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Ancestry closing some of their sites as of 5th September

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  • Ancestry closing some of their sites as of 5th September

    Quote
    We’re always looking to focus our efforts in a way that provide the most impact, while also delivering the best service and best product experience to users. To that end, we’ve decided to retire some of our services: MyFamily, MyCanvas, Genealogy.com, Mundia and the Y-DNA and mtDNA tests. - See more at: http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2....gUod18zF.dpuf

    If like me you use one of these sites on a regular basis then it is disappointing that we are being given three months notice as from yesterday to remove our stuff , pack our bags, and get out.

    Someone made a boob and notices were given a few days early so some members got notice and others only just got it on 5th.

    So where do we go from here if we are affected by the closure??

    Edna

  • #2
    For anyone with genetic Y-DNA or mtDNA results (not many here, I know!), there are two bloggers with their observations:
    Debbie Kennett, a Devon researcher:


    and CeCe Moore
    Ancestry.com announced today that they are officially retiring five of their sites and/or products as of September 5, 2014. These includ...


    I haven't used the others, but I'm surprised Mundia is coming down?

    Comment


    • #3
      If you use Mundia for your tree storage, you could use the Ancestry main website, or try something different such as Tribal Pages. Findmypast also have a tree facility which they seem to be developing at the present time.
      Elaine







      Comment


      • #4
        The closure of Genealogy.com will affect anyone who created a "home page" via the Family Tree Maker 2005/2006 software.

        Edit to say ..
        Have just checked the Genealogy.com website and it seems the "home page" will be preserved in a read only format. So if you want to delete/amend/update it, probably wise to do it asap!
        Elaine







        Comment


        • #5
          GenForum message boards will also be left in "read only" format.
          Elaine







          Comment


          • #6
            I and some of the old BBC members had a Forum on My Family but now have to look for somewhere else that's Free, Private, has photo option, and private message system but none of us are Tech minded so its going to be a hard one to do, some don't like Facebook so that's not an option.

            any suggestions welcome

            Edna

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by clematised View Post
              I and some of the old BBC members had a Forum on My Family but now have to look for somewhere else that's Free, Private, has photo option, and private message system but none of us are Tech minded so its going to be a hard one to do, some don't like Facebook so that's not an option.

              any suggestions welcome

              Edna
              You could set up one of these:

              ProBoards is the largest host of free forums on the Internet. We provide the best forums and customer service to help your online community thrive.
              Caroline
              Caroline's Family History Pages
              Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks Caroline we will take a look at it and see if we like it

                Edna

                Comment


                • #9
                  I can see why they are getting rid of mundia (no revenue) and perhaps a few other things, but getting rid of the DNA...now that IS strange! What, I wonder, are they going to do with the database they have amassed? Are they going to sell it and if so, who to? This has long been one of my worries about DNA testing and I have said many times over the years that Ancestry (for one example) are free to sell your information to others, who may have less than honest motives for acquiring the information.

                  OC

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Although I'm not happy about Mundia, I have to admit that the site stopped working for me last year anyway.
                    Lennon. Phillips. Thomas. Peacock. Tubridy. Burton.

                    I am the girl from that town & I'm darn proud of it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                      I can see why they are getting rid of mundia (no revenue) and perhaps a few other things, but getting rid of the DNA...now that IS strange! What, I wonder, are they going to do with the database they have amassed? Are they going to sell it and if so, who to? This has long been one of my worries about DNA testing and I have said many times over the years that Ancestry (for one example) are free to sell your information to others, who may have less than honest motives for acquiring the information.OC
                      Apparently Ancestry is keeping the autosomal DNA matching ("AncestryDNA"). That is big and growing, and rumor is that Ancestry will start selling it in Britain next year. Autosomal results can identify relationships that occur in a mixed gender line within about 5 generations of a common ancestor.

                      AncestryDNA is shedding Y-DNA (direct male line only, or "surname") and mtDNA (direct female line only). The latter is almost useless for genealogy because there's so little change in it that you probably match maternal ancestors for centuries or millennia. Y-DNA is good for surname search, but not so good at identifying close relations - often where you need information for genealogy. Both of these result sets can be transferred to other sites - but you probably need to grab them quickly.

                      Yes, if you read the blogs, apparently Ancestry is going to destroy specimens that they received. Fine if the person who tested is still living, but what if they're not.

                      Always a good idea to read T&Cs to see what companies & websites may do with your data!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Call me paranoid, but I read that they are going to destroy the DNA specimens...nothing said there about destroying the data!

                        And doesn't it beg the question........Y-DNA and mtDNA, if they are now admitting are absolutely useless for the purpose of serious family history research......so it's all been a big con so far! (As many of us thought, of course).

                        OC

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                          Y-DNA and mtDNA, if they are now admitting are absolutely useless for the purpose of serious family history research. OC
                          Just for clarity, from personal experience:

                          * my maternal uncle kindly submitted a specimen for Y-DNA. That line has a solid paper trail back 10 generations to an ancestor born in 1598 in Romsey, Hants. My uncle matched another descendant of that ancestor's brother. Still hoping that an Emery from Hampshire will test.

                          * on my father's side. My father remembers a story from his grandfather that the family changed their name slightly. My father's Y-DNA testing confirmed that change - but also traced the line back to Devon in the early 1700s, tho there's no paper trail (as yet) tracing the move from Devon to Donegal.

                          Y-DNA has worked well for my lines!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Photofamily

                            but Ydna testing only confirms what you already know by conventional research means. If you didn't know who your male ancestors were, how would you know who to test against? It's my understanding that Ydna can be as usuelessly vague as mtdna, because it encompasses any number of men over any number of generations.

                            My 2 x GGF was illegitimate. We have an unbroken line of male descent from him down to my brother...but who do we test against?

                            OC

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              OC -
                              All genetic genealogy is a bootstrap method: you test, persuade others in your family to test, hope that someone else has tested. For autosomal testing - which is most effective in the first 5 generations, but many have matches back to 10 generations and more - you find matching segments, connect with the genetic cousin, compare trees, look for more records. My father has an autosomal match with someone who has his g'grandmother's surname, and their origins are also Donegal. At least it gives me some place to go looking - before that, all I knew about her was that she was living in Derry at the time she married.

                              So, yes, persuade your male descendant to do Y-DNA testing - if you're lucky, he'll match in a unique surname group. Look around in the census or parish records for that time period, see if there's a neighbor with the same surname...

                              Autosomal testing may provide some hints regardless of which descendants test. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee - just like life! And, just because there's no match now - someone may test in the future. There are not as many people from the UK that have tested - which makes it difficult for those with recent UK ancestry to find matches and start the bootstrap process.

                              My father's Scots-Irish ancestry is difficult to trace. I've made more progress than I ever expected to. I was very grateful to find Y-DNA confirmation of the name change - and amazed to find the connection back to Devon.

                              My uncle's line - yes, testing wasn't necessary, but it was nice to see the confirmation (everybody was who they said they were on paper!). I still hope that someone may test that is a descendant that remained in England, or is from another part of the world, that might give an idea where the family was before England - there are Huguenot rumors! And - it may be the one in the database that helps someone find their missing ancestor.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                We are pretty sure (90%-ish) who his birth father was. Unfortunately, that man's legitimate descendants have died out!

                                I will have to bone up on autosomal testing because the last time I read anything about it, it could only trace back to mutual grandparents.

                                OC

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  My mother's 2nd Cousin once removed (2C1R) was, based on atDNA results, very clearly a close cousin. With the adoption information she had, we were able to identify the 2C1R's mother. So, their "most recent common ancestor" was my mother's g'grandparents, the g'g'grandparents of her 2C1R.

                                  My father's known 2C1R also appears clearly as a cousin. Her son has tested - also clear that he is related but not as closely.

                                  I wrote a while ago about finally confirming that my father's g'grandfather was indeed the son of the couple that we had expected. We were only able to do this via testing with descendants of the common ancestors b. 1769 and 1780.

                                  They both have other close matches - part of the pain is that people don't answer inquiries! Oh, well :(

                                  And, also mentioned before - others that you are related to must have tested, too! I'm looking for Cornish cousins - my father's grandfather was a Thomas from Cornwall. I need more people to compare to! But I have found a few.

                                  "We have an unbroken line of male descent from him down to my brother"
                                  I still think that Y-DNA may help you identify a surname. My father's surname matches had already tested. Our common ancestors lived a long time ago.

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Since you think you know the surname, you might look here to see if there's someone to match the surname.


                                    Some people also list their most distant ancestor's name - if you know your man's ancestor, perhaps you can identify someone else on that ancestral line

                                    That, and a surname project at familytreedna.com are the places I know to compare. Notice that ysearch is supported by familytreedna.

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Originally posted by Caroline View Post
                                      You could set up one of these:

                                      http://www.proboards.com/free-forum-features
                                      Great site thanks Caroline and suits all our needs perfectly

                                      Edna

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        Originally posted by clematised View Post
                                        Great site thanks Caroline and suits all our needs perfectly

                                        Edna
                                        Great ..I had no idea if it was any good, but looked likely. I'm pleased it will work out for you.
                                        Caroline
                                        Caroline's Family History Pages
                                        Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                                        Comment

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