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Genealogy/memories

Has anyone done DNA tests

(72 Posts)
MollyAA12 Sat 15-May-21 16:46:18

I was brought up in care, fractured childhood. A half sister found me and I have recently discovered my real father was a Concientious Objector in the WWII

Has anyone had DNA tests done and how did it go? I am trying to pluck up courage to do it!

tanith Sat 15-May-21 17:27:11

I’ve done it nothing unexpected popped up just some cousins I knew about and my Grandson.

Esspee Sat 15-May-21 22:34:45

I used 23 and me because I was interested in the medical screening side of it and the family tree information was simply a bonus.
Once I retired I decided to work on my family history and chose to use Ancestry as I felt their customer base was wider.
I am now about 6 months into my research and have become addicted to the hobby. It has given me a great deal of satisfaction, especially when results have fallen into place but it can be frustrating when they don’t.

I am unsure why you need to pluck up courage. Chances are few of your blood family have tested with the same company that you choose to use. Just think of all the people you know. How many have had their DNA sequenced? You may be lucky but there is no guarantee.

It doesn’t provide you with answers on a plate. You will need to learn how to check birth, death and marriage registers, census records, electoral records etc. If you feel you would be upset if certain information was uncovered perhaps you would be better not to bother. On the other hand you might be united with family you never knew. Your decision.

Floradora9 Sun 16-May-21 09:47:10

I did ancestry and it was well worth doing . I matched with second cousins whose grandfather I had researched because he went from working class to being offered a peerage . They had not known him so were delighted to get the information. I am sure it is acurate as my nearest matches are what I would have expected. You can share Ancestry DNA on My Heritage and other sites but the Ancestry reults are best for me .

SecondhandRose Sun 16-May-21 10:47:53

I have done mine on Ancestry. I am trying to get higher on my tree than my paternal great, great grandfather but it seems he was illegitimate and there are no higher records. Hoping that doing my DNA will match with someone at some point so I can find more of his relatives

HarlemShuffle Wed 19-May-21 14:58:16

I used Ancestry, initially to confirm to myself that my Dad was not my bio father. Turns out he is, which makes his treatment of me growing up all the more confusing.

When the results came back, they confirmed some of my paper (and later online) research and linked me up with people in the US.

Later on, DNA has proved that my grandfather and his twin sister were not fathered by their mother's husband, but by a man from the other end of the county and all my close matches now are in this line.

My parents were very close mouthed about a lot of things, but I believe I have a sibling out there somewhere, probably conceived in the 1940s. Time is running out to find them, but I remain hopeful of a match in that line.

For me, it has been frustrating at times, but definitely well worth doing.

MollyAA12 Thu 20-May-21 19:25:42

When you have a fractured life I am afraid it does take courage to look things up. Ihavehuge files of research I have done but we do know there is anothr sibling somewhere. Soemtimes when people like that are found they can be a curse or a blessing.

Fernbergien Mon 21-Jun-21 18:16:42

Son did dna and we found my father was not my biological father. As I had a “ funny” childhood it did not affect me badly. I then , to confirm somethings. did mine.
Originally done to find sister. No luck. Adopted. DOB July 1943. Then found grandfather was not too.
So ended with three mysteries. But know now who father is 99%. So I say do it but be prepared. Exciting and interesting.

nanna8 Fri 30-Jul-21 14:28:07

I did mine and my husband did his. Absolutely fascinating. Busy boys ,those Vikings. I was also surprised to score 29 % Scottish. I thought there would be some but not that much.Also some French which I know goes way, way back.

jeanie99 Fri 26-Nov-21 03:41:32

My daughter a few Christmas's ago bought me the 23&me DNA test kit
I am mainly English Irish,
hubby is English Scandinavian German French.
I've found two second cousins people I have contacted.
To realistically cross reference to their relatives you need to purchase a number of birth certificates to know which line the % are tying in.
My problem is I have no details on my fathers or his family. With a name like Henry Wood there are so many it's impossible to know which is my father.
Most of the people who have contacted me haven't done any research at all and have no idea how to build a family tree.
It's a very interesting website and does provide so much it is so worth the money.
I have been researching for many years and have only got back to 1747, reason being you have to prove every person added and unfortunately if you don't have money, land, title, or property or leave a will it is impossible.
I've seen a family tree where they have my grandmother moving from England to the US.
I was there when my grandmother was buried in England she never traveled in her life.
You can't believe every family tree.

Daisydaisydaisy Mon 25-Apr-22 07:58:45

Hi there.
Yes I did Mine.I was hoping to find some relatives on My Dads side. In particular.My parents were 40 and 48 when I was born so some cousins were 40 years older than Me .
I found a cousin who I share Great Grabdoarents with..Our Grandmothers were sisters but both died in their 30s..its lovely to be in touch with her however we havent met.
My Dad was the youngest of around 15..I found out that his parents along with the older children were in and out of Work houses.I remember meeting My Nan once when I was around 4 and she will have been around 90 odd born around 1875/7.
I'm enjoying putting the pieces together
Names I'm researching atm are Thacker,Wright,Butler,Cope ,Perkins in Islington/Hackney area so far.smile

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 25-Apr-22 08:51:45

You need to look at church registers jeannie. My family were poor from the 1600s onwards, so many children to divide their assets amongst, better off before that and left surviving wills up to 1616. I have been able to trace them back to the 1500s through parish registers. Much easier nowadays with so much online.

Anyway back to the topic - I did a DNA test through Ancestry which linked me to first and second cousins that I was aware of and others that I have yet to place. Scottish, Scandinavian and German ancestry is interesting but doubtless so far back it’s impossible to trace them. I’d say go for it if you believe you can cope with possible skeletons in closets (I wish I had some!).

Juliet27 Mon 25-Apr-22 08:58:27

Yes, I did one and it came up with an exact match….my son. I didn’t realise he’d done a test with the same company!

Juliet27 Mon 25-Apr-22 09:02:18

I also found a cousin who had moved many years ago to Australia and lives not many miles from my son’s home there.

Redhead56 Mon 25-Apr-22 10:15:13

Yes I have found my heritage is English Irish Scots Welsh and Scandinavian. Lots of cousins but I have no particular desire to meet up as I have a lot of cousins here already. I very rarely see anyone other than my immediate family right here.

Mollygo Mon 25-Apr-22 11:31:22

I used Ancestry. I’m evidently more Scots than I ever thought, Scandinavian, English, French and Jewish. I often get emails from Anxestry announcing a new connection for me to investigate.
My sister is really interested in genealogy and has researched our family thoroughly and keeps me up to date with what she’s found out. She has more patience than me.

silverlining48 Mon 25-Apr-22 16:38:38

We have done it with heritage, not ancestry which seems predominantly US based.
Very disappointed, any contacts they send are 3-6 cousins I don’t recognise names and no one has approached me.

Also my own dna is not as I know it to be. The country of my mother and her ancestors is not even mentioned on the list.
I dont understand how that can possibly be. I should be 50% yet this country isn’t mentioned.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 25-Apr-22 16:59:15

I suggest you have another go with Ancestry. You will only get matches with relatives who have had their DNA tested by the same company as you use. Ancestry is very popular in the UK and IMO you’re much more likely to find relatives who have used them.

Grammaretto Mon 25-Apr-22 17:18:47

I did the test with Ancestry which solved one or two family rumours satisfactorily.
I am surprised i have no English at all. Having spent years studying the tree back to 16th century Norfolk and Gloucestershire. I am flummoxed to find there must have been hanky panky going on.
I am mostly Scots and Irish but with some Jewish, Philippines and SE Asia. Quite a cocktail.
I uploaded my DNA to My Heritage for no extra cost.
I have connected with a few "new" cousins and it's been fascinating.
Highly recommended.

Luckygirl3 Mon 25-Apr-22 17:52:29

I did mine because of my dark skin and hair, and 2 siblings the same - always a puzzle as Dad was fair/blue eyes and although Mum had brown hair she was very light-skinned. But her Mum was very dark (for a European when multi-ethnic families were rare) with tight curly black hair and features that might suggest African origins. I had expected to find a slave history - but it was all very boring: lots of celtic stuff, but no interesting finds.

Luckygirl3 Mon 25-Apr-22 17:55:04

However a friend did my family history and found that I am related to a number of people round here - which is miles from where I was born and brought up (ditto my parents and grandparents). By chance, one of these is a tenor in the choir I run, and another grew some early sweet peas for us for my DD's May wedding - we had no idea that this kind person was a relative!

hollysteers Mon 25-Apr-22 18:22:48

silverlinings I had a similar experience with Ancestry. The Italian line mentioned by relatives never showed up (and many of us look Mediterranean!) Irish and English which I knew of.
Does this mean we only receive details of others who are on their database?

Grammaretto Mon 25-Apr-22 19:49:13

My DMiL did hers as she was keen to find her African roots and was so disappointed when she was wholly Scots.
Then, just when we had convinced ourselves that there was infidelity, Ancestry refined their results and her New result showed 1% Central African.
Her Gt grandfather was a Scots trader in Jamaica and his "wife" and DC are well documented.
The accuracy is astonishing.

silverlining48 Tue 26-Apr-22 08:37:18

I have been terribly disappointed with my Heritage and would not recommend.
My parents came from different countries the English part of me is listed at 30% and the rest is a selection of other totally unexpected countries. My mothers large European country, where I was born, not mentioned in the remaining 70%. . It has to be a sham

Witzend Tue 26-Apr-22 09:04:49

This is on my list, but still haven’t done it.

Some decades ago dh and I did the Oxford Ancestors one though - the one that was supposed to determine your remote ancestral maternal and paternal roots.

How accurate it was I don’t know, but v interesting anyway. Dh and I turned out to have the same male ‘father’, dating back some 20,000 years, but he was also ‘father’ to IIRC about a quarter of all native Europeans.

Our maternal ones were different. His was traced to SW France, and maybe 25,000 years, and shared by IIRC 20%, so a mere parvenu compared to mine ? NW Greece, 45,000 years and only 11%. Same as Cheddar Gorge man, funnily enough.

Results were presumably dependent on DNA found in bones in those locations then. I dare say genetics have progressed a good deal since.

I’d be interested to do the modern DNA test, at last partly because one dd has colouring unlike anyone else in the family - the sort of honey-olive Mediterranean type skin that tans so easily.
Since some of my GGparents were from both coastal Suffolk and coastal Devon, I suspect some washed-up Armada sailor somewhere!