# Ancestry DNA



## Pappy (Nov 17, 2014)

I've always been told I have several orgins of ancestry in my blood. Welch, French, Indian and more. Now it's possible to send for a DNA kit to tell your exactly what you are. Would you do this or not. Sounds interesting to me. Cost is $99. I have often wondered how far this could go because my grandmother was stranded to be raised by a great couple who took her in.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 17, 2014)

Pappy said:


> I've always been told I have several orgins of ancestry in my blood. Welch, French, Indian and more. Now it's possible to send for a DNA kit to tell your exactly what you are. Would you do this or not. Sounds interesting to me. Cost is $99. I have often wondered how far this could go because my grandmother was stranded to be raised by a great couple who took her in.



Don't do the 23 and me one.  Bad reviews.  The one from Ancestry.com gets better reviews.  I had it done.  Not really specific as they lump UK and Ireland all together, so you don't know if you're Scottish, English, Welsh, or Irish.  Mine also had a small amount of Turkish.  Really?!


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## Falcon (Nov 17, 2014)

Doesn't sound like it could hurt.  Might be interesting.  $99 is chump change these days anyway.

Give it a go Pappy and let us know what you find.


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## Twixie (Nov 17, 2014)

Now you just touched a nerve...I was related to Mary Bacon..hung as a witch in Essex..

http://www.freewebs.com/witchcrafttrail/witchlist.htm

I am also related to Lady Jane Grey..and to the Earls of Dudley and Warwickshire...


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## SifuPhil (Nov 17, 2014)

I would probably do it, but for that price I'm not sure the results would be 100% accurate. It might tell me I'm descended from a pack of feral Romanian yodelers, when I know for a fact they were Magyar. 

Still, I've spent more money on lesser things, so sure, I'd try it.


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## Ken N Tx (Nov 17, 2014)

I have a very common last name. I got very lucky and tracked my ancestors back to 1770. It was all done on free sites on the internet..


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## Ameriscot (Nov 17, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I would probably do it, but for that price I'm not sure the results would be 100% accurate. It might tell me I'm descended from a pack of feral Romanian yodelers, when I know for a fact they were Magyar.
> 
> Still, I've spent more money on lesser things, so sure, I'd try it.



What the 23 and me did was group you into genotypes or something and base the findings on how many in a certain country have that type.  Hardly 100% accurate.

Found out something I didn't want to know either!


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## Twixie (Nov 17, 2014)

I can track my ancestors back till 1492...


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## SifuPhil (Nov 17, 2014)

Ameriscot said:


> What the 23 and me did was group you into genotypes or something and base the findings on how many in a certain country have that type.  Hardly 100% accurate.



That's what I thought - thanks!


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## Pappy (Nov 17, 2014)

I probably won't do it but will give it some thought. I know I'm mostly French because when I was 12 years old, I had my 
name changed and took my step dads name. My last name was Juteau and it don't get much more French than that.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 17, 2014)

Ken N Tx said:


> I have a very common last name. I got very lucky and tracked my ancestors back to 1770. It was all done on free sites on the internet..



I had a lot of cousins who did research and I also did it on ancestry.com and found quite a lot on their censuses.  I've got back to mid 1700's and one is listed as Patriot Service in the war of independence.


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## SifuPhil (Nov 17, 2014)

I tried the free Ancestry.com trial and try as I might I couldn't get back any further than the 1920's. I guess my family has a long history of being "under the radar".


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## Twixie (Nov 17, 2014)

Sorry about this folks...this is my ancestor..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey


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## Ameriscot (Nov 17, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I tried the free Ancestry.com trial and try as I might I couldn't get back any further than the 1920's. I guess my family has a long history of being "under the radar".



My cousins had been researching for decades before the internet.  One gggrandfather left Ireland in 1851 and was born in 1819.  I've seen his grave. I know his mother's maiden name and would love to know about her.  Her surname was Scottish.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 17, 2014)

Twixie said:


> Sorry about this folks...this is my ancestor..
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey




The one who was queen for a few weeks, right? Beheaded at the Tower of London.


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## Falcon (Nov 17, 2014)

I traced mine back 100 years ago.

Seems I had an uncle who was a great painter; painted men and women all over the country.

He painted MEN on one door and WOMEN on the other door.


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## oakapple (Nov 17, 2014)

Falcon said:


> I traced mine back 100 years ago.
> 
> Seems I had an uncle who was a great painter; painted men and women all over the country.
> 
> He painted MEN on one door and WOMEN on the other door.


 Yes, I think I read that joke in a hundred year old book once.

I'm not willing to pay any money at all to find my ancestors [ I can go back easily to the 1700's anyway] but beyond that who knows? A mixture of English on my Mother's side and Irish on my Father's side.My husband looks like a Viking [I think it's the horns that do it] so his ancestors may have come over here and settled as many of them did.


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## Falcon (Nov 17, 2014)

HaHa   That's where I got it.

 One of my ancestors was the Lord Mayor of London. I think he was a Halifax if I'm not mistaken.

  Anyway, I'm one of the Websters.


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## Denise1952 (Nov 17, 2014)

Pappy said:


> I've always been told I have several orgins of ancestry in my blood. Welch, French, Indian and more. Now it's possible to send for a DNA kit to tell your exactly what you are. Would you do this or not. Sounds interesting to me. Cost is $99. I have often wondered how far this could go because my grandmother was stranded to be raised by a great couple who took her in.



Wow, I would Pappy, also, I am Welsh, French, and Nez Perce, Cherokee.  I don't usually meet anyone that is just the same, although I don't know what tribes are in your family  I think it's so interesting


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## Kitties (Nov 17, 2014)

It's interesting. I've though about this. Back back and back. Who were these people. Hundreds and thousands of years back. We all have ancestors.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 18, 2014)

Kitties said:


> It's interesting. I've though about this. Back back and back. Who were these people. Hundreds and thousands of years back. We all have ancestors.



I'm fascinated by this!


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## Ken N Tx (Nov 18, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I tried the free Ancestry.com trial and try as I might I couldn't get back any further than the 1920's. I guess my family has a long history of being "under the radar".



I did find that Ancestry.com did have a lot of inaccuracies..Seems like they let a lot of people send in what they had..One of my ggggrandmothers had a child when she was 46 years old and 2 years after her husband had died!! Should be in the Guinness book ..


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## Ameriscot (Nov 18, 2014)

Ken N Tx said:


> I did find that Ancestry.com did have a lot of inaccuracies..Seems like they let a lot of people send in what they had..One of my ggggrandmothers had a child when she was 46 years old and 2 years after her husband had died!! Should be in the Guinness book ..



I found the best thing for tracing ancestors who lived in the US itself was to look through the censuses.  They are the originals.  Another good source is the free message board and go to the surname you're looking for.  I've found many distant cousins on there who had done a lot of work already. Found my ggggrandfathers will from 1840 on there.

I've got the death certificate from another gggrandfather to verify his mother's maiden name.  Can't find anything on her and am dying of curiosity to know why my Irish ancestor had a mother with a Scottish surname.  She probably would have been born late 1700's.  So I've got a short trip over to Dublin to the records office.  Apparently they are very helpful.  Many Irish records were lost in a big fire though which is why some have to travel around to the all parishes to look through their records.


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## Ralphy1 (Nov 18, 2014)

Yep, had a niece who is big on genealogy pay for a swab for my DNA and found that there might have been some fooling around in tepees happening back in the good old days.  Just call me "Running" Ralphy...


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## Pappy (Nov 18, 2014)

When I went to my hometowns Historical Society, I was able to find out where my great grandparents were buried. However that's about all the info I could find. 

My  half sister took a trip to Canada and found quite a few relatives were from there and of course France. A couple she stayed with spoke no English so I guess the conversation was at a minimum.

On my moms side, her father, my grandpa were stone masons from way back. I would like to find out more.
This photo dates back to 1913. My grandpa is first on left back row.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 18, 2014)

Pappy said:


> When I went to my hometowns Historical Society, I was able to find out where my great grandparents were buried. However that's about all the info I could find.
> 
> My  half sister took a trip to Canada and found quite a few relatives were from there and of course France. A couple she stayed with spoke no English so I guess the conversation was at a minimum.
> 
> ...



That's cool!  I've got a few photos of great and gg grandparents.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 18, 2014)

My son had it done.  It doesn't get that specific about countries..  in other words, it won't say if you are French, German, Polish... but you will be European, and perhaps some Scandinavian.  IE.. Northern European.   Which is what my son got from me.   It will tell you if you have some Neanderthal DNA.. interesting... many people do, and they are mostly redheads..   My son has a very small amount of that as well as some Native American.  I'm sure this is completely from his Father... Particularly the Neanderthal!.      From what I have read, it basically picks out the Races.  It will talk about African, and Asian DNA.  The test will also give some interesting famous ancestors.    So I guess if you want to know if you have African, or Native American... or even Neanderthal, it's an interesting thing to do.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 18, 2014)

QuickSilver said:


> My son had it done.  It doesn't get that specific about countries..  in other words, it won't say if you are French, German, Polish... but you will be European, and perhaps some Scandinavian.  IE.. Northern European.   Which is what my son got from me.   It will tell you if you have some Neanderthal DNA.. interesting... many people do, and they are mostly redheads..   My son has a very small amount of that as well as some Native American.  I'm sure this is completely from his Father... Particularly the Neanderthal!.      From what I have read, it basically picks out the Races.  It will talk about African, and Asian DNA.  The test will also give some interesting famous ancestors.    So I guess if you want to know if you have African, or Native American... or even Neanderthal, it's an interesting thing to do.



Mine said neanderthal as did my aunt's.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 18, 2014)

Ameriscot said:


> Mine said neanderthal as did my aunt's.



I have nothing against Neanderthals... really..   Really I don't..  My son has 4%


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## oakapple (Nov 18, 2014)

It's not where we came from..... it's where we're going! [How very profound.]


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## jujube (Nov 18, 2014)

I started doing geneology several years ago and just hit a stone wall that I couldn't get past until I met up with a distant cousin who has done extensive searching on our family.  His info explained a lot of puzzling stuff, but he has a point he can't get past, either.....why our family up and changed their last name abruptly somewhere around 1895 and packed up and moved north.  I also found out that my great-grandmother was a Melungeon (a mixture of white, Black and Cherokee Indian) who apparently was a great beauty.  The only picture of her I had ever seen was as an old woman (she died before I was born) and she was a dead ringer for Jabba the Hutt.  I'm not kidding.


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## rt3 (Nov 18, 2014)

Just become a mormon


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## Kitties (Nov 18, 2014)

Great picture Pappy. Handsome grandfather.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 19, 2014)

THis DNA test has nothing to do with geneology.. It simply tells you what race, and area your DNA comes from.. and what mixes you have. It will give you percentages of each race or ethnic group.  I'm mostly Eastern European, with some Scandanavian thrown in.  The bulk of my family, both maternal and paternal emmigrated from Germany in the late 1800's early 1900's.. I know that from family accounts and from Ancestors.com where I was able to find the actual ship rosters for each family group.   The DNA test will not tell you things like that.. for that you have to dig in records.


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## tnthomas (Mar 24, 2015)

I had done Genealogy search in the early 2000s, went by the wayside with Real Life taking precedence, but I intend to resurrect my quest.    I think I'll spring for the DNA testing and see what's really going on.


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## tnthomas (May 31, 2015)

Well, I finally got the results back from myFTDNA, looks like this:









With the myFTDNA data you can search and see individuals that share your genetic markers, ranking by degree of relation(2nd cousin, 3rd, etc).  Found a few that have familiar surnames, and location(name+location=important).

Perhaps someday I'll determine whether my paternal surname is of Welsh or of German(or Swiss or French) origin.


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## AZ Jim (May 31, 2015)

I traced my last surviving ancestor back to the Choctaw OK County Jail.  That's where they ran out of info.


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## tnthomas (Jun 2, 2015)

AZ Jim said:


> I traced my last surviving ancestor back to the Choctaw OK County Jail.  That's where they ran out of info.



That would be a great genealogical find, I'm sure is more of a story to be had there.


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## mitchezz (Jun 2, 2015)

:friendly_wink:


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## RadishRose (Jun 3, 2015)

I also had that Ancestry "mini" DNA test maybe a year ago. Most of it I was sure of anyway but wondered about any surprises. While my 94% Eastern European was expected as well as the 4% Russian, I was delighted & surprised to find my 2% Finnish.


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