How many DNA confirmed relationships do I need to add to my Source section?

Question

I have a number of 1^st – 3^rd cousins on Ancestry with whom I have DNA matches. None of these cousins are members of Wikitree, but their deceased parents have Wikitree entries. I want to use these Ancestry matches to establish DNA confirmed relationships. How many of these DNA confirmations do I need to put into the source section of my profile, especially when they may duplicate the relationship between myself and my father, grandmother, etc.  For example, my paternal grandmother had 4 siblings. One descendant from each of those siblings have taken a DNA test with Ancestry; 3 are my 2nd cousins and 1 is a 1^st cousin, 1x removed of mine. Unless, I am mistaken, one of these relationships will establish a DNA relationship our great-grandparents which are the MRCA for the five of us. Should I put all four relationships in my source section? If not, what if I want to put the DNA relationships for each descendant into their source section? Do I need to have a corresponding entry in mine? Hopefully, I’ve made myself clear.

Answer 1

I put a DNA confirmation on each line (eg one for a cousin on each line of descent).
 I carry all those confirmation statements down my line. that way from my profile I can see the confirmations for each branch of the family. I also use subheaders to identify each branch.
 No doubt that involves some duplication, but if anyone of the cousins removes their test from Ancestry, you have other tests you can check back on.
 This is helpful if you also post your test to MyHeritage or other sites and have triangulated matches to earlier shared ancestors.
 I have cousins with DNA tests posted to multiple sites, and finding common matches on other sites provides further reassurance that the researched tree is reliable.

Comments

Hi Gary

Thank you for the information. I will probably do what you suggest.

Kind regards

Mack

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I agree with Gary and Joe...with maybe even a bit extra.

WikiTree's conventions for "Confirmed with DNA" are, understandably, somewhat "lowest common denominator" by design. The guidelines have to be simple, straightforward, and easy to follow.

But only among immediate family is genetics ever really straightforward, and wiggle room and variations can start appearing with autosomal DNA as soon as 3rd cousins (even with small probabilities at 2nd cousins). Further, due to the GDPR and other privacy concerns, the standard required confirmation statements seldom provide adequate citation detail...e.g., a third-party researcher typically can't verify the information because identities are often masked and we can't even describe the relevant segment detail(s), if available (it isn't at AncestryDNA), among the test-takers.

What makes sense to me is to view the "Confirmed with DNA" guidelines as being a requirement specific to WikiTree. There is nothing comparable to it in genetic genealogy in general, and that word "confirmed" has been a point of controversy for those who don't understand that WT applies it in a very specific way.

Net message is that the required confirmation statements as constructed can't satisfy the Genealogical Proof Standard. Detailed data that you would otherwise include in your GPS analysis exists, but privacy concerns beyond WikiTree's control mean that you can't use it here.

The way I'd approach it is to assume the information in your profiles is written for a target audience: an as-yet-unknown researcher interested in understanding that branch of your family. Piling on data that may seem repetitious to us might, in fact, turn out to be valuable to that unknown future researcher. We may not be able to provide all the DNA specifics as we would in our own, personal, records, but establishing that there are multiple connections found through DNA testing--even if not delineated in detail--could still be valuable to that nameless researcher. Even if he or she can't view specific details, a web of interrelated data can still prove useful and, in its own way, help further validate the information.

So--not surprisingly for someone who doesn't mind throwing word-count at things--I think more is better in this scenario. Describe all the relevant DNA test results as best you can within the constraints we have. Only one instance may be required to satisfy "Confirmed with DNA" guidelines, but more citation entries are likely to paint a more thorough picture for Nameless Researcher, and to provide better information for posterity.

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Neat Edison, exactly why I do it that way and much clearer explanation.
 Living DNA match cousins on Wikitree get their link in my citations, non members are listed with initial(s) and surname(s) so that family members who know who's who in the family can have a good prospect of figuring it out, or recognise themselves.
 Confirmation is totally the wrong term as it implies proof, and really is more of a consistency statement, if I match with 10 of my 3rd cousins, and 5 4th cousins (triangulated) on my Scottish Harris branch, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the consistency between the documented tree and the DNA results provides confidence that the tree is as accurate as current knowledge/science allows (but not confirmation of the identity of the ultimate male ancestor, although DNA matches on multiple lines from him give a higher confidence that a common ancestor has been identified.
 The privacy issue is interesting, as most  matches I put as DNA confirmation on WT have published their test with their name on the testing site and in doing so have waived privacy. So veracity could be added by including a link to their site.
 The big frustrations are no Chromosome matching feature on Ancestry, nor the DNA match cM between two shared matches; and on MyHeritage, not being able to drop myself out of a multi-party triangulation.
 Put simply DNA matches consistent with a documented tree is better than a documented tree alone. There are of course all the limitations of DNA testing and comparison algorithms, and the problems with documented sources eg inaccurate recording, faulty transcriptions and falsification.

Answer 2

You only need one DNA source statement on your profile to confirm your relationship to one of your parents, but you are free to add more if you see value in it, as Gary describes.

Also, if you use another of your DNA matches to confirm your cousin’s relationship to their parent, you don’t need to have a corresponding entry in your profile. But again you are free to include it if you see value in it.

Comments

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your response. I wish I could select 2 "best answers." I will probably follow Gary's suggestion and put more confirmations into my bio than I need, but I understand that I don't need to.

Kind regards

Mack