Hidden Paternity
Hidden paternity, also called false paternity, is
defined as a break in one's male ancestral lineage in which
a person believed to the father of a particular individual
is not the biological father.
The DNA test
results for about one out of five Culpepper project members
does not match
with other Culpeppers in the project. All of these individuals had previously
been believed to be descendants of the American progenitor, Henry Culpepper
of Lower Norfolk, VA, or of one
of his ancestors. Thus, these project members have hidden paternity,
and it probably occurred many generations in the past.
Hidden paternity can occur due to an individual's or ancestor's:
-
Assuming the
surname of a step-father without a legal adoption.
-
Legal
adoption, the records for which have either been hidden
or lost.
-
Conception
while the mother is unmarried, and then prior to the
birth of her child, the mother marries a man who is not
the father of her unborn child. In some instances,
without DNA testing, no one may know who the real father
is.
-
Conception as
a result of an illicit affair, and generally the
mother's husband is unaware that he is not the
biological father of the child he raises.
-
Conception
out-of-wedlock and being given the mother's surname.
-
Conception as
a result of rape.
-
Conception by
artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization, or
-
Being
switched with another baby at the hospital.
Hidden paternity is estimated
by FamilyTreeDNA.com to occur at a rate of 2% to 5% between
each generation. The Culpeppers who have been
tested in our DNA project range from eight to twelve generations removed from
our common
progenitor, Henry Culpepper. From the table below, based
upon the number of generations removed, you can see the probability that
an individual will have hidden paternity.
| Probability of Hidden Paternity |
| Gene-rations |
Est. Yrs. Spanned |
Hidden Paternity Rate |
| 2% |
3% |
4% |
5% |
| 1 |
30 |
2% |
3% |
4% |
5% |
| 2 |
60 |
4% |
6% |
8% |
10% |
| 3 |
90 |
6% |
9% |
12% |
15% |
| 4 |
120 |
8% |
12% |
16% |
20% |
| 5 |
150 |
10% |
15% |
20% |
25% |
| 6 |
180 |
12% |
18% |
24% |
30% |
| 7 |
210 |
14% |
21% |
28% |
35% |
| 8 |
240 |
16% |
24% |
32% |
40% |
| 9 |
270 |
18% |
27% |
36% |
45% |
|
10 |
300 |
20% |
30% |
40% |
50% |
| 11 |
330 |
22% |
33% |
44% |
55% |
| 12 |
360 |
24% |
36% |
48% |
60% |
| 13 |
390 |
26% |
39% |
52% |
65% |
| 14 |
420 |
28% |
42% |
56% |
70% |
| 15 |
450 |
30% |
45% |
60% |
75% |
The average person tested in the Culpepper DNA project
is ten generations removed from the American
progenitor, and one out of five of these (or 20%) has hidden
paternity. Dividing the 20% frequency by the ten generations
spanned gives a 2% per generation incidence of hidden
paternity. This means that the Culpeppers are at the low end
of the estimated 2% to 5% rate per generation.
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Last Revised:
26 Dec 2007
