Unexpected High DNA Match - Moral Dilemma

[Josephine]

On Ancestry, I have a 23% match with my mother's sister and 1585 cM. My brother has a 24% match with the same aunt and 1650 cM.

Ancestry's system throws her into the 1st Cousin category but there's no question she's our aunt.

[Josephine]

One of my brothers was concerned before I did a DNA test because we've heard about unknown offspring showing up this way. We haven't gotten any such results (at least not yet) but the plan was to consult my brother before I responded to any such inquiries.

Have you spoken to your sibling about this situation?

[farmeroman]

On Ancestry, I have a 23% match with my mother's sister and 1585 cM. My brother has a 24% match with the same aunt and 1650 cM.

Ancestry's system throws her into the 1st Cousin category but there's no question she's our aunt.

The "Close Family - 1st Cousin" heading is annoyingly misleading. If the person concerned were to click on it they would get the list of 100% possible relationships for those values, which doesn't include 1st cousin.

[farmeroman]

One of my brothers was concerned before I did a DNA test because we've heard about unknown offspring showing up this way. We haven't gotten any such results (at least not yet) but the plan was to consult my brother before I responded to any such inquiries.

Have you spoken to your sibling about this situation?

Not yet, but I guess I'm going to have to very soon.

[Josephine]

One of my brothers was concerned before I did a DNA test because we've heard about unknown offspring showing up this way. We haven't gotten any such results (at least not yet) but the plan was to consult my brother before I responded to any such inquiries.

Have you spoken to your sibling about this situation?

Not yet, but I guess I'm going to have to very soon.

Good luck!

[brigidmac]

i dont understand how this person can KNOW 4 of their grandparents unless they already know who their birth parents are ! or have worked it out by triangulating trees already .
im presuming they were adopted

my aunt + i have a 1,9871cm match .

nowadays  in cases of unexpected matches we also have to consider the possibility of legitimate sperm + egg donation  for infertile couples

also could there be a chance that your parents had a son before marriage that was adopted
I think its important to let your brother know if theres a possibility he may have a child he doesnt know about ...but iunderstand your dilemna .
i hope you let us know the outcome

[Ashtone]

For what it's worth, my half-sibling and I have a 1900 cM match via AncestryDNA. Yet Ancestry puts us in the 1st Cousins category. Go figure. We have a total ethnicity breakdown match via our shared parent.

[farmeroman]

i dont understand how this person can KNOW 4 of their grandparents unless they already know who their birth parents are ! or have worked it out by triangulating trees already .
im presuming they were adopted

my aunt + i have a 1,9871cm match .

nowadays  in cases of unexpected matches we also have to consider the possibility of legitimate sperm + egg donation  for infertile couples

also could there be a chance that your parents had a son before marriage that was adopted
I think its important to let your brother know if theres a possibility he may have a child he doesnt know about ...but iunderstand your dilemna .
i hope you let us know the outcome

They don't KNOW (four grandparents). I do. They clearly haven't been through many of their DNA matches yet; probably just the highest ranked (me). I know for a fact that their paternal grandparents are not the ones they think they are.

As far as my parents having a child before their marraige and it being adopted? Yes I agree that's not completely out of the question, but I believe it to be an extremely remote possibility. The place and date of the birth and registration of this person fits very well with my main theory though.

[farmeroman]

For what it's worth, my half-sibling and I have a 1900 cM match via AncestryDNA. Yet Ancestry puts us in the 1st Cousins category. Go figure. We have a total ethnicity breakdown match via our shared parent.

The 1st Cousins category is completely misleading. Click on it and it says half siblings are one of the 100% possible DNA relationships at that level, but doesn't consider 1st cousins to be (at least they are not on the list)...