Just when I thought I was getting the hang of it...

[Old Bristolian]

Can anyone help me with a conundrum that's just arrived on my DNA matches? I tested through Ancestry and uploaded my results to My Heritage amongst others. A new match has contacted me through MyHeritage where we have a 38.9cM connection (3rd to 5th cousin suggested). We cannot find any family names that link us to one another, but there are gaps in my background so I'm not surprised.

What has alarmed me is that we have two shared matches that seem incompatible. One of these (A) is, on paper research a third cousin twice removed (we share 54.7cMs) - her g g g grandmother was my g grandmother. This is on my paternal grandfather's family. The other shared match (B) appears to be a 5th cousin once removed to me and we share 56.9 cMs - her ggg grandfather was my gg grandfather. However this is on my paternal grandmother's side of the family. My new match has a 15.9 cM share with B and a 10.1 cM share with A. How can I reconcile this?

I should add that I have been in touch with B and agreed the paper trail, but A has never replied to messages, although her tree on My Heritage seems to make sense. The two families lived some way apart, so I fail to see a possible route to illegitimacy along the line. One was in North Devon and the other just to the south of Bristol. Any ideas welcome!

Steve

[avm228]

5th cousin once removed sharing 56.9 cM? That can’t be right surely? At that level I am sharing more like 8-15 cM with matches.

[avm228]

5th cousin once removed sharing 56.9 cM? That can’t be right surely? At that level I am sharing more like 8-15 cM with matches.

Apologies - I see it is within the predicted range of 0-79 for that relationship (average 21)

[avm228]

Are your new match’s overlaps with A and B single chunks of DNA or an accumulation of little slivers here and there?

Do they overlap with your overlaps? If there are not significant triangulated segments shared between you-match-A or you-match-B then I would disregard for present purposes.

[Craclyn]

The new match could link to A through one side of their tree and B through the other side. Just because you share a match does not necessarily mean that the shared DNA is coming from the same line.

As an example, I have a nephew who has an English father and an Italian mother. He has a match Jess who is a shared match with both of his parents. One might initially jump to the wrong conclusion that his parents are therefore related, but that is not the case. Jess has a Scottish Dad and an Italian mother. There is one set of shared DNA on the English/Scottish connections and a completely different set of shared DNA on the Italian connections.

[Old Bristolian]

Craclyn, I think you must be right, but I'll have to keep looking on both lines for any names that crop up.
avm228 - there are no triangulated segments given in either case, so it's impossible to say.

Thank you both for your advice,

Steve

[medpat]

My husband, daughter and myself had our DNA tested, not Ancestry. It was several years ago and during that time we have had 2 people who connect with both my husband's family and mine somewhere along the line. My husband and I are not directly related to each other.

One link is from Birmingham, UK and that's where most of my family come from. My husband has most of his family based in London but a 3rd gt grandfather and his son (husband's 2nd gt grandfather) travelled to London to live and they were born in Birmingham.

The other link is from the USA and we both have relations who went to America so they could easily meet as British emigrees.