7 Tools You May Have Forgotten About on Ancestry.com

[@expeditingwiththeandersons7723]

For years I have wondered about that member connect thinking it was a way to message other members about a particular person in your tree. Thanks for explaining about it.

[@GenealogyTV]

You are welcome. I think they should change the name from member connect to "member follow" or something like that.

[@Paul_Sheila]

Thank you for showing me what ‘member connect’ is actually for. My aunt and I are working on the same branch, but just last night I’ve found sources that proved us wrong on a few key facts. Now I know how she and I can sync our work. I am new to genealogy and finding you was striking ancestral gold for me! I’m catching up on every video you made. - Sheila

[@ceciliaseiber5507]

I’ve been doing genealogy research for 50 years. I’m subscribed to your KZbin page but don’t always listen because being an old hand you know. But today I did and it was very helpful. Thank you

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you Cecilla

[@elainefiveland1462]

Great tips! I had forgotten to use some of them.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks

[@riatort]

Whoa! 😳 I had no idea what they meant exactly. This is fantastic , thank you 😊

[@Chai4mom]

Gosh, this was so helpful. I use Ancestry all the time, but most of these were revelations to me. Thank you!

[@GenealogyTV]

You’re welcome.

[@arlindanelson7928]

Thanks Connie. You never let me down. I haven't really forgotten about the tools, I just don't play around with and/or in them, lol. There is always something to learn from you. I am appreciative of your knowledge and sharing to help others.

[@GenealogyTV]

You are so welcome

[@TiralynnEruanna]

I am the only one that I know of that is continuing the genealogy of our family. I look forward to tips for sure.

[@celticraven1383]

This is a great video. I too did not understand member connect.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LeAllysonMeyer]

Thanks so much for these insights. I will be using these tips.

[@GenealogyTV]

Wonderful!

[@debbiecarroll5672]

Connie, I am so happy I found you on here..I totally forgot about member connect..thank you!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Debbie

[@merileemulvey3203]

Thank you so much. These tips are wonderful and will make my research easier and more reliable.

[@theshecreature]

Super helpful! Had no idea about several of those features. Thank you so much!

[@GenealogyTV]

Happy to help!

[@screamingcats72]

I would love a video on how you use Family Tree Maker - how you integrate it into your Ancestry & written doc research note workflow, favorite features, etc.

[@colleenrossomando8221]

Connie, I am part of your Genealogy TV group...I am not sure this is where I should leave a question...but I was using the story scout and read about my Grand Father's draft, etc. when I went to save to my tree, it told me it couldn't save since he wasn't in my tree and I needed to continue to build it: "We couldn’t save this story to your tree This might be because you haven’t added this ancestor yet, or there’s not enough information in your tree to make the connection." Yet he IS.

[@GenealogyTV]

Hi @Colleen Rossomando, this is Ashley, Connie's assistant and I'd be happy to help as best as I can. Thank you for your support of GTV as well. If you should ever have a question for Connie you can always send an email to [e-mail]. Hope this helps!

[@kristinenorth9983]

I just wanted to ask if you've done a tutorial on how to input people that are adopted? How to list the parents that adopted the child and the birth parent? Thanks!

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes... kzbin.info/www/bejne/l33Uq6aIqshjoNk

[@cheryljames1695]

I learned some new things I didn't know about. Great video!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks

[@DR-rw5uq]

When you use Member Connect, does the Member you connect with get notified that you are connecting with them?

[@GenealogyTV]

No. Think of it as a follow instead of connect. I' don't know why they call it connect, when it is actually a follow function.

[@samjb6471]

Great info, thanks :) Can we switch on "quick compare" by default?

[@GenealogyTV]

No.

[@celticraven1383]

Is there a way to figure where your floating trees are? I have a created a few but failed to document the names so that I can find them again. - Making a spread sheet so that it doesn't happen further...but got to find the ones I have already created.

[@GenealogyTV]

The only way to find them is to search them by name in the tree view. What I do is put a web link in other ancestors profile. For example, if I think this floater might be a brother, I will add a source as a weblink to the profile of the floater... and do the same in the floater profile back to the known ancestor in my connected tree.

[@dorothydotson7154]

I always work in family view which shows the entirety of my tree, but for sure if you are focusing on direct ancestors then pedigree keeps you on your correct path.

[@kaybobbitt7787]

great video

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Kay

[@NanZingrone]

Boy that member connect is useful. My grandmother had a brother named Otto, and I thought I had him right, but I knew that my grandmother was the only child born in the US and the rest were born in Prussia. I must have lost my mind or gotten distracted because I found an Otto with no parents listed and put him in my tree and did more work on him and his family without realizing that he was not born in Germany, he was two kids away from the family's emigration, with sisters on both sides born in Germany, but he was born in Michigan. I did a lot of work on him without noticing the anomaly but in looking over the suggested member connects with no parents listed (I know who my grandmother's parents were) I finally saw that he was not born in German and know now that I have the wrong Otto! That's a great correction! I had to see him in somebody else's tree to realize where he was born just doesn't fit the family's timeline at all. On the other hand, he might be a cousin because for my grandmother's family to go from the east coast straight to Detroit, Michigan would be more likely if they had relatives in Detroit where they settled, and I have a vague memory that Grandma told us that a relative or a family friend convinced her father to move the family to the US. So, I'm reconfiguring "the wrong Otto" as the child of an unknown brother of my great-grandfather with one of those -- "maybe yes/maybe no" notes -- and I won't lose any work on him just in he's really related but just not the right Otto for my grandmother's family. I also wondered why he was so close in time to his "sister" ahead and the one after him because my great-grandparents had a bunch of kids, and they were all at least three years apart except him. Being a cousin might explain that too. So, yay Member Connect!

[@martiannemoser9152]

I'd like to ask you about the images of documents that are starting to disappear. It's all categories excluding family tree, high school yearbooks but those direct you to classmates site for any questions, military documents, etc. They show as a picture of a document with no original to study. Then an option to go to the repository and purchase the document. This all has happened since the company that bought ancestry took over.

[@philipbutler6608]

I found out I was related to Richard Henry Lee and Benedict Arnold through Storyline. It also helped me figure out a lot of DNA matches. Strangely Arnold is from my Fathers Line and Lee from my Mothers line and they probably would have met each other.

[@kathleenkelley1299]

Great tips - thanks

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Kathleen. And thank you for your continued support, again.

[@carolcoopertaylor]

Connie, how can I use my DNA results to find a missing gt gt grandfather. Gt grandfather was illegitimate.

[@GenealogyTV]

Hi Carol, this is Connie's assistant, Ashley. GTV has a collection of videos dedicated to sorting your DNA matches and research tips. A recent video Connie did with Diahan Southard was very detailed and gave great information as well. Here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/jneZlptqjJyIbJY

[@tammywilliams2035]

Thank you ! Also, is there any way to print out family sheets / charts, etc. in ancestry? I used to have software (Family Tree Maker) that I used to do that, but don't have it anymore.

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes but it’s not pretty.

[@toniasalways]

member connect must be why other trees add my media within hours. I've wondered how that was possible! I wish "show all spouses" was default. I have to manually change that and the relationship button every time. Isn't it obvious that children shown off of a couple is THEIR children? Do we need a label for that?

[@GenealogyTV]

You can label people in the profile view with tree tags, but I don't think that's what you're talking about. Tree tags won't show in the tree view, only in the profile view.

[@toddpa-c3826]

Is their a way to add and show the persons (nick name) ect that families might have referred to them as ?

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes. Just add another name fact to the persons profile. Then mark one as Preferred. The Preferred name will show at the top of the profile. It is good to use the Name fact instead of the Also Known As fact, because the search will use both name facts but will not use the AKA fact when hunting for records.

[@matthewcostello3530]

I'm not getting the Menue icon on the pics

[@terrivickers1432]

Can you tell me what the 'See other regions tested 1800+' means? Am I correct in thinkning that the colored dots or colored regions on the maps are also my dna connection and communities, (if they also have dotted line around the colored dot) in ADDITION to the results and communities given to me in the list above from Ancestry? I am very confused and cannot find a definitive answer in my Googling this question. Please help, I am new and confused and confusing my entire family who are counting on me for accuracy. Thank you so much.

[@GenealogyTV]

Terri Vickers, go here for more detailed information www.ancestry.com/c/dna-help/communities

[@Scdudley725]

Connie, Great information. I was aware of some of the tools, but didn't remember member connect and never paid attention to quick compare. I will certainly be using that. I do have a question about Story Scout - I think it only works for me, the owner of the account. I can't get or don't know how to make Story Scout work for my husband. Have you found that to be true. Thanks, Shelly

[@GenealogyTV]

It typically is aimed at the grandparents of the home person. Try changing the home person to your husband. Alternatively, go to the profile of any ancestor on your husband side, and turn on historical facts using the filter above the facts column. That will put historical content in the timeline from story scout.

[@Scdudley725]

@@GenealogyTV Thanks for the information. I don't have historical facts showing on any of the profile pages of the ancestors in my tree - I have turned on the historical insights. Not that important right now. Will work on that later.

[@zeda1904]

i joined today and cant find the community tab

[@GenealogyTV]

Handouts for Channel Members are in the posts in the COMMUNITY TAB on the KZbin Channel. Once there, scroll down, look for EARLY RELEASE + HANDOUT. Sometimes you need to CLICK READ MORE to see the HANDOUT LINK. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. If you are at the Support level, you need to upgrade to the Info Access level. To go to the Community Tab directly... kzbin.infoCommunity. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!

[@ianmacdonald6995]

have just seen Connie's video and she suggests member connect, but for the life of me It doesn't seem to be on mine, perhaps someone cleverer than me can guide me

[@rover790]

Maybe you have to have a paid membership for it to work. Do you have a subscription? I don't, and I don't remember seeing it on my profile pages.

[@lindadenton7431]

why when I look at tree veiwing but only have the family view and no DNA shows up to click on to put them on

[@GenealogyTV]

Make sure the DNA test is connected to this tree. Also look at the layers icon on the left toolbar (looks like a stack of papers) and see if DNA connections are turned on. It might also be that you have not added those other DNA cousins to your tree. See also Thrulines.

[@Angel200929]

When will ancestry be having a DNA test Sale offer ?

[@GenealogyTV]

Usually around Thanksgiving.

[@Angel200929]

@@GenealogyTV thank you for replying

[@kennethdavis6447]

We don’t see these options on our page. Any suggestions?

[@GenealogyTV]

Which options?

[@kennethdavis6447]

@@GenealogyTV tools drop down and member connect the first one discussed.

[@zeda1904]

looking for the handouts

[@GenealogyTV]

Handouts for Channel Members are in the posts in the COMMUNITY TAB on the KZbin Channel. Once there, scroll down, look for EARLY RELEASE + HANDOUT. Sometimes you need to CLICK READ MORE to see the HANDOUT LINK. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. If you are at the Support level, you need to upgrade to the Info Access level. To go to the Community Tab directly... kzbin.infoCommunity. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!

[@StephanieKeySmileToday]

I have had trouble understanding the relationship to me. Example brother-in-law of uncle of aunt of 2nd cousin.

[@sewing1243]

Heck, I never knew most of those tools even existed.

[@cindypack5110]

My ancestor Robert Henry has SSB behind his name. Robert Henry SSB What does the SSB mean?

[@GenealogyTV]

I wish I had the answer for you. Google didn't produce much either.

[@lizturner316]

Is he Scottish? If so could it be SSC? That would be Solicitor in Supreme Court.

[@cindypack5110]

Yes he is Scottish. But it clearly has SSB.

[@ms.m.ed.7448]

On The Thrulines, why does my dad's Mom ancestors DNA link me, but not through my dad's ancestors? I was thinking because No one has taken the DNA...

[@GenealogyTV]

I would take deeper investigation to figure it out. And yes, it could be that no one on that side has tested. However, there could be a disconnect in the DNA. Also, keep in mind ThruLines is not the place to be evaluating it. Grouping your DNA Cousin matches along the grandparent lines would be very helpful. ThruLines is built on the backs of other peoples trees.

[@randywallis9624]

Merge duplicate if you have someone in there twice the very same name and the very same date of birth it will not let you merge them you have to delete one. thanks Randy

[@GenealogyTV]

That's odd. I do it all the time.

[@markmitkovetsky4027]

Just an observation, I saw you don't have a father for your 2nd-great-grandfather Anker Lorentzen Jensen. Danish people used Patronymics. Anker's Patronymic I see is Lorentzen, so "Son of Lorent." So wouldn't Anker's father be Lorent Jensen?

[@GenealogyTV]

Only if Lorent was the son of Jens. You would be right about the first name. Often they didn't even use last names...sometimes it was a town like Lorent of a place.