DNA newbie and confused as can be.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

I finally got round to round to doing DNA and it's got me baffled.

I'm beginning to question if my alleged bio father James Townsend 1923-1984 really is my father now. I'm getting matches with common ancestors on my maternal side but none on the names my paper trail suggests for my father's ancestors. In addition my ethnicity is allegedly 55% Irish but there is nothing outside England in my paper trail back two centuries or so. I realise it has a huge margin of error but it's a really hefty figure that I can't seem to understand or ignore.

I've pushed the Townsend line back on paper to my great grandparents; John Townsend, 1827, Worfield, Shropshire and Sarah Lewis, 1831, Preston on the Weald Moors, Shropshire. but I'm not getting any DNA matches with those surnames as common ancestors. I realise great grandparents aren't that far back but if the paper trail is correct it's because my grandfather decided kids in his mid 50's was a good idea. John and Sarah had 6 children that I can tell so I feel there should be a few descendants out there.

Have I just been very unlucky and have a family where nobody has done a DNA test? My closest DNA match is estimated by Ancestry as a 2nd-3rd cousin with 155 cM across 5 segments. I've contacted them but they have private trees and won't reveal any details.  I can't even say which side of my tree they link to. The 155cM is higher than any match on my maternal side including those I've linked with long before doing a test.

[Stanwix England]

You could be unlucky.

I have barely any close matches anywhere. I'm pretty sure I must be related to somebody, so I think it's just a case that I don't have family members who've tested.

Who did you test with? Some companies ancestry estimates are less reliable than others.

Also, Irish and English DNA is not that separate, there have been English and Irish people travelling between those two locations since the last ice age. Your Irish DNA could easily have been contributed by various 'English' ancestors. So your paper trail could be completely correct.

Do you have any siblings yourself? Would they be willing to test? If so, and you are only half-siblings, that would maybe point to something. But on the basis of what you've said, I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

I'm adopted though my adoption file names my birth father and his name came up when I found maternal siblings. They closed all contact very quickly. Everything suggests there are half siblings on my paternal side and quite a few of them, I'm in touch with several of them but they're not into family history as such, happy to have me as a sibling, not that bothered about the rest of it. Beyond a cousin they really couldn't care about it.

I tested with Ancestry and have added the raw result to myheritage but don't sub to either at the moment.

A correction to my initial post, my closest dna match is 2nd – 3rd Cousin with 199 cM | 3% shared DNA but a private tree. She did reply and her research is all in the same area as my maternal links but I still don't know how we connect as her tree is private.

Tehe second and 3rd closest mentioned in my initial post, two trees managed by the same person 2nd – 3rd Cousin- 168 cM | 2% shared DNA and 2nd – 3rd Cousin 155 cM | 2% shared DNA.


Checking with common ancestors there are only links to both my grandmothers, no links at all to either grandfather. A lot of trees are just a dozen names which doesn't help but even so, 2nd cousins aren't really that far back to common ancestors when all is said and done. I'm back a lot further than the Townsends on the other grandfathers line, that line is in plenty of trees but nothing DNA wise.  To have one line without any tests submitted would be unlucky but two lines?

[jc26red]

Glen, have you found any recognisable matches on your maternal line? If so, start looking the shared matches they have and make a note against that user. I tend to initially put the matching line i.e. grandparent name, shared match to investigate in the note, as I gain a more dna experience bit by bit, I come back and chip away at this list.

This close match, even though they are private you can check their shared matches? Look for a tree in the shared match list for a public which might help you work out /recognise where they fit in.  Start using the colour grouping to help you sort the matches.

I think you might have to invest in a short subscription to see the trees though. I administer my husbands tree (in my account) and can see the trees in my account because I have a sub, but I can’t view the trees when logged into his account as he doesn’t have a sub.

A cousin on my paternal side has done an ancestry test, I built her tree… if shared matches don’t include her then I know they are from my maternal side.

Ps I haven’t uploaded to the other sites yet until I have gone as far as I can on ancestry but  my aim is to verify my lines not for any other reasons.

[plentyn coll]

99% of my dna matches are maternal, it's not uncommon. My maternal side were breeders, paternal side not so much. The first step is cluster your matches using the colored dots technique. Until you cluster, you haven't even begun. Start a new tree based on dna.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

12 trees at 2nd-3rd cousin level with shared DNA.
Two I know the link on the maternal side. The remaining 10 are;
3x private
3x no tree
1x unlinked tree
Then three public trees;
1x 3 names
1x 14 names
1x 300 names

Showing my ignorance now but I have no idea what colour matching is though based on the details above it doesn't seem that I have much I can compare from one to another.
The really frustrating and confusing thing to me is the three closest matches are the private trees at the 2nd-3rd cousin level. I've mentioned all the surnames at my great grandparents level and both say the names aren't in their trees anywhere.

[jc26red]

Color matching/ groups

Click on one of your matches
Under view tree.  Message. Edit relationship

+ add/edit groups.        Add note

Then create a custom group give it a name and select a colour

A coloured dot then appears on the right hand of the match when viewing the match list

It’s an aid not a solution.

In your list I would concentrate on the match with public tree with  300 names. View the tree if you can and see if they have any common names that you know or if that isn’t obvious look for location.
Click then select shared matches of that match
See how many matches there are and if any of them are public trees and are any of the mentioned private trees you mentioned are in that list.

Is your own tree public or private? If private you must select the searchable tick box which will open up common ancestors an thru-lines

Look through some of the other dna posts for guidance, biggles and gadget have posted some great help tips

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

my tree is public, linked and has about 2600 names on it, I'll investigate the colour matching, so far I've just gone through them noting the link is maternal or paternal but little else.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

My two biggest confirmed matches on my maternal side have checked way down their matches looking for matches to my top 10. Neither are getting any hits which makes me think the majority of my top 10 must be paternal links.

So now just the nightmare that those matches are the no name, private and small trees.