Finding Your Family History
What is a Distant Cousin Anyway ?
By Robert Cox MVHA Vice President
Those who have taken an autosomal DNA test from Ancestry or one of the other major genealogy testing services will get a list of DNA matches as part of their results . These will generally be ranked by the amount of DNA shared between the test taker and each match . Ancestry breaks the matches up into three main groups : Close Family ( which generally includes siblings , first cousins , and their parents and children ), Extended Family ( up to third cousins ), and Distant Family ( more distant relationships ). It is common for many people to have hundreds or even thousands of DNA matches on Ancestry , especially if they have an immigrant ancestor who came to what is now the USA in the 1600s or 1700s .
Autosomal DNA tests , like those provided by Ancestry , can accurately predict relationships between people who are second cousins or closer . For third cousins and beyond , the exact relationship can be hazier . On average , two third cousins will only share 0.78 % of their DNA . But the actual amount could be as high as 2.2 % or there could be no match at all . So , someone who is a third cousin could appear as a second cousin in a list of DNA matches , if the matches share 2 % of their DNA .
The more distant the relationship , the more difficult is it to pin down . That is why Ancestry will denote distant cousins as 3rd-4th cousins , 4th-6th cousins , and 5th-8th cousins . Most fifth cousins will not be DNA matches . Two fifth cousins may share DNA from a common ancestor , but they won ’ t always share the same DNA segments from that ancestor , and in that case , there will be no match .
One way to extend your ability to match up with distant cousins is by collaborating with close relatives who have also taken a DNA test . Ancestry allows two people who have taken their DNA tests to collaborate , i . e . see the DNA matches from each other ’ s tests . I am currently collaborating 10 of my close relatives on Ancestry DNA . This has allowed me to match up a distant cousin Eric Weitzel , with whom I share a common ancestor : John Brisbin ( 1730-1822 ). Eric ’ s father was a match to my first cousin Dennis Cox but did not match me or any of my other DNA collaborating cousins . Eric noted that while I was a descendant of John and his first wife Elinor , John had two other wives ( after the previous ones had died ). Eric descends from John ’ s second wife Isabella . This gives me a whole new line of descendants to trace .
Mtn . View Family History Fun Fact !
Former Mountain View mayor Jim Cochran ’ s great-grandfather , John Cochran , was born in 1834 in Northern Ireland . John ’ s family lived in an area of south Belfast called Sandy Row . Sandy Row is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Belfast , widely known for its Loyalist traditions . In 1690 , King William III passed through Sandy Row to engage in the Battle of the Boyne , in which he was the victor against the former King James II . This victory is commemorated in Sandy Row each July 12 . A portrait of King William at the entrance to the neighborhood recalls the connection between King William and Sandy Row .
Portrait of King William at the entrance to Sandy Row , Belfast
Jim Cochran
John Cochran left Northern Ireland for Portland , Ontario , Canada , which is where Jim ’ s grandfather Robert was born . John and his wife Martha left Canada with their four children and settled on a farm in Warren County , Iowa , where Jim ’ s father Charles was born . Jim was born on another farm in the same county . Jim first came to California the summer before he graduated from Iowa State College , staying with his sister ’ s family in San Diego . After graduating , he interviewed for a job there and relocated . After moving to Mountain View , Jim met and married Alice Liddle . Jim and Alice have a daughter Laura , who is now a principal of a charter school , and a son Bobby , who is a professional photographer . Much of Bobby ’ s work is with bands on tour in the USA and Europe .
Jim started his career with ten years as an Industrial Engineer , then twenty years as a Facilities Manager at Teledyne Semiconductor , in Mountain View . Looking back on his years on council from 1989 to 1996 , Jim says he is most proud of the work done to revitalize Castro Street , which included completion of the new City Hall and Center for the Performing Arts . While on council , Jim started his own safety and consulting business , where he worked until his retirement .
Jim and Alice still live together in the home he purchased as a bachelor on Thaddeus Drive in the Monta Loma neighborhood . This summer Jim and Alice are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary !
High school photos of Jim Cochran and Alice Liddle
Jim and Alice today . Happy 55th Anniversary ! 5