Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
173 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Have you had your DNA tested to determine your ancestry? (Original Post) milestogo Aug 2017 OP
I haven't bothered, I already know I'm a mutt Warpy Aug 2017 #1
Me, too. I am a mutt and ChazII Aug 2017 #14
Like George Carlen said: SCantiGOP Aug 2017 #154
Careful about overgeneralizing Bucky Aug 2017 #167
Correct SCantiGOP Aug 2017 #168
No, but my mom has been doing it for years and years as a fact finding hobby. BigmanPigman Aug 2017 #2
That would be researching genealogy, determining who fills out your ancestry tree. L. Coyote Aug 2017 #19
One of my sisters had hers tested malaise Aug 2017 #3
Yes and JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #4
That is a great story! spooky3 Aug 2017 #8
Those ancestry leaves rogerashton Aug 2017 #32
Not sure what you mean by leaves but JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #40
Ancestry shows "hints" as leaves -often info from other's trees csziggy Aug 2017 #66
Yes rusty fender Aug 2017 #5
My first cousin did. Mariana Aug 2017 #6
I'm part Romulan and part Ferengi left-of-center2012 Aug 2017 #7
Best answer! Rorey Aug 2017 #49
Unless it explains your interesting ears. Ninsianna Aug 2017 #57
So were your results "cloaked"? hamsterjill Aug 2017 #166
Right on the money indigovalley Aug 2017 #9
Lots more Scandinavian than expected. N/t spooky3 Aug 2017 #10
Me too. Vikings! JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #22
Yes. And yes I got a surprise. Greybnk48 Aug 2017 #11
My son got his DNA tested Cirque du So-What Aug 2017 #20
We had that family myth also milestogo Aug 2017 #31
It also might be that the tests aren't super accurate, especially at picking up DNA pnwmom Aug 2017 #73
Yes, my partner & I both had this myth busted. nt IphengeniaBlumgarten Aug 2017 #133
We had that myth too. linuxman Aug 2017 #139
It's not necessarily not true, JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #26
Good explanation. Some people don't understand that DNA doesn't get passed down the generations pnwmom Aug 2017 #74
Some people also don't understand temporary311 Aug 2017 #152
That's true. That can happen. But more often the results are different simply because pnwmom Aug 2017 #153
You and I might be cousins. nolabear Aug 2017 #56
Wait, there are three of us with this MS story? Croney Aug 2017 #65
I like it too! No telling how many babies came from Quarter assignations. nolabear Aug 2017 #70
Greybnk48, the one you replied to. Croney Aug 2017 #78
Whoops! I conflated you two! nolabear Aug 2017 #84
Well, hi, Cuz to you too! LOL! Greybnk48 Aug 2017 #113
Hi Cuz! We could be because I get nowhere Greybnk48 Aug 2017 #111
My son is a shark on this. He found back to the 1600s nolabear Aug 2017 #119
Really strange peggysue2 Aug 2017 #122
Yeah our family had a rumor about Native American heritage too. trotsky Aug 2017 #126
Bummer. A lot of Americans like to claim some American Indian ancestry. Bucky Aug 2017 #165
I have, and will do a reveal with my family HipChick Aug 2017 #12
I called a special pow-wow and did a reveal to my siblings Louis1895 Aug 2017 #37
So the lesson is "Buyer Beware" Louis1895 Aug 2017 #42
My sister looks nothing like the rest of us HipChick Aug 2017 #48
My brothers and I look nothing alike TexasBushwhacker Aug 2017 #77
Yep...those recessive genes will get you every time HipChick Aug 2017 #80
Here's fascinating story from Washington Post. Hassin Bin Sober Aug 2017 #83
Good lord, my husband and I knew this woman decades ago thru all of us having worked at UC... Hekate Aug 2017 #93
Great read. trotsky Aug 2017 #132
Now I want my mother to do the spit test. Delmette2.0 Aug 2017 #169
Tempted Hieronymus Aug 2017 #13
64% more safeinOhio Aug 2017 #15
I want to.....my mom always said we were 100% Irish, but have always a kennedy Aug 2017 #16
Yes and no, sadly Orangepeel Aug 2017 #17
Yes, I did it, not too many surprises. phylny Aug 2017 #18
There must be a conspiracy about this DNA testing. Black helicopters, shadow corporations, satan. IADEMO2004 Aug 2017 #21
There are 2 concerns that I know of. One is some people GreenPartyVoter Aug 2017 #28
Health insurance crossed my mind. IADEMO2004 Aug 2017 #58
I have no interest. I know that I am racially mixed through my maternal grandmom. nt Blue_true Aug 2017 #23
Yep, and the myth that I'd been told all my life about being mostly Irish was busted. Different Drummer Aug 2017 #24
I'm still mostly Irish, Eng, Scottish but I'm also Spanish. I have always loved Spanish culture and Squinch Aug 2017 #34
No, but I would like to. smirkymonkey Aug 2017 #25
Depends on which one you want JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #27
That's not bad, do you know how accurate they are? smirkymonkey Aug 2017 #29
Ancestry is saliva. I assume JenniferJuniper Aug 2017 #30
Yes, saliva. rogerashton Aug 2017 #41
Thanks! I think I might do it! smirkymonkey Aug 2017 #85
For $5 you can upload your results from Ancestry phylny Aug 2017 #149
I have a double cousin (we have both sets of grandparents in common Squinch Aug 2017 #36
The DNA sites all use saliva. Irish_Dem Dec 2017 #171
$64, marked down 30% on sale. rogerashton Aug 2017 #39
Sounds like a pretty good deal. smirkymonkey Aug 2017 #86
The DNA sales are excellent right now, lowest prices of the year. Irish_Dem Dec 2017 #172
Which one, please? Duppers Aug 2017 #134
Ancestry rogerashton Aug 2017 #158
If you are looking for DNA matches, Ancestry has the largest data base. Irish_Dem Dec 2017 #173
No, I'm not voluntarily giving my DNA for some corporation to store. ImpeachTheGOP Aug 2017 #33
Is it paranoid to be concerned that these firms are not bound by any HIPAA constraints? TheBlackAdder Aug 2017 #98
Why would they care? Duppers Aug 2017 #135
I did to see if a woman was related to our family. SonofDonald Aug 2017 #35
I am planning to do the test soon...sure hope I pop up somewhere in your family tree! 😄 MLAA Aug 2017 #50
There's always room... SonofDonald Aug 2017 #53
A long list niece snowybirdie Aug 2017 #38
Several family members are deeply involved in genealogy, and have been for decades. Binkie The Clown Aug 2017 #43
My republiClown brother had one done and he gave me a copy. Snarkoleptic Aug 2017 #44
Siblings often have somewhat different results because DNA doesn't get transmitted uniformly. pnwmom Aug 2017 #88
How does having Native American DNA rusty fender Aug 2017 #90
Well, considering the fact that he's a Faux Newz watcher Snarkoleptic Aug 2017 #125
True! rusty fender Aug 2017 #145
Yours woukd be different, unless you are twins obamanut2012 Aug 2017 #101
Husband's family thought they were German/germanic 7wo7rees Aug 2017 #45
But isn't German considered western European? Duppers Aug 2017 #161
Sent it in. rogerashton Aug 2017 #46
Yes. Behind the Aegis Aug 2017 #47
No. yortsed snacilbuper Aug 2017 #51
Well, I could join the American Nazis Turbineguy Aug 2017 #52
I hate to tell everybody but we're all descended from, yortsed snacilbuper Aug 2017 #54
No we aren't. Codeine Aug 2017 #116
Nope. raven mad Aug 2017 #55
Yes and there was a small auprise FreeState Aug 2017 #59
I listen to XM radio Bettie Aug 2017 #60
Mine came back and said: Construction Trash.... panader0 Aug 2017 #61
Did the Ancestry test about a year ago and got some surprises. greatauntoftriplets Aug 2017 #62
Not ancestry, specific - but my daughter Ms. Toad Aug 2017 #63
I have wanted to because I am adopted and like to know what makes me a mutt. Doreen Aug 2017 #64
I'm adopted too & couldn't due to the cost until recently... WePurrsevere Aug 2017 #115
Yes, and one big surprise obamanut2012 Aug 2017 #67
Right. Ireland had waves of invaders/settlers, and one group was Vikings. n/t pnwmom Aug 2017 #89
Yes. I've wondered what the sample is compared to. SharonClark Aug 2017 #68
They ought to explain what they mean by their groups of "Irish", "Scandinavian" and so on muriel_volestrangler Aug 2017 #94
I think we are still in the infancy of DNA testing. milestogo Aug 2017 #137
I don't know that they had a Scottish grouping. I"ll spend more time on genealogy after I retire. SharonClark Aug 2017 #151
yes and no shanti Aug 2017 #69
I have. No big surprises. I had more European dna than I thought. SweetieD Aug 2017 #71
No...I also didn't know what sex I would be until I was born brooklynite Aug 2017 #72
Yes, and not really Blaukraut Aug 2017 #75
There was a surprise and a pleasant surprise Bad Thoughts Aug 2017 #76
Yes, I'm Jewish....on my Sicilian half! CanonRay Aug 2017 #79
Oh, cool. My daughter found out she was too lovemydogs Aug 2017 #142
Jews in Sicily were forced to convert or leave CanonRay Aug 2017 #148
I come from a long line of poor people JDC Aug 2017 #81
Yes and yes. Hell Hath No Fury Aug 2017 #82
How great that you turned the surprise into a chance flamingdem Aug 2017 #92
Yes, and yes. haveahart Aug 2017 #87
Any recommendations as to the best source to track DNA? Hieronymus Aug 2017 #91
Yes smoopie Aug 2017 #95
Yes, but I knew I was from quality anyway.... OnDoutside Aug 2017 #96
Yes. tavernier Aug 2017 #97
No, these tests are inaccurate and useless for this purpose alarimer Aug 2017 #99
That is why you take the results to gedmatch obamanut2012 Aug 2017 #100
Yes, the results weren't quite what I expected flyingfysh Aug 2017 #102
Yes and in my case, it verified something I always thought was a myth. appleannie1943 Aug 2017 #103
Nah. I know where I come from. Iggo Aug 2017 #104
No, because my DNA does not define me Not Ruth Aug 2017 #105
Over a decade ago, but not to the level of detail available today. Orsino Aug 2017 #106
Yes. I had a bit more African and more North European than I expected nini Aug 2017 #107
I haven't but a couple family members have been tracing as a hobby kcr Aug 2017 #108
Don't need to. I know exactly who my ancestor is grantcart Aug 2017 #109
I've thought about it. My parents are from different countries ecstatic Aug 2017 #110
Always wondered if the result would be same for two tests. Sneederbunk Aug 2017 #112
To some degree yes. Since different places use different... WePurrsevere Aug 2017 #120
I haven't crazycatlady Aug 2017 #114
Think I'll pass... not sure what they'll do with the info... neeksgeek Aug 2017 #117
A few surprises El Mimbreno Aug 2017 #118
I have. I'm adopted and mostly had basic info... WePurrsevere Aug 2017 #121
I did 23andme WilmywoodNCparalegal Aug 2017 #123
where do you even go to do that? Blue_Tires Aug 2017 #124
You can do it from home (or anywhere)... PunkinPi Aug 2017 #160
Nope. I really don't care where I came from FiveGoodMen Aug 2017 #127
I should know soon OriginalGeek Aug 2017 #128
It didn't tell me anything I didn't know looking in the mirror Sen. Walter Sobchak Aug 2017 #129
My sister and I did since we look nothing alike. spiderpig Aug 2017 #130
I did. kskiska Aug 2017 #131
yes and yes librechik Aug 2017 #136
I have linuxman Aug 2017 #138
I have PatSeg Aug 2017 #140
My brother did. lovemydogs Aug 2017 #141
"He found out he is half Jewish. Which makes my daughter Jewish. " marybourg Aug 2017 #156
No, because... Henry Krinkle Aug 2017 #143
Pardon my ignorance but what difference would Duppers Aug 2017 #162
I thought I was 100% Western European, the test shows 100% Native American! LeftInTX Aug 2017 #144
They confirmed my suspicion that my "exotic" great grandmother McCamy Taylor Aug 2017 #146
Yes but mainly because I have a genetic disease found among those of northern European ancestry misanthrope Aug 2017 #147
Yes. I found unexpected Finnish ancestry. Thor_MN Aug 2017 #150
French, Italian, Spanish benld74 Aug 2017 #155
I did. Richard D Aug 2017 #157
I was thinking Meowmee Aug 2017 #159
accessible data base? Duppers Aug 2017 #163
I'm worried Meowmee Aug 2017 #170
Yep. Turns out my parents are American. So were my grandparents. Bucky Aug 2017 #164

SCantiGOP

(13,856 posts)
154. Like George Carlen said:
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:08 PM
Aug 2017

We were kicked out of some of the best countries in the world.
Seriously, Africans of course had no choice, but anyone coming from Europe was probably a criminal, religious fanatic or desperately poor.

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
167. Careful about overgeneralizing
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 11:31 AM
Aug 2017

Lots of African Americans are descendants of immigrants. As a school teacher I see quite a number of my black students with discernibly African surnames (rough estimate maybe 3-5%). And of course that hides many children of African immigrants whose family names don't reflect their family lineage and many others who descend from both immigrants and the descendants of slaves.

America is a complicated place.

SCantiGOP

(13,856 posts)
168. Correct
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 11:37 AM
Aug 2017

It was a joke and it is referring to hundreds of years ago. Your comments are quite accurate.

BigmanPigman

(51,430 posts)
2. No, but my mom has been doing it for years and years as a fact finding hobby.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 07:40 PM
Aug 2017

She recently found out that some ancestors came to the US in the 1600s and another one was buried in a cemetery in the 1700s in the same tiny town which I grew up in outside of Philly (Huntingdon Valley).

L. Coyote

(51,129 posts)
19. That would be researching genealogy, determining who fills out your ancestry tree.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:16 PM
Aug 2017

Go back 1,000 years and there are a trillion positions to fill. That number explains a lot more about ancestry than DNA testing. Go back 2000 years and it is 1.2 x 10 to the 24th power ancestry slots in the tree. Might be we all have the same ancestors occupying those slots, don't you suppose.

JenniferJuniper

(4,496 posts)
4. Yes and
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 07:48 PM
Aug 2017

no surprises as I'd started doing the family tree in advance. Ancestry.com has a very cool tree maker if you're willing to put in some effort to weed through things and I had a fair amount of information about most great grandparents.

Unexpected side benefits? I put two elderly cousins - 82 and 84 - back in touch with each other after 50 years. They've been emailing back and forth with each other and copying me on some amazing family stories and photos that I've been able to incorporate into my tree for future generations.

On the other side of the family, I found a great grandmother in an orphanage when she was 7 in 1900. The place still exists under a new name and I sent a donation in her memory. Quite unexpectedly I got a lovely letter back from them thanking me and providing some information about her slightly older brother. Which I was able to share with her sole surviving child, my 95 year old great aunt.

So while my DNA didn't tell me anything I didn't know, it's been a fascinating and rewarding journey so far.

rogerashton

(3,918 posts)
32. Those ancestry leaves
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:38 PM
Aug 2017

can be pretty misleading. My wife (a retired prof of information science) kind of knows how to do this stuff and has found that ancestry leaves often contradict other, more reliable evidence (such as census info, land title info, death certificates and wills). On the other hand, she has also met some distant cousins.

JenniferJuniper

(4,496 posts)
40. Not sure what you mean by leaves but
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:44 PM
Aug 2017

some people do have wrong info in their trees and you need to be careful to double or triple check anything before you accept it as being accurate. If you have a subscription you get access to documents - everything from census data to passports to military records to birth and death records. I expanded mine to the international version and am currently wading through the baptismal records of 1795 in the Parish of Clondrohid, County Cork, Ireland (4 miles north of Macroom). My great great great grandfather was kind enough to include the specifics on his mother's Massachusetts grave stone.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
66. Ancestry shows "hints" as leaves -often info from other's trees
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:28 PM
Aug 2017

I seldom use into from other peoples' trees, but will look at the records they used as sources to see if they might help on a line I am stumped on.

The hints are just that - possible records that might be relevant. They cannot be blindly accepted as relevant to a particular ancestor. Often when father and son share the same name I get the same record as hints for both. The records suggested as either a hint or in searches have yo be evaluated carefully. I keep two windows open - one with the record and one with the known facts about that ancestor. That way discrepancies can be examined to determine what is more likely correct.

 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
5. Yes
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 07:48 PM
Aug 2017

I expected to have more German blood, but had less. Didn't expect any Italian/Greek blood, but dis -covered that I had 21%!

Ancestry.com combines areas of land to determine where one's ancestry comes from, so it combines Italy and Greece together.

Mariana

(14,849 posts)
6. My first cousin did.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 07:48 PM
Aug 2017

I wasn't surprised, but he was. His DNA jibes with the documentation - he's as close to 100% European as anyone can be. It's true our grandfather didn't look entirely caucasian, but I guess he was. Physical appearance can be deceiving, for certain.

Greybnk48

(10,148 posts)
11. Yes. And yes I got a surprise.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 07:58 PM
Aug 2017

All of my life I had been told that my great-grandmother on my mother's side was Native American. Choctaw or Chickasaw. The family is from Holly Springs, Mississippi; most of them or their kids are still there, my mother being one of the only one's to leave. My great grandmother had very dark hair, dark brown eyes and high cheekbones, as did her son, my great-uncle.

I took the test and...not a speck of Native American blood. Nothing. Myth-busted!

I'm 100% Western European with 49% Irish. Half of my family came here from Belfast in 1910 to Philadelphia so I already knew all of that. I also knew I had some Dutch blood. I was surprised to see connections to France, Spain and Italy.

Cirque du So-What

(25,812 posts)
20. My son got his DNA tested
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:17 PM
Aug 2017

and the myth was busted that his mother and I both had native American ancestry. Not so much as a drop. I expect that lots of people who have been told this tale are finding out differently from these tests. It may be worthwhile to look into the reasons why the myth of native American ancestry is so prevalent.

milestogo

(16,829 posts)
31. We had that family myth also
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:36 PM
Aug 2017

and my results said 100% European.

Maybe the native American ancestry is a way of beating "my ancestors came over on the Mayflower".

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
73. It also might be that the tests aren't super accurate, especially at picking up DNA
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:51 PM
Aug 2017

from a single ancestor generators ago.

Also, siblings can have different percentages of DNA, because DNA isn't transmitted evenly in a family. So one sibling could be reported to have some Native American ancestry and another, none. They both had the same ancestor but the genetic roll of the dice sent the N.A. DNA to only one of the siblings.

 

linuxman

(2,337 posts)
139. We had that myth too.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 07:08 PM
Aug 2017

I was glad to finally put it to bed. It's asinine how so many people are convinced they're 1/64th something or other. The frontier days weren't some giant free-love, Euro-Indian orgy, which it'd pretty much have to be to support the sheer number of people claiming native ancestry. No jennifer, your great-grandma wasn't a Cherokee princess .

JenniferJuniper

(4,496 posts)
26. It's not necessarily not true,
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:28 PM
Aug 2017

it's all in which genes you get.

For instance, I have an Alsatian great grandfather. I've confirmed the family had been in France/Prussia/Switzerland for many decades. So you'd think I'd have around 12.5% Western European? Nope. Not a drop. All Irish with a bit of Spanish (Spanish Armada invasion most likely) and some British and Scandinavian. (Vikings!).

So it doesn't mean I didn't have an Alsatian great grandfather. I just didn't get his genes. And after accumulating a lot of photos of him, I'm glad I didn't get his nose!

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
74. Good explanation. Some people don't understand that DNA doesn't get passed down the generations
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:53 PM
Aug 2017

uniformly. So one sister could have a different set of percentages than another.

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
153. That's true. That can happen. But more often the results are different simply because
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:06 PM
Aug 2017

full siblings don't inherit exactly the same combinations of their parents' chromosomes (due to a process called gene swapping).

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
56. You and I might be cousins.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:05 PM
Aug 2017

Same story. All my life my father told me about his Choctaw great grandmother who apparently really was a root doctor and cured many a family member, including him. The test showed no NA though the family lineage rather mysteriously ends with her father.

And they were out of Kosciusko MS. I'm lots of British Isles (Scotland and Ireland) some Dutch and a smidge of other European. And proud 3.1% Neanderthal. 😄

Croney

(4,646 posts)
65. Wait, there are three of us with this MS story?
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:22 PM
Aug 2017

My mother's family was from Ellisville, MS, and I was always told we had Choctaw somewhere way back. My mother at 94 is the last remaining of 14 siblings. I'll never bother with any genealogy research because about 20 years ago she finally came clean about my biological father -- it was a one-night stand in the French Quarter the night before she shipped out as a WAC in 1944. I rather like that.

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
70. I like it too! No telling how many babies came from Quarter assignations.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:46 PM
Aug 2017

I actually grew up on the coast and spent my young adulthood in NO and it's likely clear it's my home of the heart. But the paternal line is all Thomastown and Kosy and such.

Who's the third one?

Greybnk48

(10,148 posts)
111. Hi Cuz! We could be because I get nowhere
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:52 AM
Aug 2017

trying to trace this family back before my grandma on my mom's side. I have a bunch about my grandfather's side (he had 11 brothers and sisters), but my grandmother's lineage is a mystery for the most part!

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
119. My son is a shark on this. He found back to the 1600s
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:11 AM
Aug 2017

On everyone but this one guy. Maybe I just want to support a beloved family legend but he came out of Georgia where he was during the Cherokee uprising but there's nothing prior to that.

My favorite ancestral trait is an ability to fight on the losing side. One original from Scotland was literally called George the Jacobite, one was a Tory and I'm sure some were Confederates. Apparently being hopeless rebels runs in the family. LOL!

peggysue2

(10,811 posts)
122. Really strange
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:37 AM
Aug 2017

I'm reading all these family myths busted regarding Native American heritage with the knowledge that the same thing happened to my husband. The family story is that his great-grandmother on his father's side was full-blooded NA. Yet his DNA results indicated 100% European. The other surprising (and funny) result was his Neanderthal score was very high--in the 99% range. I've been teasing him ever since though the Neanderthal scores only account for 2-4% of our overall DNA. My score was 70%.

Neanderthals, perfect together!

I took the test primarily for the Alzheimer's marker. I don't have the indicative variables but my family history (father, sister) still makes me vulnerable. On the other hand, both had early on-set which 23&Me does not test for. For better or worse, I've crossed that threshold. Both family members exhibited symptoms in their mid-50s.

Heritage-wise, there were few surprises for me--89.3% British and Irish, some French and German, and then a 2% Finnish thread back in the day.

We bought the 23&Me packages as an anniversary gift. The Alzheimer's results let me sleep a bit better.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
126. Yeah our family had a rumor about Native American heritage too.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 02:33 PM
Aug 2017

23andMe made short work of that. No surprises other than that - I'm a European mutt.

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
165. Bummer. A lot of Americans like to claim some American Indian ancestry.
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 11:26 AM
Aug 2017

Quite a contrast from my grandfather's generation (he was born in 1899) where it was something his family hid.

Louis1895

(768 posts)
37. I called a special pow-wow and did a reveal to my siblings
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:42 PM
Aug 2017

Turns out they are only my half-sibs!

Unfortunately, my mom took her secret with her when she died. Complicated story. I thought I was mostly Irish and English with a dash of Dutch. Wrong! I am half English and half French-Canadian with a bit of Native American (~0.7%) - my Metís heritage.

Changes one's perspective a bit to learn your dad was not your biological father!

Cool to learn Canadian history, though!

HipChick

(25,485 posts)
48. My sister looks nothing like the rest of us
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:49 PM
Aug 2017

We used to tease her as kids that she was adopted..someone got some explaining to do..

TexasBushwhacker

(20,043 posts)
77. My brothers and I look nothing alike
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 10:00 PM
Aug 2017

One brother looks a lot like my dad. I look a lot like my mother. My other brother is a freckled redhead. He got the recessive redhead genes from our 2 redheaded grandmothers.

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,272 posts)
83. Here's fascinating story from Washington Post.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 10:15 PM
Aug 2017

A friend of mine found out her sister is her half sister.

This story is crazy:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/she-thought-she-was-irish-until-a-dna-test-opened-a-100-year-old-mystery/?utm_term=.04ed9c5b9270

WHO WAS SHE? A DNA TEST ONLY OPENED NEW MYSTERIES

Five years ago, Alice Collins Plebuch made a decision that would alter her future — or really, her past.

She sent away for a “just-for-fun DNA test.” When the tube arrived, she spit and spit until she filled it up to the line, and then sent it off in the mail. She wanted to know what she was made of.

Plebuch, now 69, already had a rough idea of what she would find. Her parents, both deceased, were Irish American Catholics who raised her and her six siblings with church Sundays and ethnic pride. But Plebuch, who had a long-standing interest in science and DNA, wanted to know more about her dad’s side of the family. The son of Irish immigrants, Jim Collins had been raised in an orphanage from a young age, and his extended family tree was murky.


After a few weeks during which her saliva was analyzed, she got an email in the summer of 2012 with a link to her results. The report was confounding.

Hekate

(90,189 posts)
93. Good lord, my husband and I knew this woman decades ago thru all of us having worked at UC...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 04:04 AM
Aug 2017

I have to say I really don't understand the level of angst she felt at her discovery, or the obsessive need to track down every detail for years.. It had a happy ending and all that, but I did a whole lot of eye-rolling to get that far. Whatever, Alice. I'm an Irish-American mutt myself, but at least I know I'm a mutt and would just think any added info was kind of interesting.

My dad and his siblings also spent time in an orphanage in the early part of the last century, but the family resemblance is so striking there could be no mistaking his relationship to everybody else.

My daughter looks like me and my side of the family (i.e. like my father). My son doesn't look like me or his bio-dad. He looks most like his dad's mother's brother, who I only met a few times. Since his dad never took the kids to meet that side of the family, unbeknownst to me my son actually felt sensitive about his different looks. When the kids were about 13 and 15 I finally decided to take a long trip just so they could meet their by then pretty old great aunt and great uncle, whom I remembered fondly. Voila -- my son met the man he looks like. It made a difference to him after all.

Delmette2.0

(4,143 posts)
169. Now I want my mother to do the spit test.
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 11:52 AM
Aug 2017

Mom was "adopted", but we eventually found her birth family. In the 1920's people didn't always file adoption papers. They just took in the baby and gave it their family name. We found out that she has an older brother who was also given up for "adoption". I would love to find any of his descendants.

a kennedy

(29,462 posts)
16. I want to.....my mom always said we were 100% Irish, but have always
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:11 PM
Aug 2017

kidded her about a pinch of Pennsylvania Dutch, and she'd get so upset, saying, no, no. Ha ha, loved to tease her. Would really like to find out. Miss my mom terribly, she died in 2005.

phylny

(8,353 posts)
18. Yes, I did it, not too many surprises.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:16 PM
Aug 2017

I'm mostly (76%) Italian (Lazio/Campania and Sicily - my great-grandparents were from Italy and these results were exactly what I was told they might be) and Greek a few hundred years ago, and thousands of years ago 22% from the Middle East and Causcaus regions. Also, I might have some northern African roots (2%). Not surprising, either, seeing the area my family is from and knowing people were nomadic. In fact, growing up, our pediatrician surmised we had some African ancestry when my youngest brother was born.

IADEMO2004

(5,538 posts)
21. There must be a conspiracy about this DNA testing. Black helicopters, shadow corporations, satan.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:17 PM
Aug 2017

Alex Jones type crazy shit.

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
28. There are 2 concerns that I know of. One is some people
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:30 PM
Aug 2017

object to the idea that a corporation could lay claim to your genome, and the other is that insurance agencies could use these tests as a way to hit you with pre-existing condition labels.

Different Drummer

(7,532 posts)
24. Yep, and the myth that I'd been told all my life about being mostly Irish was busted.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:28 PM
Aug 2017

Turns out most of my DNA comes from England and Scotland. Only two percent Irish.

Squinch

(50,773 posts)
34. I'm still mostly Irish, Eng, Scottish but I'm also Spanish. I have always loved Spanish culture and
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:40 PM
Aug 2017

the language comes pretty easily to me. It's genetic!!

That was a nice surprise.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
25. No, but I would like to.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:28 PM
Aug 2017

I am mostly English, Dutch and Italian, but there was an Irish great, great grandmother on the English side and a Swedish great grandmother on the Dutch side. My Italian grandfather was from a town in Italy that was founded by Greek and Albanian immigrants when they came to fight for the King of Naples back in 15th century, so it's possible that I could have some Greek or Albanian blood in me as well.

My Italian grandmother's family was from southern Italy but I looked up their last name and it's French (La Porte). You never really know what you are, there are so many variables. I have to admit that I am curious.

Does anyone know how much it costs?

JenniferJuniper

(4,496 posts)
27. Depends on which one you want
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:30 PM
Aug 2017

They do different things. Ancestry just has a $69 sale, which includes a free month to do research.

JenniferJuniper

(4,496 posts)
30. Ancestry is saliva. I assume
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:36 PM
Aug 2017

the rest are as well. Mine was very accurate.

Ancestry doesn't provide health info, but in doing my family tree with the help of some DNA hits with distant cousins I was able to collect the death certificates of all of my ancestors who died between 1880 and 1915. Before and after they are harder to come by.

Squinch

(50,773 posts)
36. I have a double cousin (we have both sets of grandparents in common
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:41 PM
Aug 2017

because a pair of brothers married a pair of sisters.) She did Ancestry and I did 23 and Me, which is much more expensive. We got the same results.

Irish_Dem

(45,635 posts)
171. The DNA sites all use saliva.
Fri Dec 22, 2017, 11:23 AM
Dec 2017

Some ask you to spit into a tube they send to you.
Others ask you to scrape the inside of your cheek.

Irish_Dem

(45,635 posts)
172. The DNA sales are excellent right now, lowest prices of the year.
Fri Dec 22, 2017, 11:25 AM
Dec 2017

But they will go away quickly after the holidays.

And if you test at Ancestry, you can upload the results to FTDNA for only $19.
So for a very low price you have purchased two DNA sites.

Irish_Dem

(45,635 posts)
173. If you are looking for DNA matches, Ancestry has the largest data base.
Fri Dec 22, 2017, 11:27 AM
Dec 2017

And I think it is most user friendly.

If you are looking for more sophisticated tools to help you analyze Data you might want to go with
FTDNA. But as I said in another post you can upload to FTDNA for only $19 once you have
the results from Ancestry.

If you want a genetic medical report then go with 23and me.

SonofDonald

(2,050 posts)
35. I did to see if a woman was related to our family.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:41 PM
Aug 2017

Turns out she was my fathers cousin who never knew who her father was as she was adopted, she had a clue that maybe my grandfathers brother was her father.

So I did the cheek swab test, turns out we added another long lost member to the family, she's an absolute sweetie and has traveled here to see the rest of us and is in constant contact with us now.

It's the only reason I did the test, I've always known I'm Heinz 57 European but mostly Bavarian/Hungarian/Swedish/Norwegian and others.

Add Alaska Native/Russian to that for my kids and it's a melting pot for sure, but our family has enough love to go around, it will be interesting to see what transpires in the future.


All are welcome, the way it should be.

SonofDonald

(2,050 posts)
53. There's always room...
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:57 PM
Aug 2017

I don't know if the test revealed my ancestry in any way as I didn't ask, it was just for answering this Woman's quest to know where she came from.

And I'm so happy I was able to help her.

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)
43. Several family members are deeply involved in genealogy, and have been for decades.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:46 PM
Aug 2017

Back in the 70s I already had copies of the family tree going back to the 1600s on some lines, so I have a pretty good picture of my ancestry.

Snarkoleptic

(5,995 posts)
44. My republiClown brother had one done and he gave me a copy.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:47 PM
Aug 2017

I'm certain we have the same results, unless the FedEx man knows something we don't.

I later found out that his reason was to see if he could list himself as a minority (there had been tales of Native American ancestry), in order to get ahead at work.
This is possibly the worst reason imaginable for why one would get such a test.

No surprise that I'm a euro poi-dog.
GBR
Ireland
Scandanavia
Italy/Greece
Europe West
Iberian Peninsula
Europe East
Caucasus





pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
88. Siblings often have somewhat different results because DNA doesn't get transmitted uniformly.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 01:22 AM
Aug 2017

Sep 1, 2015
Why siblings don't always have the same ancestry results

Culturally they may each say they are “1/8th Cherokee” but at the DNA level, one may have no Cherokee DNA at all. So yes, it is definitely possible for two siblings to get pretty different ancestry results from a DNA test. Even when they share the same parents.

genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/same-parents-different-ancestry
 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
90. How does having Native American DNA
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 01:40 AM
Aug 2017

help him get ahead at work?

Even if he has NA DNA in him, he can only be considered NA, for federal government purposes, if one of his parents was a member of a federally recognized tribe.

Snarkoleptic

(5,995 posts)
125. Well, considering the fact that he's a Faux Newz watcher
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 02:21 PM
Aug 2017

so things may not have been too well thought out.

obamanut2012

(25,911 posts)
101. Yours woukd be different, unless you are twins
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 09:53 AM
Aug 2017

My sister's percentages are almost literally flipped from mine, which makes sense. We don't look much alike, except for a couple features.

7wo7rees

(5,128 posts)
45. Husband's family thought they were German/germanic
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:47 PM
Aug 2017

Turns out mostly Western European/Scandinavian....?

Duppers

(28,094 posts)
161. But isn't German considered western European?
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 09:33 AM
Aug 2017

My maiden name is Germanic and mom's family is mostly Irish with some English. (I've a pasty white complexion with some freckles.)

rogerashton

(3,918 posts)
46. Sent it in.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:47 PM
Aug 2017

Don't have the results yet. Expecting a lot of German and French although my surname is Celtic.

Behind the Aegis

(53,831 posts)
47. Yes.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 08:49 PM
Aug 2017

Mostly European (Irish/Scottish) and Scandinavian/German, Italian/Spanish, but also Middle Eastern and West African. I am waiting on my mom's results. I never knew my bio dad, so it will provide a bit of information by comparing mine to hers as well as two of my three brothers.

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
116. No we aren't.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:02 AM
Aug 2017

We share a common ancestor with apes (not descended FROM apes, as is sometimes assumed), while monkeys descend from a differing branch of the primate family.

FreeState

(10,553 posts)
59. Yes and there was a small auprise
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:09 PM
Aug 2017

I’m 3% Asian - not a single person from Asia in my genealogy that’s been done (and it goes back before Jesus on my fathers side and just short on my mother’s).

Bettie

(15,998 posts)
60. I listen to XM radio
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:11 PM
Aug 2017

and the "23 and Me" commercials indicate that everyone is Nordic with a "sprinter muscle type" and begins to act really strange once they have done that test.

Not spending money on that right now...maybe someday.

greatauntoftriplets

(175,697 posts)
62. Did the Ancestry test about a year ago and got some surprises.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:14 PM
Aug 2017

What I thought, based on where grandparents and great-great grandparents came from:

1/2 Luxembourgisch
1/4 Irish
1/8 French
1/16 Swiss
1/16 German

The results:

Western European -- 52 percent
Irish -- 24 percent
Italian -- 11 percent
Portuguese -- 8 percent
British -- 5 percent
Scandinavian -- < 1 percent

I'm still laughing about the 5 percent British, because that means that my father was 10 percent British. He always hated England and...whoops! The alleged Native American ancestress seems to not have been real.

Ms. Toad

(33,915 posts)
63. Not ancestry, specific - but my daughter
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:18 PM
Aug 2017

conceived by donor insemination - got matched to her biological father.

(No ancestry surprises - just the surprise of finding him after we had given up (given the teeny tiny chance that they both had the test done, and used the same service) . . . )

Doreen

(11,686 posts)
64. I have wanted to because I am adopted and like to know what makes me a mutt.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:21 PM
Aug 2017

I however can not because it is to expensive.

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)
115. I'm adopted too & couldn't due to the cost until recently...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:59 AM
Aug 2017

Thankfully the prices have come down a lot since I first wanted to have it done years ago. I'd set aside a bit towards it for a few months until recently I ran into a half price sale on 23&Me & 1/3 off AncestryDNA for less than than I had stashed.

Hubby and I are on a low fixed income so I understand how difficult it can be but you can find a way to stash a bit, and don't mind waiting for a sale, even just to have one of the main ones done, as an adoptee I can tell you its been worth its weight in gold for me.

One thing I learned about these tests is that all you need to open the door to a treasure trove of info is the basic DNA (raw data) from one place like Family Tree DNA, AncestryDNA or 23andMe... I think My Heritage DNA offers your raw data for DL too. Once you get the results you can DL your raw data and upload it to some other free or very inexperienced other services to glean even more info incl medical predispositions.

Oh and if you're open to finding bio family that info will be available too. Although it's often only 2nd cousins and back you might get lucky. If you're looking to possibly connect with bio family I'd suggest getting your raw data on as many of the main ones as possible though.

I'm just starting on this journey to discovery, and there's a lot of new terminology and info to learn (and relearn for me) but there's an increasing sense of identity that I feel now where there was always a huge hole before. I must admit, it feels rather nice after all these years of wondering.

obamanut2012

(25,911 posts)
67. Yes, and one big surprise
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:42 PM
Aug 2017

The Irish we always thought we had, ie the Celtic DNA, is actually Viking blood! DNA from what is now Norway, so our Irish side isn't Celtic, it is Viking, so a very cool surprise! This is apparently not too unusual for the "fringes" of Ireland.

Everything else was about what we suspected.

SharonClark

(10,005 posts)
68. Yes. I've wondered what the sample is compared to.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:44 PM
Aug 2017

I can trace my family in Scotland for 300 years and still have relatives there. My DNA results indicated high numbers of Irish and Scandinavian, 3% British, and 8% western European. So not what I expected at all.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,154 posts)
94. They ought to explain what they mean by their groups of "Irish", "Scandinavian" and so on
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 04:37 AM
Aug 2017

After all, there was a significant migration from Ireland to the west coast of Scotland in the early Middle Ages ('Scot' actually refers to these people, rather than the Picts who had lived in Caledonia from before the Romans arrived in Britannia), and also from Scandinavia to Scotland (again, mainly the west coast, where their sailing skills allowed them to control the islands). Did they have a 'Scottish' group that could be a result, but which didn't turn up for you?

milestogo

(16,829 posts)
137. I think we are still in the infancy of DNA testing.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 06:58 PM
Aug 2017

7 years ago I had my dogs DNA done, so I could find out what breeds he is. This may sound frivolous, but when you have a 'rescue' with behavior issues, its really helpful to know what breeds are in the mix.

The result had 50% malamute, 12.5% greater swiss mountain dog, and 37.5% unknown. I'm pretty sure the unknown is Australian Shepherd, because that fits how he looks and behaves.

The results imply that one of his parents was a purebred. It seems unlikely that most rescues would have only 2-3 breeds identified, and it was a surprise that he evidently had no markers for the breed he resembles most closely. But finding out that he was half malamute, and therefore a relentless hunter with a mind of his own, was worth the price of the test. I thought I was doing something wrong, but it turns out he's hard-wired for his behavior.

I think that the identification of a breed must be based on a set of distinct genetic markers. But it seems like the more data they have - i.e. the longer they have been doing the testing, the more markers they have to distinguish one breed from another.

I think that human DNA testing may still need more distinct genetic markers to "define" someone's ancestry. I mean, how do you define a pure French person or a pure Italian, or a pure Chinese person? I would think you'd have to pick markers that occur in 99% of that population but not in other populations. And it takes a lot of data to establish that.

shanti

(21,670 posts)
69. yes and no
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:45 PM
Aug 2017

everything was what i expected, except for 1% NA. I do have an idea about that, but can't verify, as it is so far back.

Blaukraut

(5,689 posts)
75. Yes, and not really
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:58 PM
Aug 2017

I knew a lot about my ancestry to begin with, so not much was a surprise. Mostly the bits I would attribute to my biological father, whom I never met. It also depends on where you go to have your DNA tested. We went to Ancestry, but I plugged in my raw DNA results into GEDCOM for more detailed results - even ancient DNA. Now THAT was interesting!

Bad Thoughts

(2,514 posts)
76. There was a surprise and a pleasant surprise
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 09:59 PM
Aug 2017

I took the test for my sister's sake. She wanted a full genetic profile for her daughter, and I am the only direct male descendant for my father's line. I believed I was:

50% Ashkenazi Jew (Ukraine)
25% Hispanic (New Mexican)
25% Alsatian

The results came back that I was 45% Ashkenazi Jew and 30% Spanish/Mediterranean, which is consistent with coming from Hispanic/Latino populations in North America.

The surprise: approximately 20% Scandinavian! I expected the Alsatian to come back as being Western European or German, but I don't know how that reads as Scandinavian.

The pleasant surprise: 5% Native American. My grandfather had said that his grandmother was Navajo or Pueblo. Over the years we forgot about this claim: growing up in New Mexico, with an advocate who worked on tribal affairs for a father, we assumed that he was expressing some sympathies. Lo and behold, he was right! And I was quite relieved: I never believed that Nuevomexicanos were purely European, despite what some claim.

So there it is: someone's story about being part Native American turned out to be true!

lovemydogs

(575 posts)
142. Oh, cool. My daughter found out she was too
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 07:16 PM
Aug 2017

Her dad was adopted and he did his and found he was half italian and half Jewish.

CanonRay

(14,037 posts)
148. Jews in Sicily were forced to convert or leave
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:03 PM
Aug 2017

under King Ferdinand in the late 1400's. About 9000 stayed and converted...guess my family was one of those.

JDC

(10,081 posts)
81. I come from a long line of poor people
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 10:06 PM
Aug 2017

But they had their health.

I don't want my DNA in a database that is mined by insurance companies.

 

Hell Hath No Fury

(16,327 posts)
82. Yes and yes.
Tue Aug 22, 2017, 10:07 PM
Aug 2017

We had my Mom's done around 4 years ago to find out if there was any truth to the family mythology we were part native American on her Mom's side. As far as we knew, the family was English, Scottish, Irish, and possibly NA. Got the results and we were stunned. Almost all of her matches on Ancestry were Puerto Rican. 4000+ 3rd or better cousins, easily 95% percent of them Puerto Rican. Surprise! Many years, MUCH research, and a whole lotta luck later we found out her father was NOT the Irishman her Mom was married to at the time of my Mom's birth but the younger brother of her Mom's Puerto Rican best friend. Everyone involved is long gone, so we will never know the full story behind what happened (love affair? one night stand? sexual assault?) just that it happened.

After the initial surprise, we have embraced it fully and have been enjoying meeting all the new family we have, including many first and second cousins. We're also planing a trip to both Saltillo, PR -- where our family was from -- and Hawaii --where our family worked on the sugar plantations -- to explore our roots.

smoopie

(23 posts)
95. Yes
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 05:46 AM
Aug 2017

I found out that the man I thought was my father is not my father. I know have no idea who my biological father is. My parents are both deceased. I went from being German and French to being British and Irish.

OnDoutside

(19,907 posts)
96. Yes, but I knew I was from quality anyway....
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 06:02 AM
Aug 2017


Through a great great grandmother, I'm connected into nobility and royalty ! 2 castles, many estates, 500 cottages and 50 duck ponds !

My iirc 11 times great grandmother was Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister, and from before that Edward I etc.

alarimer

(16,245 posts)
99. No, these tests are inaccurate and useless for this purpose
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 09:11 AM
Aug 2017

Consider the results with many, many grains of salt. This article was about Elizabeth Warren and native American ancestry, but the same holds true for other ethnicities and maybe more so, because there is no set of "Italian" genes or "Irish" genes or what have. European nationalities (ALL of them) are mixtures of various groups of people. And, of course, even indigenous people are way less uniform genetically than is usually supposed.

Now this says nothing about the ethics of DNA testing by these corporation who are under no obligation to keep your information private.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/06/dna_testing_cannot_determine_ancestry_including_elizabeth_warren_s.html


The problem is that DNA snippets, or markers, are inconsistent. Sometimes they are passed on and sometimes they are not, and whether they are or aren’t is random. Sure, a large percentage of Native Americans may share certain genetic markers. But many Native Americans may lack the same marker, and many non–Native Americans may carry it by coincidence.

So when a DNA test comes back saying you are 28 percent Finnish, all it’s really saying is that of the DNA analyzed (most companies don’t analyze all of your DNA), 28 percent of it was most similar to that of a completely Finnish person. In the end, these comparisons are a fun but ultimately unreliable way to think about the possibilities of whom your ancestors might have been, rather than definitive proof of your ethnic background.

snip

Another issue is limited and inconsistent data. Ancestry.com, for example, divides the world up into 26 genetic regions and uses just 115 samples to create the representative of each region—a very small sample size. And different companies place different weight on these samples, which come from burial grounds, modern isolated communities, and academically published data, like the Human Genome Diversity Project. For the consumer, this means if you don’t like your heritage results, try a different company. You’ll get a completely different breakdown.




obamanut2012

(25,911 posts)
100. That is why you take the results to gedmatch
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 09:51 AM
Aug 2017

Or the new Columbia University database. It breaks it down more. The tests are a good way to get some raw data you can have some fun with.

flyingfysh

(1,990 posts)
102. Yes, the results weren't quite what I expected
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:09 AM
Aug 2017

There was a family story that we had some Cherokee ancestry. The DNA test said no. In addition, ftdna on my dad's side showed come of his ancestry coming through far northern Europe. In fact, ftdna showed that I have 5th cousins in Finland (!!!).

My brother-in-law's tests were surprising. They always thought he had some Native American Ancestry, or possibly some African. The test showed neither of these, but he does have Indian ancestry - East Indian (in Asia)!

appleannie1943

(1,303 posts)
103. Yes and in my case, it verified something I always thought was a myth.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:15 AM
Aug 2017

I am descended from King James Stuart of Scotland and England.

I also found out my grandchildren can join Sons and Daughters of the Revolution and become eligible for college scholarships and I have met 4 cousins I never knew existed. To me, it was well worth it.

Orsino

(37,428 posts)
106. Over a decade ago, but not to the level of detail available today.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:37 AM
Aug 2017

Like, no specific markers of ethnicity.

nini

(16,670 posts)
107. Yes. I had a bit more African and more North European than I expected
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:40 AM
Aug 2017

But overall I wasn't surprised. One side of my family is from the island of Madeira which is part of Portugal but off the coast of west Africa. That influence was more than just the European Portugal than I realized.

kcr

(15,300 posts)
108. I haven't but a couple family members have been tracing as a hobby
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:47 AM
Aug 2017

I don't care much about the genetic history but it has resulted in some family members reconnecting and the last time I visited my mom she had some great family history to share.

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
109. Don't need to. I know exactly who my ancestor is
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:48 AM
Aug 2017

Mitochondrial Eve.

And she is yours as well. All the rest is details on where the people in between wandered.

We are all cousins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve

ecstatic

(32,566 posts)
110. I've thought about it. My parents are from different countries
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:51 AM
Aug 2017

so I'm not sure what to expect. It seems like I'd get more useful information by buying tests for them.

Also, I had more interest in testing before the heavy handed, patronizing Ancestry.com ads started popping up on TV. It seems like they're really trying to target (exploit?) African Americans. Frankly, anyone whose ancestors were brutally kidnapped and brought to this country to be a slave should be granted an ancestry DNA kit free of charge, paid for by the U.S. government.

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)
120. To some degree yes. Since different places use different...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:16 AM
Aug 2017

algorithms to process the raw data and have different population sampling so it can vary a bit.

FWIW, if you're thinking of having it done you might be able to save some money by starting with just one, downloading your raw data from there and then uploading to other DNA services.

crazycatlady

(4,492 posts)
114. I haven't
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:57 AM
Aug 2017

However, both my parents have. If I want to know about ancestry, I will look at their reports.

neeksgeek

(1,214 posts)
117. Think I'll pass... not sure what they'll do with the info...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:05 AM
Aug 2017

Anyway three-fourths of my grandparents kept good records and we know a lot about their families going back into the 19th century (or earlier in some cases). The other quarter is partly a mystery, because my paternal grandfather's father never told anybody where he came from. We have reason to believe he lived under an assumed name, or it was changed at some point. I decided a long time ago that I kinda like it that way.

El Mimbreno

(777 posts)
118. A few surprises
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:10 AM
Aug 2017

Since my dad and his 2 full brothers were dark Caucasians with thick black hair, I expected some Mediterranean or Asian. Nope, Eastern European and my mother's Scandinavian. Maybe Eastern European could include some mongol invaders farther back?
My wife's dad claimed Cherokee in the family tree. No again. Central European (German) some Irish, and a touch of African.
So much for family legends.

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)
121. I have. I'm adopted and mostly had basic info...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:36 AM
Aug 2017

There are things I suspected because of my physical appearance but some of the info I learned was new and pretty interesting. Although knowing a bit about our evolutionary and historical journey I wouldn't say I was all that surprised, I find the info exciting and its helping me fill in one of my 'holes' that I always wondered about.

WilmywoodNCparalegal

(2,654 posts)
123. I did 23andme
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 12:12 PM
Aug 2017

Now, I was born and raised in northern Italy, where there once was a Gallic population, so it was not a surprise that my test revealed I'm 60% Italian, 30% Irish and 10% undetermined northern European.

PunkinPi

(4,870 posts)
160. You can do it from home (or anywhere)...
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 08:42 AM
Aug 2017

Ancestry.com and 23andme.com (and there are others) will send you a "spit kit", you mail it back to them and wait for the results to be emailed.

FiveGoodMen

(20,018 posts)
127. Nope. I really don't care where I came from
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 02:35 PM
Aug 2017

Can't take any credit; don't deserve any blame; won't change my ways.

Just not interested.

OriginalGeek

(12,132 posts)
128. I should know soon
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 02:53 PM
Aug 2017

I sent my test kit off last week.

I expect to find much Scottish and Irish ancestry and, in particular, which line and how far back we can go in my clan.

But I only got the cheap test so I expect I'll need to upgrade to get any real info.

 

Sen. Walter Sobchak

(8,692 posts)
129. It didn't tell me anything I didn't know looking in the mirror
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 03:06 PM
Aug 2017

My mothers side of the family has some Scandinavian in it, otherwise no surprises.

spiderpig

(10,419 posts)
130. My sister and I did since we look nothing alike.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 03:19 PM
Aug 2017

The results correlated with what our grandparents had told us with one interesting variation.

We're 99% Eastern/Southern European, with the exception of .1 percent each Scandinavian and Far East Asian. No Native American, African, Middle Eastern, Oceanic or anything else that might be geographically feasible.

We refer to our .1% forebears as Ragnar and Chang - and absolutely no ethnic slurs intended. We find it fascinating. And we wonder why both of us were so lousy at math. (ducks..)


kskiska

(27,041 posts)
131. I did.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 03:22 PM
Aug 2017

It was pretty much as expected, but distribution percentages were quite different than I'd thought. There were also some small surprises.

PatSeg

(46,804 posts)
140. I have
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 07:10 PM
Aug 2017

And my ancestry is pretty much what I was expecting. I've worked on my family tree for years and the DNA results matched up with what I've learned. I have found some 2nd and 3rd cousins though, which adds more details and data to the tree.

It would have been fun to have a few surprises, something I know others have found. My daughter-in-law has a Native American ancestor that was quite a surprise and I've been trying to find the link now.

lovemydogs

(575 posts)
141. My brother did.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 07:14 PM
Aug 2017

No real surprises. We pretty much come from Western European and Scandinavian background.

Now my ex-husband did because he was adopted and had no idea what his background was.

He found out he is half Jewish. Which makes my daughter Jewish.

When she told me I had a good time doing Mike Myers Jewish Linda. I'm ver-klempt.


marybourg

(12,540 posts)
156. "He found out he is half Jewish. Which makes my daughter Jewish. "
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:15 PM
Aug 2017

Unless you are Jewish, your daughter is not. Judaism is only passed through the female line.

 

Henry Krinkle

(208 posts)
143. No, because...
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 07:23 PM
Aug 2017

1) I really really don't care.

2) I'm not thrilled with the idea of these 'ancestry' sites retaining my DNA profile.

However, I would be interested in knowing my family tree to see what monarch, conqueror, despot or
TV personality I share common blood with.

LeftInTX

(24,554 posts)
144. I thought I was 100% Western European, the test shows 100% Native American!
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 08:14 PM
Aug 2017

Just joking!!!!!

I haven't had it done.

My mom is Scott-Irish-British from the South. My dad is Armenian. It would be nice to find out I'm something more interesting on my mom's side. (But the amount of DNA would be small)

On my dad's side, I would not want to know. The tests can't tell Armenian DNA from other ethnic groups in the region. My dad liked to joke we might be part Russian cuz we got blue eyes. (Maybe it's true. Maybe I'm related to Vlad. No I don't wanna know)

McCamy Taylor

(19,240 posts)
146. They confirmed my suspicion that my "exotic" great grandmother
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 08:44 PM
Aug 2017

was part Black and not part Native American (as my southern family always claimed). 3% of my DNA comes from the slave coast of Africa. That means that my great grandmother was probably one quarter Black. I have no Native American DNA. That makes me all immigrant and by Trump's reasoning, suspect.

misanthrope

(7,405 posts)
147. Yes but mainly because I have a genetic disease found among those of northern European ancestry
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 08:59 PM
Aug 2017

I just wanted to see how much of that I held. I've never really been fascinated with family background too terribly much. The only surprise was seeing I had a touch of Iberian ancestry and my Neanderthal traces were the tiniest touch above average. In the time since, it has provided comfort I'm not prone to other ailments beyond that which has already manifested.

 

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)
150. Yes. I found unexpected Finnish ancestry.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 10:48 PM
Aug 2017

My test said 9% Finland/NW Russia, which surprised as I had already traced all my immigrant to the US ancestors as from Norway or Sweden. That prompted my dad to do a test and he got 18% Finland/NW Russia. Some more research showed that his dad's mother from Sweden had substantial Finnish ancestry. Turns out that there was a wave of migration from Finland to Sweden.

Nothing really related to DNA testing other than talking about it at work lead me into helping the guy that sits next to me at work with his tree. Turns out that his 5th great grandmother married my 1st cousin 8 times removed in 1758. There's a chance that we are related by blood as that was in a small rural area of Norway. He hasn't done a DNA test, which would prove it one way or the other. As it stands our respective families have owned several of the same farms, at different points in time.

Richard D

(8,693 posts)
157. I did.
Wed Aug 23, 2017, 11:38 PM
Aug 2017

I did.
Pretty much what I expected other than a couple percentage points of Asian, probably from Mongolian rape.

Meowmee

(5,164 posts)
170. I'm worried
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 03:30 PM
Aug 2017

that people other than me or possible relatives could gain access to my results and cause harm in some way.

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
164. Yep. Turns out my parents are American. So were my grandparents.
Thu Aug 24, 2017, 11:23 AM
Aug 2017

And my great-grandparents. And my great-great-granparents too. That's 30 for 30 among my antecedents, or approximately 100%.

Of course even if you moved here and got naturalized, you're still 100% American. So maybe I'm not that special after all. :^(

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Have you had your DNA tes...