DNA match 1147 cms

[Oxtonite62]

I took my first DNA test with FTDNA in 2016 and uploaded to several other DNA sites...and waited....and waited for Ancestry to accept uploads from other sites which they never got around to doing! So I took their test recently and was shocked/surprised to see I share 1147 cms with someone who is a generation below me.

I know the connection is on my paternal line as other proven paternal ‘cousins’ are also linked to this person. I don’t recognise any of the names in this persons tree but our ancestors and immediate family lived in the same area.

DNA painter tool suggests 96% across various relationships...some I have discounted due to the generation gap.

I am left with:

Half niece/nephew.....I don’t have any siblings or half siblings......or maybe I do now?
1st cousin....don’t think it could be 1st cousin as my paternal 1st cousins are of a similar age to me.

I’m reluctant to contact my match due to the sensitivity of our possible relationship. Although I would be happy to be contacted by this person but people do react differently.

I wonder if other more experienced RCs have any views on this.....in order to help resolve my sleepless nights.....my paternal ancestors are exhausting!!

[scotmum]

Have you checked to see when they were last active on Ancestry?

If recently, it might suggest they have more than a passing interest in their tree (ie haven't just put together a tree, taken DNA test, then never to be seen again), so might be more open to discussing how your shared cM has potentially come about, and crucially, more understanding of/prepared for the fact that once you go down the DNA route, you are opening up the potential of discovering something that might never have been discovered with manual research alone.

[Gadget]

I don’t recognise any of the names in this persons tree but our ancestors and immediate family lived in the same area.

It might be worth constructing a new tree for the person from the little evidence you have.  The match could have a double link  with you(you share two paternal lines) or a non-parental event (NPE).
 
My matches with that amount of DNA are great/grand nieces and nephews.

[Oxtonite62]

Have you checked to see when they were last active on Ancestry? If recently, it might suggest they have more than a passing interest in their tree (ie haven't just put together a tree, taken DNA test, then never to be seen again), so might be more open to discussing how your shared cM has potentially come about.

Thanks, yes they signed in last week. So they may have more of an interest than just the ‘ethnicity estimates’. Although profile states ‘researches never’.

[Oxtonite62]

I don’t recognise any of the names in this persons tree but our ancestors and immediate family lived in the same area.

It might be worth constructing a new tree for the person from the little evidence you have.  The match could have a double link  with you(you share two paternal lines) or a non-parental event (NPE).
 
My matches with that amount of DNA are great/grand nieces and nephews.

Thanks Gadget...that’s an interesting thought.

I did notice that their direct ancestors born early 19th century came from the same area in Ireland as my paternal ancestors and ended up in the same area in London.

[JohnDoe2020]

It's not a first cousin if you are separated by a generation. A half relation is more likely, it only required one of your parents or grandparents. That is a solid match. Embrace the past, humans will be humans. Contact your newly found relative. Remember they see the match also. Good luck.

[heywood]

My husband has a first cousin with a match of 1026 cm.
That’s his closest.
My closest are in the 250cm range who are second cousins and removed.

[JohnDoe2020]

Earlier today I rushed out a reply to this post without thinking this through. I was on a plane about to land so...If this person is a half niece or nephew then the implication is that you have a half sibling via one of your parents. This is a big deal, exciting, but does challenge some of your familial knowledge. I understand your reluctance to communicate with this person. Good luck, no wrong decision here.

[Oxtonite62]

Earlier today I rushed out a reply to this post without thinking this through. I was on a plane about to land so...If this person is a half niece or nephew then the implication is that you have a half sibling via one of your parents. This is a big deal, exciting, but does challenge some of your familial knowledge. I understand your reluctance to communicate with this person. Good luck, no wrong decision here.

Thank you for you reply and for backing up my theory. Yes, I do believe I have/had a half sibling! I know this connection is on my paternal line as there are other matches on my paternal line who match this person too. I thought again about the possibility of this being a 1st cousin match but it would mean one of my paternal uncles would have had a child in his 50s and the mother of the child would have been in her 30s when my match was born....not impossible I suppose.

Ironically the mother of my match (my possible half sibling) died aged 64 exactly the same age as my father when he died.

I’ve discounted this being a ‘double relationship’ as I believe this would also affect the number of cms I share with my other paternal matches who also match this person.

I have an elderly paternal aunt who has an excellent memory so my next step will be to ask her if she recognises any of the names in my match’s tree.

Yes, I am quite excited about the possibility that I have family I never knew about but still unsure whether to make contact with my match.