How satisfied are you with your DNA test experience?

[TinaRoyal]

Brigidmac,

Where do I find the “Locality Button” you mentioned earlier in the Topic ?

Tina.

[jillruss]

Through familty history sites, I know many of my DNA matches or how other matches link in.

However, yesterday, I was looking at trees of random DNA matches and  looked more closely at our "common" matches.
It became apparent how everyone else was linked to each other but, nothing in their trees resembled mine, except they family originate in the same general area of my maternal family.

Last night, the penny finally dropped.
There is no father listed on my mother's birth certificate, his identity was never discussed.

I know it sounds totally daft as I have years of research experience but, it never really occurred  to me that there would be a biological father out there with ancestors of his own.

I think that I have stumbled upon his ancestors.

Hi,

I've done the same - twice - but not as close as yours! Like you, I couldn't work out why these people (both in the USA) were listed as matching me. Where there was a tree (and there hardly ever is) none of the names rang any bells at all. The I looked at locations and shared matches and did a lot of polite prodding and messaging and eventually the lightbulbs came on!

By using exisitng censuses and paperwork in conjunction with the DNA results - and crossmatching (if that's the right word) with shared matches, I am convinced I have not only found the natural father of my paternal great grandmother but also the natural father of my maternal great grandfather!!

I'm chuffed - and I also think it IS possible to work out which generation of the natural family was responsible. If not by age, by common sense and the good old paperwork.

So, if you have any illegitimate ancestors (not sure if it would work for those many generations back) don't discount those matches who don't seem to have any connecting surnames. The truth is out there! (Sorry, been watching too many X Files!!)

[sugarfizzle]

Sorry, I misread you.

However, whether you follow them through or not, further DNA matches will appear at 2nd cousin level and above!!  You will be automatically excluding about a quarter of your matches.

I have only one illegitimate birth in the direct family (that I know about!!).  I would love to find out more about him, may have found a DNA match but unsure, so haven't followed it through as yet.  In this case, I do have a name of sorts to go on, at marriage one son gave his father's name as George Dawson, the other gave his name as Dawes Steer.  In census there was a George Dawes living in the same village, it might or might not be him.

Regards Margaret

[anne_p]

I know what I forgot to say..
I did something similar to Jillruss and created my own  curiosity tree based on all the common" shared Matching" that had no apparent link to my family.

It was when I put it  all together, including additional, missing info that I figured out that they all had one set of ancestors in common.
Two trees had located this couple but another two hadn't got that far back yet!

It means that I matched with at least 4 random people who share the same common ancestors with each other.
My curiosity tree has grown and has now also linked more DNA matches.
They are descendants of the additions that I found ( children/grandchildren etc).
I left it at that.

Bizzarely, I could copy all the info found on more than 6  different family trees with varying degrees of ancestry included and accurately make one big tree out of it!

[hdw]

Sorry, I misread you.

However, whether you follow them through or not, further DNA matches will appear at 2nd cousin level and above!!  You will be automatically excluding about a quarter of your matches.

I have only one illegitimate birth in the direct family (that I know about!!).  I would love to find out more about him, may have found a DNA match but unsure, so haven't followed it through as yet.  In this case, I do have a name of sorts to go on, at marriage one son gave his father's name as George Dawson, the other gave his name as Dawes Steer.  In census there was a George Dawes living in the same village, it might or might not be him.

Regards Margaret

In cases where the biological father refused to admit paternity, the mother of the child would often give the child the father's name as middle names. My mother grew up in the Fife fishing village of Crail and had relatives there called Spink. She often spoke of her father's cousin Dippie Spink, who was illegitimate, and I always imagined that Dippie was a nickname. However, when I looked up his birth-certificate on Scotlandspeople - he was born in 1881 - I found that he had been christened John William Dippie Spink. His maternal grandfather was a John Spink, but what about the other names?
Well, my next discovery was that in the 1881 Crail census, lodging with a carter called Andrew Stobie and his wife was a 19-year-old carter from Berwickshire called William Dippie. I rest my case! Obviously he had refused to admit fathering Catherine Spink's son but she had proclaimed the boy's paternity to the world by calling him John (for her father) William Dippie Spink. I suppose the locals decided to call him Dippie to avoid confusing him with other John and William Spinks in the village.
Harry

[hurworth]

In cases where the biological father refused to admit paternity, the mother of the child would often give the child the father's name as middle names. My mother grew up in the Fife fishing village of Crail and had relatives there called Spink. She often spoke of her father's cousin Dippie Spink, who was illegitimate, and I always imagined that Dippie was a nickname. However, when I looked up his birth-certificate on Scotlandspeople - he was born in 1881 - I found that he had been christened John William Dippie Spink. His maternal grandfather was a John Spink, but what about the other names?
Well, my next discovery was that in the 1881 Crail census, lodging with a carter called Andrew Stobie and his wife was a 19-year-old carter from Berwickshire called William Dippie. I rest my case! Obviously he had refused to admit fathering Catherine Spink's son but she had proclaimed the boy's paternity to the world by calling him John (for her father) William Dippie Spink. I suppose the locals decided to call him Dippie to avoid confusing him with other John and William Spinks in the village.
Harry

I wish my gt-grandmother had thought to do that.....

[Finley 1]

This is it .... The fathers surname was often given as a middle name,

Which had me chasing a Mr Marshall for years to no avail.. .. fed up now -- sure I will not find him..

I have found that the person involved

My GG Grandfather who was born illegitimately in 1835 Brixworth.... was given the name   Annis Marshall   Green........ by his mother.

She later went on to marry and did ok for herself..  they were in touch - although he never seemed to live with her.  Although he seems to have carried her pic with him for everish... it has been restored on here in the past and its wow.....

He eventually changed his name to that of Charles Annis Green.

NOW  Her Father was William  -- AND  I have a DNA match with HIS family..  ... that is good, only discovered it last night.. So  on to Mr Marshall yet again.. maybe..   ON his marriage cert my GG fibbed about his Daddy (I presume) As he said he was  A SURGEON called Thomas Green.. out of the blue or TRUE   doubt I will know.

Then My Patricks are NOT my Patricks (as far as I can tell checking DNA Links) -- cannot find a single link past Fred.. and was never certain as no BC for him.. so oh dear me....

some good -- some bad.. I am a Sutherland and a Himsley and a Hellyar/ Talluck all confirmed with DNA...matches. so far .. scaryily getting there.

xin

[brigidmac]

tina on Ancestry when you view your DNA shared matches
there is an option to view shared surnames or view shared localities ...cant get on the site at the moment ...hope you find it

[TinaRoyal]

Brigidmac,

Thanks.

Tina.