Hoping for a Y-DNA Match from a Family Finder Match

[rms2]

This thread is about something hopeful but which probably has little chance of working out the way I want it to.

I recently got a Family Finder match with a man whose surname is very similar to my own. His surname is Steven; mine is Stevens. I saw that and thought, hmmm . . . I wonder if our connection is on that surname line. I noticed that the man does not have y-dna results with FTDNA, so I attempted to contact him about that. Turns out his sister runs the kit and is the one interested in genealogy. She said her brother had tested with 23andMe (which does not test for STR's) and is L21+. Since I am also L21+, that sounded hopeful. I asked her to get her brother to do a y-dna STR test with FTDNA, pointing out that even a 12-marker test, for just $49, is better than nothing. She answered that her brother is unwilling to submit any more dna samples; however, within a couple of days, she wrote back saying she had talked a paternal uncle into testing (her father is deceased) for both Family Finder and y-dna.

Now I am hoping I get a y-dna match with this lady's uncle. He's only ordered a 12-marker test, but if we get an exact match, I don't think that will be a coincidence, and I might even spring for an upgrade.

I should just forget about it, at least for now, I know.

The Family Finder match is estimated to be from 5th cousin - remote cousin, 30.01 shared cM, with the longest block being just 9.66. So, it is not a recent ancestor we share, but that is fine. The y-dna mdka of this FF match was born in Angus, Scotland, in 1776.

I realize our FF match could easily have its source in some non-y-dna ancestor and that the surname similarity might just be a coincidence, but you never know until you try.

We'll see!

[Baltimore1937]

The surname Stevens shows up a few times among the lists of surnames on my FF. I also noticed a Stevens seemingly interested in my maternal line on Ancestry. It made me wonder if Ambassador Stevens, who was killed in Lybia, was somehow connected (who was presumably intellectually inclined). When you talk about Virginia ancestry, there was a split between tide water Virginia and interior Virginia, although they sort of merged later on. Interior Virginians came down from PA, NJ, New England, etc.

[AJL]

My yDNA I-M223 cousin does have a single Family Finder match that pertains to his Y line: a 6th cousin IIRC. He is only 34/37 to that man, though, and doesn't match several FF testees who are closer on ySTRs to him.

In short, it is possible, but you should be prepared for it not to happen.

Another possibility is a link through a wife of a Stevens. Even in my cousin's case, I can't be sure which parent the link is through.

[rms2]

Oh, I know this is a shot in the dark as far as the y-dna line is concerned, so I am fully prepared for a non-result. We already have some distant connection via old Puritan New England, so the FF match could stem from that non-y-dna stuff. Anyway, it's worth a try, and I'm not paying for it in this case. B)

[ilmari]

Not sure if you've already done it, but at 23andMe there are dozens of folks with your surname and variants, it's such a bargain at $99.00 + $7.00 or less for shipping.

[rms2]

Not sure if you've already done it, but at 23andMe there are dozens of folks with your surname and variants, it's such a bargain at $99.00 + $7.00 or less for shipping.

Thanks for the tip. I have not done the 23andMe thing yet. Do they still have the monthly subscription fee? That stopped me before.

[ilmari]

No, no more subscription fee, they realized their mistake and stopped that.

[rms2]

Sorry to bug you with another question, but what do you get for $99 besides autosomal results? I have Family Finder already.

[ilmari]

Try an entire new database of people that have never tested at FTDNA for one. In other words, you may find, however unlikely, a Y-DNA match that has a surname or variant and then convince them to do a little Y STR testing.

[dp]

Rich,
did your FF match prove to be a possible Y-DNA match. I have one FamilyFinder match that is also one of my closest 67-STR match --unfortunately not interested in Big-Y. His ancestors lived in Surry,VA. Another FamilyFinder match is a mtDNA exact FMS match. It would be nice if all FamilyFinder testers would do these other tests because they can eliminate ways people can be kin, and can suggest a possible way of common descent. Maybe one day FTDNA will come out with a package like Chromo. **Trick or treat**
dp :-)

[rms2]

This one didn't pan out. We did not match, even at 12 markers.

His test result was delayed somewhat, which is why I forgot to update this thread.

I have another Family Finder match with a man with my surname, spelled exactly the same way, but when it comes to y-dna, he belongs to a whole different haplogroup. That is one of the problems with having a relatively common surname: too many unrelated people share it.

Then there's the opposite problem: having a Welsh patronymic surname - people with different surnames sharing the same y-dna! :doh: