By Betty Hagberg. I’m so glad I asked my maternal uncles and aunt to test. Don’t wait. I received my uncle’s DNA test results the same day his obituary appeared in the newspaper.
What can you learn from older generations that you can’t find in your own DNA?
I decided to put this to the test as I study my 3nd great grandparents Louisa Moseley and James Brabazon Murphy. I already know quite a lot about this family, but I don’t have any contacts with current descendants who are still in England. Their daughter Norah Helen, my 2nd great grandmother, immigrated to the United States in 1867. Most of her 8 siblings stayed in England. The U.S. and English families were in contact as recently as the 1960’s. But the connection has been lost.
Can DNA help?
FIND A DESCENDANT OF A DISTANT ANCESTOR
I started by looking at my ThroughLines on Ancestry. James Brabazon and Louisa show 10 DNA descendants, but in looking at them, they are all in my immediate family here in the U.S. So, I switched to my Aunt Marilyn’s DNA test – she has 11 matches the additional match is Charles.
Charles has a public tree! His tree shows he is descended from a sister of my 2nd Great Grandmother Norah. I will add him to my tree, and as I do so, I’ll verify his tree. Since I already have his grandparents in my tree it should be pretty easy. Although his contact information doesn’t show where he is living, his grandparents died in England, so there is a chance he is still living there. Maybe I have found an English contact! I’ve sent a message and am hoping for a reply.
What else can I learn from this DNA match?
PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF A GENETIC RELATIONSHIP
The DNA match of Charles and Aunt Marilyn gives me evidence that James and Louisa are my biological 3nd Great Grandparents. My relationship with Aunt Marilyn has already been established through our DNA match. My family tree, verified through genealogical research, shows Charies and my Aunt Marilyn are 3rd Cousins Twice removed. Their Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) is James Brabazon and Louisa Murphy. The 20cM they share is in the range for this genealogical relationship.
UNCOVER NEW COMMUNITIES THAT SHOW DISTANT ANCESTRY
The DNA Communities provided by Ancestry have proven quite accurate in identifying ancestral locations within the genealogical timeframe. My Aunt Marilyn has two communities that I don’t – providing specific locations to look at when working to identify where my ancestors come from.
Do you have older generations in your family that you could test? Don’t wait!
