Same sorry story!! It’s 3:30 as I start this message. After an hour of not going back to sleep, I felt compelled to “do something.” I’ll write about my recent–and current–mystery.
Out of the blue, the other day, a woman sent a comment via Ancestry messaging because she was advised we are 5th to 8th cousins. (I very rarely look at the DNA relationships because I’m busy with family I can identify.) My curiosity was whet so I checked and the identification didn’t make sense. She is the step-daughter of the step-son of my second cousin-three-times-removed. Question: How can we be DNA cousins with “step-child” relationships?? I’ve devoted two days to exploring… hoping to find our common ancestor. I probably added three-hundred more relatives to my database!! No small fete; I finally identified the “second-cousin-three-times-removed.” I have worked so many angles; I’ve identified “her” family all the way back to the boat. (LOL) There’s a marriage (yet to be identified) that is our DNA relationship. I enjoy the challenge but “mulling it over in my mind” kept me awake!!
All DNA isn’t from a marriage. Maybe one of the step parents wasn’t really a step parent, lol.