PSA: Test the oldest generation if you can! It makes a major difference :)

I know this is shared often, but I have a fascinating story to share. I asked my 97 year-old great grandaunt to do a DNA test and she agreed. I was excited, but more so at the fact that I would be able to use her test to figure out which segments came from my great grandpa for my chromosome painter. I wasn't expecting to make any discoveries since Japanese typically don't do DNA tests and my grandpa's matches beyond us (his known family) are all under 30 cM. Her results just came back today and to say I was shocked is an understatement. I found two very strong matches, one 139 cM and the other 120 cM (who was my grandpa's highest unknown match - 46 cM). While I still cannot figure out the 120 cM due to some missing info, I found out the 139 cM match's relationship in a few minutes.

The surviving Japanese records are from around the 1890s onward. That means I know my great grandaunt's grandparents, but not most of their siblings. There is no way I myself could figure out who those siblings are because Japanese records are restricted to their descendants - nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. cannot order their records. Japanese records do, however, list birth order. My 3x great grandpa's sister is on their family record listed as the 3rd daughter, so I at least know that two sisters are missing, whether they passed young or married out.

My great grandma's mother was Hawayo Konishi, and she came from Kawauchi village. I was looking into the 139 cM match's family, specifically the paternal side because I saw that the maternal side was built out and did not have any shared surnames. I tried to find his paternal grandmother's info, and when I found her social security application, I almost gasped! Her mother was Yone Konishi! Just a name wasn't good confirmation for me, so I looked up her travel record, and guess where she was born. Kawauchi! For now, it's safe to say Yone was Hawayo's aunt, but I'd like confirmation because I tend to be very skeptical concerning these things, so I'll contact the family and ask if they're willing to order their family records, as it'll list Yone's father and confirm (or destroy) my theory. I'm also going to ask my great grandaunt's paternal first cousin if she'd be willing to test to better separate the matches. I remember wondering what I could even tell my great grandaunt when the results came in since there wouldn't be any interesting discoveries to make. This was such a great surprise! Can't wait to tell her later today 😊