Finding unknown Father

[GeorgetteLeblanc]

Dear Rootschatters
I am looking for some help. I am helping my friend find her unknown grandfather. We know he was an African-American Soldier in Germany after WW2. We have done 23andme and have found one 3rd cousin.
Is anybody able to give me some support in figuring out more?
thanks so much
Georgette

[familydar]

Hi Georgette

Are you able to work out the common ancestor with this third cousin or is that what you're asking for help with?  Third cousins share 2xGGP, that's 16 people to choose from.  Presumably you believe the 3rd cousin is decended from the same person/couple as the anonymous grandfather.  So the common ancestor for your friend and her third cousin would be one of that man's own grandparents - a choice of only four, if you knew which four.

Upload your friend's 23andme results to other databases and encourage her third cousin to do the same - you may get more matches and will get some interesting tools to play with.  GEDMatch and FTDNA spring to mind and won't cost anything.  If you manage to find more matches you can start to "triangulate".  Is there anyone else that your friend and her 3rd cousin both match with?  Are you able to establish who the three (or more) of them have in common?

Also make sure you upload her ancestor (pedigree) tree to everywhere.  Locations are as important as names.

She may never get an answer, because it all depends on whether key people have done a DNA test, but shouldn't give up because DNA testing for genealogical purposes is becoming more widespread now and she'll almost certainly get more matches over time.

best wishes
Jane :-)