This website presents the results of Family Finder tests of descendants of Clarke, Meredith and Wilkinson ancestors who were living in Queen’s County, Ireland in the 18th Century.

Family Finder is an autosomal DNA test that can find relatives within 5 generations of persons tested. The test is provided by Family Tree DNA. In addition to tests of autosomal DNA, the company offers analysis of Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA for genealogical purposes.

The Family Finder results presented here are part of a wider project hosted by FamilyTree DNA, which includes the results of Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA tests of Meredith and related descendants with origins in Queen’s Co. (County Laois), Ireland.

What is the probability that Family Finder will detect a match for a known relationship?

Family Finder is almost sure to detect a relationship within recent generations (for example, with 2nd cousins or more recent relatives). It will also detect many 3rd cousins and about half of 4th cousins. It will detect a small percentage of 5th and more distant cousins (source: FamilyTreeDNA).

The chances of finding a match between two relations who have been tested are:

Family Finder identifies matching segments of DNA among everyone who has been tested.  When a match is found, the degree of relationship is estimated from the size and number of shared segments, whose length is measured in a unit called a centimorgan (cM).  The larger the value of the shared cM between individuals then the closer the relationship. There is not an exact correspondence between the shared cM value and the degree of relationship, as the amount of autosomal DNA that is inherited from parents varies in each generation.   The following table shows the average value of shared cM, calculated on the assumption that every child gets exactly 50% autosomal DNA from each parent (source: ISOGG):

It is important to note that the shared cM can vary over a wide range of values (except for close relations).  Also,  the more remote the relationship, then the less chance there is of Family Finder detecting a match, so a shared cM of zero does not necessarily indicate that individuals are unrelated.

The shared cM values for individuals tested as part of the Meredith Queens Co. project are shown in a Results Matrix, which can be cross-referenced against a Descendancy Chart showing schematically the relationship between these individuals.   A Network Chart gives a visual representation of how the individuals connect.

The menu bar at the top of each page of the website has links to all the Results and Charts. Clicking on Results in the menu bar reveals a sub-menu with links to the matrix of (a) shared cM, (b) predicted relationships, and (c) predicted relationship ranges amongst project members.    Clicking on Charts in the menu bar reveals a sub-menu with links to the Descendancy Chart and Network Chart.

The Site Map has direct links to each page on this website.

Click here to return to the Meredith Queens Co. project page on the FamilyTree DNA website.