By Betty Hagberg. Recent research suggests that it is very likely that everyone having a family tree going back to 3rd great grandparents has at least one case of misattributed parentage in their tree. A misattributed parent happens when a presumed parent is not the biological parent of an individual or their ancestor.
A genetic genealogy test can provide clues in uncovering misattributed parentage. As a first step, you can use your shared match list to verify that ancestors in your tree are your genetic ancestors.
- Add DNA matches from your match list to your tree.
- Verify that the relationship of each match in your tree (perhaps 2c1r) is consistent with the amount of DNA you share.
- If the amount of DNA shared is not in the expected range, further research is necessary, and one possibility is a misattributed parent.
What other DNA results might lead you to consider misattributed parentage?
Unexpected Ethnicity Results
If you have significant percentages (higher than 5-10%) of ethnicity admixture from unexpected regions, or genetic connections to unexpected communities, this could suggest misattributed parentage somewhere in your tree.
No shared DNA with close relatives who have tested.
All relatives within the range of second cousins should share at least some DNA with each other. If a known sibling, first cousin, or second cousin has performed DNA testing and is not showing in your match, check for misattributed parentage.
Lower or higher than expected amounts of shared DNA with a known relative.
If a known relative shares half the amount of DNA than would be expected given their proposed relationship, it may be that they are a half rather than a full relative.
Close unknown genetic cousins
The presence of close genetic cousins in your match list (those sharing more than 200 cM) for whom no known or documented relationship can be determined, might be caused by misattributed parentage.
Y—DNA Testing Anomalies
If other direct paternal relatives have performed DNA testing and you are not matching them, it could indicate that you or they have misattributed parentage somewhere along the direct paternal line.
No genetic connections to a particular branch of your family
If you find no DNA matches in a particular branch of your tree it may mean that no one descended from that branch has been tested or it may be the result of misattributed parentage.
For additional information check out: LegacyTree Blog
