FTDNA kit numbers

Question

Hi, I have been trying to see if I have a DNA match with various people who have been tested via FTDNA, but GEDMatch doesn't recognise the numbers for some reason, even though I have tried with the letter in front of it.  Does this mean that only FTDNA kits work with FTDNA numbers, in which case, it all seems rather pointless doing one of their tests!  Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello Rosemary,

Because you already have your AncestryDNA results in GEDmatch, please don't also add your Family Finder results to GEDmatch.  See:

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/204976/when-is-dna-testing-too-much-of-a-good-thing?show=204976#q204976

If you insist on adding all your auDNA results there more than once then please be sure to change all but one of them to "Research" mode.

At Family Tree DNA you can see everyone you match who has taken a Family Finder test.   With your AncestryDNA results at GEDmatch you can see everyone who matches you who has uploaded to GEDmatch who has tested 23andMe, AncestryDNA, or Family Finder.

Thanks and most sincerely, Peter

Comments

Thanks Peter, but its not my FTDNA kit number, but those of other people with whom I want to compare my Ancestry kit number.  On Gedmatch you can do a one-to-one comparison, ie my Ancestry one and someone else's kit number.  When I type in the other person kit number, GedMatch does not recognise it.  It recognises my Ancestry number but not the FTDNA one.  So, if GedMatch does not recognise these FTDNA numbers, why do people bother with FTDNA if they cannot do DNA comparisons.

Thanks, Rosemary

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Rosemary, when one signs up for Gedmatch, they download their raw dna data file for free to Gedmatch and Gedmatch give all the FTDNA people their own numbers to use on their website including the compare one-to-all utility.

All Gedmatch numbers have an alphabet letter in front of the numbers - M for 23 and me; T for FTdna and A for Ancestry.

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You may be able to figure out who the FTdna people are on Gedmatch by looking at their names. I have found many on Gedmatch from FTdna matches.

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Thanks for your reply.  The numbers given on WikiTree don't have a letter, and I have tried prefixing them with an F and a T, but still not found.  Maybe it is a WikiTree problem with the numbers?  I have been able to compare FTDNA on Gedmatch with numbers from elsewhere, just not the ones on here.  In fact I find the whole WikiTree set up to be over complicated!  How do people expect us to do comparisons if the numbers are wrong?  It's not just one, it's every FTDNA number I have tried so far.  I will see if I can find anyone by looking at the names, but seriously, they, or Wiki Tree should get the kit numbers right, as it is going to put people off making comparisons.
Best wishes

Rosemary

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When a person who took an FTDNA Family Finder test uploads their test to GEDMatch they are assigned a GEDMatch # that starts with the letter 'T'. It is not the same # as their FTDNA kit #. If you are looking for FTDNA kit #s on GEDMatch it won't work. If the number displayed on WikiTree doesn't have the letter T you need to assume that the person hasn't uploaded their DNA to GEDMatch.com.

Answer 2

Hi Rosemary,

In order to compare on GEDMatch, people have to have uploaded their kit to GEDMatch. Not everyone has.

As well, a few months ago GEDMatch changed FTDNA IDs from the kit number, which it used to be, to a randomly generated ID number, starting with T. Many people who uploaded there kits prior to the change have an F###### number on their WikiTree profile, but that no longer works on GEDMatch.

Try checking mine. On my profile, you should see my GEDMatch ID (which starts with a T). That should work.

Comments

Thank you both for your replies.  Yes, yours did work Leanne, so it does look as if the numbers given are not GedMatch ones, which is a shame, because it really only allows FTDNA kits to be compared.   There seems to be so many like that too.  

I really am beginning to despair of finding even one confirmed match through DNA.  On Ancestry, I have thousands of potential matches, most of whom either have no tree or private ones.  When you contact people to see if they will let you look at their trees, they either don't reply or refuse.  I was more hopeful with WikiTree where there are more public trees, but if you can't do a comparison with a lot of them, then the trees aren't much use :-(

Thanks again for being so helpful though and at least that is one mystery solved!

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Hi Rosemary,

Have you tried contacting the WikiTree profile manager for any of the profiles for your relatives who have information about DNA tests on their profiles? You can leave a message on the profile manager's page or on the profile of the person of interest. Or you can send a private message to the profile manager. You might find that someone has actually uploaded the DNA to GEDMatch, but just hasn't entered the information on WikiTree yet.

You should also add your parents, grandparents, etc. to WikiTree, back to where you can connect yourself to others already here on WikiTree. When you do that, your Ancestry DNA test information will automatically be displayed on all related profiles so that other people (potentially your cousins) can find you. Your comments above refer to ' public trees' on WikiTree, but on WikiTree there is only one tree. Once you connect up to it you are much more likely to be able to find the matches you're looking for.

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Hi Kay

Yes, I am going to be contacting people in the hope that I do get responses, but the lack of replies from Ancestry members has been very disheartening tbh.  I have uploaded a Gedcom which I am waiting approval for, but I know it will be rejected.  I did review the potential matches and rejected them all because, they were not matches by any stretch of the imagination.  However, when I hit the button to submit it, all those matches re-appeared as still to be checked for some unknown reason.  

Also I don't understand why we can't include people before 1700 - this is the very period where I am most likely to find any potential matches,  So again whilst I will be making sure it does eventually get onto my profile, it is going to be a pointless exercise.

I do understand that high quality trees are essential to a project like Wiki Tree and there is so much rubbish on Ancestry, but people don't suddenly become careless once they get back to 1700!  Yet all of those potential 'matches' that I was forced to review and will have to review yet again, could in no way be considered true matches.  Most were in the US whereas all of mine specified 'England' for a start.  This is where Ancestry fails because it also gives hints that are really irrelevant and less careful or experienced researchers will just accept them without question.  

Thank you for your reply and hopefully I will have some success with WikiTree eventually, even if I have to manually input my ancestors onto my profile.

Best wishes
Rosemary

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Hi Rosemary, I recommend that you add your ancestors manually, double checking your sources for each and documenting them as you enter them. It's a good idea to be aware of where you will be able to connect up to people already here, so that you don't create duplicate profiles. The reason you're not allowed to use a gedcom to enter people before 1700 is because so many duplicate profiles were being added that way. From your contributions it looks like you've already found ancestors here on WikiTree.

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Hi Kay

Yes, I did find some Ancestors on here back in July, but not through DNA.  In fact they are on my father's side and it is my mother who has had her DNA done, not me or my father (who died many years ago).  I just spotted the names and did some corrections and additions.  I will amend the explanations etc as advised in your other message - I think it was more of a way of explaining to whoever had originally added the entries, the reasons for my alterations.

I started manually adding my mother's ancestors last night, which coincided with my GED being approved and uploaded, so I ended up with duplicates everywhere :-(  Also the GED put all the middle names with the first names, so I have to alter all of those too, Interestingly when I was manually adding people, they did not show up as having duplicates from the GED, which I would have expected, considering they were far more closely matched than than the duplicates that WikiTree was randomly suggesting.

Re pre 1700 people, I'll just have to add them manually then which is probably just as well.  

Thanks again for your help and patience!

Best wishes

Rosemary

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Hi Rosemary, There's a bit of a time delay after a person has been entered before the matching will find a duplicate, so you must have just been unlucky in the timing for duplicate entries being created. A gedcom always puts the middle name with the last name, another reason for entering people manually instead of using a gedcom. Here's a good way to find your duplicate profiles: From the drop down list under 'My WikiTree' at the top of your profile, select 'Watchlist'. This will give you a list of all profiles where you're either the profile manager or on the trusted list. Click on the header 'Birthdate' at the top of the second column. That will sort all of your Watchlist by birthdate. Look down the list for duplicate names. After you merge any duplicate profiles, be sure to remove the duplicate information that has now been created in the Biography area (On the profile's 'edit' page you can do this in the area headed 'Edit Text'.) I hope it doesn't take you too long!