 DNA Mystery Match: Mapping DNA connections to uncover an unexpected match on Ancestry Genealogy often feels like a puzzle, but sometimes it can resemble a mystery novel with unexpected twists and hidden characters. Recently, I encountered another “mystery match” on Ancestry—a previously unknown relative who shared a significant amount of DNA with my 1c2r, while working on organizing her paternal DNA matches (the side we share), yet didn’t quite fit into the known family tree. Here’s how I approached this genealogical mystery and pieced together the clues. 1. A Surprising Match: The First Clue The journey began with a surprising DNA match categorized as “Close Family” by Ancestry. They shared 426 cM of DNA and Ancestry predicted them as a 1st cousin 2x removed, which these centimorgans suggests a relationship in the range of a 1st cousin 1x removed (1c1r), a half grandnephew, a great-great nephew, or a half first cousin (1/2 1c), among others—each intriguing and requiring a closer look to confirm. 2. Tools for Relationship Estimation Using three key tools, Ancestry’s “Frequency of Relationships”, DNA Painter’s Shared cM Project Tool, and MyHeritage’s cM Explainer tool, I analyzed these possible relationships. Both former tools highly suggested the most likely possibilities were Great-Great-Nephew, Half Great-Nephew, 1C1R, Half 1C, Half Great- Uncle, or possibly a Great-Great-Uncle, and the later tool highly suggested 1C1R. But this was just the start—the tools help narrow the field, but genealogy is about testing hypotheses.  Ancestry’s “Frequency of relationships”- Partial  DNA Painter’s Shared cM Project Tool's "Relationship probabilities"  MyHeritage’s cM Explainer "Possible relationships" 3. Shared Matches: Clues from Family Connections I began comparing their shared matches. By cross-referencing these shared matches, I found some links that connected our DNA mystery to known family members who are descendants of her grandparents’ children, thus her father and his siblings—in which two are known to have had extramarital affairs. This provided an important clue: this new match was likely another result of our family’s history of complex relationships. 4. Analyzing cM Comparisons and Mapping Relationships To further test my hypothesis, I reviewed the cM values of known family members who share connections with this mystery match, using not only the Shared Matches tool, but the Shared Matches Pro Tool as well. Comparing cM values from other relatives on this line, I found patterns that suggested a very close family link. Based on their age (if the match is the only associate of the test manager that I found in public records with a name that fits the screen name initials) and likely generation, the match seemed to fit best as a half great-nephew--but identifying exactly where they fit requires more direct evidence, thus more work needs to be done analyzing cM comparisons and mapping relationships for the other 3 possibilities—1C1R, Great-Great-Nephew, or Half 1C. 5. Reaching Out to Potential Relatives The next step was to contact the mystery match’s test manager, as his screen name was just initials. Although the account had been inactive for over a year, I tried reaching out via Ancestry messages and Facebook (after I checked through public records, so I knew who to look for based off age, location, and associates). This is often a waiting game, and not everyone responds, but sometimes, persistence pays off. Every piece of information can make a difference, and connecting with living relatives can clarify lingering questions. 6. Lessons Learned: Tips for Investigating Mystery Matches This mystery match investigation highlighted several useful techniques for anyone facing a similar DNA puzzle:
By following these steps, I’ve gotten closer to understanding how this mystery match fits into our family story. DNA testing is a powerful genealogical tool, but it’s detective work as well. Each match is another chapter in the family’s story—one just waiting to be told. © 2024 Diane Henriks @ Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family More Genetic Genealogy/DNA ResourcesFind more DNA genealogy resources, tips, and other info under the Genetic Genealogy and DNA category. More Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. More Genealogy Brick Walls and MysteriesFind more genealogy brick wall research, tips, and other info under the Genealogy Brick Wall Research category. More Genealogy Research TipsFind more genealogy research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category.
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 Ancestry's New Community Groups Feature Exciting news for genealogists and family historians! Ancestry.com has introduced a new BETA feature, Community Groups, set to transform how we connect, share, and collaborate in our genealogical journeys. While still in its testing phase and available to select users, this feature promises to be a valuable addition to Ancestry's toolkit. What Are Community Groups? Currently, the Community Groups feature showcases three public groups:
First Impressions and Potential Though still in BETA and not fully accessible, the feature appears to be aimed at fostering community engagement and collaboration. Users can join groups, but full functionality—including viewing and participating in discussions—is not yet available. The placeholder message reads: "Coming soon: Community groups. We’re building a space for you to connect with others, celebrate your milestones, ask for help, and uncover more about your family history. Check back soon for updates." Why This Matters As a professional genealogist, the prospect of these community groups is incredibly promising. Here’s why:
Final Thoughts While we await the full rollout, the anticipation surrounding Ancestry’s Community Groups is Real. This feature has the potential to enhance our research by providing a supportive community where we can share knowledge, seek assistance, and celebrate our genealogical achievements together. Stay tuned for further updates as Ancestry.com continues to develop and refine this exciting new feature. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just starting your journey, Community Groups could soon become an invaluable part of your research toolkit. More Ancestry and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Ancestry.com and the Genealogy Resources categories of my blog and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 Top 5 Genealogy Brick Wall Busters We’ve all been there; there always seems to be that one ancestor (or many) whose records run dry and that just seem to fall off the face of the earth in one’s family tree. What do you do when you come across the dreaded genealogy brick wall? Do you get frustrated? Do you spend tons of money on possible records and professional research help? Do you start searching aimlessly? Do your brick walls seem to last for years on end? Your brick walls may not really be brick walls at all; it may be HOW you search, that you’re missing key clues, and that you’re not using ALL your resources. I have quite a few “brick wall" busters, but these are my top 5 tried and true ways of breaking through them. 1. Descendancy Research
2. Collateral Research
3. No Name Search
4. DNA
5. Think Outside the Box
More Genealogy Tips: Find more brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, and quick tips under the Genealogy Quick Tips category! *Best of the Genea-Blogs  Continued from Part 6 Continue with me in part 7, my final part, of my genetic genealogy journey of a temporary brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up, when I already know all the descendants in that line! I left off last, in Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6, with it being narrowed down even further. I had ended up with my match having a higher possibility of being my grandfather’s great grandchild or my great uncle’s great grandchild. Let’s check my uncle’s cMs matched to the mystery match for another perspective.  My uncle's relationship possibilities in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool  My uncle's relationship possibilities in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool Relationship Chart If I use the same method I used on my own cMs to narrow down the possible relations that I used in Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5 and Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6, by eliminating what is not practical against my Uncle’s centimorgans matched to him, the possibilities are: 1c2r, 1c1r, ½ great- nephew.  My uncle's relationship possibilities narrowed down in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool Relationship Chart, with the same method The histogram findings in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool are: 1c2r (highest on histograms) ...his uncle’s (aka my great uncle) great grandchild???
Even though this wasn’t necessary, this narrowed it down even more for me! It always helps by getting rid of another generation to deal with. 😉 I now have one possible relationship to work with! In summary, I am now confident that my match is my 2c1r and my uncle’s 1c2r (my great uncle’s/my uncle’s uncle’s great-great grandchild).
There are also no other unknown/mystery matches matched to my mystery match as of yet. Even though we would have the same shared matches of course, it is easier to see them from his shared matches with me, as opposed to my thousands of shared matches to that line, since he is only half related to that line. Oh my gosh, I finally got a working number for my matches mom, near the end of this second day on this! I’m going to call now and get back to you all! I called my match’s mom and spoke to her for a while. I made sure to ask pertinent questions to see which of my match’s 4 grandparents could be my great uncle’s child. I asked if she had tested, and she said she had. Since his mom said she had tested, and I know I am not a match to her, her 2 lines/my match’s 2 maternal grandparents are out. That now leaves me with 2 possible children for my great uncle, one of either of my match’s paternal grandparents. I asked if her husband looked more like his father or his mother, and she stated that he looked just like his father; my matches father does not really resemble my great uncle or our family. I was hoping to get a photo of her husband’s parents (my match’s paternal grandparents and one being the probable child of my great uncle), but she said she didn’t have access to any pictures right now, as she had just moved. Hmmmmmmmm, my match’s paternal grandmother’s mother was in Sedgwick County, KS at the time her daughter (my match’s paternal grandmother) was born in 1930. My great uncle was also in Sedgwick County, KS at that time. My match’s paternal grandmother’s mother was also married only a little less than 5 months before the birth of her daughter (my match’s paternal grandmother). My match’s paternal grandfather’s mother was in Cloud County, KS, just four counties over, at the time her son (my match’s paternal grandfather) was born. She had just married her husband within the year of her son’s birth; although, I have not gotten their marriage record yet. It’s very interesting that her son, my match’s paternal grandfather, is named Donald, the same name as my great uncle. I also finally got a working number for my match’s uncle, and I called. I was hoping for a photo of his parents, but he had asked how he was supposed to do that, more in a not willing sort of way. He seemed a little upset with the information presented to him, but I got the feeling that he wasn’t necessarily surprised. He then said he wanted to end the conversation and was not interested in it anymore. I am hoping that one day I can get a photo of my match’s paternal grandparents, along with his paternal grandfather’s mother’s marriage record, not that a child can’t come about while married to someone else. 😉 I am also hoping that my match will be willing to speak to me about his matches, and let me view them, as I would be able to confirm it by HIS shared matches. His mother said she would give him my number, not to mention I left him a message on Ancestry (that has been viewed) and Facebook, with no response. ☹ Well, here it is, after discovering my match 2 days ago: In summary, I find it very interesting that my match’s paternal grandfather was named Donald, the same name as that of my great uncle, but I strongly believe his paternal grandmother is my great uncle’s child. She was born in the exact area where my great uncle was at the time, and her mother didn’t marry until she was almost 5 months pregnant with her. I will not know for certain until I can compare pictures, and until my match is willing to respond to me and hopefully lets me view his matches. 😊 To follow this story from the beginning, you can find the links below: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 1 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6 Find more research tips under the category Genealogy Research Tips, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA tips under the DNA Simplified category. I'd love to read your comments! My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉 ←Back to Genealogy Research Tips Page This post is a participant in the Genealogy Blog Party! Other related genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6Continued from Part 5 My genetic genealogy journey of a temporary genealogy brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match relative that had just showed up, when I already know all the descendants in that line, continues with Part 6. While still trying to get working numbers for my match and his mom, I left off last in Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5 by narrowing down my possible match relationships in DNA Painter, using deductive reasoning. I used the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool and their relationship histogram charts. Compare Relationships against Dates and Places, Again: Now it’s time to narrow down my deductions even more, by comparing the possible relationships left against dates and places!
I am going to eliminate his sisters, as it would have been obvious if they were pregnant. By building my own quick tree for my match's lines, where I only had his father and "Private" mother to go off of, which I talked about in Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3 and Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4, I had found the following:
This info is based off no one being adopted, etc. No matter what, he (my mystery match) is descended from my grandfather or his sibling, most likely his brother… More Centimorgan Relationship Elimination: Now I just need to work with the last possible centimorgan relationships that I had narrowed it down to, with my new findings. In Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5, I had narrowed it down to 2c, ½ 1c1r, 2c1r (and a possible 1c2r from the histograms in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool).  Where I last had narrowed down my relationship possibilities using the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool
 My relationship possibilities narrowed down further using the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool So, in short, I am now left with my match having a higher possibly of being my grandfather’s great grandchild, or my great uncle’s great grandchild. Stay tuned for more in Part 7 where I wrap things up, and see how my mystery match is related! 😊 Interactive Questions: Are you making sure to compare your DNA match relationships against dates and places to help break down brick walls? Are you weeding out as many of those centimorgan relationships that you can? Let me know in the comments below! Update, December 25, 2021: Part 7, the final part in this solving a DNA mystery match series, is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 7 Follow This Story from the Beginning: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 1 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Other related genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5Continued from Part 4 Continue with me on my genetic genealogy journey of a temporary brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up when I already know all the descendants in that line, from Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4! I left off last by working a bit on his parents’ lines just to gather the info I needed to see which of the lines was the connection, while waiting on working numbers, then comparing yearbook photos of his parents and their siblings to my grandfather and his siblings, to no avail. I had worked a total of two hours on my case already and decided to stop and continue the next day. Good morning! Okay, time to get going on this and try to finish up. I’m going to need a pumpkin chai latte for this! Regular tea just won’t cut it this morning; I need something special to help me focus better and get this figured out! 😉 More Centimorgan Relationship Elimination: Back to the Centimorgan relationships: I’ve got to make sure I take out every possible matched centimorgan relationship in DNA Painter that is not directly descended from my grandfather or one of his siblings because my match has matches to my grandfather’s paternal and maternal lines; therefore, he has to be descended from my grandfather or one of his siblings. Anything above my grandfather’s generation is now out, otherwise my DNA match would only be matched with my grandfather’s paternal line matches, or my grandfather’s maternal line matches, not both. All the possible match relationships of my match being descended from a possible half sibling to my grandfather are also out, for same reason as above.  After discovering my match’s and parents’ ages, anything above my generation is also out. I now just need to focus on my match being in my generation and one generation below, with a smaller possibility of being 2 generations below. I am now left with: ½ 1c, ½ 1c1r, ½ 1 c2r, 1c1r, 1c2r, 2c, 2c1r, and 2c2r (½ g niece/nephew not possible).  If I also go with the higher probable percentages, then I only have 2c, ½ 1c1r, 1c2r, 2c1r, ½ 1c2r left to work with.  If I focus on my generation and the generation below only (going off my match’s and his parents' ages), then I’m left only with 2c, ½ 1c1r, 2c1r. This narrows it down significantly.  If I check those relationships with the histograms in the DNA Painter Shared cM Tool, there is more of a chance of my match being my 2c, ½ 1c1r (and 1c2r if I go as far as another generation below), but this is just a guide only.
Now I need to work with these findings, along with dates and places of my grandfather and his siblings, compared against the same information needed from my match’s lines. Wow, who knew what a special pumpkin chai latte could accomplish! 😉 Stay tuned for more in Part 6 where I get down to the nitty gritty, and see what I deduce by these comparisons! 😊 Interactive Questions: Have you used DNA Painter Shared cM Tool in your DNA research to help break down brick walls? Let me know in the comments below! Update, December 12, 2021: Part 6 is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 6 Follow This Story from the Beginning: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 1 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4Continued from Part 3 This is the continuing story, continued from Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3, of my temporary genealogy brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up. I call it a temporary brick wall because I have not really exhausted all of my resources, but I had found all the known descendants for those lines (not to mention that I know of that generation’s descendants very well), and he is not one of them. So, a recap of my last steps:
Compare Geographical Areas: Hmmmmmmm, I worked back on his father’s (the only name in his tree) and mother’s (found in public record databases as an associate to his father) lines just to gather only the info needed to solve this, and I am still confused. Usually from this point, I just need to compare the areas of where the match’s lines were from, with my line. His father’s line was in Wichita, Kansas, just as my Steinmans were for a while, and Long Beach, California, just as my Steinmans were for a while! That’s great; I found the connection! Wait, what??!! Not! His mother’s line was in San Antonio/South Gate, Norwalk, Long Beach, and Downey, California, just as my Steinman line! Ugh, back to square one! I need more tea! Wake up! Wake up! Compare Photos: Time to quickly look up some public yearbook pics of some of his family members I had found by fanning out, and try to see if there are any resemblances, to narrow it down to either his mother’s or his father’s side. My grandfather and his siblings below...
My match's father and his siblings below...Hmmmmmm, I don't see much of a resemblance.
My match's mother and some of her siblings below...Hmmmmmm, I see no resemblance.
I have worked a total of 2 hours on this mystery thus far: it’s time to stop because it’s late, my tea is no longer helping, and I need a fresh mind! Stay tuned for more in Part 5 where I’ll narrow down the relationships according to the centimorgans even more by using more deductive reasoning! 😊 Interactive Questions: Have you compared photos in your research to help break down brick walls? Have you sought out photos for your matches in yearbooks, public records or social media? Let me know in the comments below! Update, November 28, 2021: Part 5 is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 5 Follow This Story from the Beginning: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match- Part 1 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3Continued from Part 2 Continue with me in my story, from Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2, of my temporary genealogy brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up. I call it a temporary brick wall because I have not really exhausted all of my resources, but I had found all the known descendants for those lines (not to mention that I know of that generation’s descendants very well), and he is not one of them. So, a recap of my last steps:
Fan Out: None of the numbers in any of the public record databases, for my match, were working numbers. Time to fan out! 😊 By searching through public records and seeing other associates and relatives, and their ages, I found that my match’s father’s first wife was not his mother. There was no other record showing that his father and mother were married/ a couple, except being associated in public records, and her Facebook (which I trolled 😉).
I was able to search out his mother’s maiden name in public records. I then added her as his mother to my tree I had built for them, and then added a couple of children to her and his father (one male, one female), once again with no first names or any other info added for the children. I was able to find just one child born to them, a daughter. I then had thought for a moment that maybe she was his stepmother, and that’s why she was associated with him on all his records. Through more Google digging, I had realized that the child I had found born to them was the same person; he had changed gender. I had found a college bio online for their daughter, and in looking at the photo had realized it was my match, who had just recently changed his name and gender. I then added his name in quotations to the daughter I had originally found for them. Any other records I would now look up, would be searched with both names. So far, all his mother’s numbers were non-working as well. In the meantime, while I was trying to get a working number, I decided to work on his mother’s and father’s lines on my tree I made for them, to see what DNA relationships would fit, based off ages and places. Stay tuned for more in Part 4 to see what I had discovered! 😊 Interactive Questions: Have you fanned out in your research to help break down brick walls? Have you sought out your matches in public records or social media? Let me know in the comments below! Update, Novemeber 14, 2021: Part 4 is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 4 Follow This Story from the Beginning: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match- Part 1 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 This is the continuing story, continued from Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 1, of my temporary genealogy brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up. I call it a temporary brick wall because I have not really exhausted all of my resources, but I had found all the known descendants for those lines (not to mention that I know of that generation’s descendants very well), and he is unknown of. Messaging through Ancestry: Next, I messaged him on Ancestry, which I RARELY do. Most people rarely message back from Ancestry, don’t notice it for a long time (or never notice it), rarely are on it, or just take too long getting back. Some people who do their DNA, just do the DNA test, and that was their only purpose. Many check out their results when they get them, and don’t go on frequently after that. This is usually the case with unlinked trees that have just a few people, or they have no family tree at all. I also just like to get my info and solve my mysteries quickly, so I just don’t waste time with messaging, not to mention that I love solving puzzles and challenges! Public and Social Media Search: Then I Googled him, searched him out on Facebook, and looked him up in public online records to look up his phone number and age, and verify relatives. By Googling and checking him in public records, I was able to verify his age so that I would know the age range of the person I was seeking out on Facebook. I got lucky that his father, who had passed away in 2004, was still associated with him in some public records. It also helped me to see other relatives and associates of his to also find those people associated with him on Facebook (you can also do this for other social media), so that I would know I had the right person. Thank goodness there were only 3 people on Facebook that had his uncommon name, and only 2 looked to be about his age! I also got lucky in that 2 had profile pics! I “stalked” the 3 Facebook pages, and I found the one with some of the other names associated with him that were also associated with him in the public records. Stay tuned for more in Part 3! Interactive Questions: How has your experience been messaging your matches on Ancestry? Have you sought out your matches in public records or social media? Let me know in the comments below! Update, November 6, 2021: Part 3 is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 Well, I just hit a new, temporary brick wall in my family tree. I just noticed a new DNA match in the 2nd to 3rd cousin category in Ancestry last night. This person is matched to my father’s line, and has to be matched through my paternal grandfather or one of his siblings; his shared matches were the first clue. Since he is matched to ALL the lines of my paternal grandfather, he has to be descended from that generation. This is not the first unknown of descendant/DNA mystery/family secret match from ANY my lines. I have found and solved many unknown of children/descendants/family secrets that no one knew about; I will try to blog about those stories when I have time. This one just happened, so it is still fresh in my mind. I know ALL of the descendants of those lines, and had published my descendant books on those lines about 6 years ago, and he was not one of them. Hmmmmmm, a new DNA mystery to solve! Challenge accepted! 😉 So, time to get an early start and wake up with my morning tea; I’ve got a new DNA mystery to solve, and my challenge awaits! 😉 His centimorgans shared with me are 201. This leaves him (only according to his centimorgans) most likely matched as a 1/2 gg-aunt / uncle; a 2c; a 1/2 1c1r; a 1c2r; a 1/2 gg-niece / nephew; a 1/2 2c; a 2c1r; a 1/2 1c2r; or a 1c3r, and a less probability (but still possible) as a 1/2 c3r †; a 1/2 2c1r †; a 3c; a 2c2r; a great-great-aunt / uncle; a 1/2 great-aunt / uncle; a 1/2 1c; a 1c1r; a 1/2 great-niece / nephew; or a great-great-niece / nephew (according to the DNA Painter Shared cM Project tool).  Okay, time to get going on this! He had an unlinked tree with only 3 people in it: him as private, his father’s name and date and place of death, and his mother as private. The first thing I did was quickly build my own tree for them in Ancestry, as always. I found his father’s information right away. I found a marriage for his father, and added that spouse as a possible (who I thought at first) mother. I then added a few male and female children born to them with no first names or any other info, as I usually do, and searched for them. I found 2 children born to them, but neither had the name of my match. This was all in the first 10 minutes. Stay tuned for more in Part 2! Update, October 30, 2021: Part 2 is now here!: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 Update, November 6, 2021: Part 3 is now here!: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part3 Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA tips under the DNA Simplified category. P.S... My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉 ←Back to Genealogy Research Tips Page Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
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