Welcome to 2013, everyone!
So in keeping with the new year, I've started a new project - I'm adding siblings and sideways branches to my Ancestry.com family tree.
Yikes.
Purely to keep things streamlined and more orderly and under control, I've always avoided this, even though I know sometimes your best family connections are your sideways connections. Your grandmother might not have the info or records or family heirlooms you want or need, but a third cousin might be the key to unlocking more info on your family or even knocking down that brick wall - I speak from experience! I have those branches galore on my home computer programs, which is how I was always able to find and connect to these people, but I've decided the time has come to make those branches public. Because I need some cousin help.
I got a very helpful response on my last blog entry from CeCe over at Your Genetic Genealogist who noted that when AncestryDNA gives you that list of possible cousins to connect to, if the probability is high enough (and for me, its in the upper 90 percent), then these really ARE probably cousins. Exciting, right? Which means these are people I need to connect to! But when I look at their trees, I don't recognize any of the names, which is frustrating because it means I can't personally connect myself to them yet, but at the same time it's exciting because it means one or two of those people on their trees are as of yet unknown family members of mine, branches that are so far behind a brick wall, a brick wall I'm trying to break down.
So, that's my call for help - I might not be able to connect to their trees yet, but maybe, if I start filling those sideways branches in, one or more of my potential cousins might be able to connect to my tree - all it takes is one familiar name or a place, something somebody heard before or came across before, or even just a hunch. I'm a strong believer in hunches - sometimes our subconscious can make connections our conscious mind can't yet.
It's already overwhelming but very exciting - wish me luck! (And if you think we might be related or you have a helpful tip or strategy that worked for you, drop me a line in the comments section!)
Happy New Year, y'all - may it be a good one personally & genealogically for all of us! :)
So in keeping with the new year, I've started a new project - I'm adding siblings and sideways branches to my Ancestry.com family tree.
Yikes.
Purely to keep things streamlined and more orderly and under control, I've always avoided this, even though I know sometimes your best family connections are your sideways connections. Your grandmother might not have the info or records or family heirlooms you want or need, but a third cousin might be the key to unlocking more info on your family or even knocking down that brick wall - I speak from experience! I have those branches galore on my home computer programs, which is how I was always able to find and connect to these people, but I've decided the time has come to make those branches public. Because I need some cousin help.
I got a very helpful response on my last blog entry from CeCe over at Your Genetic Genealogist who noted that when AncestryDNA gives you that list of possible cousins to connect to, if the probability is high enough (and for me, its in the upper 90 percent), then these really ARE probably cousins. Exciting, right? Which means these are people I need to connect to! But when I look at their trees, I don't recognize any of the names, which is frustrating because it means I can't personally connect myself to them yet, but at the same time it's exciting because it means one or two of those people on their trees are as of yet unknown family members of mine, branches that are so far behind a brick wall, a brick wall I'm trying to break down.
So, that's my call for help - I might not be able to connect to their trees yet, but maybe, if I start filling those sideways branches in, one or more of my potential cousins might be able to connect to my tree - all it takes is one familiar name or a place, something somebody heard before or came across before, or even just a hunch. I'm a strong believer in hunches - sometimes our subconscious can make connections our conscious mind can't yet.
It's already overwhelming but very exciting - wish me luck! (And if you think we might be related or you have a helpful tip or strategy that worked for you, drop me a line in the comments section!)
Happy New Year, y'all - may it be a good one personally & genealogically for all of us! :)