D N A Testing, Family History ..

[Baldric]

Mrs B wants to do a DNA Test to get some idea of Family background, Country of origin etc. She knows there is a Huguenot connection there and wants to see what else comes up.
I, like a Mug, have been nagged into doing one as well. She always tells me with my colouring and temperament I'm more Italian than English.
Pish!! . . . . . the very idea!!!!!!

Has anyone any experience with these tests, are there any Companies to avoid or any recommended ones?

Would be grateful for your opinions. Thanks.

[jubieanna]

I have had mine done Baldric through Ancestry. I was interested as have possible family connection to Egypt. I thought it was a good service. My results came back 45% British 23% European west 13% European Jew 11% Irish and 7% trace regions.
No Egypt but the Jewish connection makes sense. Worth it if you can afford it

[jubieanna]

This was discussed not long ago as well and some people had some concerns with it so I thought I'd put a link.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1517247.html

[dannyk13]

Interesting article here Balders:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9912822/DNA-ancestry-tests-branded-meaningless.html

[jno]

anything that purports to tell you if you're related to Cleopatra is meaningless. (You don't actually get DNA from all your ancestors, some gets crowded out).

The best ones to use are the ones with the biggest databases as they have more samples to draw on and compare yours with. Ancestry ones are supposed to be good.

BritainsDNA made the claim that Prince William had Indian ancestry. They make some very unusual claims and I wouldn't personally give them my money

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

These people have a good reputation

http://www.oxfordancestors.com/

IT's hard to recommend anyone unreservedly; a bit of guesswork goes into all DNA tests and none can be guaranteed correct. But at least a reputable company will give you a "best guess".

[Baldric]

Thanks for replies so, and a couple of interesting links, have been looking at 'Ancestry' and '23andme' Sites so far.

[237SJ]

I had mine done a little while ago (through Ancestry - they had a sale on). My results were 56% European West, 37% Irish and trace regions which were Finland/NW Russia, Europe East, Iberian Peninsula and Scandinavian. It`s fascinating but doesn`t really tell you much. I still can`t figure where the Irish comes from but the info does say that Irish people share DNA from neighbouring regions so as I am from the SW, I guess that`s why. They send you the results as percentages and maps and the profiles of other Ancestry members who you could be related to. I`m not sure how accurate that is because I found a 4th cousin a while ago and he doesn`t feature on my DNA connections. It`s good fun though and I would definitely give it a go.

[Baldric]

Thank you 237SJ, appreciated.

[hellywelly4]

I had mine done through Ancestry -£89 I think. Good communication from them. My daughter had hers done independently and hers came back showing me as her mother, so it does work. It also gave info about several possible family connections. I contacted the person who was the closest match,and he has given me loads of family history that I didn't have.
I've been delighted with the results, and enjoyed comparing my daughter's results with mine, as we don't have a full history of her late father.
I should give it a go.

[Baldric]

Thanks HW.

[Zacs-Master]

They're utter bunkum I'm afraid. DNA testing cannot be selective in choosing 'when' the DNA timeline stops. The amount of DNA we inherit from relatives just a few steps up our family tree is neither here not there compared with the vast amount we all share from common ancestors, so they should all tell us we're from Central Africa.

All these tests can do is compare your DNA to that of others who've had the test, so it's a bit like seeing 40 pages out of a novel 200 pages long and extrapolating that the book is about a certain subject whn in fact it could be about something completely different.

[Baldric]

Thank you ZM

[Baldric]

Any opinions still out there?

[hellywelly4]

Go ahead and get it done Baldric.

[jno]

decide what you want to find out (and be prepared to discover that it's not much) - some tests tell you where your grandparents came from, others tell you when you last acquired some Neanderthal DNA. That's a very wide historical range, and there's a correspondingly wide range of tests available.

[pastafreak]

I've been thinking of having mine done for a while. I've looked into several companies, including this one. https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/dna/

Other services are reviewed and compared here... https://dnatestingchoice.com/ancestry

[Baldric]

Interesting link Pasta (2nd one) Thanks.

Think we'll give Ancestry a go.

[jno]

I'd beware of one called WHO'Z the DADDY? It doesn't sound as though it would tell any man anything he wants to hear.

[pastafreak]

Let us know how you get on. It should be interesting with both of you doing it.

[askyourgran]

I had thought of having my DNA tested, my cousin had hers done recently and it showed she had Irish, Scots and Danish in hers. Having followed my family tree back to 1590 or thereabouts the male line is directly British and so,as I thought was their wives. I would like to see if it matches.