Anyone else use Ancestry DNA to confirm or eliminate an ancestor? Does "4th to 6th" cousin really translate to that on your family tree? Sorry but I'm just obsessed with this. I thought I had identified my 2g grandfather as James, the son of William Johnston, farmer at Baldyquash Farm Fyvie, and I have done a pretty good family tree on him. Now I get a note from a 2nd cousin that our great-grandfather Peter Johnston's baptism (1855, Old Medlrum) record states that his father is "James Johnston, farm servant in Inverurie".
So I find that a James Johnston had a boy baptized in Inverurie 18 Feb 1856. He is listed as a farm servant. I can't find this James' baptism or death record, but on the censuses his birth is given as 1818-1820, in King Edward Parish. I have his census records from 1851 to 1881. I have baptisms of 2 other kids. One kid, Mary Ann, is in several family trees on Ancestry, but nobody knows James' parents names.
Now I do the Ancestry DNA test, and I get two 4th to 6th cousin hits for Aberdeenshire, that don't match up to any of my other Aberdeen lines. Their ancestors are 1)John Gordon, b. 1788 King Edward, Margaret Robertson, Margaret Walker b. 1782, James Mackie 1788, and 2) Peter Mc Hattie b. 1792 Banff, Isabel Fraser b. 1802 Banff, Peter Duff b. 1798 Banff, and Janet Milne b. 1813 Banff. Peter Duff's mother is an Elizabeth Gordon.
I have checked the baptisms an marriage records of these names with Johnston, and I got some names, but how to I assess them? No obvious smoking guns. How much weight should I put on these DNA results? Any insights appreciated.