NPE or NKCA

It appears that people get very frustrated when they can’t figure out their DNA matches. I belong to several groups that deal with DNA and their matches. I find that people jump to many conclusions when dealing with their matches and make broad statements that I find hard to believe.

When people can’t find a direct match to their DNA matches, many jump to the conclusion that there must be a NPE (Non Paternal Event), which I hate that term, I like the one someone used called “Not the Parent Expected”. How can anything be a non-paternal event? We all have parents, even if we don’t know who they are. Okay, off that soap box for now, I know I am going to lose that battle anyway.

An acronym that I made up is NKCA (Not Known Common Ancestor). I believe when I find a match and I can’t figure out how we are related, it might be because of a NKCA. I haven’t discovered all my Ancestors yet, and this was one of the reason’s I tested, to build out my tree.  

This is different than UCA (Unknown Common Ancestor). Unknown Common Ancestor is when we match, however I might already have the common ancestor, I am not sure which one. I have a few branches that my matches and I have more than one set of common ancestors. Perhaps we share DNA from all the common ancestors, or perhaps we don’t. Or perhaps I know you match on a well develop line of mine, however, I am not quite sure where on that line you fall. Maybe you don’t have a tree and your username gives me no clues, or I haven’t researched down all the lines and thus haven’t come across you as a descendant of one of my ancestors. I might even need to build out your small tree to connect you back to the common Ancestor.

Anyway, we can’t always jump to the conclusion that a NPE is the reason you don’t match with your DNA matches. What if you accidentally attached the wrong ancestor to your tree and researched a line that really isn’t your line. Common names or areas where you family names get repeated can get confusing and errors can happen. What if your match’s tree is not accurate? Keep this in mind as you are trying to figure out your DNA matches.

Below are some of the statements people make online that I just can’t help but question. My goal isn't to shame people, however when the question gets asked over and over again, I must remind myself that perhaps the person didn't know it as been asked before and as I was in the beginning, just plain confused about DNA.

Statement One: I am trying to find a common ancestor with a 4^th cousin, but we have no match for six generations back. Am I missing something? My thoughts:  Yes you are missing something, are you sure you found all six generations back? This would be your 3^rd great grandparents and at this point you have 62 direct ancestors. I have been researching my family for over 35 years and I have only found 58 out of the 62 ancestors. Plus have you research back down each line of your ancestors to find all the living descendants? I find more DNA matches on the lines that are well researched and where I have traced the lines back down to the living. Since this was one of my genealogy goals when I started doing genealogy, well before DNA testing came onto the scene, I was ahead of the game when I jumped into DNA. Finally, DNA testing companies are estimating the relationship and thus you may need to check back one or two more generations. This could mean you need to figure out 254 ancestors and their descendants before you may connect to your DNA match.

From The World's Most Fascinating Genealogy Blog, #111: Up the Ladder Posted on March 17, 2013 by stoff <https://relatedhowagain.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/111-up-the-ladder/>

Statement Two: I don’t match any of my father’s ancestors; therefore he can’t be my father, correct? Question by Me:  You can’t jump right to that conclusion. Perhaps your father’s parent's aren't who he think they are. For example: The daughter of my first cousin tested and she matches me through our common ancestor on my father’s side and her grandmother, her father’s mother is my aunt. All those matches are great. However, I haven’t found anyone further back on her father’s side. Therefore, her father’s father might not be the one on record, or perhaps none of her closer relatives have tested yet. I know my aunt had 8 children, and she is the only one of my aunt’s descendants that has tested and thus I have nothing to compare against. I haven’t built out my aunt’s husband’s tree very far, however a niece of my aunt’s husband had contacted me about him in my tree. I asked if she tested, and she stated no. If she would test and if she doesn’t match my cousin, then I know there is a problem. It still doesn’t automatically mean that her grandfather is not her father’s father. Perhaps her grandfather is not the biological son of his known father. The breakdown could occur on any generation. Until I find people who have tested back to each know common ancestor, and can prove they match or don’t match. Keep in mind; you may need to test multiple people, because what if the tester has the NPE. You need to check their matches to see if the expected ancestors are coming up. Confusing and a lot of work, however no one said genealogy is easy.

Statement Three: I have tested and I don’t match my mom or Dad. My thoughts:  I need more to go on. Have your parent’s tested, because no testing company can say who your parent’s are if they don’t test. To be honest, no testing company can say who our grandparents or great grandparents, etc. are, if they don’t test. DNA will tell us who our DNA matches are. From those DNA matches, we can surmise who are common ancestors are and thus figure out our lineage. DNA is a tool, a research tool that is combined with traditional genealogical research to figure out our genealogy history.

Finally, if your parent's did test, make sure you all tested with the same company and give the company enough time to update all your results before jumping to the wrong conclusion. For whatever reason, you results may be available, however all your matches might no totally upload, give it about a week and then gently approach your parents. Humans are not perfect and neither are our parents, so if you find unexpected results, be gentle.

In closing, my disclaimer. Again, I wasn't trying to shame anyone for the questions they ask, however to give my thoughts and my opinions on the subject. I am relatively new to DNA research, having tested myself about 5 years ago, I find that DNA research is a different mind set and uses some unique skills. As with genealogy in general, we should not jump to conclusions but examine the results and perhaps come up with theories and then see if we can prove or disprove our theories with the evidence. If you are serious about using DNA research, my advice is to learn as much as you can through books, blogs, joining Facebook groups and watching webinars. 

AncestryDNA ThruLines - The Good, The Bad and The Warning!

The new ThruLines on AncestryDNA is all the talk around the genealogy water coolers.

I like the Thrulines because it visually gives me my suggested DNA matches to my Ancestors. Okay, reread that sentence.... Suggested.... Even if the Ancestor is in my tree, Ancestry is going out into their databases of User Submitted Trees and trying to tie your DNA Matches back to your Common Ancestors or to Potential Ancestors.

WARNING - Very important to wrap your head around this. Potential Ancestors are Suggestions too!

For Example, ThruLines suggested Ellen O'Brien for my 3rd great-grandmother. She was born abt 1870 and died 1953.

When I click on the ThruLine suggested, I am brought up to the next screen where it shows the lineage from Ellen O'Brien down to me and my matches along with listing whose tree the information came from.

I am glad that Ancestry is giving me the tree name here, so I can clearly see that it is not my tree, but someone else's tree. However, why did Ancestry selected this tree out of the hundreds of thousands of other trees I have no idea why. DianaL60 is not even a DNA match to me. Scary, Right!

Here I notice a problem, my 2nd great-grandfather is born abt 1836, 34 years before his suggested mother. Ancestry's On-line support suggest that if a ThruLine is inaccurate, that we should contact the owner of the tree it is using and ask them to make a correct. Well, I hate to inform Ancestry, the tree is not the problem, you are. 

Looking at the Profile Page of Ellen O'Brien from the tree that Ancestry is using to create this ThruLine, I see no Father, no Mother, no Spouse and no Children. What is this person suppose to correct? I am sure there is an Ellen O'Brien born about 1870 and who died June 1953 in Mallow, Ireland. The problem is not their Tree, but in the logic that Ancestry is using to create ThruLines. I had similar problems with the "WeRelate" phone app that shows famous people you are related to. They managed to fix problems there with parents being younger than children in their suggested lines, you would hope they would use the same logic as that phone app to make suggested trees.

While I am in exploring ThruLines, I get a popup asking if I will take a survey. Of course I will take a survey, how else will Ancestry know they have a logic flaw. We need to give feedback at every possible opportunity. They can not fix what they don't know is broken!

However, when I read this question, it almost floored me. I hope everyone realizes that flaw in this logic.

If you don't see the flaw, keep this in mind, Ancestry is building out either or both your lineage back to a Potential Ancestor and your DNA matches to the same Potential Ancestor or perhaps an Ancestor you already have in your tree. Look at the suggested lineage, how many trees is it bouncing through to come up with that suggested lineage. Even if they used the DNA match's tree all the way back to your tree, you need to verify these branches. What if your DNA matches have been creating their tree off of your tree. I could put a bogus direct ancestor line into my tree that matches my DNA matches' tree, using a line that I know I am not part of. Ancestry won't know, and they will see we have the same line in each of our trees and poof - I am part of that ThruLine back to those Bogus Common Ancestors. Especially if I remove the correct line that we are related through. 

Plus, on more common surnames, like O'Brien, my match may have O'Brien's in their tree, and we still might be related through a completely different branch. Secondly, we have been warn to use other people's trees as clues not gospel. Each person's tree, mine included are only as accurate as the researcher doing it. Sure I am more accurate today, however, how about 20 or 30 years ago or when I started. I might have flaws in my tree. Please don't take my word for everything and add it into your tree. You may be greatly disappointed. 

Finally, seeing DNA Matches as good evidence that we descend from a common ancestor is quite the leap.As in my example, there are 6 DNA matches. Unfortunately, in my sister's ThruLines example they all come from my Mother and the six matches are my half-sister, my two half-brothers, my two half-nephews, and myself. The only one they are missing from my immediate family is my half-niece who recently tested and who hasn't built a tree yet. 

There is your Warning, ThruLines can be a wonderful Tool if used properly. However, Verify, Verify and Verify all lineages. I have found more correct than incorrect, however the incorrect is still out there. Also, as more people test, create trees, correct trees, etc... ThruLines will adjust accordingly. Therefore, they are very fluid, constantly changing with the tides. What you see today, might not be there tomorrow. Or as in my genealogy friends case, she took a break from the genealogy library to buy herself a coffee and when she got back, it all changed. Her half-brother's ThruLines was using his mother's adopted family and not the tree he had attached to his DNA results. However, when she came back, ThruLines was using his DNA tree with only his biological family in it.