DNA Triangulation

As I was working on my DNA matches, checking to see if I had any new matches and checking their shared matches and looking for common ancestors, etc.…

I came back to my closest cousin match, who happens to be adopted. Even though she doesn’t want to know who her biological parents are, I was wondering if I could try to pin-point our most common ancestor better. AncestryDNA states she is a 2^nd Cousin. Therefore I first thought perhaps my great-grandparents, 8 David Crinion and 9 Amelia Gadow were our common ancestors.

However, according to AncestryDNA, this could also mean a 1^st cousins 1x removed, thus a child of one of my first cousins. She has told me that she was born June 28, 1978 in Phoenix, AZ.

My second instinct was to think she might be one of my male cousin’s daughters, since I had one cousin who was living in the Phoenix area at the time.

Anyway, there were updates on AncestryDNA and more shared matches appeared. Our shared matches consist of 16 James Crinion & 17 Mary Ann Mahon; 20 Michael McDonald & 21 Catherine Quinn; 22 Myron O’Brion & 23 Mary Goodwin; 34 Ed McMahon & 35 Rose Kirley; 36 Gottfried Gadow & 37 Anna Maria Rosenow; 180 Samuel Kress & 181 Catherine Slaughter.

Once I saw Michael McDonald and Catherine Quinn, I realized that I would have to step down a generation from David and Amelia and move to my grandparents, 4 John Lawrence Crinion and 5 Isabella McDonald.

Therefore I confirmed this by theory because John’s Ancestors are 16, 17, 34, 35, 36, & 37 while Isabella’s ancestors are 20, 21, 22, 23, 180 & 181.

In conclusion, all I can confirm at this time is that our closest ancestors are my grandparents.  Whether she is a product of my father’s only sister’s child or his only brother’s child remains unknown. However I am leaning towards my one of my aunt’s children, and probably one of her sons’ child. Perhaps someday, she will want to learn more about her family and I will be here waiting to share the information.