DNA Expert Needed.

Question

I did an Ancestry DNA test and some of the matches did not have any connection in my tree.
 

I concluded that my great grandfather William Darcy Armstrong is not connected to me by blood. Although he did marry my great grandmother Kathleen (who is proven through DNA) while she was pregnant with my grandfather William JR Armstrong.
 

I believe she was impregnated prior to getting together with William Darcy Armstrong.
 

I started a separate tree in Ancestry called mystery tree to try and connect all my unknown DNA matches to one another. I have had some success, but it's still a brick wall.
 

My closest unknown has 123cM with 2% shared DNA with me. Listed as a possible 2nd-3rd cousin in Ancestry DNA. He is in my mystery tree but I have not found a connection with him to the other unknowns.
 

The next match has 106cM with 2% shared DNA and she is also listed in Ancestry DNA as a possible 2nd-3rd cousin. She is in my mystery tree and I have connected a lot of the unknowns to her and that tree is pretty detailed.
 

Is there a genealogical expert that is able to help with this brick wall? 
 

I have a similar situation on my mother's side but I mainly want to focus on this wall because technically my last isn't Armstrong and I want to know my true DNA roots.
 

Thank you to anyone who can help.

Comments

Thank you everyone for these suggestions. It sounds like doing the Y test will help me out a lot. I will also upload my results to GEDmatch too.

Thanks again everyone!

Answer 1

Peter is right that Y-DNA should settle your Armstrong question.

For the other lines and matches:  Ancestry doesn't provide chromosome detail, nor do they tell you how your matches match each other.  You can learn more if you upload your DNA data to GEDmatch and get your matches to do that too.  

P.S.  I'm not representing myself as a DNA expert.

Comments

I agree with Julie get into Gedmatch. Then run between you and your. Highest match the Peoyeho match 2 or 2 kits report. All the hits in the top section match both of you.

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Thanks for the star, Laura!

Answer 2

Hello Sean,

Test your Y-DNA to learn about your direct paternal (Armstrong) line.  Then you can see if you are a Y-DNA match with other males with the Armstrong surname.  The Y-DNA37 test is currently on sale until Nov 30th from Family Tree DNA. 

Answer 3

I’m also not a DNA expert but found myself in a very similar situation a few years ago. My paternal G-Grandfather was rumored to be found left on a doorstep.

Y-DNA results immediately gave me my true surname as 28/30 matches had the new surname, so yes do this first using the current sale priced Y-37 or Y-111 offers (bigger tests will not be better for this purpose.) Due to low number of Y-DNA test takers it will likely not identify any close relatives, only your true surname.

Then continue with Ancestry DNA (largest sample population for North America) to find matches associated with that surname.

Then look for that surname in 1934 Toronto and earlier. Look for couples that would have been of your GG Grandparents age, note the women’s maiden names and look for those name in your Ancestry DNA match trees.

This worked for me for a baby abandoned in 1860’s (but in a much smaller town than Toronto)

Good luck!

- Joe

Answer 4

Sean,

Again I am not an expert - however it will be worthwhile to consider the following.

1. Add your test to Gedmatch - already suggested.

2. Add your test to 23&Me, and MyHeritage and FTDNA.  This will cost a bit but there are sales now.  You will find matches on each site that are not on others and if you are careful you will find the same individual on multiple sites.  Interesting that some individuals have a family tree on one site but not on another and when you see they are the same person it is often possible to fill in some connections.  As you are already on Ancestry I did not include it here.  I find that all four sites have advantages, none of them have everything. 

3.Review the method you are using to show that your ancestors are confirmed by DNA - many of the are labeled that way but I did not see a DNA statement.  On Josephine Theresa Groia (1934 - 2018) for example you will see a warning that the profile is missing a DNA confirmation statement. (If you do not see it Edit the profile and look at the bottom of profile data.) If you have not carefully reviewed the material at Category: DNA Help it is time to do so.

4. Build out the trees on Wikitree for you DNA matches even if you do not know the relationship. Be sure to show detailed sources.  (Note that Josephine above does not have any sources - while you know somethings you can not be the source for her birth - and something needs to be added.)

5 Use a method to keep track of all of your matches.  Some like a spreadsheet.  I use Genealogical DNA Analysis Tool and a spreadsheet. GDNA is not easy, it will take time to learn but it will allow you to manage and identify matches that you will not be able to do with other methods.