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Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 4:29PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 2 Apr 2015 5:03PM GMT
Anyone else just sign on to their ancestry.com autosomal dna resuts and see totally new feature..identifying people not in your tree who might be related..

Update..the two new possible relatives identified for me in this new feature are wrong for me..they are people who married into my line and a generation above there is a common ancestor already in my circle/leaf stuff (as are the names of 3 dna matches they list for this new "relative". Interestingly bizzare new feature...however, I do see some value in this for some people. It identified 4 of my matches that have this person in their tree, 3 of which I already knew and had identified a common ancestor in the generation above this person's spouse. The 4th one is someone with a small tree that didn't extend far enough to our common ancestor (the father of this woman's spouse), so now I "know" how this match fits. It may be helpful to this person although it is "wrong" for me as I am not genetically related to this woman, but to her spouse's father...

Just found the ancestry.com blog that explains the new feature:

http://blogs.ancestry.com/techroots/the-science-behind-new-a...

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 6:10PM GMT
Classification: Query
I received an email with a name attached to it; however, the possible ancestors on my and my mom's DNA pages were not the same as the person in the email, or any other kits that I manage.

I can see where this may be a curse or a blessing for me as I am trying to locate my father's birth family.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 9:34PM GMT
Classification: Query
Of the 3 tests on my account, my sister's is the only one with a "new" relative. It's so incredibly wrong that I don't know what to think. 3 of the 4 people in her new circle are already in a circle for another common ancestor. The 4th person has an ancestor that is very likely to be a close relative of that other common ancestor. But because the 4 people share a completely different pair of common ancestors, Ancestry has put my sister into a circle for an ancestor that is in no way related to her.

Oh, and those awful biographies are back.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 10:30PM GMT
Classification: Query
Just when you think ancestry couldn't possibly do any more damage to the cause of family history research, they top themselves. Looking at my "new ancestors" and checking with my cousins who have been tested reveals the same problems that others have documented here: these identified "ancestors" are related by marriage, not blood. Some examples: the wife of my 2nd great grandfather (my 2nd gr grandmother) is predicted to be the ancestor of my 3rd cousin who descends from my 2nd gr grandfather's brother. Also, the parents of my great grandfather's sister's husband are predicted to be my ancestors, which is not possible. Another predicted "ancestor" was married to a cousin of one of my actual ancestors. And on the subject of those awful biographies, don't even get me started. I see ancestry has provided opportunity to provide feedback - so everyone should be sure to give it, although past experience indicates feedback will be ignored.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 11:41PM GMT
Classification: Query
Yes, I found the exact same situation. I am not related to the person mentioned but to her husband's father. But, I suppose that could be helpful.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 3 Apr 2015 12:18AM GMT
Classification: Query
So I've actually found 1 case similar to what's mentioned above and I believe 2 cases where it may genuinely be helpful.

The bad case is due to how differently people name and date the same ancestors in trees, I suspect this is the root of the problem for many others, I sympathize with Ancestry though since compiling all the variations down without being error prone (combining people who are no the same people) is easier said than done programatically. It seems to point me back a few generations as a possible ancestor when 2 generations or so down both matches share the same group (but again name matching foiled it). When I realized that I noticed the surname and area and suspect the connection is something far different than the ancestor revealed.

In the two other cases I see some of the same name matching issues but only by a generation or so and I suspect those might genuinely be ancestors since the names they intermix with are lines that I've been blocked in early to mid 1800s or so.

Will be interesting to see them evolve this... I highly recommend everyone send feedback and to be constructive. If you don't like the feature just ignore it, simple as that.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 3 Apr 2015 1:05AM GMT
Classification: Query
Add me to the chorus singing 'misleading' new ancestors! My tests had four
'new ancestors.' One was for a grandson of a common ancestral couple...known but potentially useful if I hadn't had him on my tree. He is not an ancestor. Another was to the husband of a common relative...not related to him at all...the circle members are all linked through her. The other two were a husband and wife pair....some of the circle members descend from this couple but all of them are also descended from another couple, my real ancestors.

I did send feedback to ancestry. If only they would give us a chromosome browser!

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 3 Apr 2015 2:14AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 3 Apr 2015 11:59PM GMT
My "new" ancestor is on only one of four tests for my mother's family (four tests including mine). It is through a marriage - husband to a distant aunt. Not related at all and a circle also generated for this non-relative. They cannot be matching DNA, only names in trees as I do have the husband in my tree. No other "new" on any of my other maternal tests.
There is a shared ancestor to the distant aunts parents. The test that matches is the only one of my four that does match autosomally to the shared ancestor - the roll of the genetic dice in play.

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 3 Apr 2015 5:30AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 3 Apr 2015 5:43PM GMT
The automated features are rarely spot-on, but I don't mind the additional source for possible matches. I explored the two suggestions it gave me, and can't find a clear connection, even though there are a couple of shared surnames a few generations back.

I agree with you though...it is an "interestingly bizarre new feature," haha!

Re: Totally new feature in autosomal dna released today...

Posted: 3 Apr 2015 12:24PM GMT
Classification: Query
Blanche, I have the same situation. Two "new ancestors" both born in Utah. My family tree has no ancestor born west of Massachusetts (or Quebec, Canada).

Still, I'll check to see if they might be "cousins."

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