Autosomal DNA through 23andMe Question

Question

Hi,  I have tried to set myself up as an  Autosomal DNA take for William Clements, I'm having trouble figuring out how to attach 23andMe results.   I noticed there is a Frank Blankenship is attached to both Capt. Benjamin Clements 1707-1780 Pittsylvania Co., VA and His Father William  Clements 1682-1760, Amelia County, VA.  BUT this Frank Blankenship does not connect with me.  I have checked his kit against mine at Ged-match and nothing 0% Centimorgan. So, I am confused why he is there.   Maybe you can explain how this is working.   I am a a direct line "Clements" to this family.  And A Male cousin from Our family did the YDNA test through FTDNA.  He chooses to remain Private, so I can't put up his Kit #.  Anyway, my Clement line has been proven and I am in process of putting up all the paper work that proves my Clement family line.   I have also done my Autosomal DNA test through 23andme and the test results are also with Ged-Match and FTDNA.   My other questions is Why can't I put up or connect those results to William Clements 1682-1760, Amelia County, VA. and His Father, John Clements of Hanover 1658- 1745, Hanover County, VA?   I think it's important that my Kit# for Autosomal DNA could be there to see if I might be matching.   So, far I do not match with Frank Blankenship who is posted there and that just dosn't make since.   I have connected with many others in the Clement line below this, so I should be connecting also with the upper levels of my Clement Family tree.   To try to help with this e-mail my name is Cathi (Clements) Gross.   My e-mail address is cathi@144webcom.   My line of clements goes like this:

Me:  Cathi (Clements) Gross

My Father:  Robert Leroy Clements

My Grandfather: Oscar Walton Clements

My Great Grandfather: George Riley Clements

My 2nd Great Grandfather: William Clements married Julia Angell

My 3rd Great Grandfather; Benjamin Clement, IV married Cordelia Race

My 4th Great Grandfather, Benjamin Clements, III married Lucy Baily

My 5th Great Grandfather, Benjamin Clement, II married Mary (Baker?)

My 6th Great Grandfather, Capt Benjamin Clements Married Susannah HIll

My 7th Great Grandfather, William Clements & Ann (Parker?)

My 8th Great Grandfather John Clements & Elizabeth (Terry?)

Here are the YDNA results from FTDNA, We are Group #12:

https://www.familytreedna.com/public/ClementsClemmonsDNA/default.aspx?fixed_columns=off&section=yresults

https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/clements-clemmons-dna/about/background

I would love to put up my Cousins's kit number for the YDNA test but I would like to put it under my name, only because He chooses to remain private.  I don't know if that is possible to do.  But it might help others in making a match, if at least his name could be under my name.  

Also, if I could find a way to add my autosomal DNA through 23and me  with William Clement 1682-1760, Amelia County, VA.  and John Clements 1658- 1745, Hanover County, VA, if that is possible.  Also, my oldest son has done his DNA through 23andme, but he want's to remain private, but my name could be used to display his kit# at Wiki Tree.  Is that possible?   

I have been working on my Clement family tree since 1994, so I have a lot of documentation that I have been trying to add to each section of my Clement family tree.   I think I have put enough up for you to check out what I have done.  I believe it will correct many errors that are already up one of them being Frances Clement of Isle of Wright and Benjamin Clements of Gloucester, which have been found to be a completely different DNA family from mine.  They are Group #8 at FTDNA YDNA results.  AND really need to be split off from my family that is why I have not been connecting with others who have some of the same people as my family tree and I don't want to merge with them, until that changes.  I hope that is ok.   YDNA really has helped to show the mistakes earlier researchers have made with all the Clelments family lines that are out there.   One of the reasons I decided to hurry and put of all the data on my family line and post the DNA results too.  Anyway, I hope I have asked clear questions.   Please tell me how to proceed next.  Cathi (Clements) Gross

Answer 1

Looks like you have a few questions.

1) On Wikitree, when you see DNA tests listed on a profile, all it means is that someone within a certain degree of the person has taken a DNA test (8 generations is the default, I believe, for autosomal tests). So, you see Frank Blankenship on one of your ancestor's profiles because he is also a descendant of that ancestor. That does not mean you will actually share DNA with him, particularly when the ancestor is so distant. 

2) The reason your DNA test does not show on William Clements is because you are too far removed from him for there to be any realistic chance you would share measurable DNA - as I mentioned earlier, your test will show on 7-8 generations. William Clements happens to be the 9th.

3) You can't add someone else's DNA test under your name, unfortunately. What you could do (with the person's permission) is add them to Wikitree with a name like "Private Anonymous", and add their DNA test for that profile. You would show as the profile manager, so interested parties could still contact you for more info without knowing the name of the actual tester. Edit: As Ellen Smith mentioned in comments, this may no longer be possible due to GDPR. The easiest thing to do is have them join and do it themselves.

One additional note: if any men in your family have done Y-DNA tests, once added, those will propagate much further back in the tree, because that test is good for a much greater number of generations. It's only autosomal tests that are limited to 8 generations.

Comments

Hi John:

Thank you so much for your answer about YDNA & the Autosomal DNA.   It was very helpful!  

Cathi (Clements) Gros

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Nice answer, John.. One caveat: As a result of GDPR, I don't believe it's possible to record another living person's DNA test any more. I think they have to join WikiTree and upload their own tests.

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Hi John:

Now that I've made correction and have gotten a good part of the Clements Family tree up, My Direct Line (My Maiden Name is Clements) I have actually begun to connect with other Clements that our in this family tree  through Autosomal DNA using our kit # from Ged-match we had a very small percent, which showed exactly where we would come together and that would be we two brother, Francis Clements 1725-1769 died Charlotte Co., Virgnia, My 7th Great Uncle, while her 7th Great Grandfather connecting with Capt. Benjamin Clements 1707-1780, died Pittslyvania Co., VA My 6th Great Grandfather, Her 7th Great Uncle, who share there Father William Clements 1682-1760 Amelia County, VA.  So, wouldn't it be important to keep track along with our paper trails, which we both have here at Wiki Tree?  I personally would like to see both of our names posted in the DNA section Under William Clements 1682-1760 Amelia County, VA.  But I have not found a way to do that yet.  Is there away to show the connection there between us?   And could there be a way made.   Thank yo for your help,  Cathi Gross

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Hi, Cathi. Born in 1682, William Clements lived about 100 years too early for autosomal DNA to have any genealogical usefulness. In fact, WikiTree propagates those "DNA Connections" hints--and hints are all they are because WikiTree never sees your actual DNA information; there's no DNA matching involved--through eight degrees of separation, or eight birth events. This works really well out horizontally on the tree to the 3rd cousin level, but isn't as valuable up the tree vertically, to 6g-grandparents. The simple reason is that we can't examine the actual ancestor's autosomal DNA, so we have to rely on living cousins...which means each generation chronologically really represents two biologically based on the way DNA recombines.

By way of example, the average expected autosomal DNA sharing amount with a 3rd cousin is about 53cM. Pretty solid stuff. But a living cousin descended from the same 6g-grandparent would be your 7th cousin. At that degree of cousinship the average amount of DNA sharing has already reached effectively zero...it actually already hit that point with 6th cousins. It's very difficult and requires a lot research and triangulation to use even 5th cousin DNA matching for genealogy. So, realistically, for any ancestor born before 1770 or so, autosomal DNA really can't be used as genealogical evidence. That date is very rough, of course, and depends upon generation ages and such.

But born in 1682, there simply won't be any valid autosomal DNA evidence linked to William Clements.