What do you think of my theory?

[BrambleyHedge]

I did post a few years ago about this but it is still a big mystery so thought I would get some more opinions. I have ancestry DNA. I have about 250 links to an extended American family. By extended I mean very very extended but they all trace their ancestry back to three or four different families who lived in the same town in the 1750s. Most of them are matches to each other as well in different combinations. I can trace DNA matches (usually 18-24cm so not close) up through multiple unconnected lines in this family (I have built a tree with all this in) which makes me think it isn't all stemming from a 'person x' who emigrated to America from England and left my ancestor behind. For example I can trace matches back to 1600 on several different branches where they were living nowhere near each other e.g. Germany, England, France. The other weird thing is that not one of these DNA links appears to based in the UK or have any recent UK history (where this information is available). They are all very old American families, not recent immigrants. I am the only one who is British. Surely there would be a couple of other British people if this was just someone who went over there a few hundred years ago and left relatives behind who I could be descended from? On the flip side I know people from America are more likely to want to trace their history so there would be more of them in my matches. I have a big gap in my own family tree on my grandma side so I am fairly sure this lot must connect with that side, especially as they don't match with any matches on my other lines. So my theory is that in my recent history (mid 1800s) I must have an American relative. My grandma's family were in the East London slums so lots of to'ing and fro'ing I expect with immigrants and the docks. Can anyone think of another explanation for how I can appear to be descended from multiple emigrants to America who all appear as the different upper branches of one family and only connect with each other in later generations?

I'm intrigued by this but not sure I've fully understood. I hope someone who knows about genetic genealogy will see this bumped and give their perspective.

If I have understood your post correctly, then it does sound like someone came over from America to the East London Docks and, er, made their contribution to your grandma's family tree. I'm assuming there's a missing father on a birth certificate in that branch of the family?

No idea but it's fascinating.

Just thought - could you focus on the American relatives who were alive at the time you suspect this happened, and see if any of them were likely to be travelling this way? E.g. lived in a port city, were in the Navy, worked in shipping etc?

A few thoughts.

18-24 centimorgans is a very distant relative. 6th-8th cousin level, you're potentially going back 7 to 9 generations for a common ancestor - each generation 25 or 30 years - you're easily back 300 years into the 1750s.

It is entirely possible that all of these American matches are descended from a family group who headed off to the New World when the US was still a British colony. Perhaps one sibling didn't fancy it, wanted to stay at home or was already married to a local lad/lass. That is then your ancestor. That is a MUCH more likely scenario than some random American popping up and getting gg granny pregnant.

Also, people living in America, Canada, NZ, Australia are much more interested in exploring their DNA than people whose families have lived in the UK and Ireland for centuries. They have the drive to find out where they came from in a way which we do not. The reason you are not matching with British people is probably because none of them have tested.

My family back through the generations is massive - grandad was one of 11, his father was one of 13, his father one of 9. So I have dozens/hundreds of second and third cousins - and precisely ONE match of that level on Ancestry. And he's in South Africa. And not because my granddad's not my granddad, but because my relatives just aren't interested enough to shell out £100 for an Ancestry kit.

The reason your extended American family all trace back to the same community in the 1750s is because that's where their common ancestor is. That's how they are all related, and your relationship to all of them is that point before whoever it was went to America.

Trying to prove it and find a paper trail though is going to be real challenge as you're 100 years before registration of births/death/marriages and the census.

Thanks for you replies. I think the one bit I didn't explain very well is that my extensive proxy tree goes back to 1600 and I can see where the different strands came together from different European countries and then met and split across America as they settled the country. I can trace multiple links to different parts of Europe where the splits are before the communities came together in North Carolina. Sorry it is hard to explain but I have other matches in other parts of my family which are where someone has gone off to America and it is far more linear and I have British shared matches. This just seems to different. Anyway I like a mystery so will continue to build my second family tree for my fantasy American family :)

Perhaps someone from your family went to the States in the early 1700's (or even before), settled in that area and had a large family. Several of their offspring could have married into the network of other families in that town around that time, some of whom would already have been related to one another.

This town in North Carolina...... does it have a family history society or local museum which holds genealogy records? That could be an avenue to explore.

Yes that is a possibility. They are were over there by 1740 - nothing more recent than that. Good idea to look at local history resources for the area - thanks. I think the main thing I find odd is that none of these DNA connections are outside the US and that none are British.

@BrambleyHedge If they come from a small branch of your family tree, then there may only be a few descendants in the UK and if they haven't done the DNA test (and far fewer people in the UK have done it than in America) then you won't find any matches.

You say there's a big gap in one part of your family tree on your grandma's side - perhaps you are barking up the wrong tree. Or maybe you can't find them because they came to the UK from elsewhere. Either mainland Europe or even from the USA.

Whereabouts on your tree do you hit the brick wall and why? What records are you unable to find?

Did you upload your DNA to family tree dna? It will invite you to join all the regional and last name projects you match with, there are loads for NC, and you can add to your facts and theories. What’s the general ethnic mix of your matches, is it redneck ie NW Europe or can you see any of the smaller local communities in there such as sub-Saharan, indigenous americas, Sephardi, east Asia etc?

I haven't done that. I did add it to another one but it was rubbish. Definitely Northern European red neck settlers.

<passes the SPF 100>