Explore Ancestry.com’s ThruLines – A Most Useful DNA Tool!
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Learn how to use Ancestry.com‘s ThruLines DNA tool. Find out how you may be related to your DNA matches and expand the search for your ancestors.
At RootsTech 2019, Ancestry announced their new DNA tool ThruLines to use and you evaluate your Ancestry.com DNA results. Thrulines caused a lot of excitement and buzz among the conference goers at the time and with good reason.
Thrulines was and continues to be an exciting tool designed to show how you may be related to a DNA match.
How To Find Your ThruLines on Ancestry.com
1. From the Ancestry.com homepage, click “DNA” in the very top menu.
2. From the drop down, click “Thrulines”. It will be the 4th choice in the dropdown. Once you click on Thrulines, you will be take to the Thrulines home page.
That’s it! It’s quick and easy to access. Now…..
What Do Those Thrulines Recommendations Mean?
Note the statement in the gray box at the top of the Thrulines homepage: “These Thrulines are generated using [tester’s name] DNA results that are linked to Lisa Gail Talbott in Are You My Cousin II”
When a tester has an online tree at Ancestry.com or is connected to a tree, Thrulines generates potential ancestral matches for the researcher to further investigate. These potential matches are based on the data in the family tree there at Ancestry.com
Above, Ancestry’s Thrulines suggests George Carter Robey and Olive High Roby as my potential 4th grandparents.
Does this mean they are definitely my 4th great grandparents?
No, it does not!
Thrulines is merely a suggestion(s) based on the the data from the DNA matches and your family tree. The more detailed and accurate the family tree the DNA tester is associated with, the better the potential match Ancestry suggests.
Always remember – Genealogy researchers must conduct their own research to prove or disprove a Thrulines match.
Learn More About Ancestry.com’s Thrulines
Fellow genealogy researcher and creator of popular genealogy Youtube Genealogy TV channel Connie Knox created a fantastic video demonstrating how to use Ancestry.com’s ThruLines. It’s short and packed with loads of good information.
[Connie’s a fellow North Carolinian, too!]
Did you miss Ancestry.com’s other new tool – MyTree Tags? Learn more in How To Use Ancestry.com’s NEW MyTrees Tags Tool .
Haven’t tested with AncestryDNA yet? Or need to test more family members? Purchase your AncestryDNA kit HERE.
Ready To Learn More About Ancestry.com’s Other Features?
6 Comments
PL Schaffer
In general, I have liked the Thru Lines, but in 2 cases, it has put relatives as half great aunts or uncles when they are really great aunts or uncles, and in one case it has my grandmother as my great aunt also. Mostly, it has been very helpful. I would just caution folks to use the Thru Lines as any great hint and research it further for full proof.
LisaL
ThruLines is just that – a hint(s) for possible relationships. It will not replace good genealogy research. Thanks for the reminder!
Pauline
I had the same problem with “half” relationships, but it corrected itself.
It has been very helpful in connecting to some relationships I couldn’t find due to name changes (marriages) over the generations.
One problem, if a tree has incorrect information, you will get incorrect matches. I have 2 people in my tree with exact same name & similar age. It matched one to a tree which wasn’t the correct line.
Linda Davis
ThruLines are absolute trash. My daughter, who has 50% of my DNA, does not have my 3rd great-grandfather as her 4th great-grandfather. ThruLines says he is her 4th great-uncle. We both took their DNA test. Most of my grandparents have half-siblings which contradicts family records, church records, US Federal Census records, DNA Circles, etc. They are finding even more fake grandparents. These people are not ancestors of any DNA matches and do not have children with my grandparents names on their family tree. You cannot delete this trash like you can someone on pedigree line if you decide they are incorrect. They have asked me four times what I thought about and I have given them the worst score possible because it is falsifying you ancestors in relationship to you. I knew some of the people they are lying about on ThruLines. I may just take my family tree to another website because I don’t want any false relatives being forced on me. I do not want my relatives relationships to me falsified. Whoever Ancestry paid to produce this trashed should be fired.
Constance Knox
Hey Thanks for sharing my video Lisa! I appreciate it. Great work you’re doing here.
Hope to run into you at NCGS this fall.
Connie Knox
GenealogyTV
LisaL
It’s a great video, Connie! 🙂