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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: DNA tests for genealogy
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
I'm tempted by the Ancestry DNA test, currently on offer for £80.
I have traced 30/32 of my 3x gt grandparents, 54/64 of my 4x gt grandparents and 47/128 of my 5x gt grandparents (plus a few further back) and haven't found a non-Scottish ancestor yet. Given that 1/8 of my ancestry is from the north east Highlands of Scotland, I assume that I have some Norse ancestry. I would be disappointed if the Ancestry DNA test showed no Scandinavian genes!
Ancestry links you to distant cousins, which would give added confirmation of the research I've already done.
Has anyone had a DNA test for genealogy purposes? Were the results interesting? Worthwhile? Which test did you use?
[ 18. July 2016, 09:05: Message edited by: North East Quine ]
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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whitebait
Shipmate
# 7740
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Posted
I used a Family Tree DNA test. Though they are based in the USA, the Y-DNA tests are reasonable value when the pound is stronger against the dollar, or when they are running their regular 'holiday' discounts.
My surname has a "family DNA project" (now hosted on an 'Ancestry.com' website) which made it all more worthwhile as there were a good number of other participants, and my results were clear enough to link me closely with four others (all in the USA). The family project also gave a further discount on the test. It is definitely worth seeing if you have any form of family project attached to your surname, as you may get a lot more relevant links if one exists.
I've yet to find the direct link between the close Y-DNA families (it is somewhere back in the 1600 or 1700s). The haplogroup results also put me clearly in the (common for the UK) Celtic crew. I haven't done the test that specifically highlights how much of other nationalities might be in my genes - not sure how accurate those are anyway.
For a lot of results, the skill is in interpreting them, so it helps to go with a firm that offers plenty of advice on what to do with your results.
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small fry on a journey
Posts: 151 | From: England | Registered: Jun 2004
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
I'm not particularly interested in my own surname, which is one of the commonest surnames in the country. (I changed my surname on marriage because I liked my husband's name better!)
My long standing ambition is to identify all 64 of my 4x gt grandparents (I have 54 so far). I'm not expecting anything very specific from the tests, but would be pleased if the test confirmed what my family tree appears to show i.e. eight generations of Scots.
I would be absolutely thrilled if it identified a distant cousin which helped me identify the final two 3x gt grandparents or any of the final 10 4x gt grandparents, but that seems unlikely.
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
I did the Ancestry DNA test, as I am getting old and thought my children might be interested. I had a pretty complete history of Mother's German side of the family, not so much of Father's Scottish side. Not surprised with D N A results that came back with large amount of German and Scottish but the bit of Russian/ Asian and Scandinavian came as a surprise. No doubt from the Viking raids and Genghis Khan and his warriors arriving on the scene. I was contacted by a number of third cousins who were doing family trees. It was fun.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
I'm lucky that an uncle on my papa's side of the family spent the greater part of his life working on the family tree, doubly lucky that he was able to use a whole collection of family bibles, and thrice lucky that by some fluke no one had (or had married someone with) one of the really common Welsh surnames.
My Mama's side of the family is a different kettle of fish...
As for DNA, the children are part of a group of identical twins being used to develop ever more accurate DNA tests: you may recall a year/ 18 months ago there was an announcement that a team had managed to differentiate between the DNA of around 50% of identical twins? That project is still ongoing with the twins they couldn't separate, which includes mine. In addition to that there is another study looking at families where identicals occur frequently and mine plus another 6 sets in the family, spread across 4 generations, are part of that.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jack the Lass:
An old article, but it popped up on my fb feed this morning and I thought of this thread. Scientists are sceptical.
Given the source, it should hardly be a surprise that the brush used is far too broad to paint the definitive conclusion they imply.
Some tests may indeed claim too much, and those are the ones being objected to.
The test I took gave different levels of detail with different levels of probability attached. From the very broad with a higher level to a relatively detailed with a fairly low level of probability.
It is in the presentation and, ISTM, the Telegraph did the exact same thing they are accusing commercial genetic testing of doing.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
The Telegraph article doesn't mention linking with distant cousins, which is one of the selling points of the Ancestry test.
I agree that "digging about in your loft" is more important than DNA, but I am way beyond the early research stage. Given that I have identified 54 of my 64 4x gt grandparents, if the Ancestry test threw up any 3rd, 4th or 5th cousins it would be quite simple to confirm that records confirm the relationship. (This assumes that the fathers named on birth certificates / baptismal records were in fact the biological fathers, of course!!)
If I thought that the Ancestry DNA test would help me identify the final 10 4xgt grandparents to give me the complete "set" of 64, I wouldn't hesitate. But perhaps that is wishful thinking?
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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To The Pain
Shipmate
# 12235
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Posted
One of my friends, who is keen on family history, did a DNA test that revealed that she was a distant cousin of an Australian personality and as a result was invited to be part of a 'Who Do You think You Are'-style TV programme, so you never know where it may lead! She also discovered some distant relatives but I don't believe they were much help with the rest of the family tree.
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Now occasionally blogging.
Hire Bell Tents and camping equipment in Scotland
Posts: 1183 | From: The Granite City | Registered: Jan 2007
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Dogwalker
Shipmate
# 14135
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Posted
I've been meaning to answer this since I saw it, but I haven't taken the time until now to put the response together that it deserves.
My wife and I had ancestry.com do our DNA. Given that I know a fair amount about my family background, I was a little surprised by the results, but I think they make sense.
First, some background: I live in the US. Of my eight great-grandparents, two had surnames that were part of the "Great Migration" from Great Britain to Massachusetts Bay in the 1630s, so they were a mixture of American lines mostly from the British Isles. Two great-grandparents were Irish, either born in Ireland or born on the voyage over in 1851, The other four great-grandparents were "pure wool" French Canadians, although there was a long-time family story that we had some American Indian ancestry mixed in with the French-Canadian.
So what were my results?
Ireland 45% 32%-59%
Iberian Peninsula 15% 3%-28%
Scandanavia 15% 0%-30%
Italy/Greece 12% 2%-22%
Europe West 5% 0%-19%
Great Britain 3% 0%-12%
Europe East 2% 0%- 8%
Finland/NW Russia 2% 0%- 5%
Caucasus <1% 0%- 3%
The first number is their estimate, the second the likely range.
They also provide a map with colored blobs to indicate what they mean by each description. Most are obvious, but "Europe West" is France, Germany, Benelux and Soutern England. "Europe East" contains the countries east of Germany over to western Russia.
So, what's surprising? Well, I'm NOT surprised to find no American Indians. I'd been looking for some time into the French-Canadian family where the rumor came from, and had found no evidence at all. BTW: in general, French-Canadian research is easy to do: most of the Church baptism, marriage and burial records still exist, and they're online.
But the tiny amount of French and British ancestry did surprise me, along with the extra 20% of Irish ancestry, and the 15% from Scandanavia.
My thinking is that the northwestern part of France -- where most of the immigrants to Canada came from --was also a "melting pot" of Vikings and Celts and other seafarers. The other thing is that Ancestry's "Ireland" includes Scotland, and I know that one of my g-g-grandparents was Scotch. So maybe it makes sense.
It certainly has given me something to think about!
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If God had meant for us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the railways. - Unknown
Posts: 155 | From: Milford, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Dogwalker:
and I know that one of my g-g-grandparents was Scotch. So maybe it makes sense.
So, you are 6% alcohol?
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Leorning Cniht
Shipmate
# 17564
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by Dogwalker:
and I know that one of my g-g-grandparents was Scotch. So maybe it makes sense.
So, you are 6% alcohol?
Nah. Most Scotch is 40% ABV or so, which makes Dogwalker 2.5% alcohol.
Posts: 5026 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2013
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Dogwalker
Shipmate
# 14135
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Posted
Well, you have to suspend the DNA in something...
By the way, as I get older, I find that the percentage of alcohol seems to be declining.
So, should I have said "Scottish" or "Scots"? Or maybe "from Scotland" is the safest.
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If God had meant for us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the railways. - Unknown
Posts: 155 | From: Milford, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Leorning Cniht
Shipmate
# 17564
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Dogwalker:
So, should I have said "Scottish" or "Scots"? Or maybe "from Scotland" is the safest.
"Scottish" and "Scots" are both fine ![[Biased]](wink.gif) These days, "Scotch" is not used of people.
Posts: 5026 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2013
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by Dogwalker:
and I know that one of my g-g-grandparents was Scotch. So maybe it makes sense.
So, you are 6% alcohol?
Nah. Most Scotch is 40% ABV or so, which makes Dogwalker 2.5% alcohol.
Oh, bugger, you are correct. I was more intent on the joke than the accuracy of the maths.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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