Weak Triangulation to a Distant Possible Relative. Now What?

Question

In trying to break through a brick wall, I found a distant (b. 1774), *possible* relative with several DNA connections. There are several of these living connections with whom I share a slight, 5-7 cM connection on the same chromosome, in the same range. Not proof, but maybe a lead.

The question is if and how I can use living DNA matches as a "heat map," and perhaps test other downstream relatives from Ezekiel Johnson to determine from which line I descend (if at all)?

If this isn't possible, the only other process I can imagine is digging down through each line to see which (if any) moved from Massachusetts to Sussex Co. NJ/Orange Co. NY (and these folks were pretty prolific).

Thank you,
Kevin

Answer 1

I've had a few of these, this takes a lot of work, but check if their known ancestors are on Wikitree and work back up their tree, if they are not on Wikitree, add them, hopefully you will connect them to the main tree and if you are lucky that will reveal the DNA path.
 I'm doing that at the moment, at the very least you are extending Wikitree, and maybe someone else will add the missing links.
 Try to identify groups of cousins in your matches to establish their common line then work back.

Comments

Thanks, Gary. This is going to take a while.... 

Answer 2

I am going through something very similar (almost exactly as you describe). 

I keep coming back to the same ancestral couple the possible ancestor: Abraham Kuykendall, Van_Kuykendaal-9

USA relatives are rare relatives of my husband, so a little out of my depth there.

My way of dealing with this exactly as Gary explains.

Plus my sort of heat map version:

I also use my home genealogy database (in my case Legacy Family Tree, but all are similar, mine is usually not attached to anything online). I add in rough trees of matches if they are available.  Then add an obvious tag or HashTag #DNA for any living DNA links I find.  I NEVER PUBLISH ANY LIVING OR RECENT, but it helps me in a descendant chart to highlight the DNA matches for an Ancestral couple. 

A lot of work but one day I will find the connection. between my brick wall and Alan George D'Arcy D'Arcy-1229.  Been looking since 1988.