Author Topic: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!  (Read 3483 times)

Offline Finley 1

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 31 March 18 20:34 BST (UK) »
I am marking this page... to check it out  later :) see if I can get to grips with my results.

xin

Offline hdw

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #10 on: Saturday 31 March 18 21:30 BST (UK) »
A distant cousin of mine (4th!) who is a full-time genealogist persuaded me to take the FTDNA Family Finder test, and quite frankly I wasn't too impressed with the results. Plenty of so-called matches, but who on earth were they? Hardly any of them had a family-tree that made any sense to me.
Then my relative asked for permission to upload my details onto MyHeritage. Carry on, said I, not expecting much from that either. In fact, right from the start I have been blown away by the matches I have found on MyHeritage, many of whom are related to me in recent time. The first one I checked out turned out to be the daughter of a 2nd cousin I used to exchange emails with most Saturday afternoons.
But the star of the show is a chap with a name that meant nothing to me, but he shared 7.5% of my DNA, 544.1cM(!) and we had shared segments on 22 out of the 23 chromosomes. I noticed that he also matched several people who matched me on my paternal Watson side, so he had to be close family. My dad was the youngest of 10 children, and I knew pretty well who my various cousins were, except that I did have an uncle who moved from Scotland to England before I was born and we lost touch with him and his family, although I knew he and his wife had 6 children.
Cutting a long story short, with the help of my genealogist 4th cousin I have established that this chap is the grandson of my long-lost uncle, hence my 1st cousin, once removed. Unfortunately he hasn't responded to my email, but at least my curiosity is satisfied, and autosomal DNA is vindicated!
Harry

Offline IJDisney

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #11 on: Saturday 31 March 18 22:31 BST (UK) »
My dad was the youngest of 10 children, and I knew pretty well who my various cousins were, except that I did have an uncle who moved from Scotland to England before I was born and we lost touch with him and his family, although I knew he and his wife had 6 children.
Cutting a long story short, with the help of my genealogist 4th cousin I have established that this chap is the grandson of my long-lost uncle, hence my 1st cousin, once removed.

This illustrates how a DNA match is only as useful as the pre-existing paper trail. Unless its really close - within one or two generations - then without a paper trail a more distant cousin DNA match might just as well be a total non-match (which is also a point - that there will be lots of distant cousins who will be non-matches even though you are related)

Unfortunately he hasn't responded to my email, but at least my curiosity is satisfied, and autosomal DNA is vindicated!
Harry

The fact that this cousin has yet to (and may never) answer you is one of the frustrating things about the DNA matches. So many people do it just out of curiosity or novelty, and not with any active genealogical interest. It is of course personal choice to get involved with the genealogical community (plus the companies make a nice  profit), and it might get some people interested in family history at some point, but it does leave you with a long list of DNA matches that are, from a practical point of view, useless.

Offline IJDisney

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 31 March 18 22:32 BST (UK) »
Jill, if this gives you pleasure, then do it. But potentially you are now researching their tree both up and down, and still no guarantee that the name you have in common is the actual DNA link.

You said this DNA match descends from two lines from the 19th Century that emigrated to Australia. I really hope that isn't true (think of the in-breeding!). Surely all their lines emigrated to Australia? So it could be any of those multiple lines, not just the two you think it might be - considering that you can't be sure any of the lines have been traced correctly!


Offline IJDisney

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 31 March 18 22:39 BST (UK) »
Add to that trying to locate places in a country you have no knowledge of with a registration, and recording system that may be entirely different to the one you are used to and all sorts of mistakes and misunderstandings are likely to occur.

I'm a bit confused by this. If your Australian DNA contactee has researched their lines of descent, then surely its been their knowledge of their countries registration system they used? So its not going to be "entirely different to the one they are used to". Or do you mean their research in this country?

Offline IJDisney

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #14 on: Saturday 31 March 18 22:40 BST (UK) »
I have an ancestor from Leicestershire. Birth registered in Melton Mowbray. it's about 45 minutes from where I live. On various websites her place of birth is transcribed as Branstone and Braunstone. I don't know which of those is correct? Are there two places near Melton Mowbray with similar names? is it the same place badly written? Are neither correct? I'm 90% certain it's Branstone but her surname is very common in the region and if there are two places with similar names I could easily have identified the wrong person.

What century was the birth in? As long as the county stays consistent, then just look on a decent map, or in a gazetteer.

Offline Ruskie

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #15 on: Saturday 31 March 18 23:42 BST (UK) »
Add to that trying to locate places in a country you have no knowledge of with a registration, and recording system that may be entirely different to the one you are used to and all sorts of mistakes and misunderstandings are likely to occur.

I'm a bit confused by this. If your Australian DNA contactee has researched their lines of descent, then surely its been their knowledge of their countries registration system they used? So its not going to be "entirely different to the one they are used to". Or do you mean their research in this country?

This caught my eye as well. Apart from a few births, deaths and marriages, most people don't have any deaings with their countries' registrations systems, and even then it is only on the most basic level, eg filling in a form or someone else doing it for you. Add to that the fact that going back in time those systems were different, and in Australia each state is different, and holds their own records.

Your dilemma about Branstone Braunstone could just as easily happen to someone living in Bransone - it doesn't just happen to people who live in different countries. I agree with IJDisney in that finding a good map or two will help enormously, particularly contemporary maps and parish maps.

Offline Jill Eaton

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #16 on: Sunday 01 April 18 11:48 BST (UK) »
Jill, if this gives you pleasure, then do it. But potentially you are now researching their tree both up and down, and still no guarantee that the name you have in common is the actual DNA link.

I know!! ;D

You said this DNA match descends from two lines from the 19th Century that emigrated to Australia. I really hope that isn't true (think of the in-breeding!). Surely all their lines emigrated to Australia? So it could be any of those multiple lines, not just the two you think it might be - considering that you can't be sure any of the lines have been traced correctly!


The two trees/lines I was sent (private trees but I was given access) was because Ancestry gave an estimate of the probable relationship and these are the lines they thought would be a possibility. I'm aware this may be wrong - it's only an estimate and that they have a lot of ancestors' on their other trees I can't access. It could be any one of their ancestors who didn't go to Australia so have to assume what they've found in their own country is sound. It's their British research which is more speculative. This is why my tree is public so that others can look for a possible link too. Hence my original thread title of why DNA testing can be so frustrating.

But unless you/they are prepared to some research there isn't much point in posting a tree on Ancestry or anywhere else. Just use it for the Ethnicity Estimate if you have any faith in the results.
Davis - Berkshire & London
Sutcliffe - Yorkshire & London
Harrington - Ireland and London
Fuller - Cambridgeshire and Essex
Waldron/Waldren - Devon & London
Frisby and Lee - Leicestershire
Hollingsworth - Essex
Williams - Ireland? and London
Ellis, Reed & Temple - London
Lane - ?
Surplice/Surplus - Cambridgeshire
Elwood - Cambridgeshire

Offline Finley 1

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Re: DNA matches can be so frustrating!!!
« Reply #17 on: Sunday 01 April 18 13:11 BST (UK) »
I actually spent a lot of my childhood in Braunstone Leicester :)

Gooding Avenue..

peaceful happy place

ahhh


xin