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General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: Tracey2016 on Wednesday 20 March 24 22:14 GMT (UK)
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Hi I'm new to all this. I recently done a DNA test and have just received the results. It's showing alot of matches, but a few I'm unsure of or what to make of them. One came back saying we shared 18% DNA on my fathers side another one saying we shared 11% DNA again on my fathers side. I contacted both these people, the one that was 11% said she's never heard of the name I gave her. Strangely enough she is related to the person that shares 18% DNA with me. I haven't a clue who they are, but my father was a only child so how can they be related to me. I also recently found out that my dad's father was married before he met my grandmother. Can anyone share any light on this as I'm totally confused. I have a 2ND cousin on my mothers side who I know and I only share 7% DNA with her. Tracey
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My known first cousin shares 13%/ 900 cm with me so you have a close match. It may be that there was a child from the first marriage and neither family know about each other. My husband has a half sister who shares 25% dna/1770 cm so that shows that these are likely first cousins in my view.
Jo
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Yea I'm starting to think that hopefully I can dig in a little further
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DNA Painter gives the probable relationships as
18% DNA
69% probability Grandparent Aunt / Uncle Half Sibling Niece / Nephew Grandchild
31% probability
Half Aunt / Uncle † Half Niece / Nephew † Great-Grandparent Great-Aunt / Uncle 1C Great-Niece / Nephew Great-Grandchild
11% DNA
95% probability
Great-Grandparent Great-Aunt / Uncle Half Aunt / Uncle 1C Half Niece / Nephew Great-Niece / Nephew Great-Grandchild
5% probability
Great-Great-Aunt / Uncle † Great-Great-Niece / Nephew † Half Great-Aunt / Uncle † Half Great-Niece / Nephew † Half 1C, 1C1R
depending upon your age and the ages of the matches you should be able to eliminate some of these "probabilities"
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With any DNA match you need to find what is called the Most Recent Common Ancestor, or MRCA, from whom you and your match have inherited the bit of DNA you have in common. It could be that bit of DNA is larger in your or the match's case, but it's the overlap that counts.
In the case of matching centimorgans (cM) of 20cM or less, this means you'll have to build your tree and that of the match quite a ways back, including all of the branches. The matching DNA could've come from your paternal grandfather's great-grandmother on his maternal side, or your great-grandmother's great-grandfather on her paternal side. There are many options. It's also possible the MRCA is even further back, or closer.
In any case, it means you have to do some research ;)
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18% is about 1224cM which is a close relationship.
With you using percentage that indicates to me that you took a DNA test with My Heritage, please confirm if this is the case?
Without doubt the best company to take a DNA test with is Ancestry, they have a vastly greater database of people who have been tested. Also a copy of the DNA data can be downloaded from Ancestry and uploaded to My Heritage, ftDNA and Gedcom thus increasing the number of DNA matches.
Now given the close relationship you have I am going to suggest a DNA strategy.
If you have Siblings then get them to take a DNA test.
As you have no known Paternal First Cousins you have no one whose DNA can be used to cross reference.
If you are aware of a Paternal Second Cousin then they to can take a DNA test.
This will maximise the chances of determining relationships.
Meanwhile printout a 5 generation pedigree family tree and with each DNA match that you link to and include in your tree you then mark them on your printed family tree at the MRCA you share with said match.
Once you have added a few DNA matches to the printout it will become clear where there are xGrandparents where there are no DNA shared matches. Why I am stressing the importance of a chart is to validate that you have proven DNA matches in your tree that link to each line of your Grandparents and to each line of your Great Grandparents. If you have none then there is an NPE in your tree, if you have these proven matches linked to MPCA’s then your Father may have Fathered a child by another woman, or Grandfather may have, or Grandparents may have given up a child for unofficial adoption. There are a lot of permutations possible, so do be aware of them.
In a family tree there can be an NPE event, ie “not the parent expected” or Non-Parental Event” despite there being paper evidence it can be totally wrong and an unofficial adoption may have taken place.
Be prepared.
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Hello Tracey.
The first thing to do is draw up your own family tree. Putin as much detail as you can so any brothers and sisters you have and your grandparents names, dates of birth and place of birth if you know it. It may be that one of your ancestors had a child or children you dont know about, possibly from your grandfather's first wife.
I mainly use ancestry so I dont know much about My Heritage, if that is who you used. There are Facebook pages for people who help solve DNA mysteries, there is one called DNA detectives uk.
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Hi Tracy,
How many cMs do you share with them ? Whether using my heritage or Ancestry , they both show cMs and %.
Enter the cMs that you share with your 18% match into a dna painter to give a more of a guestimate/ probabilities
To give you an example of the huge differences of using % instead of the cMs into DNA painter , my probabilities drastically differ if I use the % that I share with my known parent's half sibling ( who I share 17% with ) rather than our shared cMs
Putting in my shared 17% percentage in dna painter gives me a 32% of me being their half sibling or full Nephew Niece. And 68% of being a half Aunt uncle, half nephew Niece and so on ( and will give me a "prediction" that I may share 1265cm, I actually share 1162cMs )
"68% Great-Grandparent Great-Aunt / Uncle Half Aunt / Uncle 1C Half Niece / Nephew Great-Niece / Nephew Great-Grandchild
32% Grandparent Aunt / Uncle , Half Sibling Niece / Nephew Grandchild"
Then if I put in my shared cMs ( 1162cM) instead of my 17 % that I share ,changes the predictions/ probabilities percentages by a huge amount- it is then only 7% that I am a half sibling, full Nephew/Niece and a 93% that my match is my half uncle, full 1st cousin and so on, and my % will also change to 15.6 % instead of the 17% that both ancestry and myheritage has given us.
"93% Great-Grandparent Great-Aunt / Uncle Half Aunt / Uncle 1C Half Niece / Nephew Great-Niece / Nephew Great-Grandchild
7% Aunt / Uncle † Niece / Nephew † Grandparent, Half Sibling, Grandchild"
https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4
If it were me , I'd build a tree around them, and if at all possible persuade your close relatives to test , your siblings if any, and if known , second cousins on your father's side.
Very Kind regards .
Ps that's very high for a second cousin (your known cousin on your mum's side). You say only , "only 7%". I share with all my known full second cousins 4% (one is 5% but I share over 300 with her unlike my other second cousins who are all in their 200s)
Are you sure you don't mean that it is your first cousin once removed ? Ie your parent's first cousin, or your first cousins child. I share that ( 7%)with my first cousins once removed , as too my child shares that with his first cousins once removed too .
7% puts it very loosely around 521 cMs which basically there's only a 3% chance of being second cousins, totally possible of course, but the odds are really low.
Only asking are you sure , because I know of quite a few people in my family that incorrectly call their 1st cousins once removed their second cousins, and 7% seems very high for 2nd cousins.
Kind regards
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On the point about 2nd cousins.
I have 3 2C matches on MyHeritage at 3-5%, respectively 212.5, 334.7 and 316.4 cM and a fourth on FamilyTree DNA at 206 cM.
I have none on Ancestry where a 339 cM match can only be a half 1C
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On the point about 2nd cousins.
I have 3 2C matches on MyHeritage at 3-5%, respectively 212.5, 334.7 and 316.4 cM and a fourth on FamilyTree DNA at 206 cM.
I have none on Ancestry where a 339 cM match can only be a half 1C
339 can very easily be a half first cousin as too a second cousin, as too a first cousin once removed. I am not sure where your statement of 339 is coming in when referring to second cousins or 1st half cousins? " I have none on Ancestry where a 339 cM match can only be a half 1C" ? ?
I share over 500cms to both my first half cousins ( 7% and 8%) and to my full cousins who have tested , 12% and 15% . With my highest second cousin I share 363 ( and 5%) all my other second cousins are 4% and vary between low 200s and high 200s
It is totally random the way dna is split outside that parent and child relationship, a few of my cousins , my own child is almost matching me with cms ( and he 100% not double related to them but I have basically passed down the full wack to him on some lines)
Tracy had said her known second cousin is 7% from her mum's side ( its her dad's
side that she is querying and not her 7% known cousin on her mums side, its just that I have picked up on that near impossible 7% for a second cousin)
The 7 % on her mums side I personally think is way off for second cousins, not 100% impossible of course but 7% extremely high for second cousins to be sharing , and just maybe Tracey has mixed up first cousin once removed with saying second cousin( ?)
If we go by percentages, that 7% is very likely in the 500s cMs and it is a very , very low chance of her known cousin being her second cousin. I think It's more than likely that's it her first cousin once removed and not a second cousin.
My mother's sister thinks I am her second cousin , I haven't the heart to tell about her terminology as she's elderly. A few people in my family tend to say second cousins when they're referring to their first cousins children , first cousins once removed .
Kind regards :)
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I've actually done the DNA through Ancestry, the person who shares 18% DNA
And 1229cM the one that's shares 11%DNA is 763cM. The person who shares 7% DNA is my 1st cousins daughter so she's my 2nd cousin. There was a guy who shared 8% DNA 543cM I contacted him we have a name in common his grandmother and my 2nd great grandmother share the same name he hasn't replied to my email since, he actually has a few shared matches and its the ones at 18% and 11% so fingers crossed he gets back to me
Tracey
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I've actually done the DNA through Ancestry, the person who shares 18% DNA
And 1229cM the one that's shares 11%DNA is 763cM. The person who shares 7% DNA is my 1st cousins daughter so she's my 2nd cousin. There was a guy who shared 8% DNA 543cM I contacted him we have a name in common his grandmother and my 2nd great grandmother share the same name he hasn't replied to my email since, he actually has a few shared matches and its the ones at 18% and 11% so fingers crossed he gets back to me
Tracey
Your First Cousin’s child is not your Second Cousin, they are your First Cousin Once Removed.
Second Cousin’s share Great Grandparents as their MRCA.
The child you state is a Second Cousin is a Second Cousin with your own Child
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I've actually done the DNA through Ancestry, the person who shares 18% DNA
And 1229cM the one that's shares 11%DNA is 763cM. The person who shares 7% DNA is my 1st cousins daughter so she's my 2nd cousin. There was a guy who shared 8% DNA 543cM I contacted him we have a name in common his grandmother and my 2nd great grandmother share the same name he hasn't replied to my email since, he actually has a few shared matches and its the ones at 18% and 11% so fingers crossed he gets back to me
Tracey
1229 and 763 cM are very high on the range that DNApainter gives for 1C and 1C1R. Could there be a second common ancestor?
The 543 cM match is more in line with the range it gives for 1C1R (102-980) than 2C (41-592)
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I have quite a wide variation with levels of matches with 1st cousins once removed
546 with a 1st cousin's daughter
412 with my mother's first cousin
248 (4%) with my father's first cousin. (And 128 with her daughter - my second cousin)
I also have a second cousin with whom my match is 406 cm.
He is the grandson of my grandfather's brother. But as that brother was my grandfather's identical twin, the DNA match makes it appear as if he was my half first cousin!
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Wow as I said I'm new to all this and learning lots I always thought my cousins child was my 2nd cousin lol every day is a learning day
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Do you have any siblings?
If you do then they need to take a DNA test.
You may have an NPE and the first thing to do is to validate the near relationships that you have, ie your sibling is a full Brother/Sister and not a half sibling.
If this is not possible then if I was in your position I would make what may be for you is a startling assumption, that my Father is not my Biological Father and then proceed on that assumption until proven otherwise.
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I've actually done the DNA through Ancestr The person who shares 7% DNA is my 1st cousins daughter so she's my 2nd cousin.
Tracey
Your first cousin daughter is your first cousin once removed.
It's very rare for second cousins to be sharing 7%, almost impossible and I know many elderly people in my own family incorrectly call their 1st cousins once removed their second cousins
Very Kind regards .( ps I meant to say my mother's cousin and not sister, they grew up together in the same household)