Ancestry.com seems to have sold a boat-load of new autosomal DNA kits between November 2016 and January 2017. In fact, so many that they’ve apparently become overcome with the load and processing times have doubled. My first several kits typically used to take only 4-5 weeks from mailing in to getting the results posted. My most recent kit (#19 for me) took more than two months, received Feb. 15th, posted April 20th. I heard that they had so many in the queue that they had to open a new lab just to process them all.
Anyway, the new kits are posting like crazy now. I’m getting new 3rd and 4th cousin matches just about every day. This morning I got excited while reviewing the DNA matches when I saw this one:
This match was over 100 cMs which is starting to get pretty close, like in the 2nd cousin range. Whenever I get a new match of interest I always first, document the amount of DNA sharing, 153 cMs in this case. That amount of matching would seem to point to most likely a 2nd cousin relationship (in addition to 1C2R). Not surprisingly my mother’s DNA showed a stronger relationship with 278 cMs. Looking at the very useful chart matching cM levels with relationship:
(found at http://thegeneticgenealogist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SharedcMProject.png),
this person is likely to be a 2nd cousin to me and a likely 1st cousin once removed to my mom. Average for a 2C is 238 cM and 1C1R is 512. Both of my results are lower than average but still within the acceptable ranges shown.
Next, I go right into the Shared Matches tool in Ancestry which more often than not can give me a clue as to where this person may fit in my tree—basically looking for other DNA matches that might triangulate, or have a common ancestor (we call them MRCAs, Most Recent Common Ancestor). This is what I found (my annotations in blue):
This is very useful as it immediately helped place this new DNA match into a well-known family line. After doing a bit more digging (Facebook, Google, Intelius, etc.) I was able to figure out who this person was and how I was related to her. That was further confirmed by checking with my 1st cousin, once removed who helped place her. It turns out this new match is his niece! And, she is indeed my 2nd cousin and my mom’s 1st cousin once removed.
This is another example of how careful analysis of DNA matches can most definitely help with genealogy research and filling out that family tree.
I eagerly await more of these fast-appearing DNA kits!