Don't ignore 5th to 8th cousins at Ancestry

[sugarfizzle]

melba_schmelba, Martin and I realise that, and Martin has quoted that video, or something similar, recently.

DNA is not an exact science, as most of us realise.  But it helps. My main tree is private, and I have attached the Leversedge Leverstretch Liversedge etc family to Stephen. In my public tree to which my DNA is attached, the family is still an island, so won't show up in searches by DNA matches and will remain an island until if and when I have further proof.

I have no wish to circulate an erroneous public tree.

Shared cM project gives a good idea of how much or how little some people share with relatively close and more distant matches.

https://thegeneticgenealogist.com/2017/08/26/august-2017-update-to-the-shared-cm-project/

All 3rd cousins, from shared 2G grandparents, have reported a match.

Regards Margaret

[Mart 'n' Al]

Melba, I think I have previously recommended that video in a much earlier subject. I agree.

Martin

[melba_schmelba]

Melba, I think I have previously recommended that video in a much earlier subject. I agree.

Martin

Hi Martin! Yes of course I saw your comment on the video after I posted my message . I just wanted to try and get across to others, that they certainly shouldn't ignore even what ancestry says are 8th cousins, as we can COMPLETELY lose DNA by the great great grandparent stage as Andy's video shows. Even those great great grandparents showing 2% inheritance would probably be reported by ancestry for a descendant in common as an 8th or even greater cousin when they are in fact 3rd cousins.

[hurworth]

Hopefully your matches will upload somewhere with a chromosome browser.  I tend to a bit iffy if it's a small shared segment.  It's possible that you infact match via another Wiltshire ancestor but if and when you get more matches and they triangulate you can be more certain of the link.

Having said that, I look at 5th to 8th cousin matches all the time.  I have access to two kits (3rd cousins to each other) and so the first thing I do when there are new matches is check whether they're a match to both.  Having access to both kits has helped take the trees back further on the Scottish side from the mutual gtgt-grandmother, and we've found that she had a gt-aunt (from a combination of DNA and records).  It was a site with a chromosome browser that clinched it though.

The third cousin appears to have inherited very little DNA from the English gtgt-grandfather though, so not so useful for matches on that side.  It's just how the cookie crumbles.

[sugarfizzle]

hurworth, I agree it isn't confirmed, and I am hoping that further matches will indeed prove it.

However, this is my only Wiltshire family, so it is highly likely to be from this line. I will try again to persuade at least one or two of my 3rd, 4th, 5th cousin confirmed matches to upload elsewhere, if not the more 'iffy' 7th cousin match, who does in fact share a respectable 10.1 cM with me. The Myheritage match shares 12.8 cM.

Not holding out much hope, though.

Regards Margaret