1

I took the AncestryDNA test. It came back with:

  1. Close family male, 2022 cM shared across 60 DNA segments.
  2. 1st cousin match female, 1194 cM shared across 48 segments.

It turns out the female 1st match is the niece of my close family match. He has 2 other brothers, one being the female match's father.

I have never known my father and I took this test to try and find information.

Is it reasonable to think one of this man's brothers could be my father?

All of the brothers are in their 70’s I’m 45.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

If the male match had a brother that was your father, he would be your full uncle. Of course, if he had a half brother, the man would be your half uncle, but you would have mentioned this.

So what could it be?

  • Half uncle. We can rule out your father being his half brother because the range for a half uncle is 500-1446 cM, much too low for your match of 2022 cM.
  • Uncle is possible, but it would be an outlier. The range for uncle is 1349-2175. That's too low but it's close to 2022.
  • Grandparent. Range 1156-2311. This man's son could be your father. We can mostly rule this one out due to age, unless he's a bit older than his brothers.
  • Half sibling. Range 1317-2312. This man's father could be your father. Since men can reproduce until they are quite old, this is not unreasonable.
  • Full sibling. Range 2209-3384. Not only is your match barely in the range but we can rule it out since you know your mother and a 30 year sibling gap is rare.

My money's on half sibling: you and this man share a father.

If this were true, then your female match would be your half niece. With a range of 500-1446 cM, the 1194 cM match you have with her fits perfectly.

If the male match was your uncle and one of the niece's uncles was your father, she would be your first cousin. That range is 553-1225 cM, which also fits your match.

If the female match's father was your father, she would be your half sibling. We can rule that out because the range of 1317-2312 is higher than your match with her.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thank you for your insight. I have been talking with my 1st cousin match she shares 1982 cM across 69 segments with her uncle the male close family match.
    – Craig
    Commented Jan 25, 2019 at 12:40
  • Nodding. So he's her full uncle, not half. Does she know when her grandfather passed away? If it was before your birth, you can rule that idea out.
    – Cyn
    Commented Jan 25, 2019 at 15:27

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.