Wikitree is an online family tree. Using Wikitree for DNA research can help you find DNA matches and trace their connection to you through common ancestors.
Wikitree is an online collaborative family tree. Members do not have their own trees. Instead, they add their research to the ‘one tree’. The tree is formed by creating a profile for each person, then linking them to their parents, siblings, spouses and children.
Anyone can access the tree and use the information for free. If you register for an account (also free), then you can amend the tree.
Benefits of using Wikitree for DNA research
Wikitree has over 34 million people in the family tree. This means there are a lot of family connections that could help you identify how you are related to your DNA matches.
Finding DNA matches and common ancestors
Wikitree members who have had their DNA tested can add a notice to their own profile which states the DNA tests they have taken. Members can also add their test number from GEDmatch to their profile. You can use this to compare your own results to theirs (if you have uploaded to GEDmatch).
Depending on the type of test taken, Wikitree then connects that DNA test information to the profiles of the ancestors of the test taker in the tree.
For example, for an autosomal test, blood relatives out to eight degrees are marked. That’s up to sixth great grandparents and out to third cousins. Wikitree explains the process in this article, Help:DNA test connections.
If you open the profile of one of your ancestors and you see the names of DNA test takers under the heading ‘DNA Connections’ then you know that you have common ancestors. You can then trace your ancestral line back until you find those common ancestors.
For example, when I open the profile of my maternal grandmother, Ivy, I can see two people listed under DNA Connections. I then open the profile of her mother, Ida, and I still see them there. If I then open the profile of Ida’s mother, Christina, one of the names is still there but the other is not. That tells me that one is related to me on Ida’s maternal line and the other on her paternal line.
Finding DNA evidence to confirm relationships
Wikitree members can mark relationships as confirmed by DNA. This means that they have combined documentary evidence and DNA evidence to reach a conclusion about the biological relationship between two people.
Even if you have not been able to confirm that someone was the biological parent of another person, one of your DNA matches may have done so. You can use that information in your own research.
It’s also good to mark those that you have confirmed, as that helps others with their research.
Wikitree explains the confirmation process in this article, ‘Confirmed with DNA’.
There are quite strict protocols for confirming relationships on Wikitree, which is very reassuring.
The Wikitree guidelines also include formats for DNA citations. I have adopted the same format in my own research. The Wikitree article on DNA Confirmation provides the citation format. It also provides very useful guidance on which relationships can be marked as confirmed. I found that particularly helpful and will be using it when I mark people confirmed in my family trees. For example, the article states that if your DNA match is a second cousin, you can confirm relationships back to great grandparents.
For more of my articles and information about using DNA in family history, head to my DNA in family history page. Watch that page for upcoming free downloads.
For more of my articles on documenting your family history, go to the Document page.
We probably all remember the Ancestry advertisements that told us we could reveal our family history by simply typing in a name. And that is the way we often search family history websites and databases. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Fortunately, Ancestry’s card catalogue provides another way to search.
Ancestry’s card catalogue
Ancestry organises its records by grouping them into collections. The collections (sometimes referred to as databases) are listed in Ancestry’s Card Catalogue. Instead of typing in a name and asking Ancestry to search all of its records, you can focus your search by first selecting the relevant collection.
The Card Catalogue is found under the Search tab. If you are using the Australian version of Ancestry, when you open the catalogue it will list all the Australian collections by default. You can change than by unticking the filter on the left that says ‘Only records from Australia’.
Note that, if you do that you will see lists of collections from around the world. However, you will only be able to view or search collections if they are included in your Ancestry subscription.
The right side of the screen lists all the collections, which are grouped by category. You can sort them by collection title, date updated, date added or record count. On the left side you can filter by record category, location or date.
This is a great place to look if you want to know about the latest additions to Ancestry or get a feel for how extensive their collections are for a particular place, date or record type.
Searching Ancestry’s card catalogue
Choose the most relevant record category from the list of filters on the left side of the screen, based on your research questions. For example, if you want to know when someone arrived in Australia, search the Immigration and Travel collections. Click on that category in the filters list and the list of collections under that category will appear on the right side of the screen.
Alternatively, you can identify relevant collections by searching by a word in the Title or Keyword search bars which are located on the left above the filters.
Convicts example
For example, if I type ‘convict’ into the Title search bar, a list of eighteen collections with that word appear on the right. When I untick the box that says ‘Only records from Australia’ the list expands to 24, as there are convict records held in other countries that may also be relevant to Australia – such as the UK Surgeon Superintendents’ Journals of Convict Ships, 1858-1867.
If I type the same search term into the Keyword search bar, a list of 36 collections appears. If I untick the box that says ‘Only records from Australia’ the list expands to 43.
Searching by title or keyword is a good approach if you are unsure which category holds the records of interest to you.
Choose the collection you want to search from the list on the right side of the screen. Click on the title and that brings up the familiar search screen where you can search by name, date, key word and other fields.
On that same screen, you will sometimes see an option in the top right to browse the collection. This can be a useful alternative to searching for a specific name. You will also usually see a list of related data collections which you can use to expand your search.
In the example where I typed convict in the search bar on the first screen, the list of filters tells me that Ancestry has placed convict records into two categories. Convict Criminal Land & Wills, and Immigration and Travel. This information can also help you expand your search by suggesting you search those categories for other collections about your subject.
More information
For more articles on improving your search techniques, go to the Research page.
Missing hints on Ancestry? Getting poor search results? The problem might not be the website. It could be your Ancestry tree.
Ancestry’s research tools rely on your tree information. The more accurate your family tree, the better your results. In this post, I’ll show you how to fine-tune your Ancestry tree to unlock better matches, smarter hints, and more relevant discoveries.
Post last updated 21 June 2025
Ancestry has built-in research tools. These tools work better when your tree information is accurate and consistent. They use your tree to improve search results and generate research hints (look for the green leaf symbol).
If you’ve tested your DNA with Ancestry, their tools compare your tree with DNA matches’ trees. This creates more research hints like ThruLines (Ancestry’s tool that suggests family connections).
To get the most out of Ancestry’s research tools, your family tree must be accurate and well-structured. This includes correctly recording names, places, dates, relationships, and statuses so that Ancestry’s built-in tools can deliver better results.
When you improve your Ancestry tree accuracy, it helps the Ancestry tools recognise the information. This improves your search results.
By ‘accurate’ I mean more than just having the right people and relationships. You also need accurate names for people, places, dates and status.
Note: This advice is based on my experience helping genealogists with their Ancestry trees. I don’t claim to know the technical details of how their search tools work.
Start with one section and work systematically through these improvements.
Using Quick Edit
Most of these corrections can be made using the Quick Edit feature (a fast way to update basic information).
The Quick Edit function is in the top right corner of any person’s profile in your family tree
Get Names Right First
Your first priority should be getting names accurate.
A person may use different names during their lifetime, or their name may be spelled differently in different documents. Ancestry’s search engine searches for variations, but you can help by choosing the most relevant name as the primary name.
Use the name held at birth, or the name by which they were most commonly known. Add other names and spelling variations by selecting “Add fact or event”, then “Also known as”.
Here are the key name accuracy rules:
Use birth names as primary names. Married women should be listed under their maiden name. The marriage event will show their married name, and Ancestry will use both names when searching.
Fix spelling errors consistently. Try to avoid spelling inconsistencies within a family. However, if a child is born before marriage they may legitimately have a different surname.
Keep extra information separate. If you want to include words or symbols in the name, put these in the Name Suffix field rather than in the main name fields.
Use Standard Place Names
Once names are accurate, turn your attention to places. Although normal genealogy practice is to document place names as recorded in sources, this may not give you the best research results on Ancestry.
Ancestry prefers standard place names (Ancestry’s preferred format for locations), based on the current name for the place. This reduces spelling mistakes and helps the search tools recognise the name, improving your search results.
The problem is that when you attach a source to your tree, Ancestry automatically uses the place name from that source’s index. Unfortunately, these names aren’t always the same as standard place names. They may even be incorrect due to indexing errors.
Always check the place name after you attach a source. Change it to the standard place name if needed. You can put alternative place names in the description if you like.
Examples
Australian Electoral Rolls: If you attach an Australian Electoral roll as a source for where someone was living, the place name will be automatically recorded as the electoral district (voting area) rather than the actual place name. I always check the entry in the roll and change the place name accordingly.
Find A Grave Records: If you attach a burial record from Find A Grave, the place name usually includes the local government area (council region) because that’s how burials are indexed. This information isn’t part of a standard place name in Australia. It’s extra information rather than incorrect information, so it’s not essential to change it unless you prefer standard place names.
Border changes: Borders change and this changes the name of the place in a source. In England, for example, historic county areas do not match up with current county boundaries. Wikipedia has good explanations of the differences. Example: Essex, the home of my paternal grandfather.
Place name changes: Changes to a place name are common. The FamilySearch Wiki provides some US examples: Pawtuxet was renamed to Cranston and Providence Plantations became Rhode Island.
Dual names: Places may have dual names. In New Zealand, for example, some have English and Maori names.
Finding Standard Place Names:
As you begin typing a place name into any fact, event or search bar in Ancestry, it will suggest standard place names closest to what you’ve typed.
Ancestry auto-suggestions for standard place names
Why Accurate Dates Matter
Accurate dates improve your search results because they give Ancestry’s tools a timeframe to search for sources.
It helps to always include a date of some sort, even if it’s approximate. Use the standard format suggested by Ancestry. For example, if you type “about 1930”, Ancestry suggests the format “Abt. 1930”.
Avoid entering multiple years in a date field as this triggers an error message.
Date Formats and Living Status
If there’s no death date, a person will be classed as Living. This doesn’t affect your search results, but it will limit the information that other researchers can view about that person in your tree.
Correctly stating a person as male or female, living or deceased, may improve your search results.
Fix Relationship Errors
Getting relationships right is crucial for search success. Accurate relationships between people in your family tree directly impact your results.
Focus on these key connections:
Parent-child relationships – who is the father, who is the mother (this also identifies siblings or half siblings)
Marriage and partnership relationships – who partnered with whom (and which marriage was first, as this helps identify parents)
Correct generational placement – were they the father or the grandfather, for example.
The relationship is created when you add a person to your tree. However, it’s easy to make mistakes such as attaching a child to just one parent, attaching someone to the wrong parents, or adding someone twice.
While it doesn’t affect search results, you can also describe relationships more specifically, such as adopted, biological, or step. Do this using Edit Relationships under the Edit button in any person’s profile.
Common Questions About Tree Accuracy
Here are the most common questions I hear about tree accuracy:
Q: Why am I not getting good hints on Ancestry?
A: Hints rely on your tree. Inaccurate or missing details, such as names, dates, or relationships, reduce the number and quality of hints.
Q: How do I make my Ancestry tree more accurate?
A: Use standard place names, check dates, avoid spelling errors, and fix incorrect relationships using the Quick Edit and Edit Relationship tools.
Q: What’s the best name format for people in my Ancestry tree?
A: Use the birth name or most commonly known name. Add other names under “Also Known As,” and always list married women by their maiden name.
Make the Most of Your Ancestry Tree
Ancestry offers powerful tools to support your family history research. But those tools are only as good as the information in your tree.
By taking extra time to ensure names, dates, places, and relationships are accurate, you’ll get better search results and more relevant hints. A well-built tree is a research asset.
Start with one section of your tree and work systematically through these improvements. See what a difference accurate information makes to your research success.
More Information
For more articles on improving your search techniques, go to the Research page.
For more articles researching family history on Ancestry, go to the Research page and the Document page.
About the Author
Danielle Lautrec is a genealogy educator, researcher, and author of The Good Genealogist. With qualifications in history, family history, and historical archaeology, she teaches for the Society of Australian Genealogists.
Citing photographs and objects in family history is challenging. This article describes my approach to citing these items.
In my opinion, the formats provided by citation guides for photographs and objects often do not provide sufficient information and clarity for genealogists. This article describes my own approach to citing these items, based on my experience as a researcher and a manager of a family history archive.
The citation model
My citation model works well, even when citing photographs and objects.
I teach the craft of citing sources using the Six Question Model. Check out pages 131-144 of my book, The Good Genealogist, for information about the model and citing sources.
Fig. 37 The Six Question Model (Lautrec, 2022, The Good Genealogist)
I call it a model, rather than a template, because not every citation has the exact same parts in the exact same order. Instead, the questions act as a prompt and provide a general order which helps you craft a citation.
When creating your citation, it helps to keep the purposes of a source citation in mind.
The purpose of a citation is to help:
you find that source again, if you need it
others find that source, so that they can view if for themselves
you, and others, analyse the source – because it provides information that hints towards the reliability of the information, who created it and whether copyright may apply to the source
you, and others, reach conclusions about the quality of your research.
Citing photographs and objects from a public collection
Whose work is it?
The first question is whose work is it? The answer would be the name of the photographer or the person who made the object, if that information is available. Having this information in first place gives credit to the person responsible for the work and helps identify the copyright status.
If you do not know the name of the photographer or creator of an object, I suggest that you put ‘Anonymous’ in first place. I never put the name of the subject of a photograph in first place, as it is important to clearly distinguish between the creator and the subject. Having ‘Anonymous’ in first place also helps you sort your list of sources alphabetically by the author/creator and groups all sources of unknown origin together.
What is it?
The second question is what is it?
Always use the title assigned by the repository, which you will find in the catalogue for the collection. Using the official title helps you and others correctly identify the source within the collection, which makes it easier to find it.
If the item has no title, you can call it ‘Untitled’ or add a short description. Then add a short description of the format – e.g. photograph or statue.
Provided it does not make your citation too lengthy, you might also want to include other format information if it helps serve the purpose of the citation. For example, stating that a photograph is a daguerreotype is useful because it gives a clue to the age of the photograph if the exact date is unknown.
Who created it and where?
The third question is who created it and the fourth question is about place.
These are relevant for published sources, but do not need to be addressed in this citation. The exception might be a photograph by an unknown photographer which is contained within a photograph album which was owned by someone who is known. See the example below.
When was it created?
Next question is when it was created. The date, or an estimation, will usually be included in the catalogue for the collection. If no date is available, put ‘n.d.’.
The date of a photograph is particularly important. It affects the copyright status and, in family history, it may help identify the person or people in the photograph.
If you do not know the date, it might be useful to include some other indication of the approximate date – such as the photograph format mentioned above, or the birthdate of the subject, if known. See the example below.
Any other details?
The final question asks for any other details that are needed to identify the item and help people locate it. In this case, this is the name of the repository and the catalogue reference.
Example citation:
Fig. 40 (Lautrec, 2022, The Good Genealogist)
Citing published photographs
Remembering the principle that you need to cite the source that you used. So, if you are citing a copy of a photograph from a book, journal article or website, then you need to cite that publication while also referencing the original.
The approach is similar to the one I described above, but you create a two-part citation. The second part is created by replacing information about a repository with a citation for the publication. Use the word ‘from’ to link the two parts together.
Your footnote will need to include the page number from the publication, or, if you found the image on a website, the URL and the date it was accessed.
Citing photographs and objects from a private collection
Citing photographs and objects from a private collection is more challenging. You don’t have a catalogue entry to inform your citation and you cannot help other researchers find the source because private collections are rarely accessible. However, you can include information to achieve the other purposes of a citation.
Use the same approach described above, but with some adjustments. If the item is labelled you can use that as the title. Otherwise, create a short description. If there is information written on the photograph or object, incorporate that into the description.
Most citation guides suggest including the name of the person who holds the original item in last place in the citation. However, you need to balance the need for that information with the need to respect privacy.
If the document that contains your citation is not going to be published, I would suggest including as much information as possible. This should include the full name and contact details, so that you know where the original is located. However, I would include less information if the document is going to be published. In such cases, it is best to check the guidelines of the publisher and follow their format.
Captions
When a photograph is used in a document, you will need to include captions as well as citations. Captions should include:
the title or description of the image,
information about the copyright status or whether the photograph is in the public domain
permission to publish the photograph, if applicable, and
a source citation.
More information
For a comprehensive discussion about source citations, see my article Citing Family History Sources. For more of my articles on citing sources and documenting your family history, go to the Document page.
When I lecture about citing family history sources I am often asked, ‘how do you cite yourself or something someone told you?’
The model for citing family history sources
I teach the craft of citing family history sources using the Six Question Model. Check out pages 131-144 of my book, The Good Genealogist, for information about the model and citing sources.
Fig. 37 The Six Question Model (Lautrec, 2022, The Good Genealogist)
I call it a model, rather than a template, because not every citation has the exact same parts in the exact same order. Instead, the questions act as a prompt and provide a general order which helps you craft a citation for family history sources.
Citing yourself in family history
You can cite work that you have previously published on a subject. The format for the citation would be the same as any other work in that format, i.e. a book or a journal article, or a website page.
However, the strength of your citation will only be as strong as the strength of the research and citations in the previous work. If your previous work did not involve a reasonably exhaustive work and provide appropriate citations to demonstrate that your conclusions were reasonable and defensible, I would not consider it appropriate to cite that earlier work. Unless your current work addresses the deficiencies.
Sometimes people ask me about citing themselves because they want to cite their knowledge of something. Knowledge is gained through events that you participate in or that impact on you, or things that you read or hear.
In my opinion, it is better to cite a documentary source created about that event, or the documentary source that you read, rather than citing your knowledge. Unless, of course, it is general knowledge, as that does not need a source citation.
The purpose of citing family history sources is to help you and others find the source again and to demonstrate that the information is reliable or the conclusions are reasonable and defensible. I do not think citing your own knowledge serves those purposes. However, you can cite your memories about an event… back to that in a moment.
Citing oral information in family history
When citing family history sources, in some situations you can cite information that is provided to you orally by another person.
The most common is where the information was obtained through oral history. Oral history has well established methodologies which include making a recording of the interview.
By citing oral history information, you provide information to help you and others find the recording. You also demonstrate that the information is an accurate representation of something said in the interview.
Format:
Whose work is it? : Name of person interviewed
What is it? : Means of recording (e.g. ‘digital recording’)
Who created it? : Name of interviewer (‘interviewed by…’)
Where and when was it created? : Place and date
Additional details? : Where held (and identifier details such as call no. if in an archive or library).
You can also cite information that is provided to you verbally but not as part of a formal oral history. For example, a telephone call or a family chat. The format is similar.
Format:
Whose work is it? : Name of person providing the information
What is it? : e.g. telephone conversation
Who created it? : not necessary, as assumed to be the author
Where and when was it created? : ‘pers. comm.’, place and date.
Citing reminiscences in family history
Personal reminiscences can provide useful insights into events in our family history.
The citation is simply the words: Personal reminiscence of the author.
Corroborate and supplement
Information from yourself and others, while important and valuable, is insufficient on their own. This information should always be supplemented using other sources.
More information
For a comprehensive discussion about source citations, see my article Citing Family History Sources. For more articles on citing family history sources and documenting family history, go to the Document page.
