Find Ancestors

Thanks that's very helpful -I will consider it.

DNA testing is really the only conceivable way you could ever identify your mum's father, and even that route may offer little help at present

testing only works if there is someone to compare results with :-)

There is a test called 'autosomal' that can identify cousins (assuming there is a cousin or cousins who have tested, for comparison)

it can identify people who share particular ... bits ... of DNA indicating that they have a common ancestor, I believe it can go up to 5 generations with some reliability

The best way to go about it, as I understand it, is to test yourself and a maternal cousin - you will share certain elements and that way the part that you share can be identified as coming from the common ancestors (your own maternal grandparents, if you have maternal cousins) and not from the other side of each of your families ... and you would be looking for matches for the other parts of your DNA.

For this you would need the child of a sibling (probably a half-sibling?) of your mother ... or, if you have no maternal first cousins, a grandchild or great-grandchild of your mum's mother's parents (your great-grandparents), that is, a first cousin of your mum, or a child of a first cousin. If there are no cousins, then for any match you might get, you would use 'traditional genealogy' to see whether the relationship is on your mum's side or your dad's side for starters, and if it is on your mum's side, try to work out whether it is on her mother's or father's side, and so on.

The good part is that the most interest in this kind of testing comes from people in the US looking for their English roots, and you might just find someone descended from your mum's father ... it is really a long shot but more people are testing all the time ...

so you might want to consider trying that, especially if you are interested in any other ancestral information or connections it might throw up.

You can see from my 'researching' line that I am involved in some DNA projects, and you can read about autosomal testing here

http://www.familytreedna.com/family-finder-compare.aspx

http://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=17

Yes, I've done exactly the same.... :-)

Jeanette has been using PM to respond

Have advised that feedback should be on her thread

Hello Jeanette and welcome to the Community Boards. Some more details from you would be really helpful and give the helpers something to work with.






I'll let Jeanette know that she has replies to her query.. :-)

As virtually all of Blackburn was involved in the cotton industry, you will need more than you have so far to have even a hope.

Where was your grandmother living when she gave birth?

And when was that?

Wow, not much to go on! Not even a hint of a name?

This is a long shot.Trying to identify my mother's father.She never knew his name but believed he emigrated to the U.S.A. New England area possibly Rhode Island in the early 1920s.He was from Blackburn Lancashire and possibly connected to a cotton mill owning family.if anyone has an ancestor who fits this description i'd love to hear from them.Jeanette Dobson Lancashire England.