I look at our list, and a familiar surname was at the top, associated with my maternal family. My Fennimore family is on my father’s side, and this was unexpected.  The name is very familiar, and I believe that he is my second cousin’s son.  My great Aunt, his grandmother, was not a Fennimore, and my parents are not remotely related (Gedmatch verified).  I examined the match a little closer:

23andMe makes this very easy.  I can see that we three do not have shared DNA, we match, but not in the same way. I also look at our relationship, and you can see that there is a large difference between the two.  Even when I put my “2^nd cousin” into DNA Painter, it associates the kit with one set of maternal great-grandparents, which I am mapping.  My conclusion is that my cousin’s unrelated paternal line has a far removed match with this test kit or a possible anomaly.  I hadn’t even considered that my paternal and maternal lines could be intertwined, my mother is second generation Irish-German.  My Paternal Grandmother was a mixture of recent British immigration (her mom was born in London), and New Jersey for at least nine generations. My Dad’s father was from New England. I knew that I didn’t have any misaligned parental events in recent generations. Again I lucked out; I could easily resolve this twist.

Do you agree with my analysis?  Have you encountered any DNA conflicts? If so, how did you resolve them?

I’d love to hear from you!

[i] Coakley, Louise. “Tips for using Gedmatch.” Genie1. https://genie1.com.au/tips-for-using-gedmatch/, 2020.

GEDmatch – Tools for DNA and Genealogy Research ©Copyright 2011-2020 by GEDmatch, Inc.
23and Me – © 2020 23andMe, Inc.
DNA Painter – © DNA Painter, 2020

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I’ve performed “One-to-one Autosomal Comparison” matches for each kit, and to each other to ensure that the “One-to-many DNA comparison” was accurate.  We three also match in Ancestry. None of our shared matches uploaded a Gedcom file (family tree), so no new information yet. I’ve decided to jump in feet first and map my chromosomes with my two known Fennimore matches. Maybe not the best move, but I learn by doing.

DNA Painter, like Gedmatch, has a free base option; subscribers receive premium benefits.  My general philosophy is if I am going to use it for more than a week, and it is within my budget, I’ll pay the fee. People should be paid for their work. Besides, I’ve attempted this in excel before, and this is much easier!

My goal is to map my segments to others that share a known ancestor or couple. DNA Painter should help me isolate my William Fennimore-Mary Day segments, allowing me to expand the family tree and contacts.

I am going to use the Gedmatch application “People who match both, or 1 of 2 kits.”  I will run it twice always, using my kit number, since I am using DNA Painter to map my chromosomes at this time.  Right now, I am only interested in the matches I share with each of the two “known” Fennimore kits.

There will be three sections; matches that our two kits share, and matches to each single kit not shared by the other.  As always, I will paste the results into a tab of an excel workbook.  I am only interested in the first sections, common matches shared by both kits. Below is the list of the kits in Gedmatch which share matches with both the descendant of Louis Fennimore, and the descendant of William Henry Fennimore (me). I’ve added a few fields to my spreadsheet:

• Project ID – This will tie back to my project tracking sheet.  I am sure that one is already in my tracker, and I have included it in that field.  The others will receive a new project ID.  The matches may appear already on my main tracker as Ancestry matches, but at this time, I can’t make the correlation. I can always merge later.
  
• Linked –  Some of my matches have the same email address, so a single individual likely manages them. Later, when I start contacting my matches instead of sending multiple requests, I can consolidate.  It will also be helpful to know that they have been correlated with each other by another party.
  
• Paint ID – This is the ID which I will use when adding this match to DNA Painter.  It consists of Project ID-Source abbreviation (G for Gedmatch), Match ID (in this case from Gedmatch)-Date.  I create a little template at the bottom of the screen using the excel concatenate function. I copy and paste the project ID and corresponding match ID, and the output can be copied and pasted into DNA Painter, and my project tracker instead of repetitive typing.  Less chance for errors and easier on the hands.

While I am calling this the Fennimore project, I am only able to map these two kits to a couple; William Fennimore and Mary Day, our common ancestor couple.  You can see by the Gen columns that none of our matches are very closely related, which I would expect for this particular exercise. If I were looking for biological relatives of a living person, I’d be ecstatic to see the opposite.  I believe that the research question (goal) will determine your best approach. But stated earlier, I am jumping in, and you are along for the ride. I welcome backseat drivers! So correct me if I take a wrong turn.

Time to Paint!

I’m firing up DNA Painter, and my prework will hopefully make it a bit easier. I am going to create a new profile in Chromosome Maps. 

I copy and paste each shared match (Gedmatch ID) into the Gedmatch “One-to-one Autosomal Comparison” utility with my kit number. The options selected are position only and display only chromosomes with matched segments.

Highlight the results, and cut and paste into the “Paint a Match” box:

After you have saved the match, another screen will pop up to classify the entry:

Once saved, you can view where the match is placed. Very Cool!

I will repeat this action for each unique match with the two kits. Eventually, I will see some patterns emerge:

Note – When I created my Gedmatch kit list, I worked off my main project tracker. I copied each of the two “People who match both Kits” to a new tab on a workbook.  Beginning with the larger group of shared matches (Louis Fennimore’s descendant).  I used the VLOOKUP feature in excel and eliminated the duplicates on my shared matches with the George Fennimore line and created a single list of unique matches.  Remember, I am mapping my chromosome right now, and they are the same for each comparison. Each unique match was added back into my project tracker with the appropriate information.  I may later find there are duplicates with the testing company matches and my list of Gedmatch kits, but at least I know I haven’t created two entries for the same Gedmatch ID.  How you manage your project is entirely up to you.  I may change over time as I learn, but for now, this is my approach.

It may be too tiny to see in the picture, but there are quite a few matches. Some of which are in a pile-up area, but segments in 5, 18, and 19 look promising. This step is just the beginning; I will repeat the action with my 23andMe, FamilyTree DNA, and My Heritage matches.  These companies provide chromosome mapping so that it will be the same process as Gedmatch. This tool handles them beautifully. I need to find matches of my Fennimore DNA, not descended from this base couple, and see if they have some clues that I could break this wall, so the more matches I map, the better my chances of finding someone. 

So far, the only people I have come across researching this line appear to be using some of my work as a basis. Twenty years ago, I  mailed letters with family trees to all Fennimore families listed in the “white pages “in the vicinity. I received a few responses.  I’ve also corresponded with others electronically, sharing documents when requested, and hearing their family stories. None of the people that I have communicated with knew much about William.  My goal is to find someone who isn’t descended directly from William Fennimore but match my Fennimore DNA. Maybe they will have some information I haven’t yet discovered.  I’ve looked at many matches, and I don’t see the surname or the variations often, which does make me wonder a bit about William.  Plenty of my matches have indirect Day lines in their research.

Painting can be time-consuming, and after a while, copying and pasting matches can get a bit tedious.  I listen to podcasts or music while I do this; it makes the time go by quicker.  Some of my personal favorites are the British History Podcast, Crime Junkie, Murder Squad, and Wondery/LA times series (Dirty John was terrific).  A little foreshadowing for my next post.

Have you used DNA Painter?  If So how did you approach your project?

GEDmatch – Tools for DNA and Genealogy Research ©Copyright 2011-2020 by GEDmatch, Inc.
Ancestry – © 1997-2020 Ancestry
23andMe – © 2020 23andMe, Inc.
DNA Painter – © DNA Painter, 2020
MyHeritage – Copyright © 2020 MyHeritage Ltd
FamilyTreeDNA – All Contents Copyright 2001-2020 Gene by Gene, Ltd.

The post The Fennimore Family of Somerset and Morris Counties New Jersey A DNA Project – Third-Party Tools, DNA Painter appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

Gedmatch is a third-party tool, it doesn’t test your DNA, but can be used to compare your raw data with other participants from several testing companies.  It’s been out there for a long time, so I will only be covering the basics and how I use it for my project.  There is plenty of training available on how to use the tool, and why you would do it.  Basically, you download your raw DNA data and upload it to Gedmatch. In my case, I used my Ancestry kit.  There you can easily perform analysis on your matches from different testing companies. There are three key points to consider before pushing that button to download the DNA.  

1. Do you have the authorization to move this kit? Is it your personal kit? Then that is an easy answer, yes.  If it is a kit you manage for someone else, then you need to get their permission in a manner where they understand the implications fully.  Ideally, in writing.
   
2. Are you ready to put your raw data out into the “wild?” Kind of joking but kind of not.  Make sure you understand the company’s privacy policy.  Read up on how they caught the Golden State Killer (and many others), and you will understand.  Gedmatch has been used by law enforcement and forensic genealogists to match DNA from crime scenes.  Another matter is data breaches; however, no company is immune and, that should be a consideration before taking any DNA test.  It’s a very personal decision, which may evolve over time.
   
3. Can you handle surprises? Some findings can’t be unknown. Occasionally a break in the DNA of a family tree becomes apparent. The obvious “surprise” would be that you find that one of your parents is not your biological parent, or a new half-sibling is discovered. It can also be an event in your extended family, as well.  Let’s say that your 1st cousin Willy took an Ancestry test, and you notice that he has some very close matches that no one in the family share.  Are you going to tell Willy? Everyone, should, of course, consider this before taking a DNA test.
   
   Informed consent is key to any project when you request family to take a test. Privacy issues acknowledged, and permission should be obtained. Additionally, determine whether test-takers want to be informed if “surprises” are found. 
   

Alright back to the point of the post.  This weekend I dusted off my Gedmatch profile and ran a “one to many comparison.”  This utility compares your test, to other kits that share DNA over a certain threshold.  The default is 7cm, so the match must be greater than that size to appear on the report, but you can change it to your liking. This is report provides all of my matches; maternal, paternal, etc.  I need to be able to isolate some kits that I know are Fennimore descent and perform a 1:1 comparison to each.

Once I get the list, also save it to excel, I add the date to my file name.  If you run this utility once a month, you can track new matches a little easier.  Also, some people will take their kit private or delete it altogether, so it’s essential to preserve the data and contact information while it’s available.

Once I get this list, I take a look at user names.  I find two kits which I am reasonably sure are two Fennimore matches in Ancestry.  In my project tracker, they are labeled as GFA1 and LFA2. I lucked out on this one. These are known matches to me that have a paper trail. We cover three children of the base couple of William Fennimore and Mary Day.  I find a third match that I am relatively sure that I have emailed with during the years, but her kit isn’t public in Ancestry at this time.  For now, I will start with the two I know.

I use the group function in Ancestry, where I track my DNA matches that can be paired to a particular 2^nd generation via traditional genealogy.  Two Gedmatch kits happen to be already grouped with traditional genealogy; as I’ve said, I have been researching for years.

I then update my project tracker with our common matches; I am WFE1.  There is also a descendant of Charles Fennimore, but I am unsure whether that individual has moved their kit to Gedmatch; important information but not relevant for this exercise yet.  The Gedmatch ID has been matched to my tracking sheet above (the black boxes).

Below is the “one to many report,” which has been exported to excel. I have highlighted kits which I have matched to known testing company users with green and filtered them out. There will be more in the future, but we have these two as a beginning.

I have obscured their personal information (even though it is public). Usually, you would see a Gedmatch Kit ID, user name, and email.  The Gedmatch Kit ID has been matched to my tracking sheet above (the black boxes)

My next step is to validate the match and see which DNA we share. So I will select the Gedmatch one-to-one autosomal DNA Comparison with each kit.:

There are many options to view, I like to cut out the clutter, so I choose Position Only for matched segments:

The first kit I try has matches on two chromosomes. The second kit has three chromosomes, different than my match to the first kit.  When I compare these two kits, they have matches over 5 segments.  One match is the chromosome I have in common with both, but not in the same segments.  In the past, I would have used excel to map out this data, but instead, I will be using DNA painter. 

Meanwhile, I have gathered the list of matches that I have in common with each kit and entered them on my tracker.  They may already be listed because many are imports from Ancestry, but I can’t connect them at this time. I will be merging them later if I receive responses to requests.

You may wonder why I am not yet contacting my matches. The reason is that I want to target the matches that will most likely be able to solve my riddle.  I’m just not quite ready to start involving people until I have a plan of attack.  This is just a beginning, there are other testing companies that I have kits in. Also, although I am calling this Fennimore DNA, it is really the match to a couple.  It may make sense to try to eliminate the DAY segments to get a better target.  William and Mary were my third great grandparents, so it is a bit removed at this point.

I will continue this process with my tests in 23andme, Family Tree DNA, and My Heritage. Each company will have unique testers and some overlap. Some test takers use the same ID for each company; others do not.  I can sleuth some out based on email IDs, or similar IDs. I will leverage Gedmatch for Ancestry kits because that company does not provide the specific location of matches.  This is going to be important for future analysis in DNA Painter. In conclusion, I have considered privacy and permission, and how it will be handled going forward.  I have also started an overall project structure so that I can have better control over the data and traditional research.  DNA matches alone will not solve this riddle.

References:

GEDmatch – Tools for DNA and Genealogy Research ©Copyright 2011-2020 by GEDmatch, Inc.
Ancestry – © 1997-2020 Ancestry
23and Me – © 2020 23andMe, Inc.
DNA Painter – © DNA Painter, 2020

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