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Topics - Glen in Tinsel Kni

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 13
1
The Common Room / I'm on a roll
« on: Thursday 16 November 23 18:52 GMT (UK)  »
For the fourth time in a month I've messaged a long standing Ancestry user in my list of dna matches, the message has been read, no reply sent and their tree suddenly switched to private.
 
Is this a special talent that is unique to me?
Does my ability to differentiate between 'there', 'they're' and 'their' mark me out as some threatening superior intelligence?
Should I stop using words such as Hello and Thanks in messages and insert various references questioning their parentage instead in an effort to get more responses?

2
The Common Room / DNA matches trials and tribulations; Day 41
« on: Thursday 02 November 23 00:38 GMT (UK)  »
After 41 days I finally thought I'd broken my duck on Ancestry with not one but two matches above 20cM. They also happen to have shared matches and linked trees. One tree is 753 names going back 6-7 generations, each and every name simply marked as 'private'. The other one has 4 'private; generations and from that point every female is displayed with the surname of her husband.  I wonder if some of my matches actually managed to take a test or if a nurse just happened to scoop up the drool and send it off to relieve the boredom.

3
The Lighter Side / The DNA space & time paradox
« on: Wednesday 19 July 23 13:40 BST (UK)  »
Is it me or does a day of real life seem to pass in mere minutes but a day waiting for a dna test to be processed feels like a whole year?

4
Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing / Reverse matching <20cM matches on Ancestry
« on: Sunday 30 April 23 05:57 BST (UK)  »
Despite having 16k Ancestry matches I don't have many close matches. My top 10 consist of two above 200cM and 8 between 100 and 199, I only know who four of them are.
Only 350 or so matches are above 20cM so I don't get great results when checking shared matches as only those above about 20cM are displayed. The majority of my matches predate the parent assignment and Ancestry has managed to assign over 13,000 of them including some of the very lowest shared cM matches.

As I don't have a great number of close matches, and thanks to DNA I've lost a paper trail paternal grandfather and a set of maternal grandparents and associated ancestors!, I am now faced with DNA results that contradict about 60 bmd certs and matches to completely unknown 2nd-4th cousins. I've been able to build two groups of maternal 'unknowns', each hasabout 25 matches and I can see they don't match to my maternal grandmother in any way. The highest match in both groups is between 150 and 199 cM estimated as a 2nd-3rd cousin but there is no crossover between them. 


I've started 'reverse matching' by looking at the <20cM matches and seeing who the shared matches are, most just match to one name but that one name can be a mutual match to dozens of the <20cM matches. They may match each other but the 20cM cutoff point is defeating me. I know they are all distant matches, perhaps 5th cousins and beyond, many don't have trees and/or are inactive. My tree won't go back far or wide enough to find the connection. Am I wasting my time or is there some way to piece at least some of them together without having to try and build tens or maybe hundreds of 4-5 generation trees?

5
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Names on census
« on: Thursday 01 December 22 03:07 GMT (UK)  »
I'm struggling to make sense of the names versus the transcription in this census

The transcriptions for the last 3 names are;
#3 Josephine Hay
#4 Arthur Hay
#5 Ethel Hay

I've worked out that Arthur L Doyle married Ethel Ryan in 1917 in Ecclesall Bierlow. Ethel should be orn around 1890 but there doesn't seem to be a birth ref to match.

It's actually George Hay I'm interested in, he is serving with the Indian Army.  I think I have him in 1911, sergeant, age 30, married, Royal Engineers, occ Printer, b Hartlepool, Durham.
Serving with Head Quarters Staff, North China Command, Tientsin
I can't be sure it's the same man in both census and can't pin down a marriage. there certainly isn't a George Hay marriage to anyone with the surname of Ryan in the E/W bmd index and I'm very dubious that the name of Josephine is correctly transcribed here but can't make it out.


6
I've added the results of my Ancestry test to Myheritage, I don't have particularly close matches on either site and have only found one person who has added their result to both sites. That result brings up some queries/questions and confusion. We both have trees on Ancestry though there is only one tree on myheritage

Ancestry result- 4th cousin at 40 cM across 4 segments
Myheritage result- 3rd - 5th cousin 64cM across 5 segments

Ancestry actually suggests a 30% chance we are 3rd cousins and just 15% chance we are 4th cousins but has plumped for 4th cousins, I know the two trees, both are backed up by documents and the common ancestors are the same 2xgrt grandparents in both cases and are on my maternal side.

I'm also getting a couple of matches on another maternal line, the tests were taken by two sisters, Ancestry suggests one is my 2nd-3rd cousin on the maternal side, the other being a 4th-6th cousin and not assigned as maternal or paternal link.  We can't work out the link and on paper at least  there is no link between us, someone somewhere either made up the details on a cert or forgot to mention something but the person who has taken that test has a around 18 shared matches with me. All the shared matches have ether private trees, unlinked trees, no trees or have been inactive for ages, my biggest headache is the few who do reply insist we have no link at all because we don't have the same name in our tree complete with marching band and flashing lights picking them out.
How far can the suggested relationship be trusted as I'm really struggling to determine links to others based on the suggestions the sites are making and the issues with accessing the other trees and gleaning info from the tree owners.


7
Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing / DNA newbie and confused as can be.
« on: Friday 09 September 22 17:31 BST (UK)  »
I finally got round to round to doing DNA and it's got me baffled.

I'm beginning to question if my alleged bio father James Townsend 1923-1984 really is my father now. I'm getting matches with common ancestors on my maternal side but none on the names my paper trail suggests for my father's ancestors. In addition my ethnicity is allegedly 55% Irish but there is nothing outside England in my paper trail back two centuries or so. I realise it has a huge margin of error but it's a really hefty figure that I can't seem to understand or ignore.

I've pushed the Townsend line back on paper to my great grandparents; John Townsend, 1827, Worfield, Shropshire and Sarah Lewis, 1831, Preston on the Weald Moors, Shropshire. but I'm not getting any DNA matches with those surnames as common ancestors. I realise great grandparents aren't that far back but if the paper trail is correct it's because my grandfather decided kids in his mid 50's was a good idea. John and Sarah had 6 children that I can tell so I feel there should be a few descendants out there.

Have I just been very unlucky and have a family where nobody has done a DNA test? My closest DNA match is estimated by Ancestry as a 2nd-3rd cousin with 155 cM across 5 segments. I've contacted them but they have private trees and won't reveal any details.  I can't even say which side of my tree they link to. The 155cM is higher than any match on my maternal side including those I've linked with long before doing a test.


8
If anyone can pull up the following article please I would appreciate it;

On Sunday last, aged 70, Mrs. Mary Cheetham, wife J. Cheetham, gent, of High-st., St. Botolph, Lincoln, and formerly of the Spread Eagle inn, in this city. Her remains ...

Published: Friday 27 May 1842
Newspaper: Lincolnshire Chronicle

9
London and Middlesex / George Hay brickwall back from his will in 1823
« on: Thursday 25 August 22 08:06 BST (UK)  »
I've struggled with my 3xgrt grandfather George Hay for years. I have a copy of his will proven in 1823 which names some family but haven't been able to find anything based on the names it contains. I'm trying to find clues to his wife, parents and three of his four children.
 

Transcript of the 1823 will; 

This is the last will and testament of me George Hay of No 10 Clerkenwell Green in the County of Middlesex Clock and Watch Maker that is to say I give and bequeath to my mother Barbara Hay the sum of forty pounds to be applied by her in such manner as she shall think best in or towards maintenance and bringing up of my youngest daughter Sarah Hay and as to all the rest residue and remainder of my personal estate & effects whatsoever and wherever I give and bequeath the same unto my Brother in Law Thomas Bates of ? Dorogate Hill [it might be Ludgate, badly transcribed] upon trust by sale to convert into money such part of the said Residue of my Estate as shall not consist of money and by and with the same and my ready money in the first place after payment of all expences attending such sale to pay all my just debts funeral and testamentary expences and subject thereto to pay or apply the Residue for the use and benefit of my three other children namely George Hay Jane Hay and Frederick Charles Hay in such manner as the said Thomas Bates think best and most eligible and I nominate and appoint the said Thomas Bates sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the eleventh day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three George Hay Signed sealed published and declared by the said George Hay the testator as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us James Mc Kash Jacob Evans

Proved at London 18th April 1823 before the Worshipful Jesse Addams doctor of Law & surrogate by the oath of Thomas Bates the sole executor to whom admon. Was granted having been first sworn dult to adm.

==

The son named George in the will was baptised in 1810 at Clerkenwell, mother noted as Mary. Later documents for him consistently quote 1810 and Clerkenwell birth details including census & coastguard application. I also have three marriage certs for him each noting his father as George, clock and watch maker. Several unsourced ancestry trees have his mother as Mary Unknown 1794-1810 and his father as George Hay 1794-1839, somewhat surprising given the 1823 will.

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