You have taken the AncestryDNA test, your results are online, and now you want to do something with them' We can help.
The first thing we recommend is that you link your DNA results to your family tree.
AncestryDNA will reveal cousin matches whether you have attached your test results to a tree or not. However, in order to understand more about those cousin matches and encourage them to work with you to uncover your common ancestors, it's important to have a tree on Ancestry with your AncestryDNA results attached to it. Check to make sure your test is attached to the correct person in your family tree by clicking on the Settings button on your DNA homepage. For step-by-step instructions on how to do that, click here.
Have multiple trees'
I strongly encourage you to have a tree that starts with you. If you have two trees, one that starts with Dad and one with Mom, you will have to choose which tree you want to link to. When you do that, you miss out on the opportunities for connections on the other side of the family. Considering merging the trees and creating one that starts with you. To get step-by-step instruction on how to do this, click here. (Note that you'll need Family Tree Maker or another software program to do this.)
You can always build a basic tree from scratch that starts at you, then add your direct-line ancestors (your biological parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to get started).
Have a private tree'
Consider making it public. If you aren't comfortable with that, an alternative would be to create a version of your tree that includes names and birth places, but leaves out information you aren't confident about. If you don't want to include pictures, that's not an issue. Call this your DNA tree and link your DNA results to it. That way, if I am one of your DNA matches, I can see some information and know where to start the conversation about how we could potentially be related. If you don't have a tree linked to your test, or it's private, your cousin matches won't know where to start and we've found people will often skip those matches.
Adoption in the family'
Put that in your tree. Include any info you have and note that it is an adoption.
Next Steps
Now that your results are linked to a tree, we will do the searching for you to discover: