My Ancestry DNA arrived yesterday!

Btw, you realise you’ve identified your partner don’t you?

If that were the case growstuff these descendants living in the area in question would show up in my ‘matches’.

Cressida

Growstuff can I suggest you watch DNA Journey on ITVX

I've watched it before.

Incidentally, the graphic I posted before was from a book my partner wrote with Turi King. I'm not ignorant about DNA.

Germanshepherdsmum

No growstuff. The vast majority of my DNA links me to Essex and the Essex/Suffolk border, which is where my ancestors on both sides lived for centuries but have not lived for generations. Due to several generations of only children there are no relatives living in that area now, and the living people to whom the DNA test has linked me are spread throughout the world. Ancestry don’t know anything of my background and I haven’t created a family tree there. The DNA results, other than the tiny percentages of Scandinavian, Irish, Welsh and Scottish - so tiny that they obviously come from way back - ties in exactly with the results of my own research.

So how have they identified the DNA as coming from that area, unless there are living people in their database with DNA which matches?

Ancestry has no access to DNA from "way back" because they don't conduct tests on skeletons.

The matches must come from descendants of a common ancestor, who is before your research has uncovered. That's the way its database works.

Growstuff can I suggest you watch DNA Journey on ITVX

To those who haven't taken a test yet - Be aware (or beware), be very aware. Read science-y stuff first. These'll start you off:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vy4kb

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/10/dna-ancestry-tests-cheap-data-price-companies-23andme

Bear in mind DNA tests are money-making ventures .

I haven't read through all posts so apologies if I've doubled up with mine

No growstuff. The vast majority of my DNA links me to Essex and the Essex/Suffolk border, which is where my ancestors on both sides lived for centuries but have not lived for generations. Due to several generations of only children there are no relatives living in that area now, and the living people to whom the DNA test has linked me are spread throughout the world. Ancestry don’t know anything of my background and I haven’t created a family tree there. The DNA results, other than the tiny percentages of Scandinavian, Irish, Welsh and Scottish - so tiny that they obviously come from way back - ties in exactly with the results of my own research.

Mokryna
What you say is true. It’s not illegal in the US but many articles have appeared in the news cautioning people about these DNA tests - only because hacked test results gotten into the wrong hands with nefarious motives can end up with bad results for you.

I think people forget that you are sharing your most personal information with the world. Do some investigating on this.

Ancestry isn’t the only company that does this “research”. While the general idea is good at tying your family trees together and it’s fun for people to make connections…
Proceed With Caution!
USA Gundy

Germanshepherdsmum

I have been married twice. My present married name (for over 25 years) would not link me to Essex/Suffolk. Neither would my maiden name (a traditional Yorkshire name, my father’s paternal family having lived there for centuries). Only my heritage (under different surnames unknown to Ancestry) can link me to particular areas in England.

I'm curious about how Ancestry has worked that out. Presumably, Ancestry hasn't been digging up skeletons and testing the DNA. As far as I know, the database consists of living people, so it must be that there are still people in the area who have a common ancestor with you. It's possible that that person lived somewhere else and moved to the area, whereas your ancestor (ie a descendant of the common ancestor) moved to another area.

Hi there
It’s fascinating isn’t it …I have learnt so much through doing it …Im from older parents so much of what I have discovered is from My research .My Dad was a a Far East is for 3and half years …I recently came across a lady who had much of My Family on her tree …through her I have spoken to an unknown first cousin who is 82 (In 58)who was fostered and only met his parents once …

I’m also Irish decent …Reardon
I’m hooked ….Can you tell?😀

Anniebach

Shortly before Christmas it is offered for about £45

plus postage with is a tidy sum . They have it reduced for Father'd day and Mother's day as well .

Fudgemonkey

I did, no one has made any contact and it came back as I'm more Welsh and Scottish than English.

Have you tried to make contact? Don’t rely on others to make the first move! You

My Ancestry showed that I have a 1st cousin I wasn’t aware of. Long story short it seems my Dad might not have been my genetic father. I have an email ready to send to the person I believe to be my nephew. I need him or his Mum (potential half sister) to do their DNA. I’ve been sat on this for 18 months as I’m not sure that I won’t get rejection and then I’ll never find out the truth.

I did my dna at the beginning of the year. It’s been amazing. I was adopted as a baby and found my birth mother 20 years ago, but we never met. I knew she had other children, who I’ve recently met and we are building a relationship.
But doing my dna I’ve found out who my dad was, and found he had 4 children. We haven’t met yet, but that’s work In progress.

But I also found out that I’m 96% Irish, that was a revelation.
It’s amazing what you can find out.

Marydoll

This definitely appeals to me, but I was always wary of trying it.
Years ago, DD was doing a project in high school and we fished out the grandparents birth certificates.
I couldn't quite fathom, what transpired, but it looked like my paternal grandfather married his deceased wife's sister. I would love to find out more.

Ooh, that's interesting, Marydoll. My grandfather did marry his sister in law - my grandma - when his wife who was also her sister died of pernicious anemia. Grandma's explanation was that she had gone to live with the couple and they had married to enable them to continue to share the home in Aberdeen... otherwise she would have had to return to her parents in Alford. She was 17 at the time and he was 25.....

I did, no one has made any contact and it came back as I'm more Welsh and Scottish than English.

I’m fascinated by mine. I am 100 per cent Irish, Scottish and Welsh. A Celt. I always regarded myself as white English but not now. I too have met up with a niece and have relations all over the globe sharing dna. I love doing the family tree.

I have been married twice. My present married name (for over 25 years) would not link me to Essex/Suffolk. Neither would my maiden name (a traditional Yorkshire name, my father’s paternal family having lived there for centuries). Only my heritage (under different surnames unknown to Ancestry) can link me to particular areas in England.

growstuff

Germanshepherdsmum

They can pinpoint an English county - I have, as I know to be correct, a big dollop of Essex and Essex/Suffolk border. However with my much smaller helpings of Irish, Scottish and Welsh no areas are specified.

I can understand that it can pinpoint living people who share DNA characteristics to a county, but this doesn't necessarily prove origin.

I was born with a very unusual surname. It was an ideal starting point for family history research, which I've been doing for nearly 30 years. I know that every single person born with the same surname since 1766 can be traced back to the same ancestor. Before that, it's a bit more patchy, but I can still link most of the people back to the mid 16th century and I can see the population movements.

The majority of people with that surname still live in an area of North East England. If Ancestry were to show that my origin is North East England, however, it would be wrong. One of my gt grandfathers was born there, but moved to London as a young man. His gt grandfather came from London and was sent to the North East as an apprentice (I have the documents). I can trace the name back to Sussex and the etymology of the name would suggest it's French. That wouldn't be surprising because many French ironworkers moved from Northern France to Sussex and Kent in the 16th century. However, none of that would show on a DNA search.

Another example would be my children. I would expect their DNA to show similarities with people living on the Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire border. They might erroneously jump to the conclusion it's through their father, who was born in that area. However, delving a bit deeper, his grandparents actually came from South Wales and, before that, from Cornwall.

My children have almost certainly inherited East Midlands ancestry from me, even though I have never lived there. However, my maternal grandmother was and I can trace her ancestry back several generations to the late 16th century. It helps that some of them were landed gentry and there are more records available.

I was born in North West England, but I have absolutely no ancestral links with the area. I've traced all 32 of my 3xgt grandparents and many of my "cousins" - we live all over the world and I'm not sure what DNA testing could tell me that I don't already know (unless certain ancestors weren't who they claimed to be on paper!)

Yes growstuff, I agree with you about origin.
I know nothing about my paternal grandmother but believe that her family may have come here from Europe in the 1800's and were Jewish, though she always avoided speaking about it. My father's family were all dark haired.
My mother's farming family lived in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire and were almost all blond/redheads and clearly the same genetic "type", probably living in the same area for generations.
Marriages between disparate genetic groups must surely dilute the useful meaning of DNA in terms of where you come from over the generations? I appreciate though that if you are looking for a missing relative or a skeleton in the cupboard it would be useful.

One of the markers of Norwegian DNA in males is haplogroup R1a1. It's not evenly distributed across the UK, but is particularly prevalent in Shetland, the Orkneys, West Lancashire, Wirral and the Isle of Man.

Danish Viking DNA is impossible to differentiate from the DNA of invaders from North Germany. Most people who identify as English, especially if they come from families in the East of England, have Danish (Viking) or North German DNA.

Bella23

Not only do people record family trees wrong, but Ancestry also does.
I have the same sername on both sides of my family. Some matches I recognise and know have been allocated to the wrong family. I usually contact people and tell them.
I know of at least three people who have found parents or grandparents through DNA. One contacted me from Australia it was a cousin's grandchild they knew nothing about. This only happens if someone from the family has also been tested.
I have also had guesses I had made when researching confirmed.

I contacted Ancestry to clear the above up today they were very helpful. The chap I spoke to told me to make sure my tree is absolutely right as they never change that. But if other people get part of your tree wrong they will appear as matches on Thru Lines which should be seen as suggestions. You can either contact them and suggest their tree is wrong or just leave it as you know the real answer.
I find if I do find people that have things wrong they are usually appreciative of help especially if you have knowledge of an area they have not especially Australians and the USA.
Also where I live names are often pronounced very differently to the actual and before 1839 these are often phonetically spelt. Who would imagine that Atchin is really Atkinson or Ackla is Ackerley? I get people asking me.

Did mine a few years ago - it turns out that I have no Celtic dna even though my father was Glaswegian born and bred plus Irish ancestry and my mother’s family came from southern Irish stock…absolute waste of money!!!

I've had mine done. I knew most of it anyway. I've a let's say "interesting family of origin: with many secrets and.lies involved. It helped me sort a few things out.

I paid for one for my dear friend of 31 years too recently as a present. She has never known who her dad or any ancestry on her paternal side was. I won't give the back story as its personal to her.

She has no intention of contacting and causing problems. It certainly helped her finding out what she has. She has spoken on the website with 1 first cousin and a 2nd cousin who have been really helpful

I did the Ancestry DNA with all intentions of finding my natural father, i can honestly say that I regret it, I really do.

I won't go from thread to needle but basically by me spitting in that tube and sending it off, I unintentionally hurt other people.... I opened a can of worms

BUT saying that, I am happy for those whose results bring them positives..

I had my done fairly recently, I was so sorry that my mother isn't still here to discuss it with her, I found out that my maternal grandfather was half Jewish, she wouldn't have known that. Other than that a small percentage of DNA from Anatolia and The Caucuses via my paternal Maltese/Sicilian side of the family. Other than that English, about 30% less than I expected, and a wow! when I discovered 10% Norwegian thinking "hell! I didn't know anyone in the family came from Norway" until it slowly dawned on me, it's Viking, practically every man and his dog in Britain has some!, clearly they put it about The rest of my makeup is 30% English, followed by Irish, French and Welsh.