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Author Topic: Am I doing the right thing?  (Read 984 times)

Offline Towdlass

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Am I doing the right thing?
« on: Friday 28 February 20 09:23 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I find DNA a little confusing so need to know if I am doing the right thing or just wasting my time. I am trying to find out who my maternal grandfather was and have a suspect in mind.

I have generated a family tree for him for both his maternal and paternal sides back as far as grandparents using all siblings as well. Then I have checked all the surnames this has produced and matched them with the people on my DNA results list. There are so many that I began to feel optimistic. I am now going thru each one searching for a connection. This is taking ages but it will be worth it if I do find what I'm looking for.

It did occur to me that perhaps ThruLines might help and so I have entered all the details of my potential grandfather's tree which I'd done onto my tree hoping that ThruLines might come up with
the right line to check. Was this the right thing to do do you reckon? 

I have looked at public member's trees but it doesn't actually tell you if that person has done a DNA test only that IF they have then you aren't a match. It would be useful to know if they have or not because if they have and I am not a match then I know that that this potential grandfather isn't the one I'm searching for. Is there any way of finding this out?

Any help gratefully received but, please, keep it simple and don't get too technical with me as I'm easily confused.  ???
Stevenson, Toulson, Owen, Bolland, Laxton, Brocksopp, Butler, Banks, Beadling.

Offline Towdlass

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #1 on: Friday 28 February 20 10:48 GMT (UK) »
ThruLines have entered the 'ancestors' using the new info I put on my tree but for each one it says - 'You are currently the only DNA tested descendant connected to this ThruLine' So I'm no further along because I've no way of knowing if this is true or if someone has tested but I'm not a match. I guess that I'll just carry one doing what I'm doing. I just wish I could be certain that this is the right thing to do. I've always found the members of this site to be very knowledgeable and very helpful so I have my fingers crossed that you will come up trumps for me again.  :)
 
Stevenson, Toulson, Owen, Bolland, Laxton, Brocksopp, Butler, Banks, Beadling.

Offline Towdlass

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #2 on: Friday 28 February 20 11:09 GMT (UK) »
I have sent a message to one of the people who has a Public Member tree and who I know is related to the person I'm hoping was my grandfather and asked them if they have or haven't done a DNA test for Ancestry. If they have then I have my answer = back to the drawing board but if they haven't then it's onwards and upwards I reckon. Just thought I'd let you know.  ;D
Stevenson, Toulson, Owen, Bolland, Laxton, Brocksopp, Butler, Banks, Beadling.

Offline Craclyn

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #3 on: Friday 28 February 20 11:40 GMT (UK) »
Put your “suspect” into your tree and mark him with the hypothetical tag. Build his part of the tree back, down and sideways. Wait to see if you get any of your DNA matches linking up to his ancestors in the Common Ancestors and ThruLines calculations.
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn

Offline Towdlass

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #4 on: Friday 28 February 20 13:02 GMT (UK) »
Craclyn where is the hypothetical tag? I've no idea how to do this. However, I've pretty much already done as you suggest by entering his part of the tree back, down and sideways. I am really grateful to you for your reply as I really wasn't sure about doing that as I don't know for certain if he was my grandfather. I'm feeling a lot better about it now. Thanks Craclyn.
Stevenson, Toulson, Owen, Bolland, Laxton, Brocksopp, Butler, Banks, Beadling.

Offline Craclyn

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #5 on: Friday 28 February 20 14:41 GMT (UK) »
It is one of the defaults available under Tree Tags. Take a look at the DNA tags too. You might find them useful. You can read about tags here:
https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/article/MyTreeTags
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn

Offline LincsJen

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Re: Am I doing the right thing?
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 01 March 20 11:32 GMT (UK) »
I did the same thing to find my paternal grandfather. Slightly different though, as I could work out his maternal line from a few strong matches that didn't link to any other lines of my tree. I used ThruLines to confirm everything though. I started getting matches through very quickly once I had added his line to my tree.
The story of how I found my "elusive Bert" is one that I am going to tell for the rest of my life. I am just sorry that my father died before I could tell him - he always suspected that he had changed his name at some point.
Good hunting!!
Jenny
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