I wanted to let you all know that despite how it may sometimes appear, the co-admins and I have busy working on this project!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Some of you will of course be aware of correspondence going on by e-mail concerning various groups being tested, but more importantly what I am referring
to is that three fairly big things are being addressed. I want to explain it, and I hope for feedback. The 3 things...
1. The new FT DNA interface for project admins, which has its pros and cons.
2. The enormous trouble we have had helping our Ancestry.com-tested members, because it is so hard to keep track of who they are and who they match.
3. There are possibly some big opportunities arising from the fact that this Clan Livingstone website has been very nicely upgraded, and the project has been
invited to take advantage of this. (Currently the project uses various webspace, including the Yahoo group, and my own webspace, as well of course as the
webspace of the testing companies who all recognize us.)
What we are doing is taking the opportunity of the new FT DNA interface to make a new master database of all of us. In stage one this is a big spreadsheet on my computer. But this can later be converted into an SQL database that can be used to do trickier things, bringing us into the 21st century so to speak.
The biggest and most difficult job by far has been trying to sort out our Ancestry.com contacts. I know this sounds funny, because there are only a few
people tested there, but...
a. They have no reference numbers.
b. It is often impossible to contact people who want to join the project. We often do not even know what their surnames are.
c. They make it impossible to download results directly to a spreadsheet or any other file. They need to be typed out manually, taking into account the
different AND CHANGING standards in reporting the markers that they use.
Next steps:
A. At some time in the near future I will post the master file on our Yahoo group so that members can check it and give feedback. I am sure it will contain
mistakes and miss a lot of things. Please check whatever bits you are likely to know best. If you are a participant in the project (either as a testee, or a relative of one, or in any way someone who has helped coordinate both the genetic and genealogical work) and do not have access to the Yahoo group please let me know. I can either give you membership or I can send you a version of the master file by e-mail.
B. Something important which we realize now that we must improve: in this new database we eventually intend to include clear data fields about our ancestry.
We request everyone's help in compiling this information please. If people would already like to start sending theirs, please please do. I believe these will be
the fields to be filled in (they do not yet appear in the master spreadsheet)...
Furthest back male line ancestor known for sure so far with all steps in pedigree documented somehow...
i. Name
ii. Birth date and place if known
iii. Wife name, and date and place of marriage if known
iv. places where he lived
v. name of the son of this man from whom the testee descends
vi. How many generational steps back to this person from the testee.
vii. Unproven theories or family stories about ancestry further back.
viii. Unproven theories or family stories about other families who might be related to yours
I know that amongst all the project's data we have answers to many of these questions for many of us, but still it would be fantastic if people would save
us some time by just looking after their own family or maybe there's plus any they are also closely following, by mailing me the answers to those above
questions in a clear standard form. (In some cases our information will also be out of date.)
Please keep in mind that we are approaching 175 members. Things can get confusing. Please also always remember that despite our growth the other admins
and I are just volunteer genealogists like all of you. We need as much community spirit as possible in order to get the best results out of the project.
One last thing perhaps, with this in mind, is that I should make sure everyone realizes that the most successful of us go out and chase potential relatives,
and that to help make these easy we do have a sponsorship system. Contributions can always be made at: http://www.familytreedna.com/contribution.html and if anyone has any ideas about families who should be tested, let's discuss it.
Best Regards
Andrew