What does it mean to be connected on WikiTree? What is the "Big Tree"?
See also:
The Big Tree
Everyone in the world can be connected in a single web of family relationships. This is a premise of our single family tree project. When you go back far enough, we all share ancestors. When you consider relationships through marriage, our connections get even closer.
Of course, our global family tree is not complete — and never will be. If you join WikiTree as a new member (as opposed to being invited by a family member) you start out with no family connections. If you add your parents, you have two connections. You are a family of three people. If you add your grandparents, you have four more connections. If you keep adding relatives, it's likely that you will find that one of them already has a profile on WikiTree. Connecting to them makes you connected to everyone they're connected to. Your family connections may grow exponentially. Quite possibly, it will connect you to the "Big Tree."
The Big Tree is that portion of the people on WikiTree who are currently all connected to each other in a single web of family relationships.
WikiTree has over 45 million person profiles. Over 87% of them, about 40 million, are connected on the Big Tree. You can view the connections between them with the Connection Finder. The remaining 13% are currently unconnected and not part of the Big Tree ... yet. Every day, thousands of volunteers add connections and attempt to connect the unconnected.
How to Get Connected
The more relatives you add, the more likely it is you will find one that is already connected to the Big Tree. Adding your direct ancestors is great, but it's also important to add siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives through marriage.
There is a special tool to help you find which relatives in your family may be missing. It's called "Missing Links." Click here and then replace Adams-35 with your own WikiTree ID and click "Go." You can also access it by clicking on your Tree Apps, selecting the CC7 app, and then selecting Missing Links.
