Genealogy Forum UK

As well as researching my own family, I've been doing my wife's as well. Like me she has done an Ancestry DNA test, and her family tree on both her parents side is now very extensive.

However, she's had two DNA matches from roughly the same area of London. Both families are also very well mapped out, but there's absolutely no genealogical connection between the two, so we're looking at someone playing away from home. Not only that but my wife's family tree has been Notts for almost two centuries. Nobody's from London.

Match 1 is roughly the same generation as my wife, and Ancestry estimates them as 1st-2nd Cousin (459 cM, 7%). Match 2 is roughly a generation younger and is estimated as a 2nd -3rd Cousin (229 cM, 3%).

The interesting thing is that they are obviously from the same descent, as Match 1's Father is Brown, while Match 2's Great-Grandmother was a Brown.
So with no common surnames, I should be right to conclude that one of my wife's male ancestors from the Midlands may have spent some time in London and had an affair with the two Matches ancestor?

Thing is, I'm hopeless at estimating what generation this person might be, even though I've got two hits now and should be able to triangulate. Match 2's Great Grandmother was born in the 1920s, whilst Match1's Father was born in the 1930s. Another problem is that I can't yet get any information about the Great Grandmother. She was born after the 1921 Census and was allegedly one of 14 children, but no idea whether she was the first or the last!

Any hints would be most welcome!

Firstly, I don't know anything about DNA, I have never ever gone down that route, but will try and help another way. I am presuming that you have available names.

Have you looked for births on FreeBMD, as from the December Quarter 1911 it gives the Mother's Maiden Name alongside the child's name.

Also have you looked on the GRO (General Register Office) web site for Births as this web site gives the mother's maiden name as well from 1837, but there is a gap at the moment between 1934-1984. There is nothing to pay, unless you want to order a certificate, but you do have to register.

I am presuming that you have the name of Great Grandmother born after the 1921 Census. We will call her JANE DOE. If you look on both FreeBMD and GRO web sites for JANE DOE after the 1921 Census, it will give her mother's maiden name, we will say it's BRADLEY. When you find that, look for the years after 1921 for the surname DOE with mother's maiden name BRADLEY. Then either carry on up to date or go backwards with dates to find if there are anymore children with the DOE surname with mother's maiden name BRADLEY.

Do you have her in the 1939 Census?

I hope you can understand this, but if not, you can send me a private message to see if I can help, as we don't put the ages of living people on the forum. You may have already done this type of search I just don't know.

Hi there, yes, I've gone down all of those routes. I am aware of GRO's search capability and have used it to confirm maiden names before. The problem I have is that genealogically speaking I have hardly anything to go on. The Gt Grandmother's surname is Brown, which for a start is horrendously common. I have her marriage certificate, and hence her father's name and age, but that's about it.

I can find several people with her name on the 1939 Register, but none of them are living with any other Browns, and the only other thing I know about her is that she was one of 14. (14!!). But I don't know if she was the youngest, the oldest, or somewhere in between. That puts the possible range of her parents marriage anywhere between 1910 and 1924 (assuming one child per year).

So I can't get her birth Cert because I don't know her Mother's name, and her father's name was James - another common name.

Genealogy has failed me somewhat here.

I have sent you a private message.

Hi
Trying to work out what you do know

Gtgrandmother Brown, year of birth (from marriage certificate), father James Brown (from marriage certificate), born after 1921

Did she marry after 1939? But was not on that register in any obvious family group?

Who witnessed the marriage?

I suppose her fathr's occupation doesn't help at all?

Can you restrict the area of London at all?