Yay, I could finally had money to gift mom Ancestry DNA kit!

[GoldieLocks]

How has this gone for others? Anyone do it?

 

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[fyrffytr1]

My wife and I both did it about three or four years ago. It was interesting but didn't really tell us any more than we already knew from genealogical research.

 

[ToddsPoint]

My mom was adopted and her and my brother and I took the test. Mom didn't know who her dad was. Within a week, a lady that turned out to be moms cousin contacted her. Instant family. It turns out my GrGrGrandfather was in the 27th IN Infantry in the Civil War and fought at Antietam and Chancellorsville. Ancestry rocks. Gary

 

[chub]

I heard they were fantasy



chub

 

[Trezurehunter]

Never done it, but good luck to you and your mom.

 

[redbeardrelics]

Even though I have always being interested in history, I put off doing any ancestry research or the DNA testing until about 5 years ago. This was mainly because family lore was that some main ancestors were either born out of wedlock to an unknown father, or orphaned at a young age and no parental information was available, leading me to naively believe that little worth or info could be obtained from it, but boy was I wrong. We have been able to identify nearly all the missing links, and go far past the rumored dead ends to discover a vast, complicated and fascinating real history that just keeps on going in all directions. It doesn't take long to get past the immediate family and into a multitude of peoples I had no clue about. I am just as fascinated by the indentured servants, debtors, criminals and vagabonds that I find, as I am about the high achieving folks or the ones that became wealthy or had fame. Go for it and have fun.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Sorry, but no way in Hades am I voluntarily turning over my DNA results to some corp.

 

[ticndig]

It's nothing I'd get involved with . I don't even talk to extended family. I have cousins I haven't talked to in forty years. we aren't made about anything or at each other , different states , different lives , different lifestyles.
I tend to be a loner and live different than most folks and they are aware of that.

one cousin is all wrapped up in genealogy and even had a hardback book published all about my family tree.
he mailed me one of them to have and pass on down the line.

 

[smokeythecat]

I did it. Nothing unexpected found, except all the family rumors were true.

 

[SusanMN]

I did my ancestry DNA five years ago to solve a family question about my father’s paternity. I had the name of his potential biological father but no information other than he was Native American to trace him. When you do your DNA test through ancestry they not only provide your genetic heritage but they also provide you with a list of individuals who share your DNA and their potential relationship to you. Turned out another granddaughter of his rumored father did her test the same time as me and showed up in my matches. Since then I have found one additional granddaughter and dozens of more different relatives. As far as family tree development Ancestry definitely hit a home fun for me.

The other really interesting thing for me was the genealogy and ethnic makeup of my newly found grandfather. While he was rumored to be native American he was actually a mix of German, Native American and African American and there was an amazing history of how these ancestors came to live together and intermarry before the revolutionary war and remained as a community as they pioneered in Wisconsin in the 1830’s.

 

[GoldieLocks]

Thank you. I want to confirm the estimated percentages for ethnic background. I also want to see if any other unexpected family bloodlines as well.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Traced mine back to mid 1200s in Europe, found some famous ancestors. I also found out a family member has fought in ever war in America since it was founded. So far traced heritage in America to 1640.

 

[redbeardrelics]

Sorry, but no way in Hades am I voluntarily turning over my DNA results to some corp.

I know what you mean, I had those same fears and reservations at one time. But when I think about it, it really is no big deal, as it is not like Ancestry.com is going to take my spit and clone a duplicate of me as seen in some sci-fi fantasy films etc. The worst possible scenario I could see is that some of my DNA could be planted at a crime scene or something to that effect, but then again we know it is other entities who might possibly want to do something like that, and those entities have dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, of other ways to obtain our DNA without our knowledge. Ancestry.com and their ilk pretty much just want our monthly subscription fees and the shared DNA match information we all have, to enhance their services and make them of more value to more potential customers, and thus keep their revenue streams flowing and growing.
I also have a lot of cousins etc. that I know personally, and we do not keep in touch due to the reasons previously posted. I did not engage in this activity to meet any new relatives or friends, but it serendipitously introduced me to some distant cousins who do share some same interests, and who I am quite pleased to have made their acquaintance.

 

[Mackaydon]

I had fun tracing my own history.
Mother's side had one signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Father's side was loaded with Scottish scoundrels; proving only that 'opposites attract'.
Don.....

 

[sprailroad]

Sure, I've done Ancestry DNA, just for the heck of it. 65% English, 30% Irish. 5% invading army's I suppose. but it was really pretty neat, again, just for the heck of it. If doing Ancestry itself, do not go by other trees just because they have names etc. listed, they can be WAY wrong, and off you go in the wrong direction, learned that the hard way. Sooo many same and similar names, ages, places of birth etc., it can be and is a puzzle. Also had a DNA done on my dog. Very cool. By an outfit called Embark. Found my little friend at an animal shelter in kind of rough shape, and the vet there was guessing he was Shih-Tzu with some Terrier. Wrong. From the DNA I found I had a healthy mutt, made up of different pieces of dog. 24.3% Poodle, 22.9% Chihuahua, 16.3% Pomeranian, 10.2% Maltese, 8,2% Pekingese, 5.1% Cocker Spaniel, with trace amounts 4% or less of German Shepherd, American Water Spaniel and something called a Volpino Italiano (or Fitz) even what his Grandparents and Great Grandparents breeds were, and again, I did his just for the heck of it, doesn't change anything for him or me. Would I do it all again?, sure. Couple of friends have done it as well just for interest, for them AND their dog.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Mom did our ancestry back to the 1600's, and arrival from Britain. Then along came the DNA thing. Mom did it, my brother did it, and they still push me to do it - and TO DEATH I refuse.

Thing is, I was born a red head and Dad said I wasn't his because of that. By the time Dad passed, he accepted me - but that was when he was begging me to get him out of the nursing home. I don't and won't deal with any of this. I'm here, I know Mom bore me. Don't know about Dad, and it has never meant anything important to me. Some things are best forgotten.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I had fun tracing my own history.
Mother's side had one signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Father's side was loaded with Scottish scoundrels; proving only that 'opposites attract'.
Don.....

Scoundrels, LOL, remember King John, the villain king in Robin Hood stories, brother of King Richard, he is one of my ancestors through one of his mistresses. It couldn't have been the good king Richard, no it had to be the evil king. LOL .

 

[GoldieLocks]

I think I will pay to do my own DNA in a year too. I have estimated percentages like I said, and mine should be from 8-10 countries in total since I found my father's side if lineage to 1420 in Frankfurt En Main(Old pre Germany) and mom's to 1732 in Old Welch track near Philadelphia too.

 

[piegrande]

I started with DNA testing on FTDNA a long time ago, when all l you could get was y-marker. Y only told you maybe I was of Irish ancestry. Later, they added mother's ancestry obtained by your X chromosome. Since some of my family is racist, I hoped we were descended from the Zulu, I wanted to see the look on racist family members when I told them, and I care not a whit. We are the same family, period.

But, no, earliest known female ancestor was around 50,000 years ago in Europe.

Then, they got family matching. I found several distant kin, and located a cousin I never heard of. She was adopted in or around 1938. Recently, I decided to test via 23and me. A lot of kinfolks, though most are descendants of known cousins. Just since I got trapped in the US by Covid, I got notice via FTDNA of a woman in a small town in Massachusetts. She is descendant of the one person of my great-grandfather's generation who went missing after the 7 siblings moved from Brooklyn NYC.

My wife had asked to be tested also via 23andme. I thought that was a waste because her genealogy is known back to Moctezuma I of the ancient Aztecs, but yes dear. We are finding people whose ancestors left the village years ago, and now live in the USA. In come cases, I already know more about their ancestry than they do. So, it is not important to many, but it is interesting to many, which is my view.

My opinion is if you do not want to know your ancestry, that is your right. And, if you do want to know it, that is also your right, and need to apologize to no one. Let me add if any of my family has raped or killed, feel free to use my DNA to find them.

Oh, there is a genealogy thread on this URL.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Seems like an odd gift to give someone unless they have expressed a desire to do the family DNA testing.
Might put them in an awkward position..upset the family apple cart so to speak.