New to DNA and Finding unknown GGrandfather

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

Going wide and deep is crucial as a surprising number of matches can get scooped up and added into the tree as a result. We can only work with what we know so the more we learn the better (in my opinion anyway).

[RainySK]

Update, we are now up to 7 people with a DNA match to mum that all have this Christopher Styman in their tree.  None of them have any other known ancestor in mums tree.

My next step is i found out yesterday that my cousin, mums sisters son has done an ancestry DNA test so waiting for his results to see if any of his show up a tree with this guy in it.

My Question to you all is, i want to purchase another DNA test. Mum has 1 remaining sister alive should i test her first or myself to try and break through this and confirm as best we can?

What other steps can you guys recommend that i may have overlooked?

Thank you all so much for your help

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

As your mother has tested there is nothing to gain by testing yourself in terms of your maternal dna.

The last of my aunts/uncles passed 20 years ago and both my parents well over 30 years ago, all the opportunities their dna could have brought to my research are just a dream, In your situation I would test the surviving sister whilst there is still the option to do so. 

[RainySK]

thank you glen i appreciate the advice

[RainySK]

Hi all,

I think i have found the key person to confirm who the father is of the illegitimate child.

A newer match showed up in mums results with an even higher cM than the others.

M S
Managed by R S
1st cousin 1x removed or half grandaunt
Maternal side
424 cM | 6% shared DNA


W S
2nd cousin or half 1st cousin 1x removed
Maternal side
236 cM | 3% shared DNA
Unlinked tree


WS was in my first group of matches but there was no tree so i couldn't find any info on them.

When MS Showed up with a larger cM amount I sent the same message that i had to all the other matches.

Turns out MS is Mother WS is son and RS is wife of WS!!! New group made in my DNA matches to keep them all together.

Unfortunately RS hasn't done a lot of research into MS's family tree but she was able to give me the parents names, with that info i was able to find their marriage. the only marriage in NSW with those names in 100 years. John L Carter and Rita ......
(I got the Australian section of the forum to check me and iv ordered the transcript to confirm)

This gave me the brides maiden name and its Styman. Rita Styman is Christopher Styman's sister.

is this it is this the golden nugget iv been looking for?

Can anyone see any flaws here?

What is my next step?
(apart from waiting for aunts DNA to confirm all the same DNA matches)

[RainySK]

Well everyone I was wrong The dad wasn't Christopher after all it was his younger brother !!!!!!!!!!

Thanks goes to a brilliant Roots Chat member Sparrett who introduced me to the ability to search some hospital records in which i found the temporary foster records of the illegitimate baby and the records name dad!

Drum roll please Henry Styman Christophers younger brother and Rita's older brother.

https://search.records.nsw.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=61SRA&docid=INDEX2341781

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

Nice when everything falls into place. I'm on a roll this week linking matches as soon as they appear (some names were already in my ocean sized tree but it looks like they only got the kits at christmas).  The downside is they are all in a part of my tree that's pretty well sorted and I'm suddenly getting zero matches for the real problem areas I would like to sort but if it was esy then there would be no fun.