Will DNA Testing confirm if I am related to another person?

[avm228]

In an Ancestry tree you can flag an individual as unverified if you want. My own view is that it’s best to keep hypothetical lines in, suitably marked, so that you can get the best of out the AncestryDNA algorithm which may (if you’re lucky) provide evidence to strengthen or disprove a hypothesis.

[pandacub]

That's great thanks avm228, I will definitely include that section of the tree then and mark everyone as unverified. 

[Albufera32]

There are a number of options available - there is no limit to the number of trees you can have on Ancestry, so you can for example have one for your own family and one for your husband's family. Either or both can be public or private. You can also do what I do, which is to have a private tree, which is very much a working tree, and a public tree which only includes those blood relations (and their spouses) of whom I am confident. There may still be a few errors even in the public tree, but not many I hope.

You can also create a tree for your potential relative in Dundee, and try to build their tree to see if you can find a common ancestor. That might well be a tree you would want to keep as a private tree.

Another option is to have a private tree with a name like "Test tree" into which you can add not just your Dundee relative but any matches you can't quite figure out, in order to build those trees to find the link.

Whatever you choose to do, I would strongly recommend that to get the most out of the DNA test you make your linked tree as "wide" as possible - For each generation, add as many siblings and their families as you are confident about.

[brigidmac]

another little warning even if you tag unverified some people copy

to avoid theta you can mark the person as living so their profile will not show

this may lead people to believe you are not a good genealogist if you have living people over 150 years old but avoids the trap of copying and keeps the option open to find thru lines or surname matches

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

I'm increasingly frustrated by a lack of matches in one of my pedigree lines, the names appear in other trees, I send messages which are read but do not receive a response and Ancestry can only say the other  person has either not taken a test or is not a match. It's possibly the most useless piece of information to give someone. It really doesn't rule anything in or out and there can be multiple reasons why building a tree down to that person can be problematic.   

The stark reality in my case is my father isn't a son of the man named on his birth cert and it's looking increasingly likely that the same applies to my maternal grandfather, there are no matches to his ancestors though the paper trail goes back at least four generations from him. I can group some of my matches to one grandmother or another but I'm left with far more I can't even place as maternal or paternal side.

[brigidmac]

I would say you need to put SMALL on your tree so that it shows up in the ancestors surnames box others with Small surname will see it

[pandacub]

Thanks for the latest replies, all very helpful.

I am excited this morning as I've now been contacted by a descendant of Elizabeth Maddocks who was the wife of Philip Small from Dundee.  They have got quite a lot of information about the background of Philip Small, crucially including some from the period around 1870 which was when my Great Grandfather was born.  Hopefully it may include something that might help prove or disprove whether Philip Small could be my 2 x GreatGrandfather. 

[Rosinish]

"I have made contact with a person who is a direct descendant of Philip Small from Dundee, and  had also come to the conclusion that my GreatGrandfather could be the illegitimate child of their ancestor.

We are both happy to pay for DNA Testing but are unsure if it would definitely confirm if we share the same ancestor or not?"

DNA will only confirm you are related via that line or other line...

DNA will either confirm or refute the conclusions you've come to, however, it also depends on how reliable your matches' info. is too.

You haven't given any info. on your g g/f, where born etc; all you've given was info. on a Philip Small from Dundee with no other info; occ. or info. on his marriage &/or death.
What info. does your g g/f give on his marriage re Philip (if any) & what info. was on his death re Philip (if any).
All added snippets on any docs can help with pinning down the correct chap as his father if they tally with what's known of the 'suspected' father.

Annie

[pandacub]

Hello Annie, thanks for your reply. 

My greatgrandfather's birth cert shows him as Philip William Small born on 26th Oct 1870 at 13 Bermuda St Mile End.  Father Philip Small, occupation painter.  Mother Rebecca Bethell.  His christening record, 20th Nov 1970 at St Thomas Stepney, shows parents as Philip and Rebecca Small, abode Stepney, father's occupation painter.  I have found nothing to say that Philip and Rebecca were ever married.

It now starts to get complicated.  Rebecca married Edward Edwards on 26th Dec 1876 at St Lukes Holborn, she is described as a widow.  From then onwards my greatgrandfather was called William Edwards.  His marriage cert shows that his father is Edward Edwards.  The story that was passed down to me via my late father and grandfather was that my greatgrandfather knew that Edward Edwards was not his father, but he accepted him as such, and it was something the family never talked about.  My greatgrandfather could not remember having a father when he was a small child, his only early memories were of his mother Rebecca and her sister. 

What I have done is find everyone I can called Philip Small in various records.  After a process of elimination I am left with only one possibility who is Philip Small born around 1844 in Dundee.  I have located all his census entries where he is showing as a painter or scenic artist. He married Elizabeth Maddocks in Belper in 1873.  He died in Paddington on 4th May 1931 aged 86 years. 

So as you see I have no proof at all so far.  It is just that this Philip Small from Dundee is the right age and occupation and seems to be the only candidate left after looking into everyone else I could find with that name.  I'm still in the process of swapping documents with the people I have found who are descended from this Philip Small and his wife Elizabeth Maddocks.  Fingers crossed there may be some clue there.