I am searching for my unknown maternal grandfather. Please could someone advise me onhow to set up a

EJDa

I am searching for my unknown maternal grandfather. Please could someone advise me onhow to set up a strategy using DNA sites.

BJC1234

When I started using DNA, I wanted to find the fathers of my two illegitimate great grand parents. I have a name for one of the fathers. When I looked at my matches I found a number of relatives from numerous places on my tree. I've identified them, but still haven't found who I had originally wanted to find. Since I identified the known matches, I can now focus on the unknown match one by one, look at their trees and contact them.

As always start with what you know.

I'll end with that, as I trust someone will give you a better answer.

EJDa

Many thanks for your advice. It sounds like we're on a similar journey.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

Dan Hull 22

I always try to test with several companies and then place the raw data in some of the sites that do comparisons without having to do more testing. I also like to do target testing meaning I find people who might be related to me on the line I am searching and then I ask them to test. I have -repurchased when there are good sales on DNA kits and then _)I offer to give them a free kit. Many times they will pay for it themselves but if not I don’t want to loose the opportunity. Dan Hull

EJDa

Thanks Dan, that's very helpful. I have identified a group of DNA matches that I can't link to my known ancestry. If I manage to get further clues to suggest these might lead to my missing line, target testing might be a way forward. It's very difficult when I don't have a name to go on.

Thanks again

Ev

multiplesons1.5294187457446106E12

I think with your search you would get the same type of results that I got with my DNA, although my problem was a that we turned up a series of DNA matches that WEREN'T part of the paper tree as we had it. I think you could piece together that group of matches and see how they are related to each other. Definitely contact 2 or 3 of the folks in that group, who have good trees and tell them what you are looking for. They will be able to compare their DNA matches to those that you have. What I think is most important is finding out where people stop matching you, because when you are able to see the edges of the DNA matches, it will be like an arrow pointing to the person who is related on both trees. I can show you how I compared my two trees:

 

The top tree is my family. You can see ME in the middle. All of the pale red shapes are people that I DNA matched that are in my paper tree but they did not match the other tree. All the green shapes matched people in both trees. On the bottom is the other family and the folks that I matched in that tree. The dark red shapes are where I thought the crossover occurred. Looking at my tree (the upper tree) you can see that folks on both sides don't match the other tree. That's what I mean about pointing, if you follow up the tree, crossing out ancestors of people that don't match, all you have left are those that do, and in my case it points at either my great-grandmother's father, or her mother's father. (We don't have DNA for my great-grandmother's only sibling to have children, so we aren't sure which level it is at.)

 

It is a difficult concept. I didn't realize how effective charting it like this was, until I saw the arrow shape. I highlighted the 'arrow' on this view of the chart:

EJDa

Thank you so much for your comprehensive and very helpful answer. I have taken time to read it carefully and think I understand the process well enough to start the next stage of my search.

 

Thank you again

Ev

Jenna Smith

I like to use the What are the odds tool at DNA painter. Start with the group of matches that don’t match your known lineage. Begin building trees and find a common ancestor.

EJDa

Thanks for this Jenna. I've not heard of this tool so I'll have a look. Is it complicated?