry, I have no prediction about exactly what will happen, or when. That’s unknowable. I do know that I’m quite worried as are other professionals in this field.

I am strongly considering deleting my 23andme accounts. My personal hesitation is that I author this blog and I can’t write about 23andMe if I don’t have an account there.

Were it not for that, I would strongly consider deleting my account after recording my matches and downloading my data. 23andMe has ceased to be useful for me and has increasingly become a liability.

Please do NOT panic and run over there and delete your account without thoughtful consideration and taking these preservation measures first. Truly, I will tell you if I think you need to act on something immediately, as I have in the past.

I am NOT specifically recommending deleting your account. Everyone’s circumstances and goals are different.

For example, if you’re an adoptee fishing in all the ponds, you may want to wait. If your focus is health, you’re probably not reading this article, but that might be justification for people to wait. Or, if you’re a genealogist who wants as many matches as possible, you may want to wait and see how things shake out.

Regardless, the following recommendations ARE for everyone. Being prepared is better than being surprised.

Recommendations

Whether you choose to delete your account at 23andMe in the near future, wait, or maybe never, I have the following recommendations, just in case.

  1. Download your raw DNA data file.
  2. Preserve your matches in some fashion.
  3. Save your ethnicity segments file.

Here are step-by-step instructions for each item, plus several tips and hints.

Download Your Raw DNA File

Download your raw DNA file so that you can upload it elsewhere if you wish.

To download your raw DNA file, click on Resources, then “Browse Data.”

Select “Download” at the top of the next page where you will be prompted for your birth date.

You will then see a full page of “Important Warnings to Consider.”

Scroll to the bottom

Check the “I understand” box and then click on “Submit Request.”

You will receive an email when your file is ready to be downloaded.

If your email is not current, you will need to call or contact 23andMe support for assistance.

You can upload your 23andMe DNA file to MyHeritage, here, to GEDmatch, and to FamilyTreeDNA again soon. I’ve written instructions for uploading and downloading data to/from each vendor in the article DNA File Upload-Download and Transfer Instructions to and from DNA Testing Companies, here.

Preserve Your 23andMe Matches

Next, review and preserve your matches shown under DNA Relatives. You may want to use screenshots or create a spreadsheet, which is my recommendation. You’ll be able to retain and preserve a LOT more information using a spreadsheet, including how your matches are related to each other.

The good news, or bad news, depending on your perspective, is that unless you have paid for a subscription, you’ll only have 1500 matches to deal with. With a subscription, you’ll have up to about 5,000.

Match Information Spreadsheet

I suggest working with your closest matches first.

You’ll find your matches under “Ancestry,” then “DNA Relatives.” Matches are listed in the closest match order.

For each match you can view information, including:

  • Birth year and location
  • Your predicted relationship
  • If they are in the genetic tree that 23andMe has created for you
  • Their ancestors’ birthplaces, if they have provided that information.
  • Their family surnames
  • An important link to their family tree if they have provided that link
  • Their ethnicity which may be important if you share a common ethnicity that suggests or precludes lineages
  • High level Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups
  • Relatives in Common which are shared matches – and how much DNA your two matches share with each other
  • Any notes you’ve made

Other features previously available at 23andMe were discontinued after the breach.

If you downloaded your matches file before the October 2023 breach, you’re in luck because you can simply update that file with your new matches except for segment information. That’s what I’m doing. Your download file will be a CSV file styled “roberta_estes_relatives_download” where your name replaces mine.

If you didn’t download your matches before the breach, you can’t today, as that’s one of the features they removed after the breach.

Recording your matches’ information is the first step, but there’s an important second step too that will help you piece all of this information together.

Relatives in Common Relationship Grid

I strongly suggest creating a relationship grid detailing who matches whom for your shared matches. Yes, I know that’s a LOT of work, but it may well be worth it to wring every ounce out of your DNA matches. Plus, you can then keep it current as new matches arrive. Right now, I’ve set a goal for myself to complete 100 per day. That’s do able.

The “Relatives in Common” feature is extremely useful and facilitates constructing your tree and fitting your matches into their relative places in your tree. Relatives in Common tells you not only how much DNA you share with your matches but also their estimated relationship to each other and how much DNA they share.

To begin the process, you really only need to be able to identify “someone” and then chain people together based on shared matches and estimated relationships. I’ll show you.

To find Relatives in Common information and how much DNA they share with each other, click on a specific match, preferably one that you know, under DNA Relatives, then scroll down to “Find Relatives in Common.”

Here’s the list of matches shared between DH and me.

Here’s the beginning of the relationship spreadsheet I created.

This example shows the amount of DNA I share with my matches in the left column, then how much they share with each other. I’ve color-coded the results. Blue is my father’s paternal line. His mother’s line is not represented in these matches. Purple is my mother’s maternal line, and apricot is her paternal line.

DH is estimated by 23andMe to be my second cousin and shares 7.13% of my paternal DNA across 17 segments. DH also shares DNA with James, George, Daniel, RA, and Joyce.

You can see how much DNA any match shares with me, as well as with any other match, which I’ve entered into the chart.

Unfortunately, only one person, Patricia, has included a link to a tree, but our common ancestor was shown there. In two other cases, surnames provided information, as did previous communications. I can fit almost every one of these people into my tree, at least tentatively, using this information. Sometimes I match them at other vendors too, providing additional information.

If you used Genetic Affairs to cluster your 23andMe matches before the breach, you may already have at least part of your match and shared match information. I save everything to my computer, and I hope you did too.

I happen to know how two of these people are related to me, so I can begin my “shared tree” there, adding other people as I figure out their shared relationships. For example, if a match is my second cousin and also a second cousin to another match, chances are really good that we all share great-grandparents. Remember that 23andMe has taken a stab at genetic tree construction on their genetically created (now nearly unreadable) Family Tree, found under “Family and Friends.”

This tree may or may not help you.

Please note – if you wish to message any of your matches, you need to do that through the 23andMe internal platform, so don’t wait, do it now by clicking on your match, then “Message.”

Download Your Ethnicity Results and Segments

Download your ethnicity results and segment information so that you can use your segment location information to compare to matches from other companies that provide matching segment information.

Your ethnicity information is available under Ancestry, then Ancestry Composition, then Select Scientific Details.

Scroll all the way to the bottom – which is a LONG way.

Select the confidence level and then click on Download Raw Data.” I use 50%, but you can download each one if you want.

The resulting file holds the locations on your chromosomes of your various estimated ethnicities. You can upload that file to DNAPainter to correlate with your matches from any testing company, and with ancestors whose DNA you’ve identified.

I wrote about that, here, and have discussed how to “walk ethnicity segments back in time” using DNAPainter in several presentations. This technique is how I identified my Native American ancestor on my mother’s side, which was then confirmed by mitochondrial DNA testing on an appropriately descended individual.

Prognosis

If 23andMe remains viable, you’ll be ahead of the game. You’ll have preserved your information and may have identified some new matches and their ancestors.

However, if 23andMe doesn’t survive or is sold, you’ll have protected your investment and won’t be caught by surprise.

If you’re thinking about deleting your account, take the steps set forth above, first. The reason I’m providing this information now is so that, in case something happens, you have time to complete these tasks to protect your important information and matches.

If you choose to delete your 23andMe account, you’ll have preserved as much of your investment as possible. Remember, think before deleting because once you’ve deleted your account, you can’t undo it without testing again. This is especially important if you’re managing the DNA of someone who is now deceased. In that case, delete is irrecoverable.

Let’s just hope this all blows over, and you’ll have benefitted by finding new genealogy information.

Recent News Articles

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/31/23andme-ceo-anne-wojcicki-files-proposal-to-take-company-private-.html

https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/23andme-special-committee-responds-ceos-take-private-proposal

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/23andme-settles-data-breach-lawsuit-30-million-2024-09-13/

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/17/23andme-independent-directors-resign-from-board-read-the-ceo-memo.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/09/18/23andme-board-turmoil-dna-test/

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/18/23andme-resignations-anne-wojcicki

https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/independent-directors-23andme-resign-board

https://investors.23andme.com/node/9531/pdf

My Articles

https://dna-explained.com/2023/08/17/23andme-and-glaksosmithkline-partnership-ends-sparking-additional-layoffs/

https://dna-explained.com/2023/10/07/23andme-user-accounts-exposed-change-your-password-now/

https://dna-explained.com/2023/10/24/the-23andme-data-exposure-new-info-considerations-and-a-pause-strategy/

https://dna-explained.com/2023/10/29/23andme-dna-relatives-connections-event-history-report-and-other-security-tools/

https://dna-explained.com/2023/12/07/23andme-concludes-their-investigation-6-9-million-customers-data-exposed/

Ask the Experts with MyHeritage on Facebook Live

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I’m inviting you to join me and my colleagues, Janna Helshtein and Diahan Southard, this Tuesday, September 17, for an “Ask the Experts” session with MyHeritage on Facebook Live. You probably recognize their names and know that all three of us specialize in genetic genealogy education and solving those thorny problems.

The live session takes place at 2 PM EST, but you’ll be able to watch the video on the MyHeritage Facebook page later. I’ll update this article with that link when they post it after the live session.

You can also convert the live time to your local time, here.

Do you have a burning DNA question? You can ask your question in advance, here.

Keep in mind that we don’t work for MyHeritage, so we won’t have “inside answers” to company-specific questions, but we do have decades of wide-ranging how-to experience between us!

You can read more about the live session in the MyHeritage blog article, here.

We are all looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday. Hope you can join us.

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East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, October 4-6, Virtual or In-Person

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I hope you’ll join us for the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, just a shuttle ride from the Baltimore airport.

I just love conferences that specialize in genetic genealogy. The East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference does precisely that, featuring 25 experts with a wide variety of expertise.

Take a look at the lineup, here and the sessions, here.

I can hardly wait!!!

You can register here to attend either virtually or in person, but hurry because the early bird discount is only in effect until September 15th.

My Presentations

I’m honored to present two sessions with Janine Cloud.

For those who don’t know, Janine is a registered member of the Cherokee Tribe and we both love talking about researching Native American heritage using DNA.

Janine manages the group projects for FamilyTreeDNA, so she is uniquely qualified to explain how they work and how you can make them work better for you.

One of the very cool new tools is the Group Time Tree. We’ll explain how to use the tree as a group administrator’s tool in addition to being a fantastic problem-solver for genealogists.

DNA Academy

Several years ago, a small group of genetic genealogists discussed creating a DNA Academy where experts offer advanced topics. Mags Gaulden will share more about that fateful discussion.

The manifestation of our dream will take place for the third time at the ECCGC on October 5th, from 6-8, virtually or in person, with five guest speakers.

Book Signing

Genealogical.com will have a booth at ECCGCs and will be selling both of my books, in addition to others.

I don’t have the book signing schedule yet, but it will be displayed in the booth.

Please come by and say hello.

Hope to see you at ECCGCs!

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Six Ways to Figure Out How We’re Related

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In my latest Webinar, Six Ways to Figure Out How We’re Related, I discuss the various tools from Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, and 23andMe – plus clusters from Genetic Affairs and the amazing DNAPainter.

This webinar lives in the Legacy Family Tree Webinar library, but as part of the “webtember” lineup, you can view it for free through the end of September.

It’s always exciting to discover a new match at one of the DNA testing companies, which, of course, begs the question of how you’re related.

So, what are the six ways to figure out how you’re related, and how do you use them?

Come along for a step-by-step guide!

Shared Matches

We begin with how each vendor handles shared matches, what that feature is called, where to find the information, and how to interpret what they are telling you.

23andMe goes a step further and creates a genetic tree, of sorts, although that functionality has changed since their breach last October.

Bucketing and Sides

Two vendors go a step further and provide unique tools to divide your matches maternally and paternally.

FamilyTreeDNA buckets your matches maternally and paternally (or both) based on matches you link to their profile cards in your tree. FamilyTreeDNA then uses your linked matches to triangulate with other matches and assign your matches accordingly, providing a maternal and paternal match list. Bucketing, also known as Family Matching, is one of my favorite tools.

Note that linking matches at FamilyTreeDNA requires that you have transferred your tree to MyHeritage. I wrote about that and provided instructions here and here, and produced a complimentary webinar, too.

Ancestry also divides your matches by parent, but they use a different technique based on their Sideview technology and either ethnicity or shared matches.

Surnames and Locations

Surnames and locations, either separately or together, provide HUGE hints!

MyHeritage provides a nice summary for each of your matches that includes ancestral surnames, a map of locations in common, and “Smart Matches” which shows you people in common in both of your trees. There are several ways to use these tools.

FamilyTreeDNA also provides a list of surnames. You can view either the surnames in common with a match, or all of their ancestral surnames, with locations if provided. The tester enters these surnames, and we review how to complete that step.

Ancestry also provides shared surnames, with clickable links to the number of people in your matches tree with that surname, plus common locations.

X-DNA

X-DNA is probably the most underutilized DNA matching tool. While each of the vendors actually test the X chromosome, only one, FamilyTreeDNA, provides X-matching. You can obtain X-matching results by uploading your DNA file to FamilyTreeDNA. I’ve provided upload/download instructions for all companies, here.

X-DNA has a very unique inheritance pattern because males only inherit an X chromosome from their mother which limits the number of potential common ancestors for any two testers. In other words, X-DNA matching does half your work for you!

Clustering Technology – AutoClusters, the Matrix and DNAPainter

In the past few years, match clustering has become a very useful tool. Clustering shows which of your matches match you and each other.

Genetic Affairs offers several flavors of these clusters, and both MyHeritage and GEDmatch have incorporated Genetic Affairs clusters into their product offerings.

If you haven’t used AutoClusters yet, by all means, try them out.

FamilyTreeDNA offers the Matrix, a slightly different version of clustering. You can select 10 people from your match list to see if they also match each other. Shared matches don’t automatically mean triangulation between you and those two people, or even that all three people descend from the same line. However, if the people are bucketed to your same side (parent) and they share common segments with you in the chromosome browser, they triangulate.

You’ll want to paint those matches to DNAPainter to determine which ancestor you share, especially if they haven’t provided a tree.

DNAPainter provides your chromosomes as the “canvas” upon which to paint your matches in order to correlate segments with ancestors and identify common ancestral lines with mystery matches.

Three vendors, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, and GEDmatch provide segment information with matches for you to paint. I illustrate how I walk segments back in time, identifying our most distant common ancestor possible.

Theories of Family Relativity and ThruLines

Both MyHeritage and Ancestry provide a combination of DNA matching and tree triangulation, where they search the trees of your DNA matches to find common ancestors with you – although their implementation is different.

MyHeritage’s Theories of Family Relativity provides varying theories about common ancestors for you and a specific match using both trees and historical documents. You can review the various pathways and confirm or reject theories. I love this tool.

Ancestry’s Thrulines functions a bit differently, showing you all of your matches that descend from a common ancestor in all your matches’ trees. Sometimes, the trees are incorrect, but Theories of Family Relativity and ThruLines should still be used as hints.

I showed how ThruLines helped me discover what happened to one of my ancestor’s grandchildren who was lost to the family at his mother’s death – and to all of us since. Not anymore.

Bonus – Y-DNA and Mitochondrial DNA at FamilyTreeDNA

Only FamilyTreeDNA offers both Y-DNA and Mitochondrial DNA testing and matching. All of the tools above pertain to autosomal DNA testing, which is named Family Finder at FamilyTreeDNA. Illustrated by the green arrow below, autosomal DNA testing measures and compares the DNA you inherited from each ancestral line, but that’s not the only game in town.

Y-DNA, in blue, for males, tracks the direct paternal line, which is the surname line in Western cultures. Mitochondrial DNA, in red, is passed from mothers to all of their children. Therefore, everyone can test, revealing matches and information about their mother’s direct matrilineal lineage.

Y-DNA testing includes the amazing Discover tool with a baker’s dozen different reports, including ancient DNA. Mitochondrial DNA will soon have its own MitoDiscover after the rollout of the new Mitotree.

Both tests include “Matches Maps” to help you determine how you are related to your matches, as well as where your ancestors came from before the advent of surnames.

The Advanced Matching feature allows you to select multiple tests to see if your matches match you on combined types of tests.

Tune In

Now that you know what we cover in the webinar, please tune in to see how to use these awesome tools. Be sure to fish in all four “ponds” plus GEDmatch, where you may find people who didn’t test at a company that provides a chromosome browser or matching segment information.

Tools provided by the DNA testing vendors facilitate multiple ways to determine how we match and which ancestor(s) we have in common.

You can watch the webinar, here.

Additionally, subscribers to Legacy Family Tree Webinars have access to the 25-page syllabus with even more information!

A Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscription normally costs $49.95 per year, but through the end of September, there’s a coupon code good for 20% off. Just click here, then enter webtember24 at the checkout.

Enjoy!

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DNA Summer School Fun!

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I love that the North of Ireland Family History Society is hosting a Zoom-based DNA-focused Summer School from September 2nd through September 6th. This year’s theme is “Case Studies.” There is one afternoon and one evening session each day, and they will be recorded so attendees can view them anytime worldwide for 28 days.

Martin McDowell does a fantastic job as their Education Director. He and several other presenters will be speaking.

Note that Katy Rowe from FamilyTreeDNA is giving a sneak peek at the upcoming MitoTree and MitoDiscover – so don’t miss that!

I’ll present some exciting Mitochondrial DNA case studies and discuss genealogical success stories using mitochondrial DNA.

Miguel Vilar, former Lead Scientist for the Genographic Project, will educate us about Ancient DNA. Both Y-DNA Discover and soon-to-be MitoDiscover both feature ancient DNA haplogroup matches.

I can’t wait to attend Martin’s DNA Proof Standards class. How much proof is enough, and what kind of proof? When do we need more, and how do we find it?

This is a wonderful lineup!

You can sign up for all classes for about $100 US, or for individual classes, here. Take a look, and I hope to see you there! It’s going to be great fun!!

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You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

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FamilyTreeDNA Match Download Files are Back!

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Such great news!

FamilyTreeDNA has resumed their match file downloads, making FamilyTreeDNA the ONLY major company that provides this important feature. You can now download a file of all of your matches and for autosomal DNA, where they match you on your chromosomes, a critical function for genealogists.

During the aftermath of the 23andMe data breach, at FamilyTreeDNA, you could still view each match individually and up to 7 selected matches together in the chromosome browser, but you could not download your entire match list.

Now, once again, you can!

How To Download Your Matches

To download either your full match list, or a filtered match list, sign on to your account and select matches.

Family Finder Autosomal Matches

Click on any image to enlarge

The Family Finder download option is located at the top of your match list, at far right.

You can download, or export, a CSV file of all of your matches or a select group of filtered matches.

I downloaded all of my matches and then immediately began catching up.

On my PC, I located the file under “downloads” in a file named with my kit number and date.

There’s a LOT of great information here, but let me point out perhaps the most important genealogical feature.

The Matching Bucket Column

The Matching Bucket column isn’t just an “estimate” or best guess of which parental side an individual is related to you on; it’s confirmed through triangulation.

When you link known relatives to their profile card in your tree, FamilyTreeDNA identifies triangulated segments and uses that information to assign matches either maternally, paternally, or both, depending on the matching segments found.

Additional columns reported are:

  • Full, first, middle, and last names or each match
  • Match Date
  • Relationship Range (based on estimates)
  • Shared DNA (in cMs)
  • Linked Relationship, based on where you linked the match in your tree
  • Ancestral Surnames, as entered in by your match
  • Y-DNA haplogroup for males, either Y-DNA tested directly or mid-range level haplogroup based on a Family Finder test
  • mtDNA Haplogroup
  • Notes that you’ve made on this match
  • Matching Bucket – maternal, paternal, or both
  • X-Match amount in cMs. Remember that X-matching is only shown if the person ALSO matches you on one of the other chromosomes as well. The interpretation of X-matching is somewhat different than other autosomal DNA due to a unique inheritance pattern, which means it can be very important. I discussed that in the article, X Chromosome Master Class and also in my book. FamilyTreeDNA is the only vendor that provides X-matching.
  • Autosomal Transfer – yes or no.

This information and these features, combined with shared matches, means that you can assign most of your autosomal matches either maternally or paternally, and often attribute descent from a particular ancestor or couple.

Download the Match Segment File

Additionally, you’ll need to download the match segment file from a separate location.

Under “Autosomal DNA Results and Tools,” click on “Chromosome Browser.

The chromosome browser will display showing all of your matches. Instead of selecting someone to compare, instead, click on “Download All Segments.”

On a PC, the resulting file can be found in downloads.

This file holds the results on every chromosome of each match. Many people will match you on multiple chromosome locations, so will be listed more than once.

I then sort, either by name, or by chromosome and location, depending on my goal.

This segment match file and the match information file should be used together to garner as much information as possible about each match and how you are related.

Y-DNA

The Y-DNA match list is available, too, and can be found at the right of the STR marker headings.

The Big-Y match download option is also to the right of the Big-Y matches tab.

Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA matches are also available but in a slightly different location than the Family Finder and Y-DNA.

The mitochondrial DNA match list download is found at the bottom of your match list, in the right corner.

Caution About Privacy

I want to remind everyone about privacy. You should never, ever, send your match list to someone else unless you know them well and are collaborating with them directly. For example, let’s say you’ve asked your sibling or cousin to test, and they have agreed. Sharing under this limited circumstance would be reasonable.

Unfortunately, we have encountered some “researchers” that are targeting specific groups of people and asking them to provide the names and contact information of their matches – in this case – specifically mitochondrial DNA of a particular ethnic group. After receiving your match list, they contact your matches, telling them they are working with someone they match, and then ask for their match list, too – building a genetic pyramid scheme.

Please DO NOT comply with a request of this type. Do NOT provide your sign-in credentials to anyone like this either. Both of these actions risk your security and your matches’ privacy since your matches have only given permission for their matches to see their information – not anyone else. Additionally, this violates FamilyTreeDNA’s Terms and Conditions.

If someone requests this type of information from you, please immediately report it directly to FamilyTreeDNA.

Additional Benefits of Autosomal Match Download Data

The primary benefit of the autosomal match download is being able to see who matches you on which side of your tree, then perform additional research to determine your common ancestor(s).

You can also discover information about various ancestors via both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA of your matches who inherited that type of DNA from your common ancestors. I wrote about the four types of DNA that genealogists can use in the article, 4 Kinds of DNA for Genetic Genealogy. 

Be sure to check surname projects for your Y-DNA matches along with all of your ancestral surnames, here, to locate testers who descend from those ancestors.

There are additional benefits, too.

You’ll now be able to paint your chromosomes at DNAPainter again using various import features. The most useful import might be the Maternal and Paternal bucketed matches which helps you determine which matches descend from which ancestors. You can find more information in the article, DNAPainter Instructions and Resources, here.

You can also utilize your downloaded file at Genetic Affairs for various types of clusters. You can read more information in the article, Genetic Affairs Instructions and Resources, here.

So download your matches once again, and enjoy! What gems are waiting to be discovered?

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FamilyTreeDNA Summer Sale Ends Soon

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Rarely does FamilyTreeDNA put all of their products on sale at the same time, but this Summer Sale is a notable exception.

Not only are all new tests on sale, but so are upgrades, including mitochondrial and Y-DNA STR to Big Y-700 upgrades. So, if you’ve tested at the Y-DNA 37, 67, or 111 marker level, this is the perfect opportunity to discover more.

Plus, there are GREAT prices on bundles of multiple tests. If you aren’t sure which tests are beneficial for what, the article, 4 Kinds of DNA for Genetic Genealogy will help you sort things out.

If you’ve been considering a test or an upgrade for yourself or another family member, now’s a great time. I asked permission to upgrade a cousin’s Y-DNA just this morning, and he gladly agreed. I added a Family Finder test, too, because knowing who else in our study group he matches will help determine how closely people are related.

This sale ends in 5 days, August 31st at 1:59 am CDT, so don’t miss this opportunity.

Just the Facts, Please

Here’s the non-marketing “just the facts” list of regular and sale prices for comparison.

Are you seeing someone over the upcoming holiday weekend that would be a good testing candidate? What brick walls might be broken down?

Single Products
Product Regular Price Sale Price
Family Finder $79 $49
Autosomal Transfer Unlock  $19 $10
Mitochondrial mtFull Sequence  $159 $129
Y-37 $119 $99
Y-111 $249 $209
Big Y-700 $449 $399
Bundles
Bundle Regular Price Sale Price
Family Finder + mtFull Sequence  $238 $169
Family Finder + Y-37 $198 $139
Family Finder + Y-111 $328 $249
Family Finder + Big Y-700 $528 $439
mtFull Sequence + Y-37 $278 $219
mtFull Sequence + Y-111 $408 $329
mtFull Sequence + Big Y-700 $608 $499
Family Finder + mtFull Sequence + Y-37 $357 $259
Family Finder + mtFull Sequence + Y-111 $487 $369
Family Finder + mtFull Sequence + Big Y-700 $687 $507
Upgrades
Upgrade Regular Price Sale Price
Y-12 to Y-37 $79 $59
Y-12 to Y-67 $149 $139
Y-12 to Y-111 $199 $159
Y-12 to Big Y-700 $399 $339
Y-25 to Y-37 $49 $39
Y-25 to Y-67 $119 $109
Y-25 to Y-111 $189 $139
Y-25 to Big Y-700 $389 $339
Y-37 to Y-67 $89 $69
Y-37 to Y-111 $139 $119
Y-37 to Big Y-700 $339 $299
Y-67 to Y-111 $89 $79
Y-67 to Big Y-700 $279 $229
Y-111 to Big Y-700 $239 $189
Big Y-500 to Big Y-700 $209 $189
Mitochondrial mtDNA to mtFull Sequence $119 $79
Mitochondrial mtDNA+ to mtFull Sequence $119 $79

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DNA Academy Webinar Series Released

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Great news! Legacy Family Tree Webinars has just released DNA Academy.

DNA Academy is a three-part series designed to introduce the basics of DNA for genetic genealogy and how Y-DNA, X-DNA, mitochondrial and autosomal DNA can be utilized. Each of these different types of DNA serves a different function for genealogists – and reveals different matches and hints for genealogy.

  1. DNA Academy Part 1 introduces genetic genealogy basics, then, Ancestry’s DNA tools – including their new pricing structure for DNA features. Click here to view.
  2. DNA Academy Part 2 covers FamilyTreeDNA’s products. Click here to view the webinar, which includes:
    1. Y-DNA for males which tracks the direct paternal line
    2. Mitochondrial DNA for everyone which tracks your direct maternal line – your mother’s mother’s mother’s lineage
    3. Autosomal DNA which includes matches from all of your ancestral lines and along with X-DNA matching, which has a very distinctive inheritance path.
  3. DNA Academy Part 3 includes MyHeritage, 23andMe, and third-party tools such as DNAPainter and Genetic Affairs. Click here to view.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars has graciously made Part 2, the FamilyTreeDNA class, free through August 22nd for everyone – so be sure to watch now.

After August 22nd, Part 2 will join Part 1 and Part 3 in the webinar library for subscribers with more than 2240 webinars for $49.95 per year.

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You’re always welcome to forward articles or links to friends and share on social media.

If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

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Update and Webinar – FamilyTreeDNA & MyHeritage Tree Integration

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A few days ago, I published an article titled FamilyTreeDNA Tree Integration with MyHeritage – Step by Step Instructions, and now there is a companion webinar available, here, courtesy of Legacy Family Tree Webinars.

In addition to topics covered in the earlier article, in the webinar, also titled FamilyTreeDNA Tree Integration with MyHeritage, I’ve added additional problem-solving information, clarified several items, created a decision-aid chart, and updated information.

This tree transition, only a week old, has been amazingly smooth. Nothing is perfect out the gate, and this integration is no different. For most people, this process runs quickly and seamlessly.

Updates and Clarifications

A few people may have noticed a glitch or two during the first few days. The balance of the known bugs are expected to be resolved by early next week.

  • If your transfer got “stuck” and never completed, or completed with an empty tree, try again early next week.
  • At FamilyTreeDNA, Family Matching took a day or two to kick in again, but the backlog has cleared and it’s working as expected after matches are linked on your tree at MyHeritage.

Additional items that are being resolved or have been clarified:

  • All trees transferred to MyHeritage will receive the 90-day gift of being able to expand the tree beyond 250 people without restriction or cost. This includes trees transferred to existing MyHeritage accounts that do not currently have a subscription. Those accounts are currently incorrectly restricting users to 250 people. MyHeritage will have this fixed in the next few days and the fix will be applied retroactively to anyone who transferred a tree to an existing MyHeritage account that does not have a subscription.
  • You can no longer start a new tree on the FamilyTreeDNA platform. New trees will be started on the MyHeritage platform. This also means that if you delete your tree at FamilyTreeDNA, you cannot upload a new one to FamilyTreeDNA before transferring to MyHeritage.
  • MyHeritage will return tree information periodically to FamilyTreeDNA for research purposes for trees originating at FamilyTreeDNA:
  • MyHeritage will NOT return tree information to FamilyTreeDNA from the trees of anyone linking their FamilyTreeDNA account to an existing MyHeritage tree. There is no consent or opt-in option.
    • While an initial consent box was not displayed on the transfer page, there was a consent option in the tree preferences section at MyHeritage. This was a bug, and MyHeritage will have it removed shortly.
    • Anyone who linked their FamilyTreeDNA account to their existing MyHeritage tree with the understanding that their tree data would be provided to FamilyTreeDNA should disconnect their account at FamilyTreeDNA from MyHeritage and relink it to their transferred FamilyTreeDNA tree. Instructions are in both the blog article and the webinar.

Decision Aid

The included and downloadable webinar syllabus includes a Decision Aid in chart and list format to help you sort through your various tree options and which would be best for you, including combinations of features such as:

  • Tree size
  • Subscription
  • 90-day tree expansion gift
  • Retention of linked matches
  • Data returned to FamilyTreeDNA

Enjoy the webinar, here, and your new tree functionality, no matter which option you choose, at MyHeritage

PS – Upload Your DNA Too

Transferring your tree has absolutely nothing to do with uploading your DNA, but this might be a good time to upload your DNA file to MyHeritage if you haven’t done so already.

Having your DNA results at both companies assures that you receive the most matches possible. Both uploading and matching are free.

I’ve written step-by-step upload-download instructions for major companies, here, and specifically both FamilyTreeDNA and MyHeritage, below:

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If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

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I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

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Y-DNA Highways of History: Fleshing Out Your Ancestors Using Discover Case Studies – Webinar Free for 7 Days!!

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I’m so very pleased to announce with Legacy Family Tree Webinars, that we are offering a special midsummer surprise webinar – and it’s FREE through August 1st, here.

Thank you, Legacy Family Tree Webinars, for making this webinar free!

We are using FamilyTreeDNA’s free Discover tool to reveal our ancestors’ past and their path through history.

This webinar features fun ”how-to” case studies. Who doesn’t love a good story – especially ones that you can put to use in your own genealogy right away?

We begin with an overview.

  • What are reasonable testing goals for Y-DNA?
  • Why do we want to take Y-DNA tests anyway?
  • What can we discover when we test, and when we encourage our cousins to test?
  • Where and how do we find those cousins?

If you ladies are thinking, I WISH I had a Y chromosome to test, cheer up, because one of the topics I cover is how to find relevant family members, even distant members, who can test for your male ancestral lines.

History Revealed

Genealogists always want every piece of available information. Y-DNA testing does just that and reaches beyond the barrier of surnames. In fact, it reaches beyond the possibility of genealogical research with only one test.

There’s so much to learn.

Who were my ancestors, and where did they come from? How are they related to other people, including ancient burials and notable people who lived more recently?

I’m sharing several case studies from my own genealogy. Come join me on my journey.

  • I discovered that my ancestor is related to a burial along the old Roman Road in France. He lived there before the Romans arrived. What does that mean to me today, and how can I find out?
  • I’ll also share with you how I solved an adoption case within a generation with JUST Y-DNA, and then how I used autosomal DNA matches to augment and refine that information.
  • In another case, we learned something VERY interesting and quite unexpected, revealing either a secret or information that was never passed to contemporary family researchers. Y-DNA testing is the only way this would EVER have been revealed.
  • Another ancestor appears to have been a retired Roman soldier in England. How did I figure this out? I’ll show you.
  • My Jewish friend famously said “My ancestors are in my soul. I can’t get them out of my mind.” Can you relate? The Big Y-700 test proved that his ancestors settled in Spain and exactly when they migrated to Eastern Europe using a very unconventional approach that you can utilize too.
  • Another tester discovered that he and a famous lineage match. You’ll probably recognize this historical person and you might even be related yourself. Their ancestors are found in the baptismal records of the same church in England, but their common ancestor reaches back to the people buried beneath the Saxon tombstones outside.

How did we discover all of this???

Big Y-700 testing at FamilyTreeDNA, combined with the Discover tool, sprinkled from time to time with some old-fashioned genealogy.

Once you engage in Y-DNA testing, you’ll have fascinating success stories of your own to share too.

Collect the Full Set

There’s so much to be learned about our ancestors.

I “collect” Y-DNA haplogroups from testers in each of my ancestral lines to reveal their history that has been obscured by time – and to assure my recent genealogy is accurate.

Every one of these haplogroups on my family tree, such as R-ZS3700, looks like just letters and numbers, but they aren’t. They are the keys that easily unlock that ancestor’s paternal family story, previously hidden behind history’s misty curtains. Now, they’ve been revealed! You can do exactly the same thing!

All you need to do is enter your Y-DNA haplogroup into Discover or just click through directly from your results page at FamilyTreeDNA.

Which ancestors are waiting for you?

Please enjoy this webinar. Don’t forget it’s only free for a week, so check it out now.

There’s More

Take a look at the other webinars I’ve recorded for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. (Hint – there are more coming very soon!!)

You can always access this and any of more than 2200 webinars in the library by subscribing to Legacy Family Tree Webinars, here.

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Follow DNAexplain on Facebook, here.

Share the Love!

You’re always welcome to forward articles or links to friends and share on social media.

If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Uploads

Genealogy Products and Services

My Books

Genealogy Books

Genealogy Research