Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Using DNA to find X marks the spot!

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic description:
DNA is a powerful tool in genealogy research. What is a discovery you've made using DNA? What ancestor do you think can be found with genetic genealogy? Of course, you can take the prompt in other ways. Do you have an ancestor whose initials are D.N.A.?

I've written before about DNA, its usefulness and some tools which you can use. Also, I've written before about DNA and tracking people using it and paper on my paternal side. Further, I've written about combining your DNA along with history to get some more background on your family history. I've also done a few other DNA posts (honestly I didn't remember doing many!) including some questions on DNA.

However, this time I wanted to do something a bit different. I really don't spend much time looking at the DNA side as it gives me a headache with how complex it is! Or seems to be at least to me.

My DNA & Its Findings
This time I'm going to start off with my DNA map as now (sometimes when the companies get more samples it changes due to the overall bigger community it now has compared to when I started it).

My DNA map in 2014 & My DNA Map in 2019 

My matches during this time haven't moved at all. This is good, because with documentation, I've found (so far) this map is very correct.  Sometimes these have to be redone due to the sample sizes changing.

On my paternal side, my grandfather was born in Germany and migrated from there. The documents in the US prove this and I have found documents in Germany (44% above) which verify this. There is also a family tree there but I need documents to support it.

My paternal grandmother, was born in Poland Russia (46%) and migrated from there. Once again the documents in both the USA and Poland confirm this.

My maternal grandfather was born in the US to migrants (meaning my great grandparents) from Belgium and Denmark. This is proven above by Belgium being within the 44% and Denmark being 8%. on the above map. They migrated from these countries to the USA. I have gotten paperwork from US to Belgium which is correct. With Denmark, I started to do research, but had to stop and concentrate on other areas which I had gotten more information.

My maternal grandmother was born in the US to migrants (my great grandparents) from Poland. Both her mother and father came from Poland which is 46%. As for this one, My great grandmother, I have some documents linking her and per parents to Poland. However, with my great grandfather, I haven't had a chance but its going to be very complicated as he's one of my brick walls I've written about.

What about the 2% one?

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If you notice, I've talked about all the countries listed except for one - Southeast Europe. Why is it I have DNA from here? It could be where people had fled to during the past wars, history and have Germanic times (think Jules Cesar) or during the Germanic-Roman areas and this is what is showing up in my DNA.
settled here. Also, if you know you're history, then you know about way back when during

This is why sometimes its very useful to know or research history. It puts a new perspective or spin on it and how history has influenced your history.

But can you prove relatives?
Yes, you can. Many people have started to take these tests now. Because of this, once you get a good proven knowledge of your tree, you can start to prove these people - if they are on your tree that is!

I saw a last name I recognized but couldn't remember where. We (my husband helped as like I said above I'm not good with understanding this stuff and he thrives on it!) compared mine to this other person I'll call Gail. Based upon what we could we mapped her to a certain cousin as you can see below under the X-DNA.

My DNA Kit against Gail's. CM or centimorgans which are shared using GEDMatch. 

Then we looked at areas where we shared and noticed a few things. Its an X chromosome so it means a female match and the blue is shows where we match (see the arrows). There is a bit of sharing going on  and we figured out we've got to be 2nd cousins or thereabouts.

Our X chromosomes match. X means female and Y are male. To be a female I have XX as my main make up. One of these from each parent. 

 Then I went looking on my family tree to see if I could find Gail.... And we found her.!

Using blue circles are Myself and My Grandfather, Louis.
His brother, William, is a yellow circle. Gail is his granddaughter which is the other yellow circle.

The female we have in common is -- Annie Larson Gauquie!!! She's in the purple.

From my Ancestry tree - The blue circles are me and my grandfather. The Yellow are Gail and her Grandfather. Our X Chromosone that we match on is....from Annie which is their Mother (in purple)! 

So we're correct in saying we are 2nd cousins which the DNA proves. Ancestry even says the same thing.... She is alive and is my 2nd cousin!

DNA can be complicated but when it proves things like this its very rewarding at the same time.

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