DNA matches - different CM splits

[Janethepain]

Sorry couldn't think of a better title for my question!

You have 2 matches both around 40 cm.  One is a single segment, the other is a split of half a dozen segments.  Which is the stronger, in indication of a true genealogical relationship, between me and the match ??

I know this will probably have been asked before, but .. I cant find it!

PS I know also that every case is different etc.  But generally speaking, what do you think!

[sugarfizzle]

I may be wrong, but logically it would seem the 40cM the strongest match.

Paper trail, as always, is needed to back this up, except, for example, adoptees. In the latter case, it's just a matter of painstakingly trawling through all your matches to see what else come up.

However, a smaller match over a few segments is still a valid match. However, if you are talking about familytreeDNA, they count even the smallest cMs when totalling up the match. I.e. you could share 5cM, 5cM, 5cM, 5cM, 5cM plus 15 cM.  It is clear that the true recognised match of 15 cM is much less than the match of 40 cM.
Hope you understand what I mean.

But both should still be investigated if both parties are willing and able.

Regards Margaret

[Janethepain]

Thats what i thought, however i did wo der if say four 10cm segments on different chromosomes might have an equal or more strength!
 Oh if only paper records were available!! But im mainly talking of catholic ireland in about 1850 - very little exists! My current major objective is Clifden Connemara and my Burke/conley ancestors. Unfortunately my ggm left about then and came to Glasgow, while everyone else we know about went to usa & Canada!! I have 2 matches from the US probably sisters with about 130cm on 6-9 segments who i cant get to talk to me(i haven't pestered them honest). They must be relatively close relations(called Burke helpfully) but i just cant work out where they fit in my tree or i fit in theirs!

Quite frustrating!!  Ps sorry for the spelling etc not used to posting from my phone

[Mart 'n' Al]

I asked this some weeks ago and got good answers.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=796843.0

Martin

[Janethepain]

Thanks Martin, I will have a wee read through your suggestions!

[hdw]

My full-time genealogist 4th cousin in New Zealand uploaded my DNA results to MyHeritage for me, and I have found lots of matches there with people who have proven paper-trail kinship to me. Ironically, she doesn't show up as a match for me herself on MyHeritage, although we share a pair of 3 x great-grandparents, but one of her cousins who shares her surname and has the same relationship to me shows up as a match for me at 3rd cousin - 5th cousin level, we share 36.7cM and have 3 segments in common, the biggest being 17.6cM.

Harry