Author Topic: Consanguineous DNA Matches  (Read 352 times)

Offline SouthseaSteel

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Consanguineous DNA Matches
« on: Wednesday 24 January 24 23:43 GMT (UK) »

First RC post so please bear with me thank you.  I manage the Ancestry DNA of my friend "Debs" whose DNA matches on the whole were quite straightforward to understand and readily ascribable to her well documented tree.  The one exception was in fact her closest match who is "Samantha" whose identity we have no idea of.  Her surname was given but I omit it here.

They share 315 cM "Paternally" but with only 10 Shared Matches who all have low shared DNA at less than 30 cM.  One of these Matches (29 cM) is ascribable to Debs' tree and suggests that Samantha is related through Debs' paternal grandfather's line. 

Samantha has her own small Ancestry Public Linked Tree which at least allowed us to build her tree out for ourselves.  Samantha's and Debs' families are based around the same city English city and indeed the same area of that city. 

However, we believe that Samantha's parents are cousin and cousin once removed.

Debs was born in the 60's and Samantha was born in the 70's so they are presumably from the same generation or 1 generation difference at most.

I only have Ancestry DNA data so can't readily use DNA Painter etc.

We have also tried to contact Samantha through Ancestry but to no avail as she hasn't been "active" for a long time.

I am hoping for any guidance as to how the apparent consanguineous relationship in this match may overstate the degree of relationship.  In fact any advice or suggestions at all on how to take this forward would be greatly appreciated .

Thanks.  Mick


Offline AngelaR

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Re: Consanguineous DNA Matches
« Reply #1 on: Friday 26 January 24 11:10 GMT (UK) »
I'm sorry I can't help. Mick but I thought I would say that I have an extremely similar situation except that the person concerned only has herself on the tree and I am fairly sure she died a number of years back.

We have 391 cm in common and since I can only find her on Ancestry, DNA painter isn't much use to me as I can't, as far as I know, download her matched results.

If any genius comes up with a solution or hint for either of us, I shall be exceedingly chuffed :D

Any census information included in this post is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Especially looking for - Sealey, Rogers, Cannings, Box, Sheppard in Wiltshire; Virgin, Slade, Abbott, Saint, Harper, Silverthorn in Somerset; and Virgin, Tarr, Beer in Devon

And most especially the origins of William Cannings,  a Baptist, born abt 1791 in Broughton Gifford, Wiltshire

Offline Spelk

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Re: Consanguineous DNA Matches
« Reply #2 on: Friday 26 January 24 12:10 GMT (UK) »
Mick, I suggest you download Deb’s DNA from Ancestry and then load the data up to MyHeritage and maybe GEDMATCH. That may show up more matches with Samantha.
Secondly why not find out where Samantha is living now and send her a Letter or find her on Facebook etc.
Fair chance that someone has been having a “bit on the side”. But you do not know whether it is an ancestor of Debs or Samantha.

Online Biggles50

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Re: Consanguineous DNA Matches
« Reply #3 on: Friday 26 January 24 12:56 GMT (UK) »
Social Media, if a DNA Match has not been on sites like Ancestry or My Heritage for a while and are not responding to Messages then do hunt for them on all the social media websites.

As you have her possible name then a look through the Electoral Rolls will give an address, you may have to pay for this or physically visit the archive or library where the local rolls are stored.   Once armed with an address you can write to them.

This is something I had to do fifteen years ago to verify I was on the right track with someone.

Now the 315cM and possible pedigree collapse complicates the DNA inheritance process and there is no easy way forward without the agreement of the match, unless they happen to have uploaded their data to Gedmatch which is probably wishful thinking.  It is worth checking if they have uploaded their data though, not just to Gedmatch but to My Heritage and My Living DNA etc

Firstly action though would be to stand back and look at Debs’s tree and specifically I would print out a Pedigree Chart and mark on the chart where there is a DNA match that links to a specific MRCA or MRCA Pair.   You can have all the documentary evidence for a specific person and a branch but unless you have DNA confirmation all the paperwork is just that documents, it substantiates a relationship but it does not prove it.  Then looking at the chart you can see if there are no DNA relationship down a xGGP line hence that line itself becomes questionable.

As an example on my marked chart I have zero DNA matches linked from either of my Paternal Great Grandfathers or beyond them, hence there are probable NPE’s despite having all the BMD records etc and certificates.

If all is OK with Debs’s Marked Tree then there could be an NPE with Samantha’s line but getting the supportive documents could be highly unlikely.



Offline SouthseaSteel

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Re: Consanguineous DNA Matches
« Reply #4 on: Friday 26 January 24 13:24 GMT (UK) »
Thanks all.  All very helpful AND encouraging.  I should have added that we have'nt had any joy with social media nor electoral rolls though we think we may have found her sister who has an unusual name.

This was the first time Ive ever had the requirement to order a "recent" birth certificate genalogically and as Samantha is less than 50 years old I was surprised couldnt without knowing all the details that would have been on the certificate in the first place!!  Ah well, not that it would have helped anyway, but as ever, you just dont know .....

Also, Debs isnt interested enough (although I am!!!) to start downloading and uploading her DNA onto other sites.  At least for the time being.

I will do what Biggles50 suggests especially as we have ONE shared match which we have to trust in for the time being.

Tx.  M