Help Needed
A DNA Mystery!
Hey Everyone. I need help. I have puzzled over this for hours, and this is where I am at. I have a DNA match at 139 cM. I have worked their tree back to a common surname. Here is the catch. Their ancestor is the sister of my relative’s husband. The attached chart shows the paper trail … many sources used: Ancestry dot Com, Geneteka, BaSIA Famula, Poznan Project, and FamilySearch. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? How are the DNA Match and I related? We would need to have an MRCA on the Tobolski-Bzowa line, right?
I think you need to look for another connection. How complete are the trees for you and your match? It is also possible that the genetic and the paper tree do not line up, that there is a not-the-parent-expected situation. As Jane suggested look at the shared matches to puzzle out the connection.
Fed it into Grok. Here's what he says:
The chart indicates that your DNA match's line descends from Katarzyna b. 1863, while your line descends from the siblings Marianna b. 1848 and Antonia b. 1836. However, the paper trail connection you describe—where their ancestor (Katarzyna) is the sister of your relative’s husband (Joseph b. 1866)—means that if Joseph is the biological father in your line (e.g., married to Agnes or Leokadia), then you share a blood relationship through Joseph's parents.You and your DNA match are related as cousins (likely 2nd cousins 3 times removed, given the generational difference, though DNA sharing can vary). The MRCA is indeed Michal Tobolski and Magdalena Bzowa. The 139 cM shared DNA fits within the expected range for this level of relationship. The chart appears to omit the direct marriage link between Joseph and your relative, which is the key blood connection explaining the DNA match.