DNA matches and connecting them

[Margaret in Burton]

My brother in law recently did a DNA test with Ancestry. He got a message from someone who should be his 3rd or 4th cousin. I’m still compiling his tree so it isn’t online as yet. The person gave me and my sister access to her tree on Ancestry but we couldn’t find the link. We focussed on the name Oldham as both had them.

Red herring

I persuaded this person to send me a GEDCOM of her tree and uploaded it to family tree maker. Found the connection in seconds. 3rd cousins.

Not Oldham’s but Smith’s. They share 2 x great grand parents.

Ancestry trees don’t appear to have a relationship calculator.

The old fashioned ways are still needed.