Back to Twenty DNA Circles at AncestryDNA

Blogging about it must have gotten me put back in two circles at AncestryDNA. My list is now up to 20:

• Hinrich Jansen Ufkes (1797-1873) and Trientje Eielts Post (1803-1878)
• Christianna DeMoss Rampley (died after 1830)
• Johann Luken Jurgens Goldenstein (1814-1891) and Tjode Anna Focken Tammen (1824-1882)
• Hinrich Jacobs Fecht (1823-1912) and Maria Gerdes Wilken Bruns (born 1831)
• James Rampley (1803-1884) and Elizabeth Chaney (1804-1883)
• Behrend Dirks (1825-1913) and Heipke Mueller (1832-1924)
• Hinrich Muller (1799-1880)
• Johann Frederichs Hinrichs Ufkes (1838-1924)
• Riley Rampley (1835-1893) and Nancy Jane Newman (1846-1923)
• Trinke Souken (1775-1856)
• Clark Sargent (born 1806)
• Margaretha Wilken Gerdes (1787-1862)
• Augusta Newman (died 1861) and Melinda/Belinda (Sledd) Newman–new since 12 December 2018

Brief additional information on these individuals is on my ancestor table.

From an earlier post, a few reminders about the circles at AncestryDNA (and these are generalizations):

• getting in the circles is an automated process performed by an algorithm-no human actually looked over anything
• getting in circles requires a tree tied to your DNA results
• getting in a circle requires a DNA match that has a tree tied to the their results that has the same ancestral name as you
• membership in a circle does not prove a connection
• membership in a circle suggests that you and the DNA match share that connection
• it is possible that you and circle members are related through a different ancestor-not the one for whom the circle is named
• you and a circle member may have another shared ancestor–don’t assume the “circle” ancestor is the only shared connection with that person

In summary–circle membership is a clue. Treat it as such. They are partially done to encourage people to attach trees to their DNA results.

You cannot see all the matches of other individuals in the trees. You cannot see who two tree members have as shared matches–unless you have administrative access to one of those tests. Of course, if the person’s test is at GedMatch.com, then you can see more about their matches that you can on other sites.

The circles at  AncestryDNA are a way to potentially help genealogists determine the paper genealogical relationship with their DNA matches.

One tool in your box. Not the only tool.