If you have a cluster of mystery matches

Learn how to set up your tree if you want to use WATO plus to help identify a cluster of mystery matches

There are a few ways you could approach this. My suggestion would be:

• With the help of shared matches, try to narrow down which branch of your family tree is the one via which you connect to these matches
• Select an ancestor on this line where one or both parents are unknown and plan on using this ancestor as the person for whom you'd like to identify a biological parent.

Let's take the example of Jane, who has a cluster of matches she believes connect to her great-grandfather James Roberts. James is a brick wall in her tree: she doesn't know who is mother or father were.

• The matches Jane has found all seem to lead back to a family called Mills who lived in a townland in Northern Ireland that is plausibly close to her first known location for James
• Using her own research skills alongside the trees posted by the four matches, Jane has been able to put together a skeletal family tree.

Please see the important note at the bottom of the page on more distant matches. Jane will have the best chance of success if she has matches in the region of 100cM since smaller (say 20-40cM) matches could mean such a vast range of relationships.

When Jane generates hypotheses or hovers over a node and clicks use as hypothesis, WATO plus will automatically create a trail down to her

The trail that will be created for hypotheses in this tree

Step 1. Set up the research question #

Screenshot of the research question form

In this form, Jane can select parent from the parent dropdown and enter her great-grandfather's name, James Roberts, and his birth year, 1841.

She would then specify James Roberts's great-grandchild and enter the name Jane since she is using her own DNA matches.

Step 2: Input a family tree #

Jane can then input a family tree as per the instructions on the if you have an unknown parent page.