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General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 15:40 BST (UK)

Title: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 15:40 BST (UK)
Hoping a DNA expert can help me out.
I am assisting a friend who has taken an Ancestry DNA test, to trying to discover who her unknown father is. Not necessarily to try to meet, just to help my friend "know how they fit" in the world.
Anyways, she has been fortunate to get a match (and they replied) which Ancestry is describing as a "first cousin once removed" apparently.
Just wondering how much this description of the link can be taken on face value. Or whether a certain degree of latitude should be exercised?
Advice gratefully received.
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: Zaphod99 on Tuesday 22 July 25 16:03 BST (UK)
Try

https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4



Zaph
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 16:08 BST (UK)
Ah, so that description is not to be taken too literally then 😐
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: farmeroman on Tuesday 22 July 25 16:38 BST (UK)
Quote from: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 16:08 BST (UK)
Ah, so that description is not to be taken too literally then 😐

I'm not sure about that. Yes there is some variation, but the level of DNA that would give that match would never be sufficient for that match to be her father.

Edit: I think I probably misread your original post - were you only saying that she has a familial match to that person?
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 17:02 BST (UK)
Sorry, just to clarify. Ancestry is saying the match is 1C1R.
Due to the age difference between my friend and the contact, it is pretty safe to assume that my friend is the "once removed" bit, being >30 years younger.
The contact has been very helpful on sharing their grandparents info, which I am in the process of working down two generations, which (if the 1C1R bit can be relied upon) would include my friend's father. Always assuming of course no more out of wedlock events 🤪
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: Biggles50 on Tuesday 22 July 25 17:44 BST (UK)
The link that Zaph posted for you is a website best included in your Bookmarks.

Whatever a specific cM is, there is always a range of possible relationships.

Think of the suggested relationship as a “starter for 10” it gives beginning.

You seem to be on the right track but if you give us the actual cM we can possibly advise further.
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Tuesday 22 July 25 18:26 BST (UK)
Thanks Zeph, for the link, and Biggles for the extra pointer.
I will need to go back to my friend for the cM info, as she only said 1C1R (and I don't really know enough about DNA to ask the right questions).
It might be another week or so, as I think she has to pay her monthly Anc sub after payday (other costs took preference)
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Saturday 26 July 25 22:32 BST (UK)
Ok. I have the relevant numbers now, but am not understanding what the linked diagram is saying to me (sorry).
This (alleged) 1C1R shares 686 cM (10%) with my friend.
How reliable is the 1C1R description?
Sorry again. This is a new thing for me.
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: 4b2 on Saturday 26 July 25 23:06 BST (UK)
I am assuming the match is listed by Ancestry as paternal?

The suggested relationships by Ancestry are not worth paying much attention to. The pool of possible relationship can be quite large. But with the 30 year age gap and 686cM, 1C1R is most likely. So your friend's match is probably the cousin of her unknown father; meaning they would share a pair of grandparents.

What you will need to do from here is look at all the shared matches of this suggested 1C1R (using ProTools) and find out who the common ancestors are among them. You should be looking for other matches who share at least two more matches with the 1C1R in particular.

Some will have incomplete trees. Quickly open all the dead-end ancestors (with attention to ones in your relevant region), press to the search button at the top right of their profile, and find that person in public trees, or records. If you do this for all matches, you will probably find multiple matches with the same ancestors. This way you will be able to narrow down which side of the 1C1R's tree you relate to.

The relation is probably something like this:

Shared great-grandparents (e 1890)Shared grandparents (e 1890)
Unknown grandfather (e 1920)Macth's father (e 1920)
Unknown father (e 1950)Suggested 1C1R (e 1950)
Your friend (e 1980)-


But your friend has another unknown line, not shared with the 1C1R, so you'd need to go through your friend's matches listed as paternal and unknown, as briefly outlined above, starting with the closest matches. Though in about 5% of cases Ancestry gets the maternal or paternal side wrong. Find out how the matches are related, and note that down. Add a note to each one so you known who is accounted for and who is not.

Hopefully you will find close matches from your friend's other line. With the two rough lines known, you can then look for possible marriages between the line shared by the suggested 1C1R and the line he does not share. If you can do that you'll then have a list of possible sons, one of whom will be your friend's father.

If you can find both lines depends on how close the matches are, how many relatives you can establish common ancestors for, and how good you are at this research.

It's also possible your fiend's father was himself born out of wedlock, which will make it more complicated. Often DNA just gives clues and partial answers.
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: ReadyDale on Saturday 26 July 25 23:20 BST (UK)
Hi 4b2

That's brilliant guidance. Makes me wish it wasn't so late today, otherwise I'd go back online.
My friend has given me access to her list of matches vast majority are maternal, apart from the one detailed above and about three others. 94/93/56 cM. So a lot smaller. Two of those are the same surname, so once I've finished working down the initial contacts branches, that may be my next target.
Let's hope a few people on that side did the "marriage before kids" bit 🤣
Thanks again
Title: Re: Ancestry DNA Match
Post by: 4b2 on Saturday 26 July 25 23:57 BST (UK)
Quote from: ReadyDale on Saturday 26 July 25 23:20 BST (UK)
Hi 4b2

That's brilliant guidance. Makes me wish it wasn't so late today, otherwise I'd go back online.
My friend has given me access to her list of matches vast majority are maternal, apart from the one detailed above and about three others. 94/93/56 cM. So a lot smaller. Two of those are the same surname, so once I've finished working down the initial contacts branches, that may be my next target.
Let's hope a few people on that side did the "marriage before kids" bit 🤣
Thanks again

93-94 are useful. They would probably be 3rd cousins, or half 2nd cousins or 2nd cousins once removed or 2nd cousins.
56 is more ambiguous. It could be a 2nd cousin to 4th cousin, with all the halves and removed too.

It seems there is enough to give strong co-ordinates at least.