A quick question

[Norfolk Nan]

In simple terms (for my benefit) I've identified the DNA matches that are purely my dad's male line. At the top of the list is a half 1c now identified, next is a half 2c who is a mystery, all the rest are 3c or further back. 

I want to identify the half 2c, 167cM, no tree, no identifying features, no reply to my messages and no useful shared matches via ProTools.  Any suggestions please?   

Thank you.

[Zaphod99]

Keep sending messages, say, every three to six months, but always, absolutely always, continue to be polite. Just suggest that you're writing again because you were hoping to find him at a more convenient time.

Remember that the relationships our only estimates. Keep doing the paper tree, and keep digging into the shared matches.

Zaph

[Norfolk Nan]

According to Ancestry, he hasn't logged on for over a year.  If I can find an alternative route - and yes, I'll keep working on the other matches etc - I'd be very happy. 

[Biggles50]

If your 1/2 1C has a user name that identifies them then you could see if they are on the Social Media websites.

I have found a few “Cousins” via this route, even those who have not taken a DNA test.

The longest time period we have had before an Ancestry Message has been replied to is 12 years, so do not give up hope.

[Norfolk Nan]

2nd cousin, Biggles50.  I've just had a stab at your suggestion on FB and there are just far too many of that name, I'm not sure where he lives or his age to narrow it down.  Is this a waste of time?

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

Sometimes it's just a waiting game, I put a long standing mystery match to one side on Monday and a close match to them appeared on Tuesday, I already had the close match in my tree (one of my many 'just in case' names in my tree), and thanks to that was able to see where the mystery match fits. I know they were born out of wedlock and there's no match in the birth index so possibly using the surname of a step father or an adoptee using their adoptive name.

[Biggles50]

Using Social Media can be hard work, I look at the likely candidates and narrow them down then send a message.  Sometimes lucky sometimes not.

Now with your 1/2 1C.

Does any of the shared matches offer any clue?

If you have Pro Tools you can see how much cM your 1/2 1C shares with each of them.  I then look at the one who shares the most cM with the 1/2 1C and research them.

I recently found what looked like a 1/2 1C to one of my matches (I’ll call them X) as they shared over 400cM.  Building a tree around this 400cM person resulted in getting the likely scenario that X was probably either adopted or likely raised as the child of a man who was not his biological father.  I have parked researching further as it may cause distress if I contact X.

I have a 158cM match who contacted me a couple of years ago as he could not work out our relationship.  Neither could I at the time, but last year I solved it and I could suggest that his Father’s Father (who was unknown) was very likely a specific person in a family that I had been researching.  I had given him the key to unlocking his roots so I now have a very happy DNA Cousin.

It can take time to work the problem and sometimes as both Glen and I suggest, park it and wait.