Another "not quite immediate family member" is going to test!

Just got off the phone with the grandmother of a high school classmate.  Her husband (J) is my grandmother's third cousin, four different ways, through Heinrich Schapansky, #946301 and Jacob Falk, #213384, both twice.

J's DNA will help us sort out the FALK DNA that my grandmother and her first cousin share from the KLASSEN DNA that Grandma and her first cousin will share with the KLASSEN matches mentioned in previous posts.  However... it's still not going to give us pretty little clean cut answers, because J and Grandma's top 23andme match (K) are also third cousins through Heinrich Schapansky and Jacob Falk. What this will tell us is the places where J, K, and Grandma's family all match, we know would come from the FALK/SCHAPANSKY shared lines, and NOT the KLASSEN lines that K and Grandma share.

First "might be a KLASSEN relative" has agreed to test!

This is BIG.  I've been working on our KLASSEN brick wall for quite awhile, and kind of sort of getting a fuzzy picture of our KLASSEN ancestors.

 Right now all I have as proof (well, not me, but my great-aunt) is a family picture of my great-great-grandmother, Susanna with her siblings & their spouses, and Susanna's parents.  One of the women is labeled as the sister of Susanna's first husband, Peter, the man whose family we're looking for.  This woman married Suanna's brother, Jakob David Falk.  Her name is Katharina KLASSEN.

So, now we have strong pictorial evidence to suggest that Peter and Katharina were brother and sister.

With some help from the "Mennonite Genealogy & History" group, in addition to the GRANDMA database, I was able to track down some descendants of Katharina KLASSEN.  It took a few days to exchange Facebook messages and friend requests, but I just received word this morning that Katharina's grandson has agreed to test for me!  If Katharina is indeed Peter's sister, this man would be a second cousin to my grandmother, and the DNA should show that.  It's not going to be a super clean-cut process to prove the relationship, but we can also use the DNA from Grandma's top 23andme match to help.  Grandma's top 23andme match, and the man who has agreed to test for me are double first cousins, so they should share lots of DNA.  From there, it comes down to questions of where Grandma (and her siblings and first cousin) match the two KLASSEN matches, and whether those two matches match each other on those places.

Lots of questions still to be asked and answered.

Did I find a KLASSEN sibling?

I've been working on my Grandma Loewen's 23andme matches for about a year and a half.  Her second highest match responded to my messages, and we've been in sporadic communication.  She has VERY strong KLASSEN ties, including a KLASSEN brick wall at the same generation we do.

Anyway, I was finally able to get in touch with Grandma's top match (other than Mom and me), and from their response, it was apparent to me that they were likely to be the aunt of Grandma's second highest match, because they gave me the name of the person the profile belonged to, and it was the same name as Grandma's second highest match's grandmother.

I got back in touch with Grandma's second highest match to see if she knew about this person who was likely to be her grandmother.  She confirmed that she tested both her grandparents, and that her aunt has the log-in information for both accounts.  Her aunt is not well right now, and was not very receptive to working with me.

So, I asked the second highest match if she's sharing with her grandmother's account, and if she is, if she could compare Grandma Loewen with her grandmother's DNA and then let me know where they match.  It's likely that her grandmother and my grandmother are 2nd cousins, which means that our grandmothers' grandfathers are likely to be brothers!

I'm actually pretty excited about this because that would mean that I found one of Peter Klassen's siblings.  I have a name for one of his sisters as well, thanks to a picture I saw at Christmas time that one of my great-aunts has.

Updates!

UPDATES:
- December 8 LOEWEN/FRANZ swab #3--Arrived at the lab on January 21.  I haven't ordered the test yet, but when I have enough, it will be the first one that I order.

-  February 8 LOEWEN/FRANZ swabs #6 and #7--Ordered this morning!
-  USPS raised their prices, so FTDNA had to as well.  Round-trip shipping is now $12.95.

No updates:

-  August 31 PETKAU/KLASSEN swab #2--This one is still outstanding, and as far as I know, hasn't made it back to the lab yet.
- December 31 PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs #3 and #4--These two I assume have reached the testers, but I have no further information.
- January 20 LOEWEN/FRANZ swabs #4 and #5--Ordered. I expect the swabs to ship sometime next week

Two more swabs ordered, and another to be ordered!

Eek!  I'm getting really close to having swabs out for all my grandparents' siblings!

Here's where we're at:

-  August 31 PETKAU/KLASSEN swab #2--This one is still outstanding, and as far as I know, hasn't made it back to the lab yet.
-  August 31 LOEWEN/FRANZ swab #2--This one made it back to the lab and was processed in near record time.
-  December 8 LOEWEN/FRANZ swab #3--This one has been mailed back to the lab, but to my knowledge hasn't made it back yet.
-  December 31 PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs #3 and #4--These two I assume have reached the testers, but I have no further information.
-  January 20 LOEWEN/FRANZ swabs #4 and #5--Ordered.  I expect the swabs to ship sometime next week

AND....

-  January 20 LOEWEN/FRANZ tester #6 agreed to test!  I'll order her test in the morning, I think

This means I have:
-  1 more LOEWEN/FRANZ sibling
-  3 more PETKAU/KLASSEN siblings

Two more swabs ordered!

I just ordered two more PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs!  :)

So, this means that we now have three PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs in the pipeline, in addition to one LOEWEN/FRANZ swab.  I've been in contact with another LOEWEN/FRANZ sibling, and he is willing to swab, so I'll order that one on Monday.  I've got enough money saved I could pay for another swab as well, so I'm hoping one of the LOEWEN/FRANZ sisters I left messages for calls me back so I can order two at once again.  :)

*UPDATED 12/31/15 14:58 PM  Yes!!  I just got in touch with one of the LOEWEN/FRANZ sisters, and she agreed to swab for me!  :)  That brings my LOEWEN/FRANZ total up to five out of seven living siblings.

Another kit ordered!

Just ordered another LOEWEN/FRANZ test kit!  This is number 3 of 7, I believe.  :)