Finding third great grandfather by dna matching

[buckyb]

Hi All
I am trying to link a George Marlin (1807) as my third great grandfather by DNA matching.

I have DNA matches to at least two of George's descendants, one through his son and another through his daughter. I cannot link either of these two matches to any of my ancestors. I suspect that my second great grandmother Elizabeth (1839) could be George's daughter, though some family members won't have a bar of this.

Elizabeth's line is quite complicated, however I will try to make some sense of it:
1. I have established beyond reasonable doubt that my relationship to Elizabeth is through my
    paternal grandmother Mary (Elizabeth's granddaughter)
2.My half 1c1r also has a DNA match to one and most likely both of the two of George's children
   mentioned above.
3.At least one other descendant of Elizabeth through her husband James Russell (no direct
   relationship to me) has DNA connections to one or more of George's children.

Given that I have no paper trail to George and that my cousin through my grandmother also has a DNA match to George's decendants without a paper trail. As well other descendants of Elizabeth, who do not share the same second great grandfather as me, have DNA matches but no paper trails.

Do you think that it is reasonable to assume that George is the father of Elizabeth?

I appreciate that this could be quite difficult to understand as it was hard to write in a meaningful way. Therefore I am happy to provide any further information and explanations that maybe required. There are a few other complications however I hope this is enough to get the ball rolling.

Rod

[JohnDoe2020]

You mention matches but do not indicate the level of CMs. Wide variability in possible relationships depending on the size of the match and the generational relationship to you or your half 1C1R (150 to 350 cm). More information may help you with your puzzle

[buckyb]

Thanks JohnDoe
It was good to get your reply as it helps to expand the situation.

I do not have access to third party's dna information only that which applies to me. My three matches to George are:
AM (20cM across 3 segments)- X4gen- Susan Marlin- George Marlin
OK (37cM across 2 segments)- X2Gen- William Marlin - George Marlin
LM (34cM across 2 segments)- X2 or 3 Gen - William Marlin -George Marlin
None of these three matches have any apparent connection to Elizabeth Armstrong's (my 2nd great grandmother) family.

WK is my half 1C1R and is a match to LM and has no apparant connection to the Marlin Family.

PW and AR also have shared matches to to OK. They are both related to me through Elizabeth's marriage to James Russell. My relationship to Elizabeth is through an earlier affair with a Richard Wilkinson.

I have plotted my known connections to DNA Painter, however this is complicated as two of Elizabeth's siblings married two of George's children ie John and Eliza. The third sibling's descendent  DM is also related to OK. Again without any apparant connection to the Marlin family.

Thanks again JohnDoe for helping to get the ball rolling, I know it is a difficult set of information to comprehend but I welcome any input and I am happy to expand  or elaborate any details.
BuckyB

[JohnDoe2020]

Well you have a start. And as you know you need to track these matches back tot the nearest common ancestor. Are you using ancestry or another platform? These matches in terms of cm are more distant relatives am I am sure you have explored those potentials kn DNA painter. Do you know the ages of these matches and their generational relationship to you? That influences the potential relationship you have with them. You need to look at more matches. Do any of these have a family tree you can review?

[buckyb]

Thanks JohnDoe

My matches to George Marlin from a paper trail and dna matching suggest that my connection goes at least as far back as George and even further back. George and his ancestors come from Devon in the south of England, while Elizabeth's mother Eleanor Jobling comes from Northumberland in the north. George came free to Australia in 1837 while Eleanor came as a convict in 1832. It is possible though most unlikely that there is an English connection between the two families. There is no apparent link on the family trees of my Marlin dna matches to Elizabeth Armstrong (1839). I have quite a few links to other Marlin family members but because of the intermarriage of Marlin s to Elizabeth's siblings I can't be sure of the source of our dna connections.

On my side I am sure the link is from my grandmother (Elizabeth's granddaughter) as one of my close dna links a half first cousin once removed, who only shares my grandmother (his great grandmother) but has a different grandfather (his great grandfather), has a dna match to the Marlin Family. As previously mentioned I also have dna links to descendants of Elizabeth who do not have the same male connection as myself, who also have links to the Marlin family.

I have checked and rechecked my line to Elizabeth to see if there could be any Marlin connection, I have been able to establish dna links to both sides of my line back to Elizabeth. So I conclude that the connection can only be through the father of Elizabeth ie George Marlin

Due to the insistence of some cousins who do not believe this is possible I have put this to the forum in case I have missed or overlooked some fact.

Thanks
BuckyB