Test Results
Of the nine Alsup/Alsop project members who have been DNA tested, five have close enough Y-chromosome markers to be considered related within the genealogical timeframe (past 500 years).
Three members, David Peter Alsup, Jerry David Alsup, and Willaim Lee Alsup match on 25 out of 25 markers tested. This means there is a 75% probalility that they have a common ancestor within the last 150 years. Two other members, Dale C. Alsop and Michael W. Alsup match these three members on 24 out of 25 markers. This means there is a 75% chance that they share a common ancestor within the past 275 years.
The other four members who have been tested have very few markers in common with the other five members and share few markers with each other. They are not closely related to each other genetically.
This lack of DNA "relatedness" could be the result of several factors. There may, infact, be more than one origin for the Alsop/Alsup name. If this is the case, testing of more Alsop family members should result in matches for these four members.
The other reason for a lack of DNA matching may be an "undocumented paternity event" somewhere in the family history. This may be the result of an undocumented adoption or a birth from an unknown father. Geneticists call these "non-paternity events". I prefer the term "undocumented paternity event". Since all people have a father, the term "non-paternity" seems to be an oxymoron. Since geneticists have found that historically there has been a 2-4% undocumented paternity rate each generation, it is not surprising that many people's DNA ancestry does not match their documented ancestry.
To see the Alsup test results in the FamilyTreeDNA database click here.
To see a summary of marker matches click here (PDF) (Excel).
"Relatedness" can be measured by how far back one needs look to find a common ancestor between two people. This can be measured in terms of the number of generations or number of years. To see the Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) click here (PDF) (Excel).