Are these matches useless? DNA testers might not have online trees for many reasons: They’re adopted and searching for birth families. They’re brand-new to family history and don’t have a tree. They got the test for Christmas and aren’t all that interested in the results. The list goes on and on!
No one is obligated to provide DNA that matches a public tree, so it can be difficult to do genetic genealogy without one. But these no-tree or private-tree matches are far from useless.
Here’s how to make the most of your match list, even if some of those people haven’t yet linked genealogy information to their test results.
Search for an unlinked tree. When viewing your list of matches on Ancestry, you may see a designation for an unlinked tree. Click to view the match, and you’ll see the user's public family trees. Just remember that this tree might not be for your match’s family.
Triangulate with shared matches. Use the Shared Matches tool (called the In Common With tool at Family Tree DNA) to see other test-takers who match both you and the no-tree match.
Use the user ID. Look for clues in the person’s user ID or an administrator’s name. At Ancestry.com, you also can search for the username in the site’s Member Search.
See if there’s an administrator. A test administrator is someone who manages the DNA account for another person who took the test.
When all else fails, ASK! If the no-tree match is a close relative or could be a key to your research, it may be worth writing to ask if the person can share some of his family names or has an online tree anywhere you can look at. If the person has a private tree linked to his test results, politely ask if he can send you an invitation to view it.
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