premise: But then , " related but distant " describes my family perfectly . Most of my mother 's family is dead , including both of her parents . She has one full sister left , a couple half ones , a nephew , and a few distant cousins . That is the sum of the Ashe family tree , which actually now lacks the surname . Why might I think the Ashe family lacks the surname now ?
hypothesis: It might be possible that all the female members took up their own surnames .