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DNA Test. Is it worth it?

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  • DNA Test. Is it worth it?

    Hi , For some months now I have been debating as to whether I should do the DNA test with Ancestry or not. I would appreciate it if a few members would give me their opinions, would I really get something out of it?
    Thanks.
    Toby.

  • #2
    What do you want to get out of it? What do you think you will get out of it?

    OC

    Comment


    • #3
      You may find this thread of interest if you've not already seen it.



      There've been others, but this is the most recent ongoing one.
      Caroline
      Caroline's Family History Pages
      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

      Comment


      • #4
        That is the question, what will I get from it? No doubt it will tell me that I am 60% British, 20%Zulu, 20%Russian, seriously though I suppose whatever it is, it will be interesting? People with my DNA, how many, 10,000, 100,000, what are the chances of finding some one alive who is linked to me, this is why I would like some feedback, is it worth doing? Have you done yours O.C.? if so let me know your thoughts.
        Cheers.
        Toby.

        Comment


        • #5
          Toby

          My brother has done his. Ethnicity results were as expected by our traditional research although Ancestry cannot distinguish between Scotland and Ireland. Ethnicity is useless as a research tool of course.

          Contacts so far have been five. Four we already kn ew about and were in contact with them anyway. The fifth is connected at 4th cousin level but her tree is such a mess that I cannot recognise anyone and it seems likely that our mutual relative doesn't appear on her tree.

          Personally, it has been a waste of money. Other people will disagree, having made major breakthroughs. Expect nothing and you may be surprised.

          Another point. The results are not easy to interpret unless you have a scientific background.

          OC

          Comment


          • #6
            My first test failed so they sent me a 2nd kit, I waited until after christmas to return it so that it didnt get lost in the christmas post. I have had an e-mail this morning to say they are working on it. Seems to be a long job.!! Will let you know what results I get.

            Comment


            • #7
              I tested with FamilyTree DNA back in November. My sister & nephew tested with Ancestry recently. We have all uploaded our results to GEDmatch so we can compare chromosomes/segments.

              I became interested when a 2nd cousin who is looking for her unknown paternal grandfather tested. She had a match with a very distant cousin. Our mutual ancestors were 2 sisters born in 1759 & 1762 in Norfolk. I was surprised that we were able to go back that far with DNA. But the best thing, it proved my research. This definitely changed my mind about testing (I just had to talk my husband into doing it !!)

              Most of my close matches I knew who they were. I am gradually going down my list of matches from the top & contacting people. I have found several 2nd-4th cousins whose details I knew but had not been in contact with before. I now have at least 1 match on each of my grandparents lines. This also helps to determine where other matches fit in.
              With the unknown matches, if they have a tree I am eventually going to research their tree further back, to try & connect up with mine. Heaps to do & not enough time !!

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              • #8
                Thanks, let me know if you have any success.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thanks Vivian, so you are happy with your results, good. When I posted the question I expected some positive and some negatives so will have to think about it some more!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    You won't know if you have dna matches unless you try. My mother did it prior to me, but the next nearest match i have is 4th cousins- some of which i know the connection and have been in contact with. You have to work out the connection yourself, Some have no tree listed, and most don't respond to messages.

                    Ancestry's estimate of your relationship can't distinguish the difference between a third cousin and a second cousin twice removed though. I had a "4th cousin" who was actually a second cousin a few times removed.

                    Another issue you might have is that they may have a tree, but it has a small number of people, and does not go back as many generations the test says you are related. Or the opposite, a rather large, detailed tree that does go back far enough but there is still no connection. Someone's research wrong? Or paternity is not known of?

                    The ethnicity matched closely the paper record i had for my tree, gedmatch broke them down a bit more in detail to specific regions (europe as well as uk), which also matched the paper trail.

                    The other thing is, you may discover something life altering, such as siblings/aunts or uncles, cousins you never knew about. There have been some fascinating stories about people blowing skeletons out of closets with such tests.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thanks O.C. that is the feedback that I was looking for. For some reason I have never felt positive about doing it, perhaps because after 25 years of research and posting the family tree on various sites no one in the"family" has ever made contact.
                      Give my regards to Camborne if you are still there!
                      Cheers.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Hi, yep, you are right, perhaps I should do it, nothing ventured, nothing gained but I still have doubts if you look at my comments to O.C

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                        • #13
                          I've mentioned this in other threads, but here goes. I tested both my parents.

                          * On my mother's maternal line, I have been able to identify the parish that her Donegal ancestors came from - and that was with the help of the cousins who I only connected with because of DNA matching
                          * On my mother's maternal Scottish line and my father's Cornish line, I've been able to identify cousins on an ancestral line that I thought my people came from, but couldn't be certain with all the frequently used names involved
                          * Similarly, on my father's maternal English line, I was able triangulate with known and suspected cousins, confirming the family line
                          * On my father's Y-DNA, I've been able to confirm a family surname change that my father remembered his grandfather telling him. Additionally, it allowed me to connect that Donegal line back to a Y-DNA group in Devon/Cornwall. I'll never have a paper record for that immigration.
                          * On my mother's paternal Y-DNA line (from her brother) - I can confirm the lineage back to the two brothers who were born in Romsey, Hants and migrated to New England in 1635.

                          Really, haven't had benefit from mtDNA. That is usually true.

                          As I understand it, Ancestry is not in the Y-DNA matching business anymore.

                          I have seen people benefit from knowing their ethnicity results. If you know nothing of your ancestry (or it's not what you think it is...), it may point you in the right direction.

                          One of the ongoing problems with genetic genealogy is matching with someone who doesn't know &/or doesn't care about their ancestry. As one GeneticGen Guru says, people need to build "robust" trees. There's a whole bunch of people, especially now on AncestryDNA, who just want to spit, and have an instant tree.

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                          • #14
                            Ha! I like your last paragraph. Thanks for your information, I think that I will bite the bullet and do the test!
                            Toby.

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                            • #15
                              Sorry, but I need to add the heads up that my GeneticGen Guru taught me: you may find things with genetic testing that you might have been happier not knowing: your parent (or parents) may not be your biological parent(s); you may have half sibs that you didn't know about (or other close relatives); your sibs may only be half sibs or not genetically related. It's not unusual to match someone who is looking for a genetic parent (one or both). You may be able to help them.

                              But - it's the gift that keeps on giving! Even if you don't find what you want with your first matches, other people will test - you may have a match someday in the future that sheds new light.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Thanks for the info. I have ordered a kit from My Heritage, dont know if Ancestry is better, but I have always found that Ancestry is not user friendly. I have kept the latest newsletter from Lost Cousins, Peter Calver gives his "Master Class" on DNA in it so I am sure that it will help me seeing that I know nothing at this stage!

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Yes indeed you may find out things you wish you hadn't, but that applies to a certain extent with paper research too, so I personally don't see that as a compelling reason NOT to do DNA testing, more as a compelling reason not to do research at all, lol.

                                  DNA testing remains as the only chance my bro and I have to identify the fathers of 3 of our great great grandfathers. I am sure I know the father of one but would like proof. I would also like to identify the mother of another relative. Facts don't add up and there is no paper evidence. In the first case, my candidate had no legitimate descendants so it will be a complicated match!

                                  Let us know how it goes, Toby, it's always interesting to hear. I am nosey!

                                  OC

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Originally posted by toby blight View Post
                                    Thanks for the info. I have ordered a kit from My Heritage, dont know if Ancestry is better, but I have always found that Ancestry is not user friendly. I have kept the latest newsletter from Lost Cousins, Peter Calver gives his "Master Class" on DNA in it so I am sure that it will help me seeing that I know nothing at this stage!
                                    I wish I'd posted earlier, I assumed you'd read the thread I posted. Of the two, I'd certainly have advised going with Ancestry from personal experience even though MH is cheaper. You'll probably get fewer matches and they tend not to be so accurate even though they've recently changed things for the better. I hope you find something - of course if your relatives haven't done their DNA you'll not find anything anywhere. My Heritage is less user friendly than Ancestry and more expensive to boot with the way their subs are constructed (I've let mine lapse just this week). You can upload from Ancestry to My Heritage for free but not vice versa. but you can still upload to GEDmatch.
                                    Caroline
                                    Caroline's Family History Pages
                                    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      I agree with what Guy has said. DNA testing is just another resource. In itself it isn't much use and I suspect that many of the people who are tested want a quick tree, just as conventional researchers look to the internet for a tree in the hope that someone else will have done the work for them. They tend to be uncritical researchers which doesn't help create accurate trees.

                                      I saw one poor soul trying to find his red Indian ancestor, discovered according to his ancestry DNA test. He had misinterpreted the results (very easy to do if you have no scientific education) which showed he had a rare gene IN COMMON WITH a small remote tribe, which just means they had a common ancestor thousands of years ago, not that his great granny was a naughty girl a hundred years ago.

                                      OC

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        I have just recently done mine through my heritage. I had quite a few 2-4th cousins and beyond, however this week i had someone who has matched as a first cousin or similar. I have contacted them, but havent yet had a response. Fingers crossed they get back to me as i dont recognize the names on their tree (they dont really have much) but my nan was illegitimate so there could be the potential that there is some link there through the fathers side
                                        Robyne


                                        Name interests: Alderton, Osborne, Danslow, Hanley, Bowkett, Lakin, Elliott, Banner, Walters, Reed, Deighton, Sleight, Dungar ;)

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