Possible Distant Cousins

Have you tested your DNA? If so, have you been able to break through a brick wall using your DNA results?

My main purpose for testing my DNA was to learn more about my Crawford ancestry. Since I already have identified my 4th great grandfather on my Crawford line, I was hoping to identify his siblings and parents via DNA. So far, my results have not helped me get thru that brick wall.

However, there is one DNA test that has puzzled me for quite some time. This is the sole test that shows up when I search my matches for ancestors born in Garrard County, Kentucky: i******. I share 23 cM across 2 segments with i****** and one of my brothers shares 24 cM across 2 segments with i******.

When I looked at shared matches with i******, I found two other matches that appear to have the same common ancestors: Isaac Crawford and Nancy Miller. In looking at matches shared with these two other matches, I discovered a fourth match who descends from a different Garrard County family.

I believe Isaac Crawford is the son of James Crawford and Rebecca Anderson. However, the trees for the I, D and J matches either don't go back that far or have a different father for Isaac.

Based on my research of the records of Madison, Lincoln and Garrard Counties in Kentucky, I am theorizing that my ancestor James Crawford (md. Sally Duggins)  is somehow related to the other Crawford families in that area prior to 1800: Rebecca Crawford, Mary Crawford, James Crawford (md Rebecca Anderson) and/or William Crawford. It is believed that James (md Rebecca Anderson) and William are brothers and that Rebecca is the widow of a third brother. Because of the ages, my current theory is that my ancestor, James (md Sally Duggins) is the nephew of James (md Rebecca Anderson) and William Crawford. Thus, I would be a 7th cousin to I, D, and J IF Isaac is the son of James and Rebecca Crawford and IF my theory about the uncle/nephew relationship is correct.

To figure out whether these DNA shared matches support my being a 7th cousin to I, D, and J, I looked at the Shared Centimorgan Project to see if the amount of shared DNA was within the range for 7th cousins. Since one of my brothers doesn't share any DNA with any of these individuals, our range of shared DNA is none to 34 cM. According to the shared cM project, we could share anywhere from 0 to 57 cM and be 7th cousins.

Thus, we are within the range to be 7th cousins. 

This does NOT prove that we are both related to James Crawford and Rebecca Anderson. We could easily be related on some other line that my bias is preventing me from recognizing. However, it does support the possibility of a relationship. Thus, I will continue researching the families of James and Rebecca Crawford as well as the families of William, Rebecca and Mary Crawford.