I'm working out a similar mystery with an ancestry match in the 4th-6th cousin range. I was contacted by a cousin, I'll call L. She is searching for her father's mother's family. Our goal is to identify her grandmother's biological parents if we can, as her grandmother passed away and her adoption records can't be released for several more years.
We think (thought) L. has identified the two failies which may have included the parents. Between our matching as distant cousins, and a mutual shared match which we can't connect through the usual searches, L is sure we are connected through my father's ancestors and this mutual cousin's family. Digging through census records cousin L has discovered her candidates for being her grandmother's parents were neighbours in the early 1900s, and both families showed up in the next census after a move to the city as actual next door neighbours. There is the matching dna, the girl next door proximity and obvious friendship between the two families, but we are at a standstill.
Or we were. Now, here is the kicker. A first cousin on my mother's side has recently tested and she shows up on L's cousin match as well. She also matches with the unconnected family as does myself, my sister and L's father.
L just had a baby a few days ago, so she has set aside her researching days for a bit. I told her I would see what I can do, but if my dad's family were numerous, my mom's family was huge. At least I know (The first thing I did at Gedmatch was check to see if my parents were related. They are not.) that the relationship is not on my dad's family's side, so there's a lead we can give up on chasing. At least if we fail to establish the families involved, in five years enough time will have passed that L can petition for access to her grandmother's adoption records.
no subject
We think (thought) L. has identified the two failies which may have included the parents. Between our matching as distant cousins, and a mutual shared match which we can't connect through the usual searches, L is sure we are connected through my father's ancestors and this mutual cousin's family. Digging through census records cousin L has discovered her candidates for being her grandmother's parents were neighbours in the early 1900s, and both families showed up in the next census after a move to the city as actual next door neighbours. There is the matching dna, the girl next door proximity and obvious friendship between the two families, but we are at a standstill.
Or we were. Now, here is the kicker. A first cousin on my mother's side has recently tested and she shows up on L's cousin match as well. She also matches with the unconnected family as does myself, my sister and L's father.
L just had a baby a few days ago, so she has set aside her researching days for a bit. I told her I would see what I can do, but if my dad's family were numerous, my mom's family was huge. At least I know (The first thing I did at Gedmatch was check to see if my parents were related. They are not.) that the relationship is not on my dad's family's side, so there's a lead we can give up on chasing. At least if we fail to establish the families involved, in five years enough time will have passed that L can petition for access to her grandmother's adoption records.
For now it remains a mystery.