It’s all Relative

 

One can get a shock researching family history. Trying to verify (not that verification is really needed) that the Pilot Knob Missouri Wehners and the Ste. Genevieve Missouri Wehners were descended from brothers, I have been looking for DNA matches between my wife, Mary Frances, descended from Ste. Genevieve Wehners, and descendants of Pilot Knob Wehners. And I did find some, as expected. But when I looked for a match between Mary Frances and a DNA-tested Pilot Knob 4^th cousin once removed, I found none. Now that is not surprising since there is a 52 percent chance that no match will be detected for 4^th cousins once removed. But then, by accident, I noticed that I have a DNA match with that very cousin. An admittedly very distant match, corresponding to a 5^th to 8^th cousin, but a match nevertheless. A relationship on my father’s side, probably involving my grandmother’s line, as indicated by shared matches. 

No, I’m not a Wehner. They probably wouldn’t have me. And I have no known ancestors in the Pilot Knob Area. Nevertheless, my wife shows no match with her cousin, but I do.

But, in the long run, we are all related.