When the Compton Surname Reconstruction project was started in November 2003, it was with the hope that a small set of common ancestors would be isolated. Each unique Compton line would be definitively grouped and associated with a common paternal ancestor. As new candidates have joined, a surprisingly high number of unique lines have emerged. DNA-wise, there are more unique Compton lines than originally expected. This is actually a helpful outcome, as it breaks the puzzle into smaller pieces.