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In case anyone notices, I'm very aware that John Lloyd is a common name in Montgomeryshire. I have 13 in my tree! It's just that the Llanfechain one is such a good match to a Winifred Lloyd of Liverpool (and yes I know that there are more than one of them. It doesn't help that this one evades censuses. Chris

The John Lloyd of Llanfechain has been found as a shoemaker, including in 1871 in Rhosymedre with 3 daughters. It's much more likely that he is the ancestor of my contact, and hence a match to me, than Winifred Lloyd whose grandfather was in Whittington that year. Back to the drawing board.

Ancestry DNA has been very useful to me. I have found matches with people who confirm my relationship with all 13 of my known great-great-grandparents, some many times over, and many other lines further back.

So I was keen to find a supposed link to one of these greatx3 ancestors, a Taylor, via her sibling, to someone who was also a match on another line. However, checking proved that someone had conflated a Gilbert born in North Warwickshire with another born in Cubbington, centre county - whose actual parents are known and different.

No harm done. But then I had another match on ThruLines with someone whose tree said descended through farmer's son John Reece of Bronington Flints who was obviously wrong - on censuses with wife Sarah at the same time as the other with wife Clara in Cefn Mawr, a miner and Welsh speaking (unlikely for a Bronington man) but whose birthplace was not known on censuses (filled in by his stepson 1911),

So having eliminated all the other John Reece  from very near the border, I was ready to assume that this was my John Rees of Cefn -  especially since his marriage as Rees gave his father as Thomas Rees deceased, which would be right - until I went and looked at the 1921 where he clearly gives his PoB as Machynlleth, Mont (there are a lot born there thenabout).   

So this (so far) removes the proof from this well-researched branch, although can there really be more than one Rowland Rees born c1790 Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant?

And how am I related to this match? With the rest of her ancestors Irish or central English, the only one is Edna Winifred Lloyd 1904 West Derby. No such person, but if it's the Winifred born 1903, her father Edward Francis Lloyd born Whittington Salop has a father John Lloyd born Llansantffraed-ym-Mechain who might just be the John found on the 1841 aged 10 in nearby Llanfechain, but not on the 1851 where his siblings are born Llanfechain. It's not enough to go on.

And how do I approach this lady and tell her that her tree is wrong? The above text is longer than Rootschatters like, and the full details (available if anyone's interested) would be much longer, and I don't know how experienced she is. Any advice?

Mods, I put this on the DNA board in error, please don't move it there just yet, I want it to be seen. Chris

FindMyPast free until Monday inclusive, according to an email I just received. Along with the Fold3 freebie this will make for a busy Remembrance weekend!

Hi Chris,

A few suggestions:

Does N have her DNA on all the major DNA databases? (I've found some matches only test with one company)

Have you tried inputting N's DNA values into the "What Are The Odds" tool on the DNA Painter website?

Have you tried figuring out who N's Grandparents are first - are there any DNA matches to her potential father's mother's ancestral lines for example...

I don't know how long you've been working with DNA but here's a link with resources on searching for close relatives -

https://dna-explained.com/2023/04/07/dna-in-search-ofyour-grandparents/

Thank you very much for replying. I'll have a look at the sites you mention.

N was adopted, and only reunited with her birth mother V not long before the latter's death, by then V had dementia and was either unable or unwilling to give any information. So that side of the tree is well established. N's grandparents on her father's side cannot be known until her father is known.

Did you manage to get a look at the mini-tree? I hope it helps. The three matches shown are all from Ancestry matches, and all from the same side, all descended from Elizabeth Roberts - as is one of N's father's parents presumably. The other match, R, is from MyHeritage and doesn't seem to relate to the others - presumably from N's father's other parent. We are awaiting a result from R's mother which may give more information.

What other DNA companies are worth using for recent UK matches?

Harry S Truman apparently - there were two relatives vying to pass on their name as Harry's middle name, but both began with S so the single letter was the compromise.

If I remember the Guinness article correctly, there was at the time just one person in the Uk with a one-letter surname, but that was not revealed for confidentiality reasons. However, it was believed to be "O" - there are several such families in France.

Two-letter British surnames include By and On - but I've only encountered Bye and Onn (MPs). I studied under an Ng which is pronounced as the nasal sound, but he was happy to be called N G.