Lack of Matches

[paulH01]

Out of eight great-grandparents I've only been able to find DNA links to about five.

The others could be the result of false paternity, or simply the lack of matches/records on the products I'm registered with.

As mentioned already, Ancestry's hints rely on other user's trees and these can be unreliable, or non-existent for some names.

I've particularly drawn blanks with Scotland and Ireland, which I think is down to lack of complete records in these countries as much as anything else.
MyTrueAncestry has also given me hints to family connections in these places, but they only rely on a few samples so can only be used as hints.

On the other hand, Norfolk, and to some extent Durham and Lincolnshire seem to have given me a lot of DNA matches that match paper trails.

With some families I've had to wait a few generations to find a match and as said these will either be small and maybe unreliiable, although if I get matches with several different people of. say 10cM , for a relative of long ago I'm tempted to believe there may be a connection. I may be wrong!

Like others, I usually use DNA as corroborating evidence (or not) to what I have discovered on paper!

[Norfolk Nan]

Agree with you wholeheartedly, paulHO1. Which made me think about my own Ancestry tree - it was bare branches, no siblings or siblings family and no attached media evidence. Not a lot to go but better than nothing, I hope. However I've added siblings etc and some supporting evidence for births and marriages in the hope that more connections can be made. Fingers crossed.

[Mick Loney]

Agree with you wholeheartedly, paulHO1. Which made me think about my own Ancestry tree - it was bare branches, no siblings or siblings family and no attached media evidence. Not a lot to go but better than nothing, I hope. However I've added siblings etc and some supporting evidence for births and marriages in the hope that more connections can be made. Fingers crossed.

Norfolk Nan,when someone is looking for a match with your bare tree, their target can only be to one of your direct ancestors, making their target rather small, so chances are they may not get a match.

By filling out your tree with cousins, it makes their target area so much larger, increasing their chances of finding a match.

They may only have got back 4 generations in their tree, but if the common ancestor is at the 5th generation in your tree, then they won’t find a match. Adding your extra cousins may mean you include their 4th generation ancestor, which they can now find.

My advice is the more the merrier

[Norfolk Nan]

And well received, Mick. I never liked sharing, even as a kid, but of course the sense in being a bit more generous is obvious now. Still not entirely confident about one or two branches that remain stubbornly un-matched while others have dozens of connections. Interestingly, they are both entirely London based ... what that suggests is anyone's guess. Never mind, it gives me something to mither over on a wet and windy afternoon