I've identified three ancestral pairs based on 1) 2nd cousin relationship and surname list 2) Oxfordshire ancestry (4th cousin once removed) and 3) rare surname (5th cousin once removed) However, I think the key to success lies in persuading cousins to test and that's not easy because of the work required and the low success rate unless many participate, especially when the cousins all have long pedigrees going back in many cases to 17th century ancestors or beyond. Their view is : what's the point or what's our chance of bridging any gaps? Lindsey -----Original Message----- From: Karla Huebner <calypsospots@gmail.com> To: Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com>; genealogy-dna <genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thu, Dec 31, 2015 11:26 am Subject: Re: [DNA] My First NPE Family Finder does take time and work. In my own tree I have sufficiently different ethnicities that to some extent I was able to map out portions without asking for family trees; of course, having tested an increasing number of family members has been a big help. I have been able to guess a few people's connection by looking at surname lists, but mostly not, due to patronymics and overly common surnames. This morning I'm embarking on a big new area--I was able to get a FF test done for a man listed in the Todd project as having a shared ancestral couple born in the 1770s, and his results are now available to me. One of his matches also matches one of my Todd descendants (he himself does not come up as a match for anyone I've tested but the three match on the same basic segment), and his closest match lists a couple of familiar surnames with the right locations. However, it'll be a big jigsaw puzzle working with his DNA especially given that FTDNA hasn't matched him to anyone else I've tested. Just keep chipping away at it and the discoveries will come. On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 9:51 AM, Lindsey Britton via <genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> wrote: Maybe this is why I am having so much trouble with FF. I know my ancestry, but my matches don't. I sent about 60 e-mails to 2-4th cousin matches earlier this week along with a detailed chart of my mother's ancestors back to the 3rd-5th great grandparents. Of course, I have gaps as most of us do. Gaps are inevitable in Virginia's burned record counties. What is not inevitable is tracing lines in burned record counties back to the 1600s and I have quite a few of those, too. Since 2nd to 4th cousins share ancestry no further back that 3rd great grandparents, I felt sure some of these matches would recognize one or two of my lines, but alas, I was wrong. I did get many replies, but no clues. The most likely was from someone in Scotland who said his ancestors came from Galloway where my mother's 2nd great grandfather Kevan was born. Lindsey PS I tried GEDMATCH, but am a bit disappointed. I like the Are your parents related? tool, the Phasing tool which I intend to use once I get my results, and the Lazarus tool sounds interesting if I can find enough relatives on the same line to try it, which doesn't seem likely at this point, but FTDNA's match lists and ICW tool are easier to use and results for the Heritage tools at GEDMATCH are wild. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GENEALOGY-DNA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Karla Huebner calypsospots AT gmail.com

Testing cousins is vital. I'm always delighted when one of them is willing to pay, but I figure I can't expect them to finance my hobby (even if they're also into family history). Karla On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 11:38 AM, Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com> wrote: > I've identified three ancestral pairs based on 1) 2nd cousin relationship > and surname list 2) Oxfordshire ancestry (4th cousin once removed) and 3) > rare surname (5th cousin once removed) > > However, I think the key to success lies in persuading cousins to test and > that's not easy because of the work required and the low success rate > unless many participate, especially when the cousins all have long > pedigrees going back in many cases to 17th century ancestors or beyond. > Their view is : what's the point or what's our chance of bridging any gaps? > > Lindsey > > -----Original Message----- > From: Karla Huebner <calypsospots@gmail.com> > To: Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com>; genealogy-dna < > genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thu, Dec 31, 2015 11:26 am > Subject: Re: [DNA] My First NPE > > Family Finder does take time and work. In my own tree I have sufficiently > different ethnicities that to some extent I was able to map out portions > without asking for family trees; of course, having tested an increasing > number of family members has been a big help. > > I have been able to guess a few people's connection by looking at surname > lists, but mostly not, due to patronymics and overly common surnames. This > morning I'm embarking on a big new area--I was able to get a FF test done > for a man listed in the Todd project as having a shared ancestral couple > born in the 1770s, and his results are now available to me. One of his > matches also matches one of my Todd descendants (he himself does not come > up as a match for anyone I've tested but the three match on the same basic > segment), and his closest match lists a couple of familiar surnames with > the right locations. However, it'll be a big jigsaw puzzle working with his > DNA especially given that FTDNA hasn't matched him to anyone else I've > tested. > > Just keep chipping away at it and the discoveries will come. > > On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 9:51 AM, Lindsey Britton via < > genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> wrote: > >> >> >> Maybe this is why I am having so much trouble with FF. I know my >> ancestry, but my matches don't. I sent about 60 e-mails to 2-4th cousin >> matches earlier this week along with a detailed chart of my mother's >> ancestors back to the 3rd-5th great grandparents. Of course, I have gaps >> as most of us do. Gaps are inevitable in Virginia's burned record >> counties. What is not inevitable is tracing lines in burned record >> counties back to the 1600s and I have quite a few of those, too. Since 2nd >> to 4th cousins share ancestry no further back that 3rd great grandparents, >> I felt sure some of these matches would recognize one or two of my lines, >> but alas, I was wrong. I did get many replies, but no clues. The most >> likely was from someone in Scotland who said his ancestors came from >> Galloway where my mother's 2nd great grandfather Kevan was born. >> >> Lindsey >> >> PS I tried GEDMATCH, but am a bit disappointed. I like the Are your >> parents related? tool, the Phasing tool which I intend to use once I get my >> results, and the Lazarus tool sounds interesting if I can find enough >> relatives on the same line to try it, which doesn't seem likely at this >> point, but FTDNA's match lists and ICW tool are easier to use and results >> for the Heritage tools at GEDMATCH are wild. >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GENEALOGY-DNA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > > -- > Karla Huebner > calypsospots AT gmail.com > -- Karla Huebner calypsospots AT gmail.com

Maybe I spoke too quickly--just had an invitation to a tree at Ancestry where I immediately noticed the name Spencer Bobo Moore. Spencer Bobo was a descendant of my ancestor Thomas Spencer, although Thomas was born in the mid 17th century. Anyhow, the unusual name makes me wonder whether this is more than coincidence. You are right--I don't expect people to pay if they aren't interested, but since I don't like paying for tests except for immediate family members, I will either have to find cousins who want to participate or identify some who are already in the database. Lindsey -----Original Message----- From: Karla Huebner <calypsospots@gmail.com> To: Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com> Cc: genealogy-dna <genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thu, Dec 31, 2015 11:46 am Subject: Re: [DNA] My First NPE Testing cousins is vital. I'm always delighted when one of them is willing to pay, but I figure I can't expect them to finance my hobby (even if they're also into family history). Karla On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 11:38 AM, Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com> wrote: I've identified three ancestral pairs based on 1) 2nd cousin relationship and surname list 2) Oxfordshire ancestry (4th cousin once removed) and 3) rare surname (5th cousin once removed) However, I think the key to success lies in persuading cousins to test and that's not easy because of the work required and the low success rate unless many participate, especially when the cousins all have long pedigrees going back in many cases to 17th century ancestors or beyond. Their view is : what's the point or what's our chance of bridging any gaps? Lindsey -----Original Message----- From: Karla Huebner <calypsospots@gmail.com> To: Lindsey Britton <lplantagenet@aol.com>; genealogy-dna <genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thu, Dec 31, 2015 11:26 am Subject: Re: [DNA] My First NPE Family Finder does take time and work. In my own tree I have sufficiently different ethnicities that to some extent I was able to map out portions without asking for family trees; of course, having tested an increasing number of family members has been a big help. I have been able to guess a few people's connection by looking at surname lists, but mostly not, due to patronymics and overly common surnames. This morning I'm embarking on a big new area--I was able to get a FF test done for a man listed in the Todd project as having a shared ancestral couple born in the 1770s, and his results are now available to me. One of his matches also matches one of my Todd descendants (he himself does not come up as a match for anyone I've tested but the three match on the same basic segment), and his closest match lists a couple of familiar surnames with the right locations. However, it'll be a big jigsaw puzzle working with his DNA especially given that FTDNA hasn't matched him to anyone else I've tested. Just keep chipping away at it and the discoveries will come. On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 9:51 AM, Lindsey Britton via <genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com> wrote: Maybe this is why I am having so much trouble with FF. I know my ancestry, but my matches don't. I sent about 60 e-mails to 2-4th cousin matches earlier this week along with a detailed chart of my mother's ancestors back to the 3rd-5th great grandparents. Of course, I have gaps as most of us do. Gaps are inevitable in Virginia's burned record counties. What is not inevitable is tracing lines in burned record counties back to the 1600s and I have quite a few of those, too. Since 2nd to 4th cousins share ancestry no further back that 3rd great grandparents, I felt sure some of these matches would recognize one or two of my lines, but alas, I was wrong. I did get many replies, but no clues. The most likely was from someone in Scotland who said his ancestors came from Galloway where my mother's 2nd great grandfather Kevan was born. Lindsey PS I tried GEDMATCH, but am a bit disappointed. I like the Are your parents related? tool, the Phasing tool which I intend to use once I get my results, and the Lazarus tool sounds interesting if I can find enough relatives on the same line to try it, which doesn't seem likely at this point, but FTDNA's match lists and ICW tool are easier to use and results for the Heritage tools at GEDMATCH are wild. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GENEALOGY-DNA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Karla Huebner calypsospots AT gmail.com -- Karla Huebner calypsospots AT gmail.com