Will identical twins confuse dna matches?

Question

My father was born illegitimate in 1944 in devon uk. His mother was an identical twin and her sister emigrated to Australia in the 1950s, we are waiting on his DNA results, could this confuse my results? I am hoping to discover his father's identity and hopefully living relatives.

Answer 1

Hi Star,

Since you mentioned that you are waiting on your father's DNA results, I'm assuming that he's still alive and that you're waiting on his auDNA results. If so, and if you've not already done so, I'd suggest that you also have your father do a Y-DNA test. The fact that his mother and her sister were identical twins won't factor into any matches that you may be able to find along your father's paternal Y-DNA line.

Answer 2

Any descendants of the twin sister will show as being more closely related than normal cousins would be.

For example, your father and his cousin (born from identical twin sister mothers) would genetically be equivalent to half-siblings.

Comments

Thank you for confirming that for me. Would that also affect my cousin matches?  As it's my grandmother? My mother is also a twin ( unidentcal)

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My grandmother's identical twin also gave birth to identical twins!

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It should only affect matches between you and that twin's descendants -- considering your grandmother and her twin were born in the 1920s, that can't be more than, what, 30 people tops?

As your father was born in 1944, I wonder if his father wasn't an Allied soldier stationed in Britain. Do you have DNA matches from the USA or Canada?

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Yes I have lots of matches with usa, I had been thinking along those lines too. He had been told he was either from Scotland or Liverpool.... but I am unable to find anything definite.

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Your grandmother's twin's descendants shouldn't disrupt your DNA connections unless your father was conceived from incest (ugh, let's hope not.) As you've got matches in USA, concentrate on that -- it looks like your other ancestry is solidly British, so in all likelihood that unknown American connection is coming via Mystery Daddy. What's your closest match on the American side? Any 2nd or 3rd cousins? You'd be amazed at what can be done with auDNA tests.