Maternal Ancestory

[Paul J. Conn]

My mothers father disappeared in 1918, the year she was born. I believe that I have found the family he started after he disappeared. This would be my mothers half sisters and brothers and their families. Can I test to see if we are actually realated? Most likely the cooperative person would be a grand son from the other family, i.e. My grandfathers grandson from his second wife.

[Bill Hurst]

Paul, you may be out of luck unless your mother had a brother who could be tested against a member of her father's second family. Either her brother or his son or grandson would be OK. But your Y-chromosome would come from your father and would have nothing to do with your mother's father. For Y-DNA tests, you need two direct paternal lines. MtDNA tests would be no help, since your grandfather wouldn't have passed his to anyone.

Bill H.

[Jim Barrett]

Paul,

An option that Bill failed to mention would be an uncle of your mother, who was a brother of her father. If such an uncle existed and had sons their Y-DNA could be compared to that of the possible second family.

[Paul J. Conn]

Thanks for the information. I think I understand the situation. My grandfather had brothers, but they are all on that other side and know each other. He got out of the army in 1918 and went home to Tennessee, remarried and raised his family in the midst of his extended family. I know this is the family my grandmother claimed to have married into. We will have to accept her word.
Geneologists never give up. I found this guy almost 90 years after he took off! My mother died believing her father had died in the flu epidemic of 1918, I have since met her half sister she never knew she had.