9 of my top 11 DNA matches (three generations) show the category of 1st -2nd cousin

Question

I am trying to find my biological father. I believe he is one of 5 brothers and am ALMOST sure of which one.

My top 11 DNA matches (all relatives of those 5 brothers) state 1st - 2nd Cousin, however, there are three generations of the same family among them so I don't see how they can all be 1st or 2nd cousins and I am unsure as to how to sort them out.

I believe 9 of them are descendants to who I think are my grandparents. - some of them are their children, some are the children of their children.

The DNA results start with the highest at 1273cM's acaross 45 segments and I think this person may be my half sibling (although I realise she could also be my aunt - ages rule out grand parents/child and neice) however, another half sibling (a male - with different mother ) of that person is matched to me with 1067 cM's across 48 segments.

Could it be that they are both my half siblings?

Other people in my top 11 are :

• the daughter of my top person, that daughter is matched to me with 696 cM's across 28 segments.
• an aunt of my top match, who is matched to me with 1186 cM's across 47 segments, who may therefore be my aunt also, however doesnt come up in the category of 'Aunt'. Her daughter who is matched to me with 691 cM's across 29 segments and the daughter's daughter, who is matched to me with 314 cM's across 19 segments.

I am so confused about where each of these people fall in my 'family'

Can anyone provide any clarity for me?

Answer 1

You must realize that the testing sites, such as Ancestry, label your matches with broad categories which are estimates of the most common ways in which you might be related to your match. A category like "First Cousin" might also include relationships such as 1/2 1st Cousin, 1st Cousin (1x removed), or double 2nd cousin.

You have excellent matches to find your bio father. You should concentrate on only your top matches, maybe the top 3 or 4. You can see the probable and possible relationships for a given cM match at The Shared cM Project. Just plug in the number of centimorgans to see the relationships that person could be to you.

A match of 1067 cM could be your half-sibling. The program says it's unlikely, but it is in the range of possibility.

I think it's more likely that the 1067 and 1273 matches are actually your 1st cousins. In this diagram from DNA Painter, you most likely fit in as "Hypothesis 6" - as the child of one of the other brothers in this diagram.