I'm a Genealogist - AMA

[TheGenealogist]

Have loads of experience researching my family tree and academic qualifications to back my experience. Like to think I know what I'm talking about genealogy-wise, so ask away!

Yes I was relieved when a DNA match showed up via a descendant of his !
Once you delve into it , it's fascinating.
My dh is currently awaiting a test and I'll admit to accepting the potential fathers/ mothers from other trees. Going back to the 1500s our trees are showing two sisters in each of our trees ! That could be interesting .

If you and a half sibling had the same mother but your fathers were brothers? I think!

It just means @LilaThePink they the percentages of shared dna are screwed up.

So a woman for example had 2kids, fathered by two brothers. The children are half siblings as they have different dads. But they are going to share more DNA than other pairs of half siblings because the fathers are related too and also share dna. It's complicated for sure,

Currently trying to find my paternal grandad, born in Dublin and moved over to England at some point before he was 22 and married here. Ive got his marriage certificate and possibly death certificate, I can't find any trace of his birth certificate. It's like he wasn't born! Any idea where I'm going wrong ? I know his full name, date of birth, fathers name, area of birth and also I know he had a sister but that's all I know.

Please someone explain the mechanics of a half sibling who is also your first cousin

I took it to mean that if you're referring to how person A could possibly have a half sibling who was also a first cousin, then person A's dad had shagged person A's auntie (A's mum's sister.)

I thought it said a gynaecologist. I was very confused when I read the first few questions. 😂 I'm gonna put down the wine and go to bed.

8m researching Scottish ancestors and have tracked them back to a small village in the 1840s.
In the 1850s there are several family groups living in the same village, with the same surname, some with the same sorts of naming conventions - my hunch is that they all are related (one family definitely is), but how to check further?
The names are not uncommon and when I try to search parish records there are a number of likely matches for each potential male ancestor.
To further complicate, there are families with the same surname and naming conventions in up to a 20 mile radius, and many years ago a distant relative found a potential link to one specific area, with a ' typcial' name.

Eg John MacX with family Jean, Michael, Robert, Annie lives 3 doors along from James MacX with family Jean, Michael, Annie and son John who has John, Annie, James...
In next village is Robert MacX with son James, daughters Catherine, Annie, Grace and son John

@elsaesmeralda

Currently trying to find my paternal grandad, born in Dublin and moved over to England at some point before he was 22 and married here. Ive got his marriage certificate and possibly death certificate, I can't find any trace of his birth certificate. It's like he wasn't born! Any idea where I'm going wrong ? I know his full name, date of birth, fathers name, area of birth and also I know he had a sister but that's all I know.

The best place to start is the Irish records office site https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/.

Just try all kinds of searches with wildcards for the surname, search without any first name, search 10 years either side of when you think he was born....

Remember too that Dublin might be county as well as city.

Have you asked around surviving relatives to see if anyone has the original certificate?

@WeatherwaxOn

8m researching Scottish ancestors and have tracked them back to a small village in the 1840s. In the 1850s there are several family groups living in the same village, with the same surname, some with the same sorts of naming conventions - my hunch is that they all are related (one family definitely is), but how to check further? The names are not uncommon and when I try to search parish records there are a number of likely matches for each potential male ancestor. To further complicate, there are families with the same surname and naming conventions in up to a 20 mile radius, and many years ago a distant relative found a potential link to one specific area, with a ' typcial' name.

Eg John MacX with family Jean, Michael, Robert, Annie lives 3 doors along from James MacX with family Jean, Michael, Annie and son John who has John, Annie, James...
In next village is Robert MacX with son James, daughters Catherine, Annie, Grace and son John

I hear you. My mums side is like that. Surname is Little which is common, and they're all called Mary and John.

Once you're back to pre civil registration in 1837 it can be almost impossible as the minister records a baptism as "John, so. Of John and Mary".

My advice would be to note down all the alternatives so if more records are added at a later date you can rule people on/out.

On my dads side we have traced the unusual surname to two men in the same village in the 1600s probably brothers, maybe cousins.

I've got back to 1754 using parish records. I'm now a bit stuck as a birth record only lists the father and no mother. The father is called John + common local surname. I've tried searching over a range of years for his birth record, but there were a few a year with that same name.

Do you have any ideas for narrowing it down please? I've accepted I'm probably as far back as I can go with any certainty and any further would likely be pure guesswork.

My dads mum always told us she was Jewish and my DNA test said i was 18% so she was right her mum probably was. I cannot find anything on ancestry that points to it no Jewish sounding names and everyone was married in church/baptised they were from the East End and ive gone back to the 1800’s they were all poor and all born in London. I cant see it at all. And my granny wasnt brought up Jewish in any shape or form but she knew that she was its all a mystery. Any pointers?

Great great grandfather changed his name and moved 200 miles, 8m really not sure how I’d get over the surname change. Any suggestions?

I have had a common ancestor match with a grandson of my grandfather's child from his first marriage. He is effectively my half cousin. We have a common ancestor via my paternal great grandmother. Can you tell me why the common ancestor is not my grandfather?

Bloody hell, I don't understand some of these questions, nevermind the answers!

It is fascinating though. Also waiting for my DNA results to come back at the moment.

@downwiththatsortof

I have had a common ancestor match with a grandson of my grandfather's child from his first marriage. He is effectively my half cousin. We have a common ancestor via my paternal great grandmother. Can you tell me why the common ancestor is not my grandfather?

DNA is complicated - you don't get exactly 12.5% from each grandparent. When you add half relationships into the mix, it can confuse the numbers even more. Plus he's one step further removed from your grandfather - your grandfather is his great grandfather?

So the range for a grandparent is anything from 984cM to 2482cM, and for a great grandparent it's 485cM to 1486cM - so there's a crossover.

You could test another family member, his father perhaps, or an uncle on that line to see if that helps, but to be honest if you're sure of your linkage it's probably money wasted.

@IdblowJonSnow

Bloody hell, I don't understand some of these questions, nevermind the answers!

It is fascinating though. Also waiting for my DNA results to come back at the moment.

DNA can get very complicated, very quickly.

Basically, the bigger the number, the stronger the match and the closer the relationship.

dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4 is a brilliant tool. Type in the cM number (centimorgans, it will be shown on your DNA results) and it'll give you possible relationships.

So on mine, the best match was 177 cM which is 3% of my DNA matches hers. Type 177 into the site and it gives you possible relationships, and the probability of each : 51% - Half 2C 2C1R Half 1C2R 1C3R.

And they're right ,because she's my second cousin, once removed. (2C1R).

The ISOGG wiki is a wealth of DNA info isogg.org/wiki/Wiki_Welcome_Page and there are Facebook groups which will help you make sense of it too.

The key to remember is that DNA doesn't lie, if you are matching with someone, you're related. Maybe very distantly, but the link is there. Start by looking at your strongest matches first.

@FortunaMajor

I've got back to 1754 using parish records. I'm now a bit stuck as a birth record only lists the father and no mother. The father is called John + common local surname. I've tried searching over a range of years for his birth record, but there were a few a year with that same name.

Do you have any ideas for narrowing it down please? I've accepted I'm probably as far back as I can go with any certainty and any further would likely be pure guesswork.

I think you're right. Probably guesswork. Make a note of your possibles.

Search on things like the British Newspaper Archive to look for wedding notices, and also look for things like Wills which might mention a spouse. Or a child's wedding certificate. (Scottish records are brilliant for this as they've always recorded mothers and their maiden names on marriage certificates as well as fathers). Think about traditional naming patterns - are the children named after a potential spouse's parents - not so easy if they're all John and Mary. Look on Find A Grave to see if there's headstones to give you a clue.

Often though, the train does peter out once you get back into the 18th centure.

@EachandEveryone

My dads mum always told us she was Jewish and my DNA test said i was 18% so she was right her mum probably was. I cannot find anything on ancestry that points to it no Jewish sounding names and everyone was married in church/baptised they were from the East End and ive gone back to the 1800’s they were all poor and all born in London. I cant see it at all. And my granny wasnt brought up Jewish in any shape or form but she knew that she was its all a mystery. Any pointers?

Gosh, it could be anything. Lots of Jewish people changed their names when they arrived in London to try to "fit in". Perhaps your gran's dad or mum was from a Jewish family but chose not to follow the faith. Or perhaps there was an affair.

But 18% DNA pointing to Jewish does say that you have a Jewish grandparent. Could it be one of the other three?

downwiththatsortof
Do you mean that you have a direct dna match with the ancestor too, eg the ancestor has been tested ? Or has thrulines given her as your match ?

No it was definitely my dads mum without stereotyping she definitely looked it. I’ve showed her photos to Jewish colleagues who have said yes she is, even if they changed their name at what point would they do that? I’ve gone back to her grandparents and all born in London all with English names

@elsaesmeralda

Currently trying to find my paternal grandad, born in Dublin and moved over to England at some point before he was 22 and married here. Ive got his marriage certificate and possibly death certificate, I can't find any trace of his birth certificate. It's like he wasn't born! Any idea where I'm going wrong ? I know his full name, date of birth, fathers name, area of birth and also I know he had a sister but that's all I know.

Could he be registered in the Irish language version of his name (X Ó Y form) or is he is a son with the same name as father/grandfather he may have Óg after his name (jr). Be aware that many records were destroyed during the 1922 Civil War.

I didn't know about the Irish records site. Just tried it and it's really quick and detailed. A whole new realm of ancestors has been revealed to me! Thanks, OP.

@CliffsofMohair he does have the same name as his father, tried that but hasn't worked still. I will try the different versions of his surname. It's just so frustrating, I've also been told now his middle name could've originally been a girls name ! So I'm thinking did he change it officially, does that make things even more complicated

The ethnicity estimates work by comparing your DNA against everyone else who has tested, shows you people who match some aspect of your DNA and also breaks your DNA down into large groupings.

The ethnicity part of the test doesn't compare to everyone else who has tested. It is compared to small stock samples the company holds. The result for ethnicity are not very reliable especially at the low percentages

Other parts of the test though do compare to other customers who have tested, these are more reliable

My late grandmother’s parents (my great grandparents) vanished when she was 5. She lost contact with most of her siblings and would never talk about her parents.

My Mum (her daughter) tried to trace her missing family but couldn’t find any record of either of the missing parents, bar their names on the children’s birth certificates.

The children (we think 5 in total) were very well catered for financially, more so than you would expect from their parents’ business, but there does not appear to be any record of this money, or the business itself (a shop) either.

Where would you start with something like this?