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DNA pickle....

(58 Posts)
Dee1012 Tue 01-Aug-23 16:06:05

I've recently received my DNA report via Ancestry and am totally intrigued by the results which are;

23% Scottish and 22% Welsh plus a further mix of Irish, Germanic Europe and Norway.
I expected the Irish and Germanic but am at a total loss about the Scottish and Welsh.

I've been working on my family tree for some time and have been lucky enough to go back quite some time but cannot for the life of me work out the largest parts.
Has anyone else found something like this?

DrBenjaminMc Thu 13-Jun-24 08:56:17

That's fascinating! DNA results can uncover surprises. Many discover unexpected roots—like Scottish and Welsh. Exploring your family tree further might reveal interesting connections.

fancythat Thu 16-May-24 07:22:56

Farzanah

When tracking autosomal DNA through the generations it obviously becomes diluted with each generation. It’s interesting that it is estimated that from a 3rd great grandparent we may inherit as little as .01%. DNA from them.

This is variable because of recombination of DNA which is not equally shared.

Ah.

May explain why one part doesnt quite make sense, of someone who did this who I am related to.

NotSpaghetti Thu 16-May-24 01:33:12

Two things bother me, one is the choice of red and green in Chestnut's example for mothers/father's family - so many men are red/green colourblind..
And the other is must your results be shared? How is it that people contact you? What info do they get?

nanna8 Thu 16-May-24 01:01:49

I have a fair bit of Scandinavian but a lot from Yorkshire and Wales ( gt grandma was pure Welsh) so I guess those pesky Vikings invaded. I had heard that if your second toe is longer than your ‘big’ toe that is also a Scandinavian trait. I’ve definitely got that so maybe the DNA is right? I have connected with various living relatives with similar DNA and been able to trace where we have common ancestors so it is quite useful for that. It also shows close family members which is accurate- they wouldn’t have known we were related because of different names. It is what it is.

utop51 Wed 15-May-24 23:17:12

I did the DNA and found I was 49% Norwegian. The Romans never got to my family in Yorkshire or North Lancashire Fascinating history

Oldbat1 Wed 07-Feb-24 21:39:23

Just had mine back and I’m 75% Scottish with a smattering of Irish/Swedish/English. I was impressed with DH dna results nearly 50% Scottish then mixture of English/Irish etc but results pinpointed Essex as main area.

Gwyllt Wed 07-Feb-24 21:22:16

Oopsadaisy1
Thanks

BlueBelle Wed 07-Feb-24 19:13:37

I am a quarter Sweeden/norwegian/ Iceland so living in east Anglia that’s the Vikings for you

Desdemona Wed 07-Feb-24 18:47:16

My DNA is from all over the place....God knows what my ancestors were up to!!

I am 13% Scandinavian which I know nothing about but might explain my fondness for wandering round IKEA.

Jackiest Wed 07-Feb-24 18:42:52

It may be that at some point the past the registered farther was not the real farther. Nobody had thought of DNA testing back then so indiscretion with the gardener could not be proved.

Oopsadaisy1 Wed 07-Feb-24 18:27:44

Gwyllt

Anyone experience of this
I emailed a friend concerning DNA testing when I mentioned The Gift podcast to her
She is very into tracing her family as she is adopted. There are two men that might be possible fathers
Her concern is that as she is adopted she is not legally allowed to contact any relatives and wonders how this stands on a data base
Personally I would go for it but she overthinks things
Any help appreciated

I think you’ll find that when a child is adopted they are legally part of that family just as a natural born child would be.

Chestnut Wed 07-Feb-24 18:06:38

growstuff The results of ancestry testing beyond a couple of generations need taking with a huge pinch of salt.
All I can say is that my Ancestry results are spot on and exactly match my own research back to the 1700s. There is an unexpected drop of Norwegian DNA but one of my families came from a village in Essex which had Viking invaders. Mystery solved.

Chestnut Wed 07-Feb-24 18:02:41

I just queried with Ancestry why a 3rd cousin does not show up as a DNA match and apparently it is possible! That is quite a close relation because our great grandparents were siblings.

Witzend Fri 05-Jan-24 10:48:46

I’d love an (accurate!) DNA test of dd2, who has a creamy-olive skin, quite unlike anyone else in the family. One lot of GGparents were from coastal E Anglia, another from near-coastal Devon, so I can’t help wondering whether a bit of washed-up Armada sailor is mixed in there somewhere…

Theexwife Fri 05-Jan-24 10:37:30

It has been reported that you will have different results depending the company you use, they are not actually testing your ancestry but just comparing your DNA to results in their own data base.

growstuff Fri 05-Jan-24 10:02:09

The results of ancestry testing beyond a couple of generations need taking with a huge pinch of salt. Mark Thomas, professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London, calls it "genetic astrology".

www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2013/feb/25/viking-ancestors-astrology

jeanie99 Thu 04-Jan-24 23:07:38

My DNA is as expected English Irish as per all the information in my research.

Oopsadaisy1 Wed 27-Dec-23 19:26:37

Illegal for Ancestry type DNA testing in France, Germany and Israel.

CanadianGran Wed 27-Dec-23 19:03:23

When my daughter did a test, our Breton ancestry showed as Scottish/Irish. So it seems they count all Celts as a single group. For those that see themselves as English, but DNA shows as Scotish/Irish, it could be that your ancestors were indeed Celtic before being overtaken by Anglosaxons rule.

I have read that commercial DNA testing is illegal in France, so therefore not many test results for comparative hits.

Gwyllt Wed 27-Dec-23 16:18:01

Anyone experience of this
I emailed a friend concerning DNA testing when I mentioned The Gift podcast to her
She is very into tracing her family as she is adopted. There are two men that might be possible fathers
Her concern is that as she is adopted she is not legally allowed to contact any relatives and wonders how this stands on a data base
Personally I would go for it but she overthinks things
Any help appreciated

Cabbie21 Wed 27-Dec-23 12:24:31

I have not done the Ancestry DNA as I am not convinced it will tell me anything any more precise than what I already know, going back about eight generations on all sides, and because I am unwilling to provide information which could be mis-used.
I expect it will show Welsh genes as my ancestors lived for years on the borders but family legends abound with “facts” which I have since disproved with documented research.

What does make me sad is that my mum refused to look into her family background, yet since she died, I have found many first cousins of hers living within a few miles of the town where she finally settled, by pure chance. Mind you, I have first cousins I knew as a child that I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with now because of how they have behaved.
Families can have genes in common but be very different people.

Oopsadaisy1 Wed 27-Dec-23 11:54:30

Some of my DNA matches on Ancestry have matched me up with long lost relatives, including a cousin that I had lost touch with. My G.Father has no fathers name on his certificate so I’m assuming my Scottish DNA comes from that side of the family.

MrOops has done an Ancestry DNA test, his brother did a ‘23 and me’ Test and the results weren’t too dissimilar.

However on a slightly different subject I have been given hints on Ancestry, which have led me to several American Family trees who seem to assume that an ancestor of ours, a humble farm labourers daughter, met and had a child by a Dutch Earl quite how he made his way down to Dorset, met my ancestor on the farm and had a son goodness knows.
Wikipedia states that he inherited his title but that he was Dutch, married, spoke no English and refused to come over to England, he died fairly soon after his Inheritance and the title died with him.
Do the facts deter our American friends?
Nope.
They proudly have the late Earls coat of arms on their family tree.
Even after I politely pointed the truth out to them, they didn’t reply to me. 🤗

Gwyllt Wed 27-Dec-23 11:48:34

Be interested to hear people’s comment
Considering giving it a go
Interesting BBC podcast series of six episodes
The Gift
Broadcast September / October this year

NanaTuesday Wed 27-Dec-23 10:23:48

Deel102
Having use Ancestry DNA this year after having being given as a gift my results completely threw me & my family 🙄
Quick synopsis I never actually met my Father but knew who he was ,where my parents met & their relationship history .,where he lived etc etc etc.Fast forward to the late 1980s ( I am a baby boomer born in 53)
I did the digging by going through the telephone directory of the area : contacted the family ,he was deceased but I met his Mother & Brother .
Back to the test results …What a complete & utter surprise they showed my dna
33%Southern India/ 15% Northern India /2%Bengal 😃😃😃😃😃
Now , it’s remains a mystery as my Mum obviously thought he was my father they were engaged after all 🙄
Yes , there are Lents of 4th 5th Cousins ongoing don the line .BUT only ONE 2nd cousin on paternal side .
2nd cousin equates as half sister / brother .
I have sent a message with no luck , this was back. In May s I will never know .
Se La Vie 😎

Fleurpepper Sun 20-Aug-23 20:44:19

Our family is so so mixed, especially OH's. But the one denominator is Huguenots. Those who went to the Cape, South Africa, those who went to Germany and Switzerland, and those who went to England.