Monday's Tip

More about Ancestry DNA Circles

I have been working on my Ancestry DNA for a few days and my DNA Circles went from twelve to twenty-four then twenty-eight within a week.While I was working on the Circles and going each to see who was in them, one disappeared. So the DNA Circles come and go. Then come and go. Just when I think I have this figured out, something is changed and leaves me scratching my head. I looked at my thirty Ancestry DNA Circles and there were names on there that I didn’t recognize. So, I was intrigued. Who are these folks?

After close examination, I discovered they are collaterals. Some of the Circles that showed up wer

e Isaac Lloyd Quin husband of first cousin three times removed, William J. McDavid, father-in-law of third great uncle, Martha Brister, mother-in-law of third great uncle, Benjamin Franklin Goodwin, husband of third great-aunt, Emiline Goodwin second cousin three times removed and Andrew Jackson Wideman third great uncle.

The theory that I had about the circles being made up of direct line ancestors was just disproved with these new circles.

While I went back through my family tree to see who the people in my DNA circles are, I noticed they are in-laws of a child of a common ancestor or a common ancestor’s child. Isaac Lloyd Quinn is the husband of Emiline Goodwin. Emiline Goodwin is the daughter of Elizabeth Ann Coon, a second great grand aunt. The common ancestor is Jacob Coon a maternal third great grandfather.

There are eight members in the Isaac Lloyd Quinn Circle and all eight are a DNA match; three accounts are managed by the same person. Two of the DNA matches are 12. 4 centimorgans across two DNA segments and 12. 1 across two DNA segments. On this DNA match we share 60 centimorgans of DNA across 5 DNA segments. That is a good DNA match. One of the DNA matches is 6. 3 across 1 DNA segment. Usually on Family Tree DNA I don’t bother with any matches below ten. Simply because I have too many close matches to work with and there isn’t enough time for others.

The William J. McDavid Circle has twenty-four members and fifteen  DNA matches. William J. McDavid is the husband of Martha Brister. They are the parents of Susan Penelope McDavid wife of James Jasper Coon a second great grand uncle. Benjamin Franklin Goodwin is the husband of Elizabeth “Betsy” Coon. Elizabeth is the daughter of Jacob Coon third great grandfather. I might add these are maternal relatives. Andrew Jackson Wideman is the son of a paternal third great grandfather Henry Wideman.

The chart on the right of the circle has other matches in it that aren't shown. I have corresponded with some of the cousins in the circle and we shared information. 

There are two kinds of matches in DNA Circles – DNA matches and tree matches. I been researching family for fifteen years, both direct lines and collaterals. I do share DNA with the Coon relatives and the Andrew Jackson Wideman a paternal second great uncle. Ancestry takes the DNA matching technology and find cousins among their Ancestry DNA members. This is another reason to have a well-researched documented family tree. The family tree needs to be connected to the Ancestry DNA test results with you as the home person. Ancestry looks for an ancestor shared across a group of DNA related people. Then if they find a group DNA related people they form a circle. You need a public family tree linked to your DNA results.

I have two DNA Circles that have four members in each and is emerging. One of the circles is Ann Wideman,a perternal second great grandmother. The other one is Edward Zachariah Thomas Coon DNA Circles, a maternal great grandfather. One of the members is myself and one other member is my sister. A DNA Circles requires three or more people. There needs to be at least three separate family units. My sister and I would be one family unit, therefore, we need two more separate family units to form a circle. Then, these three separate family units need to have the same common ancestor on their public trees to make a circle. The circle for EZT Coon great grandfather meets the requirement for a circle. This image shows the relationships for the person for whom the circle was formed. There is also a list of the matches in the circle. The people with DNA is shown and the members of the circle that doesn't match others in the circle with DNA is shown.

One of the matches and I in this Ann Wideman Circle share 27.2 centimorgans of shared DNA across 3 DNA segments. Her great grand aunt is the sister to my great grandmother. The other DNA match and I share 18.8 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment. My sister and I share a large segment of DNA 2,471 centimorgans across 54 DNA segments.

DNA Circles cover seven generations including yourself. DNA Circles will change, and come and go. They are fun to work with and discover collaterals that you didn’t know before exploring them in the circles. It is vital that you research them and document what you find. If they fit in your family tree, then place them in the family they belong. I have collaborated with new found cousins.  I now have family stories and photos that I wouldn’t have had I not done contacted them.