My Ancestry DNA arrived yesterday!

I'm glad you posted that Crenniemac.

People must remember that DNA tests can't really prove where ancestors came from, but where descendants of the same ancestors live now, which is not necessarily the same.

It's limited because the people in the database are self-selecting. For example, there are few poor people represented, as are people of colour. Jewish ancestry can be especially challenging because Jews moved around Europe as a result of persecution and, of course, a whole generation or more is missing.

I thought about it but went ahead on the basis of nothing to hide. Now if I had committed murder years ago and got away with it …

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.

GrannySquare. It was illegal until about 40yrs ago to marry your deceased wife/husbands sister/brother. American law was different.

Does no-one have any hesitation in lodging with a private U.S.
Company their DNA, despite reassurances of total security?🤔

Hacking, sale to the highest bidder if in extremis , enforced access by Government enforcement agencies world-wide?

Or am I just being a cynic?

I’ve never known who my father was except he was an American GI during WW11. So my Irish high o/o came as a surprise. So did the knowledge that I am a descendent from aMayflower sailor
I’ve also got Viking blood through my maternal side and, so far, 9 people closely related on the Irish side, who have no idea of their parentage as they were adopted/fostered/ foundling or brought up in children’s homes. No one should ever be without even a little knowledge about their ancestry and the countries they have links to. It’s great fun. But even if your ancestors were all from the same area, it’s never boring looking them up.

I would be surprised if 13% Iberian is explained by the Spanish Armada. One sailor ending up here over 400 years ago is unlikely to be the explanation.

I also did my DNA test some time ago. Interesting results! However, while your DNA, matches with relatives and haplogroup are definitely correct, the % of ancestry is determined by matching your DNA with other participants of the specific research. As such it just give a probability % of being of certain ancestry. You will also see that these % are changing over time as the database of participants is updated. For example, until recently I was 1% Italian but not anymore as databased was updated with new participants.

I did the DNA test a few years ago - I was adopted and had traced my birth family so knew I had Celt DNA. My results gave me 75% Celt (mother was Welsh, father Irish) 13% Iberian and 10% Eastern European. The Spanish Armada explains the Iberian part but I have no idea about the Eastern European bit! I was hoping there would be some Scandinavian in there but hey ho!

Do you have to join the follow up links or can you just find out your Ancestry?

I'm not particularly interested in finding distance cousins, that's what's put me off doing it before.

I was lucky one of my Grandfather lived to 99 years the other x3 all made it well into there 80 so gave us History of our background as they remember it.
I know am a complete mix, one Grandad from Ireland, the other from Isle of wight, One Grandmother north of England (with a Scottish dad) other one from South of England.
I have a cousin who is a Historian who traced family tree back years but not Genetically.
Interesting....

I'm obsessed with mine , have found out so much with a few nobles chucked into the mix going back a looong way , a national Trust property no less !
My most interesting ancestor is a ggg grandfather who took part in the swing riots ( had never heard of them before ) he was transported to Tasmania for 7 years was released then murdered whilst working for someone. He was married with several children here in the UK, but I have distant Australian cousins through him .
Wonder how that happened !

‘ 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.’

Not at all unusual, particularly before the onset of female suffrage, independent income for women & the wrap-round welfare state provision of income & childcare support. Families pulled together to face the chill winds of everyday adversity & tragedies.
This arrangement was most practical, legal & fair - the children were looked after & brought up by a woman who had their interest at heart - e.g. blood thicker than water etc. An unmarried woman may gain the social & legal status/protection of marriage. Obviously the widower benefits.

Sago

I submitted a test 3 weeks ago and got the email yesterday with all the results.

I’m hooked, it’s all so fascinating, I have already had a message from someone I share DNA with in Australia.

If anyone is thinking of doing this I highly recommend, the technology is so good, everything is well presented on the website and easy to understand.

As someone who is 75% Irish there is a lot to trawl through!
No big surprises yet other than a relation who is genetically linked to both sides of my family!

It’s wonderful. I’ve met cousins I didn’t know existed in America. They are so happy

I think with such a high percentage of Scandinavian DNA you’re looking at something much more recent than Vikings Shantygirl. DNA inherited from Vikings is a very small part of our genetic makeup all these centuries later.

Most of my ancestors are from County Wexford and a few from France. It is fascinating to find a list of people who share your DNA.

MiniMoon

I know I have Viking ancestors without the need for DNA testing. I went to the GP years ago about my hands. He said I had the beginning of Dupuytren's contracture, it's a Viking trait.

My eldest sister was told by her dentist that she had a Scandinavian background as her jaw was 'square'. I am the same, when I bite a sandwich its a square shape, not round like most people! Also our surname is a Scandinavian one, and my DNA test showed about 10% Scandinavia so I am assuming a Viking!

Fereshtay

Hi. I did a DNA test, the results are due in soon.. Cannot wait for my results to come back My ancestors are Irish from County Wexford.
I've been researching myfamily tree and have discovered I have many relatives in Canada at least 100.
It's so interesting. I am excited to discover what will show up. I find it fascinating to know my roots.

Your people probably went to Canada during the potato famine, so many went to Canada, the US and - like my husband’s people - England and Scotland.

It’s really worth doing Applegran - have a go at the free trial and I guarantee you’ll be hooked!

This is a fascinating discussion. I did my DNA as soon as it was available as I wanted to confirm my mum’s Huguenot ancestry.

Over the years Ancestry has revised its test to get increasingly more accurate as more people test. However one thing you should all be aware of is that inherited DNA shrinks with time ie

Child - 50% mum + 50% dad
Grandparents - 25% from the 4
Great grandparents 12.5% from the 8
Great -great grandparents 6.25% from the 16

And so on. The Scandinavian inheritance would need to be added to by marriage to keep it alive to the child.

Hope this makes sense. I did a course with Strathclyde Uni on autosomal DNA which was extremely helpful in understanding tests.

I was overwhelmingly English (NW) with some Welsh, Scots, Germanic Europe and Scandinavia. Looking at the area though it was heavily populated during the Industrial Revolution with people coming from all over for work.

Incidentally Anglo Saxons are German (Saxony) and it is difficult to distinguish between Scandinavian DNA and this area especially nearer Denmark.

Sorry for the long post but the family are a bit fed up with my searching - nobody to go on to 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

According to a few trees on Ancestry my great-grandfather died before I was born! As I remember him well I've set his profile image as one with me.

Hi. I did a DNA test, the results are due in soon.. Cannot wait for my results to come back My ancestors are Irish from County Wexford.
I've been researching myfamily tree and have discovered I have many relatives in Canada at least 100.
It's so interesting. I am excited to discover what will show up. I find it fascinating to know my roots.

michelleblane and Germanshepherdsmum Thank you both for explaining more about what Ancestry offers - far more and varied options than I had realised. I must look and think - it is a fascinating idea!

I have been researching my family tree for many years and have gone back to pre William the Conqueror on my paternal line. Once you get into the aristocracy it is easier as their lives are well documented. But I didn’t really believe it all and thought I must have gone wrong somewhere but Ancestry DNA sort of corroborated my findings. With 4% Norwegian, 9% Swedish/Danish, 47% English and Northwestern Europe and the rest Irish and Scottish. Really interesting. My daughter has also done the test and has inherited DNA from her late Father from surprising places that I’m sure he knew nothing about. But I think he would have been pleased and interested.

As an adoptee I was delighted with finds from Ancestry DNA. I was finally able to identify my father and found a niece. The results tallied perfectly with all the other information I had found previously so I was sure they were correct. As someone mentioned earlier, not all trees in Ancestry are correct as people copy information from others and often this is wrong, so be careful to verify facts from their trees. I join AncestryDNA for short periods, maybe one or two months and research intensely, it isn’t necessary to join for a whole year as it can be expensive.

Applegran

I looked at Ancestry on line and couldn't work out how long my payment covered - is it a year? or 3 months? and I noticed that it automatically re-news - or that is the impression I got. What would I get for e.g a year's membership in addition to ethnic blood lines? Can anyone explain this to me? I looked at the FAQs and they didn't answer these questions. Grateful for illumination!

It should be easy to see how long you’re signing up for Applegran, and yes membership automatically renews but you can stop it as I have done from time to time when I’m not going to be using it. You can get a free trial for a month or so which will carry on renewing at whatever fee they’ve quoted unless you stop it, which is easy to do. Membership enables you to search for ancestors but for goodness sake don’t rely on what you see on other people’s family trees there - they can be wildly inaccurate. The DNA test isn’t part of the membership, you can just buy the test and get the results which will be updated when someone you’re related to takes a test, without you needing to be a member.