Trying to connect up distant Potter relatives using DNA

[History Lives]

My 6x great grandfather is John Potter born around 1778, probably in Liverpool, but not sure. This is as far back as I've been able to get using paper genealogy. Don't know who his siblings are. His children were Ann, Ellen, Frances, Jane, Robert, John, Louisa and Charlotte, some born in Liverpool and some in Chester.

I'm now trying to use DNA to see if I can push through this brick wall. I'm new to using it. I have a few matches that descend from people with the Potter surname, descendants of the following people:

• Dorothy Potter, born in Woolton in 1817, Lancashire to Thomas Potter and Mary Latham (10 Centimorgans shared). Married James Hockenhall.
• Lydia Potter, who married Jeremiah Clough in Prestwick in 1803. (share 8 Centimorgans) . Born 1784 in Worsley, Lancashire to David Potter.
• two people that descend from Thomas Potter born in Wirksworth, Derbyshire about 1700.

I'm trying to piece this together to link their trees to mine but am having a hard time doing so. Any advice on how to work through these kind of situations?

[Romilly]

Have you checked via Thrulines on Ancestry?

I found a DNA match at just 6cMs, who matched to me via our 5x Great Grandparents. Such a shame that Ancestry have removed these lower matches, some of them were very helpful.

Romilly.

[CaroleW]

How do you know he was born around 1778?

Who did he marry?  When & where?

Have you found him on the 1841 census or had he died by then?

[History Lives]

Have you checked via Thrulines on Ancestry?

I found a DNA match at just 6cMs, who matched to me via our 5x Great Grandparents. Such a shame that Ancestry have removed these lower matches, some of them were very helpful.

Romilly.

Its actually my distant cousin through the Potter line who's test it is. She has just shared her matches with me. I've told her to enable Thru Lines but will have to wait. Doesn't look like it would help much though because their trees don't go any further back than what I've listed in my original post.

Is it simply a case of trial and error building up the tree of their descendant and seeing if there are any possible places for my John Potter?

[History Lives]

How do you know he was born around 1778?

Who did he marry?  When & where?

Have you found him on the 1841 census or had he died by then?

Done one or two previous threads on John Potter so will simply link to that rather than repeat anything:

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=826041.msg6900010#msg6900010

[Romilly]

Have you checked via Thrulines on Ancestry?
I found a DNA match at just 6cMs, who matched to me via our 5x Great Grandparents. Such a shame that Ancestry have removed these lower matches, some of them were very helpful.
Romilly.

Its actually my distant cousin through the Potter line who's test it is. She has just shared her matches with me. I've told her to enable Thru Lines but will have to wait. Doesn't look like it would help much though because their trees don't go any further back than what I've listed in my original post.

Is it simply a case of trial and error building up the tree of their descendant and seeing if there are any possible places for my John Potter?

I would ask your relative to link her DNA test to her Tree.

Thrulines doesn’t just look at one Tree, it’ll look for any other Trees who have the same names mentioned. I always check the hints, to see if any of the named Tree owners have a DNA Match to me.

Romilly.

[History Lives]

Have you checked via Thrulines on Ancestry?
I found a DNA match at just 6cMs, who matched to me via our 5x Great Grandparents. Such a shame that Ancestry have removed these lower matches, some of them were very helpful.
Romilly.

Its actually my distant cousin through the Potter line who's test it is. She has just shared her matches with me. I've told her to enable Thru Lines but will have to wait. Doesn't look like it would help much though because their trees don't go any further back than what I've listed in my original post.

Is it simply a case of trial and error building up the tree of their descendant and seeing if there are any possible places for my John Potter?

I would ask your relative to link her DNA test to her Tree.

Thrulines doesn’t just look at one Tree, it’ll look for any other Trees who have the same names mentioned. I always check the hints, to see if any of the named Tree owners have a DNA Match to me.

Romilly.

Thanks for this. She's just connected her tree and enabled Thru Lines, but unfortunately it won't go back further than 7 generations! That's the point we've managed to get to with the paper trail. Its the 8th generation we need to figure out. Any other methods you'd employ to tackle this puzzle?

[Romilly]

History Lives,

Have you both uploaded to other Sites?

Always worth a try, because some people don’t test with Ancestry.

I started off testing with Ancestry, uploaded from there to Gedmatch, FTDNA and My Heritage. I also tested with Living DNA and 23andme. I’ve found matches on 23andme  who haven’t tested anywhere else.

It’s best to cast your net wide! 😃

Best of luck, Romilly.

[History Lives]

History Lives,

Have you both uploaded to other Sites?

Always worth a try, because some people don’t test with Ancestry.

I started off testing with Ancestry, uploaded from there to Gedmatch, FTDNA and My Heritage. I also tested with Living DNA and 23andme. I’ve found matches on 23andme  who haven’t tested anywhere else.

It’s best to cast your net wide! 😃

Best of luck, Romilly.

Thanks Romilly, that would probably be worth trying. Better than the approach of trying to link these seemingly random Potter lines into mine!