With so many different DNA testing sites, you can only use the tools each has available. My mom Jo (a Spencer descendant) and I both tested at Ancestry. As we all know, Ancestry will not provide us nerds with a chromosome browser or segments, so we have to make do. Ancestry does provide us with "Shared Matches" and the total centimorgans (cMs) and number of segments shared with a match. Using those tools, I created this spreadsheet, read from bottom to top:
My legend:
Bold denotes those who have tested at Ancestry
Total cMs and number of segments, provided by Ancestry, as matched to my mom Jo
Orange = all shared matches with Aleta
Blue = all shared matches with RH
Green = all shared matches with Eleda
Red = all shared matches with RC
Black = all shared matches with Ed S
Everyone here matches my mom Jo
What I tried to do in my head was visualize how these mini-groups of people matched each other. And what prompted the visualization was the recurring matches to the various HULING descendants. Ooh, a pattern! I had no Hulings in my own research, nor do my known cousins here, Eleda, Aleta, and RC, all of whom I have corresponded with and can verify descent from my Asa Spencer.
The testers RH and Katie show up as the first 4th cousin matches in my mom's Shared Matches list. None appear to have transferred to Gedmatch or FTDNA. Of course, I have messaged all of the other testers to no avail, which led me to the spreadsheet.
Honestly, I think I did a pretty good job transferring my musings to paper.
Tell me what you think. Do you think I should pursue a relationship between the Spencers and Hulings? If so, what might the relationship be? Where else in the tree should I look? What else can I do to help determine Asa's parents? Is this a legit way to show relationships without segments? Help me, DNA!
© 2017 Sally Knudsen
