Help Ancestry DNA Results back and shocker

[Niblo]

I done an ancestry dna to try and find my grandfather’s biological family as he was adopted but upon getting my results this match came up.

I share 1488 cm with this woman. I have no idea who she is but her dna matches me closer than family I have known all my life.

Does anybody have any experience with dna results that high and what possible relative it could be?.

@Gingerkittykat
My DH has an ancestry account but he doesn't get an email when new people match with him.

Have you clustered your matches? Have you looked at your shared matches?

You should be able to tell which side of your family they are on, ie paternal / maternal, and if you cluster your shared matches into groups you can work out if you have one grandparent in common or two grandparents.

Have any of your first cousins tested? Do they match with them?

I did when an uncle joined - and I think when a cousin once removed joined. Maybe it’s in your options somewhere?

No luck as of yet. There are only 3 members in her tree, 2 are living so cannot be seen and one deceased that I do not recognise and can't fit in anywhere.

@Niblo
Check the Shared Matches, if you use the Ancestry app, that's how Dh can find other relatives and can get clues whether they are his paternal or maternal line.

@Keepfocused yes you buy the kit through the Ancestry website. It's about £80 plus £10 shipping - but keep your eyes open as they often do special offers. They will send you a kit with a little tube, you spit into the tube, send it off, about 6 weeks later get your results.

What Ancestry - or any other DNA testing site - can't do is give you a list of people and tell you how they are related to you. You MIGHT get lucky and find a half sibling, but it's far more likely that you have matches who are much more distantly related and with a half relationship that makes things tricky. In order to find out how everyone fits together you have to do the traditional genealogy and family tree building, looking for marriages, census, birth records. Identifying whether your matches lie on the maternal or paternal side of the tree.

There are people on this forum and in various facebook groups who can help, but I would suggest using the time when the test is processing to start putting your tree together. Both sides, not just the side where you think there are unknown half relatives.