Author Topic: DNA: how many generations?  (Read 510 times)

Offline Wulfsige

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DNA: how many generations?
« on: Wednesday 06 July 22 10:01 BST (UK) »
AYK I have come up against 'brick walls' and am wondering if they are too far in the past for DNA matches to be significant. I would value your thoughts on this. I need to confirm my wife's descent from Edward (1763-1810) and to identify my ancestor John (died 1786). Here are the generations:

Edward-Edward-George-Hornby-Ronald-Margaret (my wife, born 1956)
John-William-John-William-Samuel-Philip-David (me, b. 1946).

Are we too far distant from the first Edward and the first John for DNA matches to be significant in confirming Margaret's descent and identifying my John (for there were many men called John Young, but none registered as born near where he married and died)?
Young, Gameson, Miles, Williamson, Cramond

Offline garstonite

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Re: DNA: how many generations?
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 06 July 22 10:08 BST (UK) »
MyHeritage states 6-8 generations

If you're using an autosomal test such as AncestryDNA, 23andMe, or MyHeritage, you'll generally go back 6 to 8 generations. Assuming 25 years per generation, you can expect 150-200 years of DNA information by taking an autosomal DNA test.

Modified - what was Hornbys surname ?
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Offline medpat

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Re: DNA: how many generations?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 06 July 22 11:23 BST (UK) »
I have a confirmed DNA match.

My distant cousin is a direct descendant from my 5th gt grandmother's brother and carries their unusual surname. My 5th gt grandmother was baptised in 1704.

We therefore meet at my 6th gt grandparents who were born in the 1600s. My distant cousin is my 7th cousin and the 17cMs we share does come up as 7th cousin on DNA Painter.
GEDmatch M157477

Offline Wulfsige

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Re: DNA: how many generations?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 06 July 22 14:44 BST (UK) »
what was Hornbys surname ?

Hornby Edwy Woodger (not his son, Hornby Edward Woodger). As you doubtless know, King Edwy (or Eadwige) reigned c. 940 – October 959.
Young, Gameson, Miles, Williamson, Cramond


Offline Simon62

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Re: DNA: how many generations?
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 06 July 22 15:20 BST (UK) »
I've a confirmed 6th cousin at 12cm with most recent common ancestor born 1729. A very unusual surname we think from Westmorland/Northumberland.
Craston
Bimson
Walker, Halifax
Bardsley, Cheshire
Bentley, Halifax
Fawcett, Westmorland
Batty, Kirkby Lonsdale
Tomlinson, Longridge

Offline jc26red

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Re: DNA: how many generations?
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 06 July 22 15:28 BST (UK) »
I have a confirmed 7th cousin through Ancestry and quite a few 5th and 6th cousins.  I have done a lot of research over the years and it is paying off with the matches. My tree isn’t on Ancestry which means I check each match with name searches and narrow it down that way, it’s slow but I am enjoying checking through. I have managed to confirm my paternal line which had been a dead end for a long time  due to an illegitimate birth in 1764. I now know who the father was.

All I can say, is it’s not for the faint hearted if you want to check the matches. So far, I have managed to confirm that my research is all good.

I seem to have more than my fair share of matched trees belonging to Americans which all go back to very early immigrants  :-X. Those matches will have to remain unconfirmed as I don’t relish checking hundreds of unconfirmed matches/trees.

Another question with my husband’s line has been answered too. He’d  done a YDNA test 8 years ago  to help someone else to confirm their paternal line… it’s an unusual Haplogroup (C) and in 8 years we have only had 5 matches, he is also part of a named group on familytreedna. Some of the other members of this named group have a different Haplogroup which we had assumed meant a different family altogether BUT they are coming up as matches on ANCESTRY after he did an Ancestry test !  So somewhere there has been a NPE in one of the trees, our line is confirmed to at least 1702 in Ireland but we know the family were from England prior to that… I have been searching for years to confirm where in England with no luck but with the Ancestry match it appears the family were from the Bristol area.

I had an open mind to what I might find with the test results as we weren’t trying to prove or disprove anything but I am more than pleased with what I have found so far.

One can of worms could be the 1-2nd cousin who appears to be looking for a father  :o. As I know all my cousins… I wonder who might be the culprit  ;D
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