Using DNA Clusters

[kiterunner]

I think this will come in useful for looking at the matches of one of my relatives to whose DNA test I only have viewing access, because I can't make coloured dot groups for their matches, but I can make custom clusters (they count towards your own total, not the other person's, and the other person can't see them.)

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Glen TK

Not sure if the custom cluster info makes much sense, I have a decent match that doesn't make it into ordinary clusters but their sibling does, when running custom clusters with their sibling as a sidekick I get a group of about 45 names though half aren't in the shared match list of the main or sidekick match. (custom cM range I tried is is 40-160). Two of the names in the cluster allegedly have no matches at all.

Some of the people in the cluster could be there because they share DNA with other people in the cluster, not the people who you used to start the cluster off.

[Glen TK]

But when I look at them on my match page and click shared matches I see the all too common 'You don't have any matches yet, but you may soon'.

I can't use them to build a cluster around as there's no 'sidekickers' as Ancestry are calling them.

[marquette]

I tried using the customised clustering for one of my mysteries, but it did not solve the mystery, but did point in a possible direction.

Christine matches to my Dad 74cM over 4 segments, her brother Tim (or half uncle, Ancestry suggests) matches dad at 23cM over 2segments. They match each other at 2503cM. According to the records, Christine and Tim and their immediate ancestors were born in Chicago Illinois, while Dads came to Australia from Hampshire and Sussex.

The DNA chart shows me that Christine could be anything from 2c to 6c2r, but with 4 segments, it seems she should be a closer relative than 6c, Tim could be anything from 1c3r to 8c, but segments also suggest closer rather than 8c.

Using the larger match with the smaller as a sidekick, I get 4 clusters.

The first cluster is just 4 - the two siblings, and a father and daughter who are Dads 3c1r and 3c2r. Dad shares 22cM in 2 segments with the father and 14/1 with the daughter. Christine shares 95cM with the father and 56cM with the daughter and Tim shares none, which is to be expected.

The other 3 clusters show various groups of people, all of whom belong to Dad's paternal line. The matches are all descendants of three brothers came to Australia - Henry to Tasmania and Alfred (the father and daughter's ancestor) and Edmund (Dad's ancestor) to Sydney.

The best idea I came up with is that Alfred had another child, before his marriage, (before he came to Australia and married here), who (or whose descendant) went to America. That does not fit with the records found by building a tree, other records make me think it's worth looking into.

I started this post to say the custom clustering did not tell me anything, but as I worked through all the cMs shared, I did find this possible solution, so maybe they are worthwhile after all!

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Some of the people in the cluster could be there because they share DNA with other people in the cluster, not the people who you used to start the cluster off.

This is the issue I'm coming to terms with. This a potentially powerful tool, with the challenge to include as many related to the starter as possible without also included those unrelated.

It's obviously a case of refine, refine, refine!