Quick & Dirty Branch Using Ancestry ThruLines™

Learn how to create a quick & dirty branch using Ancestry.com’s ThruLines™ by importing descendants quickly to connect DNA cousins, using one record justification. Also, see how I used DNA to solve a missing grandparent by mapping out DNA cousins in an Excel spreadsheet to visualize the closest matches.
Episodes Mentioned in this video:
📼 Fixing Ancestor Relationships on Ancestry.com
• Fixing Ancestor Relati...
📼 How to Create a Floating Tree on Ancestry
• How to Create a Floati...
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0:00 Intro
0:44 What is a Quick & Dirty Tree?
1:26 Why use a Quick & Dirty Tree?
2:01 What is a Quick & Dirty BRANCH?
2:50 One Record Examples
3:30 Verify the Records & Connections After the Fact
4:23 Genealogical Proof Standards (GPS)
5:08 Demonstrating the Q&D Branch on Ancestry
6:32 Using Ancestry ThruLines for Descendancy Research
7:38 Import Descendants Using ThruLines & One Record
8:00 Verifying and Adding Persons using One Record in Side Panel
10:46 Saving a Record to Someone in My Tree
13:14 Why we create a Quick & Dirty Branch
13:55 How I Solved The Missing 2X Great Grandfather Using DNA
15:00 Conditional Formatting in Excel
18:54 About the Handout for This Episode
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Episode 198
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[@jennythyme1729]

I love spreadsheets! Connie, you're my kind of thinker!

[@IowaKim]

I've been a Systems Analyst programmer since the 1980's. This terminology was used in programming, because we were always making a "quick and dirty" program to populate a database for testing. Funny how terms translate to other ecosystems. The etymology may go back further, as I can see it being used in other applications.

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes... agreed.

[@tedmetzger7017]

Very informative and helpful, from the usage of ThruLines in adding people, to the usage of the spreadsheet where visuals can quickly highlight (via amount of shared DNA) where further research is needed of supposed descendants in a tree.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you!

[@brigittetheall9187]

Thanks! Great info. I have been building Q&D branches but the addition of the the spreadsheet was really neat. Thanks again

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JCK-gi2gm]

Great video, great content! Gotta work on the application of it now. I love the Excel SS and that you show pretty much step by step how to use conditional formatting in a very helpful way. Thanks!

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@exdus235]

You are amazing. Teaching and so happy in this work. A shared passion. Thank you for all you do. 🤗 Thank you for helping others. 😊😊

[@GenealogyTV]

Wow, thank you! You made my day.

[@windycitystitchersflosstub8711]

Thanks for another fantastic information-packed video. After watching your videos I find I’ve somehow managed to learn some of the same things you’re teaching on my own - but in the hardest way possible and with mixed results... 😄 the quick and dirty concept sounds great and I will put that to use right away. Ive probably watched your brick walls video 5x and have had some great results with those techniques, too. As a graphic designer and a newish video maker I also appreciate the skill involved in what you do to put these videos together. I have done a short series of videos based on an interview my dad did with his mother, and hope to do many more. Still looking for the best way to share basic info with relatives who have limited interest in family history... I started with those 10 minute videos and now I’m working on a booklet focusing a great great grandmother and then referencing a couple generations in each direction. Looking forward to watching many more!

[@GenealogyTV]

Wow. Nice. Thanks. Keep up the video work. I post my mini stories in family Facebook groups.

[@johnhatch5804]

Very helpful as always! Thank you, Connie!

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tinatieden8499]

This was very informative. I believe I will get more accurate ancestry with this info. thank you.

[@ChowwithNell]

Thanks. I have a similar situation and used a method similar, but not as fleshed out like your spreadsheet. But now that I know that it was a great method I'm happy. Im an amateur and this was very helpful for my situation.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks for the comment. You’re in the perfect place as an amateur genealogist. There’s lots to learn.

[@kristycampbell5426]

Wow, this is awesome. Thank you!!

[@GenealogyTV]

My pleasure.

[@tarajones7793]

Wow Connie! You never stop amazing! I just love the Spreadsheet for the matches! I help others, and have made spreadsheets for surnames for matches. But, not in the way that you have shown on this video! I just love it. Do you go more in depth with the tier level members on how you made that, or on another video?

[@GenealogyTV]

Not yet... but that's a good idea. I'll put it on the list.

[@siobhanstitches]

Thank you! That was very helpful.

[@GenealogyTV]

So glad! Thanks.

[@carolyns5596]

Thank you Connie. As for me, endogamy plays a large part in my lines. Looking at ThruLines, most families match me 3 ways or so, so I am always at a loss which DNA match is most prominent. Many Quakers & Native Americans.

[@GenealogyTV]

Interesting. It is hard to tease out the relationships with DNA alone. You definitely need to research the paper trail too.

[@jennythyme1729]

I absolutely understand! My family comes from middle Tennessee where everyone is related multiple ways. DNA cousins get very confusing.

[@tammym110]

This is the most helpful video you’ve made as it relates to several branches of my tree. This one particular: Because of DNA, I know who my 4G grandparents were, but I do not know which of their 6 sons (they had 12 kids) was my 3G grandfather. The evidence that this couple were my 4G grandparents is so powerful just due to the sheer volume my somewhat closer DNA matches from their other kids that I match who have extensive trees that show beyond a shadow of doubt (for me) that I put them in my verified tree and their son who is my 3G grandfather is listed as “unknown male”. I have narrowed down to 2 sons but i need hardcore proof of his identity before I just pick a name out of a hat and put it in my tree. Sorry for the long message. I loved this video in particular. You have awesome tips that I will put into practice to figure out who my 3G grandfather was. It’s disconnected because before DNA I could trace to my 2G grandfather and this was one of my brick walls. Now with DNA it gave me solid proof I just have a gaps.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Tammy. Keep digging. You'll figure it out.

[@barbarabird3827]

Thank you, Connie! I knew I had to do this spreadsheet , now you've shown me what it will look like. I'm missing both of my maternal grandmother's parents. ( I have one grandmother for her , so that eliminates one line. The grandfather "JR" so far is a name with no links. I've no first cousins on that side. No second or thirds show up in my matches. I did connect with a 3C, who'd put a photo of her great grandfather in her public tree. She likewise stalled at JR.) I'm swamped in descendants of 6 generations of a family I'd never previously heard of . ( 3C doesn't seem to share this ) The numbers are concentrated in one "sub-branch" - as yours are. Gram had a number of significantly elder "sisters " who I'm casting as potential mother. (Most didn't marry. No issue. "Brothers" were only 9 to 12 years older than Gram.) This leaves me looking for a father in that other family. Problem: the top 5 strongest links (60 to 116cM) are with issue of 2 daughters. Once the spreadsheet is done, I'll try to see if the remaining numbers support inserting yet another generation. I despair of ever resolving this - but I can't let it go. Gram more or less raised me til I was 6, & was there til I married. I knew most of those "siblings ". (FYI: Baptists - no early baptism records. No nominal census in NS pre 1871. My spreadsheet for the 4 censuses 1871 - 1901 shows no consistency in names, ages, birth years, places of birth. ) I'll be rewatching this video! Thanks again!

[@GenealogyTV]

You wrote: "I despair of ever resolving this - but I can't let it go." I know the feeling. That's how I got this done.

[@patnoble466]

Instead of probing from the Thru Lines app, I routinely check for new Common Ancestor recommendations in my Ancestry DNA match list and research them from the most recent confirmed nexus in my tree. I sort out the recommended generations, which are in the dotted line boxes. I've had a couple recommendations take a detour, but usually the recommendations are spot on. If I can't prove a connection, I abandon the effort and switch to Plan B. Most of my DNA matches (down to about 20 cMs) don't get a Common Ancestor recommendation. Instead, I start at the most recent identifiable individual and move backward in time, creating a floating tree for each (unless I can merge them with an existing tree). I recently had occasion to create branches in a floating tree, which takes your idea a step further, I suppose. I used data from an existing well researched tree to roughly outline how six of my DNA matches traced back to a common individual born in the mid 18th century. I now have an American Revolutionary War veteran as a puzzle piece in my genealogy research. I'm still exploring how to best use Thru Lines. Most of the recommendations are so deep in the past that I would have to conduct considerable local research requiring foreign travel to prove the connections. I have plenty to do at the moment with so many DNA matches yet to exploit and so much more to learn. Thanks for what you do.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Pat. Sounds like you have a smart research strategy.

[@LindaSchreiber]

Excellent! I've been doing similar, but not this elegantly! Nice....

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@pattyh2410]

I have just started a similar process, but in my tree. Like @sue lane, I include additional remarks if something needs additional research. Thanks!

[@GenealogyTV]

Sounds great! Thanks for the comment.

[@ridif]

Watching from Italy.. all of them !

[@GenealogyTV]

Wow... fantastic!

[@exdus235]

👋😊🇺🇸

[@barblee5294]

Great info! Do you have a video or handout for the spreadsheet portion of the video? I have no idea how to do the heat map, etc. Thanks

[@GenealogyTV]

Not yet! I've had other requests to do this as a video. I've added it to the list.

[@bradleymartin4823]

Connie it's seems you are leading down the path to find my 4th Grandfather the past years videos. Thanks for all! Curious...your thoughts on researching merchant marines service records? Thanks again...

[@GenealogyTV]

They are out there. I have a couple of ancestors who were in the Merchant Marines. Look on Fold3 and Ancestroy for records.

[@allenfamily7631]

Wonderful video - you’re a great teacher! One question - did you do something to keep the “dirty” branch private until you do more research?

[@GenealogyTV]

No. If your tree is public, then the branch will be. Using at least one good record to justify the branch made me feel better about importing the branch of people.

[@debtfreecharts]

Thank you so much for showing your spreadsheet on this! I have a group of DNA cousin matches that I can't figure out how they connect to me, maybe something like this will help. I have a feeling there is a NPE somewhere in my tree, which is where this mystery group connects, so I keep digging trying to find out which ancestor doesn't have any DNA matches in the descendants.

[@GenealogyTV]

You are so welcome! It took me several years to solve this. Mapping it out in Excel really helped.

[@frankhooper7871]

I've got a group of ~30 4th-6th cosin matches that show up as shared matches - unfortunately I've not been able to connect any of their ancestors to mine...or to each others LOL.

[@zzy09azy]

This is a powerful method for filling out a branch of a tree in a relative hurry. The only problem is that you need a subscription. Lacking a subscription, you only get bare-bones information out of ThruLines.

[@GenealogyTV]

True

[@suelane3628]

Wow, I have been researching Quick & Dirty branches without realising it. I usually note: this needs more research." I need to change my terminology.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks Sue.

[@sushigirl53]

Connie, I am new to GenealogyTV and I really like the Excel chart you did for this video. I, too, use Excel a good bit for other things and enjoy creating spreadsheets, but I cannot figure out how you did some of the rows, columns, and formatting you used on this chart. I would love to replicate this sheet for some of my family lines, but am not sure how you set up things like merged cells, similar to Word. I would love to have you explain how you set up your spreadsheet. Thanks in advance!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks for sharing! I figured someone would ask. I should do another episode on how to do that. I'll add it to the list, but it will be a few months before it goes up. In the meantime, here is a link to how to do conditional formatting in Excel. support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-conditional-formatting-to-highlight-information-fed60dfa-1d3f-4e13-9ecb-f1951ff89d7f

[@sushigirl53]

@@GenealogyTV Thanks for the reply. I'll be looking for that future episode on how to set up a spreadsheet like yours!

[@celticraven1383]

@@GenealogyTV I was watching this video and the excel spreadsheet really caught my attention. I see where you discuss a future video on setting this up. Did you perchance ever create the video? I would love to set one of mine up this way to figure out a father too.

[@stepb7387]

Hi Connie - With regard to your chart, would it work if Davies were related to Rebecca? For instance, a cousin or an uncle?

[@GenealogyTV]

It depends on how you filter the matches. In this case, the matches descended from both the Davis line and Rebecca Henley.

[@torontocommission]

Do you have to pay to get the informations from the census searches?

[@GenealogyTV]

Typically no. You can access them for free at FamilySearch.org or at the National Archives too. FamilySearch will be easier.

[@lynneb2262]

This video was really interesting, confirming things I already do. I do have one question: why go to ThruLines? Surely if these DNA matches are supposedly connected to a specific ancestor, they would show in the match list as having 'common ancestors'. IT seems to be that ThruLines and common ancestors are the same thing? I would be interested in seeing if there is more to this than I have seen.

[@GenealogyTV]

The cool part about ThruLines is that it shows you how the descendants lineup from the common ancestor. Sometimes it’s easier to see in ThruLines rather than waiting through a long list of DNA matches. Ultimately, yes the information is the same in both places. Again you need to verify that those connections are real, through traditional genealogy.

[@lynneb2262]

Thank you for taking the time to answer comments on your videos. My apologies. I went to bed thinking about ThruLines vs “common ancestors” and woke up realising something I had overlooked: you are doing “descendant research” not just trying to figure out how a random match fits into your tree. For the latter, “common ancestors” does the job; for the former, ThruLines is much more helpful because it shows how people in a family group are related to you and each other. I have only recently come to your channel and I am very interested in the way you use DNA matches to further your genealogical research: not just by looking at the matches themselves but by using that match as a resource to move you forward. I have also begun to realise that posing a genealogical question and using all resources, including DNA matches and online collaborative trees, is very important to you. I like your approach, logical and methodical. Thank you.

[@Bluyelloweyz]

I use dirty tree/branch research (mirror tree) to see if it is a family link through DNA. However, Ancestry requires this tree info be "Public" to use the TruLines. It should be available to use with it being set on Private. Using TruLines for mirror treeing, having to be public, is a problem for me. This has stopped my use of TruLine research.

[@GenealogyTV]

Thrulines is just a hint feature anyway. Your privacy is likely more important. You'll find the same information in the member trees when you look at the hints list from the profile.

[@Bluyelloweyz]

@@GenealogyTV Thank you for the reply. It's what I've been doing but would be nice since Thrulines would be helpful. In my DNA work, Privacy is most important.

[@donna9373]

I find it quite hard to follow and make sense of what you are saying because you talk and move around a tree way too fast. I have to go back through the videos several times just to figure out what you are doing, which is frustrating. Do you think you could present what you are doing more slowly. I ( and maybe others?) would really appreciate it.

[@GenealogyTV]

Yes I have slowed down since that was produced. Sorry about that.