A new feature at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) is the ability to assign other testers to your tree. I had a great time doing this with my tree and it was really easy to do.
Once you’ve logged in to your account all you have to do is go to the left side of your screen and click on the icon myFTDNA. You’ll then see the screen below . Choose the Family Tree.
If you haven’t checked out the tree screen for a while then you’ll see a different and a much more polished look. If you haven’t already created a tree then you can either create one by way of adding a gedcom file from whatever genealogy program you use or you can add people one by one.
At the top left hand corner of the tree page there is new button called; “DNA Matches”.
If there is someone on your list that you know where to position in your tree then all you have to do is go to the match and then drag that match to the tree. Once you place the person on the tree you’ll be taken to a new screen that looks like the screen below. Here you choose what relation that person is to the spot on the tree. So if you’ve drug the person to their own position on the tree then you’d choose “self” but if you drug; say a cousin to your tree (even if you’ve never had them in your tree before) you can put them on your aunt’s position on the tree, then all you’d have to do is choose “son” or “daughter” and they are added. So sometimes even if you’ve uploaded a gedcom you might have to add a few people to your tree to make the relation work. Give it a try; you’ll understand what I mean.
What I found really cool was because I’ve tested both my parents and many aunts and uncles that after I’d attached their results to my tree then when I went back to my dashboard screen and chose; Family Finder Matches, now it showed whether my matches were from the paternal side or the maternal side. I’d done nothing more than add people to my tree. (The both are my two sons BTW).
I hope you found this helpful and if you’ve tested at FTDNA then take some time to check out the changes they’ve made.