Second Cousin determined by AncestryDNA How do I know which family Side?

Question

Seems AncestryDNA tells me I have a Second Cousin (strong information) , but how do I be certain that Her grandfather on her Fathers side is my Dad or is it her mother side of the family. I have asked a Brother on the Fathers side for DNA Y testing but he claims DNA is used by Government for covert usage and will not consider my requests. Is there a way to resolve this issue? I have 111 Y markers that give me no help other than I am English and that Donald Orville Gage was American Indian , and goes English in his Ancestry.

Comments

I shall complete the GEDMatch now that I at least have a clue that I have a name possible for my Dad that I never had before this event. Seems that my YDNA tests provided only that I was somehow English. Ancestry DNA test had a person in its database that got me this far. All I need now is the consent from the Son of this grandfather of hers , but he is not willing to do the test for reasons like the Government will get his DNA. He feels really uncomfortable about the fact that he has a possible Brother. I really want a way to get around this that does not some how bother him using a q tip on his cheek, or spit in a cup.

Answer 1

The only way I know to sort out the information is to go back and recreate both family trees to see where or if they intersect. Have you added your Ancestry data to GEDMATCH? If both of you were there you should be able to get a better handle on it. They have a chromosome browser and other tools that are useful. Make sure you load a GEDCOM onto their site as well.

Answer 2

Wait - you match a woman on Ancestry DNA and you are asking whether your match is through her husband's tree?  I'm not following this part.  Do you mean her father's side?

Anyway though, predicted second cousin matches are intriguing because this means that you share enough DNA in common so that you should share great-great-grandparents.  Since we each only have 16 great-great-grandparents, second cousin matches are often really promising because you can just look at your tree in comparison with your match's tree and come up with a reasonable idea of which ancestors could have been related.

The only exception though is if you have recent ancestors from an area in which there was a high level of intermarriage.  For example, my cousin has French-Canadian ancestors who lived in the same towns in Quebec for several hundred years.  As such, he has several predicted close matches that are actually just showing the high amount of shared DNA from having ancestors from these towns.

Do both you and your match have your trees back to your respective great-great-grandparents?

Comments

Bob is adopted. He doesn't know much of anything about his birth father.

Answer 3

Have you tried messaging the person on Ancestry?  That is how I contacted a 2nd cousin match and we are still exchanging information.  My match actually grew up in the old neighborhood and remembers people who I can only type about.