Smith has long been the most common surname in the English speaking world. So how do we correctly identify which Smith family is ours? Can I use some of Ancestry’s tools to help confirm the correct family in a fairly populated area like the Midlands in the UK in the late 1700s? I think I have!
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| Midlands area c1806 [A Vision of Britain Through Time ©British Library] |
In June 2024, Ancestry released Pro Tools, an add-on membership that gives you access to advanced DNA and family history tools. Pro Tools requires an additional subscription of approximately A$15 per month (although there have been occasional sales). For the keen genetic genealogist it is a “must have” feature.
How many times have you looked at a DNA match only to see that they don’t have a tree or that their tree is only small and only lists private people. However, if they have a close family member who has tested and who does have a reasonable tree, it can help to determine how this match might connect as well. It can also be helpful if you are working on an unknown cluster to determine who their shared common ancestor is.
Another Ancestry tool is ThruLines, which illustrate how you may be connected to a particular DNA match through a common ancestor. You and your DNA matches must have public or private searchable trees that are linked to AncestryDNA tests, ideally at least 3–4 generations deep.
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| Thrulines for Mary Bratt - matches for Colin Hails |
ThruLines do not validate your relationships with DNA matches, but they make it easier to view supporting information such as family trees, historical records, and shared DNA. This allows you to reach your own conclusions about how you might be connected.
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| Family Tree showing my connection back to my paternal 5x great grandmother, Hannah Smith |
Background
My 5xgreat grandmother, Hannah Smith was born c1792 in Tipton, Staffordshire. She married John Plimmer on 29 September 1813 in St. Bartholomew's Wednesbury, Staffordshire. Unfortunately, as this is prior to civil registration, details of their fathers names and occupations are not provided.
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| Hannah's Timeline |
Hannah and her husband, John, an Edge Tool Maker (and later a Retail Brewer), had seven known children who were all born in Wednesbury between 1816 and 1830. By 1841, the family were living in the parish of Aston in Birmingham, Warwickshire and Hannah died there on 7 February 1871.
Census records gave Hannah’s birthplace as Tipton and there were two potential baptisms there, one in 1791, daughter of David and Phebe, the other in 1795 daughter of Joseph and Hannah. Did either of these relate to Hannah? Prior to DNA testing, I felt it most likely that her parents were David and Phebe.
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| Census records confirming Hannah's birthplace |
Ancestry Thrulines
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| Possible baptism for Hannah from Dudley St. Thomas Bishop's Transcripts |
When Ancestry’s ThruLines were introduced in 2019, there were no hints for Hannah Smith’s parentage. Over time, however, hints began to appear suggesting Henry Smith and Mary Bratt as potential parents—neither of the couples I had previously considered.
A baptism for Hannah, daughter of Henry and Mary Smith, dated 22 July 1792, was located in the neighbouring town of Dudley, in the parish of St Thomas. This could relate to Hannah.
I began exploring the ThruLines matches, building out their trees and using Enhanced Shared Matches for each DNA kit I had access to.
In addition to my own test, I have tested my father and his maternal cousin Marilyn. I also have access to the AncestryDNA results of my paternal cousin Sandie, two third cousins (Dallas and Brad), and a third cousin twice removed, Victor. All share Hannah’s daughter, Mary Plimmer, as their most recent common ancestor.
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| DNA Testers |
For my father and Marilyn, I can view ThruLine hints back to Henry Smith and Mary Bratt as their potential 5x great-grandparents—the furthest back ThruLines will extend. I can also view Victor’s ThruLine hints, as they are his 4x great-grandparents.
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| Summary of potential ThruLines matches for Colin, Marilyn and Victor |
This table summarises the number of DNA matches suggested by ThruLines for each of the three kits, across six of Henry and Mary’s children.
As Henry and Mary are 6× great-grandparents for Sandie, Dallas, Brad, and myself, our ThruLines do not extend that far. However, I was still able to identify shared DNA matches with individuals found in the earlier analysis.
Enhanced Shared Matches
I will now focus on my review of my father’s matches through Mary’s son Henry, using Ancestry’s Enhanced Shared Matches (Pro Tools).
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| ThruLines for Mary Bratt through son Henry Smith - potential matches to Colin |
While exploring these matches individually, I noticed that many of their shared matches overlapped with other Smith/Bratt descendants, as well as descendants of Hannah Smith and John Plimmer, or their daughter Mary Plimmer and her husband Henry Williams.
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| Enhanced Shared Matches Example |
The table below summarises the number of shared matches and the range of centimorgans they shared with Colin and the match. It also shows how many known or confirmed matches each has and how many of these also had Common Ancestor hints. Of the known matches I've then broken down which generation the shared match comes through.
Clustering
After analysing all matches, I created a matrix depicting 76 shared matches across six of Henry Smith and Mary Bratt’s children. Unfortunately, because many matches are under 20 cM, Ancestry’s clustering feature did not generate useful visuals. This chart was therefore prepared manually using Excel.
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| Matrix of Smith Bratt matches |
As expected, we share more matches with Hannah’s descendants, as this is our direct line. However, it is encouraging to see multiple shared matches across several branches of the family, providing additional support in lieu of segment data.
The McGuire chart below further illustrates shared matches across different branches of the family.
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| McGuire Chart of Smith/Bratt Matches |
By building out the trees for all ThruLines matches, I was able to identify several additional matches with small or unlinked trees that had not appeared as Common Ancestor hints. As a result, I have now identified 99 known matches.
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| Confirmed matches through children of Henry Smith and Mary Bratt |
I’ve also identified an additional two children. While we don’t have genetic evidence with the 6 testers that I've analysed, it’s possible their descendants may match with others in the broader group of matches.
Chromosome Analysis
I also examined matches who had uploaded their DNA to sites offering segment data and identified several triangulated groups. These could be traced back through the Phibbs/Williams, Williams/Plimmer, Plimmer/Smith, and ultimately the Smith/Bratt line.
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| Phibbs, Williams, Plimmer, Smith, Bratt segments |
Reviewing each triangulated group helps confirm connections across generations.
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| Segment data summary |
Stephen is a known fourth cousin who descends from Henry Williams and Mary Plimmer through their daughter Ada, as does R. Allway, who likely descends from the same couple. Kimberly and several other “unknown” matches are also shared matches for Phillip and Carole, suggesting this segment may trace back to the Smith/Bratt couple.
Charlotte and Phyllis are both confirmed Plimmer/Smith descendants. After initially writing this blog and sharing it with matches, Jane uploaded her results to GEDmatch. As she triangulates with Charlotte, this adds further confidence that the segment originates with the Smith/Bratt line.
Additional Documentary Evidence
As a welcome surprise, I uncovered additional documentary evidence. John and Hannah Plimmer appear as witnesses at the marriages of two of Hannah’s sisters.
The first is the marriage of Mary Smith to John Wesley in 1825. Unfortunately, I have only been able to locate a transcript for this marriage on FreeREG.
The second is the marriage of Phoebe Holmes (née Smith) to George Sillitoe in 1834, for which I located a poor-quality image confirming John and Hannah as witnesses.
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| Marriage of George Sillitoe and Phoebe Holmes (nee Smith) |
The 1861 census shows Phoebe Sillitoe and her daughter Hannah living with Phoebe’s sister Elizabeth Hobbins in West Bromwich, along with two of Elizabeth’s granddaughters—an excellent example of the FAN Club principle (Friends, Associates, and Neighbours).
Another notable observation is the repetition of certain given names, particularly Syndonia (16 occurrences) and Phoebe (12 occurrences).
Research Conclusion
On the balance of probabilities, I am confident that both the genetic and documentary evidence support my conclusion that Hannah Smith was the daughter of Henry Smith and Mary Bratt, my 6× great-grandparents.
I would encourage anyone who has taken an AncestryDNA test to consider uploading their results to databases with a chromosome browser, such as:
- FamilyTreeDNA
- Gedmatch
- LivingDNA
All of these sites offer free uploads, with only a nominal fee required to access advanced tools.
Click here for instructions on how to download your Ancestry data and upload to other databases.
Version
This blogpost was originally published on 6 March, 2025 and updated on 10 January, 2026.
Thank you, a facilitating story and very useful tutorial
ReplyDeleteGlad it was helpful Dave!
DeleteWow Vicki, you have become quite a DNA detective and definitely nailed it. The marriage witness record, census, etc just backs up what the DNA no doubt proves. If only everyone could put this much effort into building their trees accurately. And so well presented, great blog, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dallas, appreciate your feedback!
Delete