Ancestry.com DNA Test

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Is it any good? I just sent in my sample today. They were having a sale.

"Having a sale" ... on DNA testing ?

I'm not qualified to say anything about Ancestry.com's DNA test.

But my Aunt used it, and her results were questionable at best.
She has the same genetics as her sister ... my Mom.
Their family is split down the middle between English & Irish with a cup of Dutch thrown into the mix.
Gosh, everyone in Mom's family even looks the part. Very fair skin ... blue or green eyes ... a lot of red/blonde hair.

It can be very entertaining

Yes indeed.

Sure there must be a +/- margin of error. But 5% seems significant

True, when my Aunt's results were returned ... Ancestry.com's DNA Test reflected she was 45% Serbian/Croation
There is no way that test was accurate.

And yeah ... I understand DNA tests prove genetic facts many don't wish to admit. But once again, there is no way Mom's family was remotely 45% Serbian or Croation.


Again, I've never used Ancestry.com's DNA Test.

But I would suggest one should be cautious and also use other DNA testing options as well.

 

[John Winn]

I got no problem with LE (Law Enforcement) looking at my DNA. Quite sure (hopefully) there are no Ax Murderers or Texas Chainsaw Massacre Whack Jobs in my family tree. Although I do have a Brother that's a Pervert

I have a big problem with LE looking at my DNA; also with my insurance company doing so (as has also happened to some).

 

[SJU]

It can solve some mysteries and may reveal some surprises. My wife and 2 close neighbors were all adopted by great parents. Out of curiosity they all took DNA tests and quickly found out the identity of their birth parents. Much tougher to keep a secret now.
Don't put much stock in the ethnicity stuff. She took Ancestry, MyHeritage and 23andMe. Pretty significant ethnicity differences between the tests.

 

[bayonet]

I have a big problem with LE looking at my DNA; also with my insurance company doing so (as has also happened to some).

"Insurance Company"!!! How the Heck you let your Insurance Company get a hold of your DNA??? Never heard of that.

 

[John Winn]

"Insurance Company"!!! How the Heck you let your Insurance Company get a hold of your DNA??? Never heard of that.

Well, some (but not all) testing companies sell your data. And insurance companies want to know because they might be able to use your test to see if you have a genetic predisposition to various medical conditions. And I wouldn't doubt that insurance companies, if the money was significant, might be able to get your results just like LE can get them without a warrant. They already commonly use drones to fly over and around properties to look at details of your home (or other property) to try and deny damage payments. They're not your friends nor are they always ethical.

Note: medical insurance companies may not legally use your DNA to deny coverage. However, that protection does not extend to other types of insurance like life, disability, or long-term care for which they can deny you coverage based on DNA testing (or even require you to provide such).

 

[TerryB]

"Having a sale" ... on DNA testing ?

I'm not qualified to say anything about Ancestry.com's DNA test.

But my Aunt used it, and her results were questionable at best.
She has the same genetics as her sister ... my Mom.
Their family is split down the middle between English & Irish with a cup of Dutch thrown into the mix.
Gosh, everyone in Mom's family even looks the part. Very fair skin ... blue or green eyes ... a lot of red/blonde hair.


Yes indeed.



True, when my Aunt's results were returned ... Ancestry.com's DNA Test reflected she was 45% Serbian/Croation
There is no way that test was accurate.

And yeah ... I understand DNA tests prove genetic facts many don't wish to admit. But once again, there is no way Mom's family was remotely 45% Serbian or Croation.


Again, I've never used Ancestry.com's DNA Test.

But I would suggest one should be cautious and also use other DNA testing options as well.

Here's what happened; I got my results back and was pretty sure they were in the right places but not the percentages I expected. Then a couple of months later they sent me an updated result. I would say the update was spot on. They had removed Spain (1 or 2 % at first and others like that that going back six generations...the limit of accuracy of the test...I know I had no ancestors from those places) so the update was far more accurate. I was a heap more Scottish and Irish than the first results made me out to be. This comports well with my family tree as traced back as far as 1800, and in some lines to the Revolution.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

My husband was able to use his results to make a big breakthrough on his family tree. I haven't been that lucky (yet) but I have found dozens of cousins I would not otherwise have known of.

This is partly why I've resisted the urge to take this test. Going back only as far as a generation or two, one side of my family is huge, and I'm reluctant to find out how many horse thieves may be on my family tree.

 

[lupaglupa]

This is partly why I've resisted the urge to take this test. Going back only as far as a generation or two, one side of my family is huge, and I'm reluctant to find out how many horse thieves may be on my family tree.

Criminals make the best ancestors! They leave lots of records behind.

 

[CWdiaryPA]

I've set my GedMatch + 23 to share with LE. I have nothing to hide, & even if I wanted to lead a life of crime, police depts. from CA to Iowa to Utah fingerprinted me before I could teach at the college & secondary level. Could get tricky if, say, Cousin Eddie's into some shady stuff, though. Then you have a decision to make.

 

[nc native]

Criminals make the best ancestors! They leave lots of records behind.

And Quakers too. On my maternal side I have Quaker ancestors and they make research easy. I don't have any criminals except for minor offenders in my family tree although one of my ancestors was accused of murder. The coroner's inquest found that he had acted in self defense but in today's legal system I think he would have stood trial for manslaughter. My wife had a direct ancestor who was hung for killing his brother in law in a drunken melee in 1847.

I think the Ancestry DNA test is at least an excellent source for confirming your genealogy research if you have a family tree there. It has proven that many of my hunches about ancestors that I didn't have many records for were indeed correct.

 

[TerryB]

I was contacted through this DNA sampling by a cousin who had the same pictures I did of my grandfather and his brothers. She even had a note scribbled on the back of one, obviously a postcard, that basically explained what was going on in the picture.

 

[SWS]

They had removed Spain (1 or 2 % at first and others like that that going back six generations...the limit of accuracy of the test...I know I had no ancestors from those places) so the update was far more accurate. I was a heap more Scottish and Irish than the first results made me out to be.

It's funny you say that. My mom has consistently received a low figure in her results from Northwestern Spain, in spite of having no ancestors from southern Europe. Her people were Ulster Irish, from Counties Antrim, Derry, Donegal, etc., where a number of shipwrecks from the 1588 Armada are known to have occurred. But, it's more likely to be a broadly Celtic thing, and not in support of any 'Black Irish' mythology.

I will say that some of her Irish relatives were of a decidedly swarthy appearance, with dark hair found in most.

 

[Snowbound]

In order to break through a "brick wall" I contacted an Ancestry genetic researcher. We had a short phone conversation. She offered to start at $4700. Becomes higher as they continue to search.

I have been contacted by a distant cousin going back to a common ancestor born in 1758.

You never know who you will meet on the street. I noticed my urologist's PA and wife had the same surname. After a short discussion I connected him to his great grandparents already identified in her wife's tree.

 

[Allyn]

Same thing happened to me. A previous "update" unexpectedly reported that I had Spanish ethnicity (which was extremely unlikely). It crossed my mind that my female ancestors living along the Atlantic Coast of Co. Sligo might have had a soft spot for tall, dark survivors of the Spanish Armada shipwrecks. Then the next update removed the Spanish influence completely, so I am back to being exclusively Celtic on one side of the family. Scots ancestry was the flavor of the month in another update, but that, too, has disappeared. Wonder what's next?

 

[TerryB]

The Spain thing could also be Melangeon unless you have no ancestors in the Southeast or Kentucky.

 

[Scottish Rebel]

My DNA has had a recent update.
96% Scottish,3% North East England (Northumberland),1% Basque Country.

 

[Allyn]

The Spain thing could also be Melangeon unless you have no ancestors in the Southeast or Kentucky.

Nope, no one further south than Pennsylvania!

 

[Sheltowee]

My DNA has had a recent update.
96% Scottish,3% North East England (Northumberland),1% Basque Country.

That's remarkable. No trace of Scandinavian is surprising.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Currently, Ancestry has me at:
43% English (Southeastern England & Northwestern Europe) - mostly from my father's side
22% Celtic/Gaelic - mostly from my mother's side
8% Dutch
3% German
4% Nordic
1% Nigerian

I've very obviously predominately Anglo-Saxon, but I guess more Anglo than Saxon.

All my ancestors were in America since the 1700s (some earlier).

 

[SWS]

Another strange thing: My mom and I are also the only ones among our close relatives who have been assigned to Munster, in spite of having no known ancestors from southern Ireland. We are either descended from colonial American Scotch-Irish and Catholic Irish-Scots, all native to Ulster and Southwest Scotland.