Working backwards from a match

[Lavender13]

I'm trying to find my 4th great grandfather. He has a very common name and was a Quay Labourer. I've found a few people in census and death records that might be him but I don't have a lot to go on as he moved around and I dont hsve a definitive age for him.

I do have at least three ancestors that are descended from his known children with my third great grandmother and I know plenty about her side. But his is a blank slate.

How can I narrow down who he might be? Do I build seperate trees for each possible William and work my way down to see if the descendents match my dna matches or myself? Or work my way up from my matches (I only have 1 match I know is related to that family that has a tree and her tree is stuck on William like I am.)

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

Work back from matches whenever possible (matches have to link somehow and it's easier starting from a proved relative). Although you haven't mentioned what type of test the issue is probably going to be that matches may not have tested and those that have are at the point where DNA can't always pick them up as actual matches. Add in the possibility of missing records and NPE events and it may be a case of do what you can with the current matches and hope others appear in the future tat may fill in the gaps to an extent.

[Lavender13]

Work back from matches whenever possible (matches have to link somehow and it's easier starting from a proved relative). Although you haven't mentioned what type of test the issue is probably going to be that matches may not have tested and those that have are at the point where DNA can't always pick them up as actual matches. Add in the possibility of missing records and NPE events and it may be a case of do what you can with the current matches and hope others appear in the future tat may fill in the gaps to an extent.

Thank you for your reply. I completed an ancestry DNA test which I have uploaded to my heritage and gedmatch too.

My problem is that I just haven't found a lot of matches that connect to that side. And the ones that do, are also stuck at William. My mother has also tested so I've been looking out for any matched that match her and not myself since I am quite removed from William.

I will continue to search my matches then since that seems the best option. Thank you for your reply.

[phil57]

For best results it helps to research your tree as widely and deeply as possible, i.e. not just direct descendants, but also the brothers and sisters of your grandparents, great grandparents, GG grandparents etc., their respective marriages, their offspring, their offspring's marriages, the offsprings' children and their marriages and children etc. brought forward as far as you can to current dates.

It can be a lot of work, but it will really improve your chances of finding and allocating DNA matches, since you will find some that just slot into place with the information you already have, and once you have those, you can start looking at your shared matches, etc.

Often far easier in the end than trying to work forward or even backward from an unknown match with little to go on. If your match's parents or grandparents turn out to be siblings or cousins of your direct descendants, with a widely researched tree you will again often recognise some of those people and find that everything suddenly fits into place.

[Biggles50]

+1 for Phil’s response.

Keep at it with expanding your tree and then the DNA matches might show up in Thrulines via the Common Ancestor suggestion.

Christmas is a time for giving and DNA kits do seem to abound with the result that come about March a new influx of matches occurs.

DNA can result in a waiting game.

Meanwhile learn as much as you can about it.