{"id":78609,"date":"2023-06-14T12:27:39","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T17:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/?p=78609"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:49:57","slug":"earliest-known-ancestor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/es\/earliest-known-ancestor\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Earliest Known Ancestor Updates To Improve Your Genealogy Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”698289″]By: Katy Rowe-Schurwanz<\/p>\n

Updating your Earliest Known Ancestor information in your profile will help refine our reports and enhance the power of our reports for your genealogy research.<\/h2>\n

Did you know that aside from being able to add your family tree, there\u2019s a place to enter information about your Earliest Known Direct Paternal and Direct Maternal Ancestors?<\/p>\n

How to Update Your Earliest Known Ancestors<\/h2>\n

To enter this information, sign in to your account and navigate to your Account Settings. Under the Genealogy Settings section, there\u2019s a tab for Earliest Known Ancestors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Earliest Known Ancestors section allows you to enter information about specific ancestors and their locations. You can enter the name, birth year, death year, and location information about the ancestor<\/strong> as far back as you can go on your direct paternal line and as far back as you can go on your direct maternal line.<\/p>\n

Which Ancestors Should I Enter?<\/h3>\n

Your direct lines are more specific than just your father\u2019s side and mother\u2019s side. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Your direct paternal line will be an unbroken line of males<\/strong> from your father as far back as you can go.<\/p>\n

To determine which ancestor is your Earliest Known Direct Paternal Ancestor, look at your father in your family tree. Then your father\u2019s father, your father\u2019s father\u2019s father, and so on as far back on the tree as you have confirmed.<\/p>\n

That male ancestor will be your Earliest Known Direct Paternal Ancestor. You\u2019ll enter their name, birth and death dates, country of birth, and specific location of birth in your Earliest Known Ancestor settings.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”80296″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”65″ lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”212614″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”821338″]Your direct maternal line will be an unbroken line of females<\/strong> from your mother as far back as you can go.<\/p>\n

To determine which ancestor is your Earliest Known Direct Maternal Ancestor, look at your mother in your family tree. Then your mother\u2019s mother, your mother\u2019s mother\u2019s mother, and so on as far back on the tree as you have confirmed.<\/p>\n

That female ancestor will be your Earliest Known Direct Maternal Ancestor. You\u2019ll enter their name, birth and death dates, country of birth, and specific location of birth in your Earliest Known Ancestor settings.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”80297″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”65″ lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”210707″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”608199″]<\/p>\n

What If My Earliest Known Ancestor Was Born in a Colonized Country and Their Origin Is Not Indigenous?<\/h3>\n

In the Country of Origin field, you can select separate options that indicate your ancestor belonged to an indigenous population or other ethnic group within a country.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”80295″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”65″ lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”874297″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”180363″]I mentioned above that you should select the country of birth of your Earliest Known Ancestor from this drop-down. However, when it comes to places like the United States, Canada, and Australia, genealogists are often searching for where their ancestors came from before they arrived in that country.<\/p>\n

If you have reliable evidence<\/strong> that your Earliest Known Ancestor\u2019s parent (father for your Direct Paternal Ancestor or mother for your Direct Maternal Ancestor) came from another country, such as a census or other record that specifies that parent\u2019s country of birth<\/strong>, it\u2019s okay to select that country instead of where the ancestor you have entered was born, and in many cases, this will be more helpful for your matches.<\/p>\n

But what if your Earliest Known Ancestor lived in the United States but might not have been born there and you don\u2019t have any proven information about where they were born or who their parents were? While \u201cUnknown Origin\u201d would technically be the correct option for Country of Origin in this situation, if the furthest back origin you can prove for that ancestor is the United States, it\u2019s okay to select that country<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And what if you don\u2019t know your ancestor\u2019s birth country but there\u2019s a rumor or strong anecdotal evidence that they\u2019re from a specific country? For example, you may have only been able to trace your ancestors in the United States, but you have a family story that they originally came from Germany? And what if all of your Big Y or mtFull Sequence matches also provided their Earliest Known Ancestor was from Germany?<\/p>\n

For this type of situation, a family story alone isn\u2019t reliable enough proof<\/strong> that your direct ancestors are from that country, so you\u2019d want to still select where you have proven your ancestor was born.<\/p>\n

If all or nearly all of your Y-DNA or mtDNA matches have ancestors from the same country, that\u2019s a strong hint\u2013 but remember this is self-reported information. Verify the information. Do your matches have documented evidence their direct ancestors are from that country? Until verified, this is still just a hint, so select the country you know your ancestor was from.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These settings can be changed at any time, so if you do discover a better origin for your entered Earliest Known Ancestor or a new ancestor, you can and should update this information.<\/p>\n

Update Your Earliest Known Ancestor Information in Three Steps<\/h3>\n

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  1. Enter the name and birth\/death date in the blanks provided in each section.<\/li>\n
  2. Select a Country of Origin for each of your Earliest Known Ancestors from the drop-down boxes. To add a more specific location, click \u201cUpdate location\u201d and follow the instructions.<\/li>\n
  3. Make sure you click \u201cSave\u201d at the bottom of the page!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What if You Don\u2019t Know Any Ancestors on a Line?<\/h3>\n

    Many people take a DNA test in order to discover their ancestors and genetic family. If you don\u2019t yet know your birth parents or one of your birth parents, check the box next to \u201cI don\u2019t know this information.\u201d<\/strong> Again, make sure you click \u201cSave\u201d at the bottom of the page!<\/p>\n

    Where Will Your Ancestor Information Be Seen?<\/h2>\n

    Entering your Earliest Known Ancestor information and locations provides multiple ways for matches to find their connections with each other and ultimately help with genealogical research.<\/p>\n

    You will see the Earliest Known Ancestor information in multiple places around the site.<\/p>\n