Ancestry DNA Explains it all !

[KJFSophie]

I've received updated results from Ancestry.com DNA tests : 80% France, 9% Spain, 8% Basque, 2% Scotland, 1% North America Maritime ....
Apparently, my roots are on the Camino. Explains a lot! ❤

 

[Tincatinker]

 

[SabsP]

I also did a DNA test though myheritagedotcom.
20 % Slavic ( at least that is traceable ). But also lots of Scandinavian and Celtic influences? Also Greek so it seems.

Afterwards I corresponded with a professor in genealogy from the Uni of Leuven. He is not a fan, to say the least , of these commercial tests.
Then again almost everyone has invaded Belgium or this part of the LowLands throughout the centuries...so it might be true.

 

[wayfarer]

My test showed 4% Norwegian, bloody vikings having relations with my ancestors.

 

[Roland49]

Hello fellow pilgrim,

they only look at 1% of your genome. They make conclusions by samples they had tested before and they know the most of the ancestral heritage. They use an algorithm to check for corresponding similarities in the given DNA-sample. So, those tests are just clues of your family roots. Not a proven scientific value.

But: the more tests they make, the more informations they gather, the higher will be the accuracy. And they are testing a lot at the moment. So maybe, in 5 years time the accuracy will be a bit better.

Have fun with your results!

I do know of french, dutch, austrian, polish, germanic, danish, sorbic and ashkenazi jews (grandparents of my father's side) in the last 7 generations of my family. Just talk with your relatives, it's more accurate and informative than you think.

 

[Moorwalker]

I won't do any of those genealogy based DNA tests for several reasons,l partly that they are very inaccurate, and partly that I'm a suspicious IT person who doesn't like the privacy implications.

Family stories say that we are descended from a Spanish horse trader who took a ship to England in the 13th century and settled there. There is no way of tracing it of course, but there are tax records from around then giving a name that was similar to our family name. And that is part of the reason I want to go walk the Ingles.

 

[NorthernLight]

My test showed 4% Norwegian, bloody vikings having relations with my ancestors.

Bloody vikings were your ancestors!
And mine. And everybody else with any European ancestry.

 

[NorthernLight]

I won't do any of those genealogy based DNA tests for several reasons,l partly that they are very inaccurate, and partly that I'm a suspicious IT person who doesn't like the privacy implications.

Family stories say that we are descended from a Spanish horse trader who took a ship to England in the 13th century and settled there. There is no way of tracing it of course, but there are tax records from around then giving a name that was similar to our family name. And that is part of the reason I want to go walk the Ingles.

I’d hazard a somewhat educated guess that said Spanish horse trader was there at the invitation of either the king or somebody else very high in the nobility. Spanish horses were for the rich and powerful. Does the tax record give a location?

 

[KJFSophie]

Hello fellow pilgrim,

they only look at 1% of your genome. They make conclusions by samples they had tested before and they know the most of the ancestral heritage. They use an algorithm to check for corresponding similarities in the given DNA-sample. So, those tests are just clues of your family roots. Not a proven scientific value.

But: the more tests they make, the more informations they gather, the higher will be the accuracy. And they are testing a lot at the moment. So maybe, in 5 years time the accuracy will be a bit better.

Have fun with your results!

I do know of french, dutch, austrian, polish, germanic, danish, sorbic and ashkenazi jews (grandparents of my father's side) in the last 7 generations of my family. Just talk with your relatives, it's more accurate and informative than you think.

Yes, I understand how it works. These were not the first, nor second results they have updated on the same sample. As they include more samples, they contact me with updated info. France was always prominent, but this is the first time I read Basque in the results. They do point out geographical overlaps with most results as borders changed continually and what we now know as "France" included a much bigger area at one time.

It is all very interesting and to be taken with a grain of salt. I do realize these are not scientifically proven values. Sadly, though my grandparents lived to 101, 104, & 106...they have passed in recent years, pre-deceased by my parents. Sites like Ancestry are only as good as how much others contribute and how many subscriptions one wants to pay for.

I prefer to believe that the Camino calls me to return every year for a reason....

 

[Moorwalker]

I’d hazard a somewhat educated guess that said Spanish horse trader was there at the invitation of either the king or somebody else very high in the nobility. Spanish horses were for the rich and powerful. Does the tax record give a location?

South Devon, which is where my family come from. I've been able to trace a direct line back to the mid 18th century but the family name and variations of it appear a lot further back than that. The records in the pipe rolls don't give enough detail to get anything useful unfortunately, so it remains a fun family story.

 

[NorthernLight]

South Devon, which is where my family come from. I've been able to trace a direct line back to the mid 18th century but the family name and variations of it appear a lot further back than that. The records in the pipe rolls don't give enough detail to get anything useful unfortunately, so it remains a fun family story.

I love these stories. The volume of information that is getting digitalized and suddenly available is staggering. https://www.british-history.ac.uk is a lot of fun.

 

[Felipe]

If you are having fun with your DNA tests, ok. They are good conversations topics to liven a family reunion. But don' t take them too seriously. Apart from some countries with a very isolated history, most current populations are the result of endless waves of migration. Contemporary Spaniards, for example, are a mix of Celts, Germans, Basques, Romans, Greeks, Vikings, Phoenicians, Arabs, Moors, Jews and who knows what else...
Same for most European countries.

 

[CWBuff]

[QUOTE"Felipe, post: 833955, member: 5219"]
Contemporary Spaniards, for example, are a mix of Celts, Germans, Basques, Romans, Greeks, Vikings, Phoenicians, Arabs, Moors, Jews and who knows what else...
[/QUOTE]
...Spanish horse traders

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've received updated results from Ancestry.com DNA tests : 80% France, 9% Spain, 8% Basque, 2% Scotland, 1% North America Maritime ....
Apparently, my roots are on the Camino. Explains a lot! ❤

Lol

Isn’t that cool?
Mine too.

 

[wayfarer]

Bloody vikings were your ancestors!
And mine. And everybody else with any European ancestry.

Only 4% my ancestors, there were Viking settlements along the river Shannon Estuary where I come from which might explain how my ancestors came in contact with them, probably at a local Viking party...
@alexwalker we may be related.

Edit: Checked my results again this morning and the updated results show my Norwegian DNA is now down to 2% so maybe my gang didn't party as much as I thought.

 

[tony l]

I love the Camino and respect all those who encounter the way. This is a great forum, but it also reflects society. When someone tells a story or shares a view there is always someone who wants to belittle or put down the comment. Its much easier to use your energy to be kind. Try it please. Buen Camino

 

[wayfarer]

I don't see anyone being belittled or put down, its not something that's tolerated here, just lighthearted banter.

 

[Purky]

I don't want to be a party pooper, but this thread instantly reminded me of a funny remark by Bill Burr (American stand-up comedian) who thinks that sending your saliva to Ancestry.com is akin to helping the Illuminati finish your robot replacement.

As hyperbole as that is, there are some considerations before you ship off your swab. The US Federal Trade Commission has some advice to reflect upon before you send that parcel.

I am not (yet?) particularly worried about 'Big Data', but to quote Joseph Heller: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." There is vulnerability in data. Just my two cents.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Lol

Isn’t that cool?
Mine too.

I won't be doing any DNA testing as I now realize we are all "a little of this and a little of that" so we who participate on this forum are related to one another...this is our family reunion! ☺

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I won't do any of those genealogy based DNA tests for several reasons,l partly that they are very inaccurate, and partly that I'm a suspicious IT person who doesn't like the privacy implications.

I have a family tree going to Gaius Julius Caesar III and Julia. European genealogical societies have kept royalty records for tens of centuries. A lot of it is in Wikipedia now (an ever-changing anecdotal encyclopedia). If your family history goes back a few generations, you will be able to parallel it to DNA tests, which are very accurate on what they test. I was surprised by 17% Asia Minor, which had to have come from my great grandmother who was said to be orphaned Boston Irish raised in Chicago. Obviously, she was an Armenian or Turkish orphan. All the other information was very expected.

Alfonso IX, buried at the Cathedral, is said to be my ancestor...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I've received updated results from Ancestry.com DNA tests : 80% France, 9% Spain, 8% Basque, 2% Scotland, 1% North America Maritime ....
Apparently, my roots are on the Camino. Explains a lot! ❤

My DNA shows ancient fish ancestry. Next camino: down the Arga and up the Sar.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

My DNA shows ancient fish ancestry.

While there are a lot of interesting documentaries on archaeology, "The Voyage of the Continents" is my favorite.

 

[Michelle Menhennet]

In my case, the Ancestry DNA test was able to finally clarify a long family mystery. My grandfather was abandoned to Children’s Aid at birth and gave fake info on his marriage certificate- but we later believed that we found the identity of his parents, a disgraced Irish Protestant girl and a Serbian man. DNA confirmed this with a surprisingly high percentage of Eastern European Jew from Serbian man, and confirmed cousin matches to Irish girl’s nieces and nephews. My family tree has suddenly exploded with new family, and it’s way cool

 

[Anniesantiago]

I won't be doing any DNA testing as I now realize we are all "a little of this and a little of that" so we who participate on this forum are related to one another...this is our family reunion! ☺

Actually if you have an app called family tree, the LDS app, you can turn It on and anyone else in the area who has that on who is related to you will pop up. I’ve done it several times and found cousins I didn’t know I had

 

[Hugh Larkin]

Spanish horse traders?. My pinoy mum's family name is Perez, so for many years, I thought I had Spanish blood in me, and always hoped to have Moorish. My DNA said 'no' much to my disappointment. . But I now am told I have Indian & Afghani & Pakistani blood. Its also fun to connect with relatives. Just enjoy it as the learning of family history is a 'camino' in its own way.

 

[lt56ny]

Hello fellow pilgrim,

they only look at 1% of your genome. They make conclusions by samples they had tested before and they know the most of the ancestral heritage. They use an algorithm to check for corresponding similarities in the given DNA-sample. So, those tests are just clues of your family roots. Not a proven scientific value.

But: the more tests they make, the more informations they gather, the higher will be the accuracy. And they are testing a lot at the moment. So maybe, in 5 years time the accuracy will be a bit better.

Have fun with your results!

I do know of french, dutch, austrian, polish, germanic, danish, sorbic and ashkenazi jews (grandparents of my father's side) in the last 7 generations of my family. Just talk with your relatives, it's more accurate and informative than you think.

Yes Roland, My daughter got a test as a birthday present a few years ago. After she got her results back she did some investigating about how the tests are structured and she told me the same thing. She wrote to the company. I do not remember which one but I think it was the biggest tester and what she told me and what you have just said was confirmed to her.

 

[NorthernLight]

I read somewhere that mathematically you only have to go back about 35 generations to reach someone who is an ancestor to all of us. Which means you are all cousins. That would be one heck of a reunion.

I have lots of Viking ancestors - both from their eastern raids through the rivers to Rus where they became rulers, as well as through their conquering of Normandy. I can also include Alfonso VI, the protector of the camino.

We all of us have peaceable folk and holy terrors and everything in between, as ancestors.

 

[Vacajoe]

My blood was tested and came back 79% vihno tinto, 16% Patxaran, and 5% pulpo.....

 

[Pelegrin]

Spanish horse traders?. My pinoy mum's family name is Perez, so for many years, I thought I had Spanish blood in me, and always hoped to have Moorish. My DNA said 'no' much to my disappointment. . But I now am told I have Indian & Afghani & Pakistani blood. Its also fun to connect with relatives. Just enjoy it as the learning of family history is a 'camino' in its own way.

I'm Perez (from Galicia). This family name is a patronymic and in English would be Peterson.
It is from every region in Spain except Catalonia and can have all the common origins in Spain (Celt, Iberian, Jew, Moor, Germanic, Basque from Alava, etc.).
In my case my DNA analysis says that I have haplogoup (Y) R-P312 origin Celt.
I haven't done the percentage version, so I don't know other origins in my father line.

 

[Anik2001]

Never took the DNA test, as I found some pretty reliable genealogy info through books, family papers and the net. Turns out I had ancestors in Galicia (A Coruña), Lisbon and France on my fathers side, and American Indian and French on my mom’s. I was able to go back up to 1620!

 

[RJM]

I have done the DNA testing as well. It was about 70 dollars well spent. Showed some surprise results I had not expected and while a very basic test (thus the cost, duh naysayers) it is accurate in my experience in a ballpark way. Showed siblings and first cousins as such, as well as my father. Also connected me to a first cousin whom I did not know existed (given up for adopted...contacted me on the DNA site messaging) and I helped him connect with family members. That was a quite moving experience. If that was not worth the 70 dollars, nothing is.
I have no beef with the privacy issues, etc. You agree to it when you voluntarily order the kit and spit in it (duh) after you have paid money for it, lol. I am not ready to wear a tinfoil hat as of yet. lol
I also saw that I too have roots in Spain, Portugal and France, about 20% total. I cannot help but think that plays a bit of a role in my draw to the Camino.

 

[Purky]

I am not ready to wear a tinfoil hat as of yet.

I get the appeal of these DNA tests, but the fact of the matter is that DNA testing companies are making money off your genetic data by selling it to third parties. According to their privacy policies, these companies take ownership of your DNA. You are not only the product, you are actually paying for the privilege.

Secondly there are growing privacy concerns with all of these databases: it is not entirely clear who has access to them, and for what purposes. Medical research and law enforcement already have access to the data of some DNA testing companies. I imagine that banks and insurance companies (future medical conditions, anyone?) would love to get their hands on that info too.

And finally: how safe is your DNA data? Everything can be hacked, mishandled or stolen. Apart from that, anonymising data in the age of Big Data seems to be quite difficult. DNA testing companies are commercial entities, not doctors. Your interests are not their priority. So it might be worth your while to read the small print.

 

[Moorwalker]

I get the appeal of these DNA tests, but the fact of the matter is that DNA testing companies are making money off your genetic data by selling it to third parties. According to their privacy policies, these companies take ownership of your DNA. You are not only the product, you are actually paying for the privilege.

Secondly there are growing privacy concerns with all of these databases: it is not entirely clear who has access to them, and for what purposes. Medical research and law enforcement already have access to the data of some DNA testing companies. I imagine that banks and insurance companies (future medical conditions, anyone?) would love to get their hands on that info too.

And finally: how safe is your DNA data? Everything can be hacked, lost or stolen. Apart from that, anonymising data in the age of Big Data seems to be quite difficult. DNA testing companies are commercial entities, not doctors. Your interests are not their priority. So it might be worth your while to read the small print.

And a nasty one, if any of your close relatives have their DNA analyzed, effectively your identity is also available to the likes of law enforcement, insurance companies etc because you share substantial amounts of DNA with them, sufficient to connect you with a high level of certainty. Law enforcement have already used that and you can bet your life that insurance companies will be hot on their heels.

I have worked in IT for most of my working life starting in 1980, and right from the beginning I've been aware of the potential for privacy issues. I have never put my true date of birth online from my first personal account which was back in 1989, I don't use a picture of my face, I've never used my mother's real maiden name for any security questions, and more. Partly because of my apparent paranoia I have only once ever had any malware find its way onto any of my machines. (Fingers crossed on that one). I see no reason to take off my tinfoil hat now no matter how tempting DNA analysis might be.

 

[alexwalker]

Only 4% my ancestors, there were Viking settlements along the river Shannon Estuary where I come from which might explain how my ancestors came in contact with them, probably at a local Viking party...
@alexwalker we may be related.

Edit: Checked my results again this morning and the updated results show my Norwegian DNA is now down to 2% so maybe my gang didn't party as much as I thought.

Well, we had good fun all over Europe some years back. Those were the days. Happy to see that some of our Viking drops have brought on quite a few peregrinos from all over the place.

CU on the Way, dear cousin.

 

[RJM]

I get the appeal of these DNA tests, but the fact of the matter is that DNA testing companies are making money off your genetic data by selling it to third parties. According to their privacy policies, these companies take ownership of your DNA. You are not only the product, you are actually paying for the privilege.

Secondly there are growing privacy concerns with all of these databases: it is not entirely clear who has access to them, and for what purposes. Medical research and law enforcement already have access to the data of some DNA testing companies. I imagine that banks and insurance companies (future medical conditions, anyone?) would love to get their hands on that info too.

And finally: how safe is your DNA data? Everything can be hacked, mishandled or stolen. Apart from that, anonymising data in the age of Big Data seems to be quite difficult. DNA testing companies are commercial entities, not doctors. Your interests are not their priority. So it might be worth your while to read the small print.

To be honest, none of that is of any concern to me. I have nothing to hide, nothing I have done wrong and no reason to believe that will change for me. The whole "big brother" watching us bit faded a long time ago. Besides, I was cog (a small one mind you) of the "big brother" machine for about seventeen years, lol. They already have my DNA, fingerprints, dental charts and even my retina scan somewhere from when I worked for them, lol. That innocuous web based DNA ancestry company is just fun for me.

 

[MisterH]

I am adopted and most people say that I look like "a northern european". I got my DNA checked and they said that my DNA showed that I was Norwegian, Icelandic, Scottish, Belgian, Basque or southern French. Basically anywhere that the Vikings were involved in raping and looting.

Since I hot my DNA results back I found out how to access my adoption records in California. The process took over a year and eventually I got a dozen pages of heavenly redacted information. It seems that my father was from Norway and my mother was from Switzerland. They were not married and my adoptive parents got me from an orphanage. I found this all out when I was in my 70s.

So I guess that my DNA results were kinda correct. I have known that I was adopted since before I was 10. My adoptive parents said that my birth parents had died in an automobile accident and both of them died over 10 years before I got my records.

 

[Desert Bruce]

The most interesting and unexpected DNA information on mine was 5% Iberian peninsula. The rest was the expected Irish/British Isles and German. I picture Spanish sailors washed ashore with the wreckage of the armada.

 

[Pelegrin]

The most interesting and unexpected DNA information on mine was 5% Iberian peninsula. The rest was the expected Irish/British Isles and German. I picture Spanish sailors washed ashore with the wreckage of the armada.

5 % is a lot to be originated by the armada survivors because they were 9000 in front of 5.000.000 people who lived in the Isles.
Also it is said that they were responsible of the dark Irish.
There are studies based on DNA that say that between 5.000 and 4.000 B.C fishermen from the Iberian peninsula settled in the Isles.

 

[Moorwalker]

5 % is a lot to be originated by the armada survivors because they were 9000 in front of 5.000.000 people who lived in the Isles.
Also it is said that they were responsible of the dark Irish.
There are studies based on DNA that say that between 5.000 and 4.000 B.C fishermen from the Iberian peninsula settled in the Isles.

Populations even now move around a lot less than people imagine. You only have to look at some areas where there is still a distinctive appearance. If I go down to Devon where my family lived for many centuries I am still sometimes startled by seeing older men who look so much like my Dad that I am briefly fooled. There is a very distinctive appearance in the South Wales valleys area too. Or the relatively common red hair you find in parts of Scotland. So if you have an influx of people to a particular area it could well persist in that area for a very long time.

 

[sunwanderer]

I have nothing to hide, ...

Well, maybe you do. Big Data has determined (when looking at millions of people) that those who drink alcohol tend to have a slightly higher chance of filing for bankruptcy. So when they apply for a loan, they would be charged a slightly higher interest rate.

Likewise, if you are a runner, you tend to pay your bills on time. Slightly lower interest rate.

So perhaps one time you posted about how you liked Rioja. And another time you mentioned how much you liked to walk long distances, but hated running. That's two strikes.

Target has used purchasing patterns to identify pregnant customers, and then send them targeted coupons/ads. A little invasive?

Similar correlations are being examined between DNA/genes and, for example, income potential and future likelihood of specific diseases. There are literally hundreds of other examples.

What if Big Data finds a correlation between a DNA segment and the likelihood of being a psychopathic murderer, and you happen to have that tidbit in your DNA. I would not want to rest my fate on the goodness in the heart of the authorities.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Moorwalker]

To be honest, none of that is of any concern to me. I have nothing to hide, nothing I have done wrong and no reason to believe that will change for me. The whole "big brother" watching us bit faded a long time ago. Besides, I was cog (a small one mind you) of the "big brother" machine for about seventeen years, lol. They already have my DNA, fingerprints, dental charts and even my retina scan somewhere from when I worked for them, lol. That innocuous web based DNA ancestry company is just fun for me.

We all have things which we would rather have kept private. More importantly though, most people have no idea just how pervasive and powerful modern data analysis can be. It isn't so much your fingerprints or dental records that matter, it's the analysis of your actions and the predictions that can be made from that that is important.

In one sense it doesn't matter all that much that you are tracked around the internet and fed adverts that are sometimes eerily relevant to you, but that actually demonstrates the power of that analysis. It starts to matter quite a lot when your insurance company buys the analysis and charges you more or excludes you from certain cover. Or you are targeted for political manipulation - and you probably won't even realise that you are being manipulated. A lot of sales and political manipulation is very subtle but when it's taken over a whole population it skews things and that can be very important indeed.

And then there are the errors. This week there has been a report of a cyclist who was investigated as a suspect in a crime simply because his GPS phone records which are kept by Google showed that he had repeatedly passed the crime location. That slightly odd activity was enough to have the police knocking at his door and it effectively became a case of him having to prove his innocence. False positives are common and that can lead to some major injustices, partly because both the POlice and many of the general public who are liable to end up in juries do not understand the technologies nor the potential pitfalls.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And then there are the errors.

I was thinking of the same story. The man had Google's location services on when riding his bike around the neighborhood for exercise. He passed the theft victim's home three times on the day of the theft. The police got Google to give them identities of people who were in the area that day (I hope with a warrant). The man was the prime suspect. He was not arrested but he did have to hire a lawyer to help him out. The police had no real proof and the man had Google show other similar rides around the neighborhood on other days.

 

[RJM]

Well, maybe you do. Big Data has determined (when looking at millions of people) that those who drink alcohol tend to have a slightly higher chance of filing for bankruptcy. So when they apply for a loan, they would be charged a slightly higher interest rate.

Likewise, if you are a runner, you tend to pay your bills on time. Slightly lower interest rate.

So perhaps one time you posted about how you liked Rioja. And another time you mentioned how much you liked to walk long distances, but hated running. That's two strikes.

Target has used purchasing patterns to identify pregnant customers, and then send them targeted coupons/ads. A little invasive?

Similar correlations are being examined between DNA/genes and, for example, income potential and future likelihood of specific diseases. There are literally hundreds of other examples.

What if Big Data finds a correlation between a DNA segment and the likelihood of being a psychopathic murderer, and you happen to have that tidbit in your DNA. I would not want to rest my fate on the goodness in the heart of the authorities.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Wow, LOL. Again, and trust me on this, absolutely none of that I find relevant in my life and would ever find relevant, and certainly do not effect my day to day life, but good luck to you, peeking around every corner with a mirror. Not my idea of living life.

 

[RJM]

We all have things which we would rather have kept private. More importantly though, most people have no idea just how pervasive and powerful modern data analysis can be. It isn't so much your fingerprints or dental records that matter, it's the analysis of your actions and the predictions that can be made from that that is important.

In one sense it doesn't matter all that much that you are tracked around the internet and fed adverts that are sometimes eerily relevant to you, but that actually demonstrates the power of that analysis. It starts to matter quite a lot when your insurance company buys the analysis and charges you more or excludes you from certain cover. Or you are targeted for political manipulation - and you probably won't even realise that you are being manipulated. A lot of sales and political manipulation is very subtle but when it's taken over a whole population it skews things and that can be very important indeed.

And then there are the errors. This week there has been a report of a cyclist who was investigated as a suspect in a crime simply because his GPS phone records which are kept by Google showed that he had repeatedly passed the crime location. That slightly odd activity was enough to have the police knocking at his door and it effectively became a case of him having to prove his innocence. False positives are common and that can lead to some major injustices, partly because both the POlice and many of the general public who are liable to end up in juries do not understand the technologies nor the potential pitfalls.

What I told sunwanderer applies here as well. See above...

 

[mikebet]

I did one of those ancestry tests a few years ago, knowing that my paternal grandparents immigrated from Germany in 1909 and my maternal precursors (surname Baker) had probably come from England originally but had lived in the US for many generations. My DNA result: Indonesian. Well, heck, I did visit Indonesia once in my 30s and spent a week in Bali a couple of years ago. Must have been the nasi goreng I ate.

 

[KJFSophie]

Amazing how a light hearted post about ties to the Camino has turned into a thread about Big Brother watching. Respect the views of others but I don't subscribe to paranoia. A little disheartening that others simply cannot have a little smile as the post was intended. I certainly look for the positives, not consistently looking to find faults and doom in the words of others. ( sigh )

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

A little disheartening that others simply cannot have a little smile as the post was intended. I certainly look for the positives,

I posted on both sides. I'll post a neutral one on DNA now.

On my paternal line my family has clear birth documentation back to about 1500. My late brother had a DNA test and psuedo-anonymously added about 16 paternal markers onto a website tracking a number of surnames. So someone else with the same markers has a very good chance of having the same paternal ancestor that the markers identify. This is useful for some.

An eighth (or so) cousin handling my surname on the site asked if I would be interested in doing the same but with the larger number of markers now possible. It's likely that I would (even though I won't learn anything) if it wasn't so darn expensive.

 

[gml]

In my case, the Ancestry DNA test was able to finally clarify a long family mystery. My grandfather was abandoned to Children’s Aid at birth and gave fake info on his marriage certificate- but we later believed that we found the identity of his parents, a disgraced Irish Protestant girl and a Serbian man. DNA confirmed this with a surprisingly high percentage of Eastern European Jew from Serbian man, and confirmed cousin matches to Irish girl’s nieces and nephews. My family tree has suddenly exploded with new family, and it’s way cool

The parents of a friend of mine were survivors of WW2 German concentration camps. Originally from small villages in Poland, they immigrated to Canada after the war, both believing that everyone in their extended families had perished in the Holocaust. Over 70 years later, my friend did a DNA test and found a first cousin of her father, who was born in the same village and now lives in the US. The Ancestry results are not 100% accurate in identifying geographical origins, but some remarkable discoveries and reunions have come about as result of DNA testing. Some rumors and assumptions have been dispelled, too: for a long time we had reason to think that our "illegitimate" great-grandfather might have had a Cherokee father, but DNA testing showed that we probably need to be looking for a dark-haired Irishman!

 

[WalkingJane]

My blood was tested and came back 79% vihno tinto, 16% Patxaran, and 5% pulpo.....

Yours is the best!

 

[David61]

1 in every 200 men alive today is descended from Genghis Khan. He got about a lot, largest contiguous empire you know!

 

[emvb]

Just to add another sobering note to the discussion: when test results give you a figure of, say, 5% Iberian, this means they've determined you have a 5% likelihood of having ancestors originating from that region. It doesn't mean that 5% of you is (or even may be) "Iberian". Given that 1 in 20 makes for poor betting odds, better not to back that horse, I say.

 

[Pelegrin]

Just to add another sobering note to the discussion: when test results give you a figure of, say, 5% Iberian, this means they've determined you have a 5% likelihood of having ancestors originating from that region. It doesn't mean that 5% of you is (or even may be) "Iberian". Given that 1 in 20 makes for poor betting odds, better not to back that horse, I say.

So, it would also mean 95 % likelihood of not having ancestors from the Iberian peninsula.
In my opinion that information, unless you have an specific interest it, is irrelevant because it could be valid for most regions in the world.

 

[Michelle Menhennet]

Just to add another sobering note to the discussion: when test results give you a figure of, say, 5% Iberian, this means they've determined you have a 5% likelihood of having ancestors originating from that region. It doesn't mean that 5% of you is (or even may be) "Iberian". Given that 1 in 20 makes for poor betting odds, better not to back that horse, I say.

Given the path of early Celtic migration, I just assumed that my 5% Iberian DNA was part and parcel of my British/Celtic ancestry.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Being Portuguese, my tests showI have a lot of "Iberian" DNA.
My grandparents came to the USA from the Azore Islands.
They insisted they were not Azorian but were "Atlantean."

My ex husband, now a good friend, and also Portuguese, used to laugh and tell me,
"You're not Portuguese, you're FLEMISH!"
That was because my great grandmother's passport stated she had red hair and green eyes,
and so did I (before I turned grey).
Turns out he was right.
Those Azore Islands were a port for pretty much any sailor sailing the sea
and apparently the woodpile held some Flemish, German, Irish, and Italian genes,
along with the Iberian ones.

When I traveled to the Azores with my ex after my great-grandmother passed away, and my great grandfather's brother invited us to visit, I literally cried when my foot touched the dirt there. It felt like "coming home." That was made even more real by the group of cousins there to meet us and invite us into their homes, houses built by my own ancestors. It was wonderful! Saudades.

The biggest laugh of all came when 23&me told me my son and I had nearly the largest number of Neanderthal genes to show up in their tests. It explained weird things like chocolate making me cough, and wheat hurting my joints. It also may have explained my temperament. ::chuckle::

I love genealogy.
It's a great hobby of mine.
I have over 8,382 names on my family tree currently, and it continues to expand.

 

[KJFSophie]

Being Portuguese, my tests showI have a lot of "Iberian" DNA.
My grandparents came to the USA from the Azore Islands.
They insisted they were not Azorian but were "Atlantean."

My ex husband, now a good friend, and also Portuguese, used to laugh and tell me,
"You're not Portuguese, you're FLEMISH!"
That was because my great grandmother's passport stated she had red hair and green eyes,
and so did I (before I turned grey).
Turns out he was right.
Those Azore Islands were a port for pretty much any sailor sailing the sea
and apparently the woodpile held some Flemish, German, Irish, and Italian genes,
along with the Iberian ones.

When I traveled to the Azores with my ex after my great-grandmother passed away, and my great grandfather's brother invited us to visit, I literally cried when my foot touched the dirt there. It felt like "coming home." That was made even more real by the group of cousins there to meet us and invite us into their homes, houses built by my own ancestors. It was wonderful! Saudades.

The biggest laugh of all came when 23&me told me my son and I had nearly the largest number of Neanderthal genes to show up in their tests. It explained weird things like chocolate making me cough, and wheat hurting my joints. It also may have explained my temperament. ::chuckle::

I love genealogy.
It's a great hobby of mine.
I have over 8,382 names on my family tree currently, and it continues to expand.

Keep expanding that family tree...I'm relatively certain I'm a leaf somewhere ...lol Hope you are doing well Dear Annie

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Being Portuguese, my tests showI have a lot of "Iberian" DNA.
My grandparents came to the USA from the Azore Islands.
They insisted they were not Azorian but were "Atlantean."

My ex husband, now a good friend, and also Portuguese, used to laugh and tell me,
"You're not Portuguese, you're FLEMISH!"
That was because my great grandmother's passport stated she had red hair and green eyes,
and so did I (before I turned grey).
Turns out he was right.
Those Azore Islands were a port for pretty much any sailor sailing the sea
and apparently the woodpile held some Flemish, German, Irish, and Italian genes,
along with the Iberian ones.

When I traveled to the Azores with my ex after my great-grandmother passed away, and my great grandfather's brother invited us to visit, I literally cried when my foot touched the dirt there. It felt like "coming home." That was made even more real by the group of cousins there to meet us and invite us into their homes, houses built by my own ancestors. It was wonderful! Saudades.

The biggest laugh of all came when 23&me told me my son and I had nearly the largest number of Neanderthal genes to show up in their tests. It explained weird things like chocolate making me cough, and wheat hurting my joints. It also may have explained my temperament. ::chuckle::

I love genealogy.
It's a great hobby of mine.
I have over 8,382 names on my family tree currently, and it continues to expand.

I also have a very high (compared to the rest of the population) percentage of neanderthal DNA!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I also have a very high (compared to the rest of the population) percentage of neanderthal DNA!

Cousins!

 

[JLWV]

Pelegrin, about frecuency and distribution of names and surnames in Spain, have a look at https://www.ine.es/widgets/nombApell/index.shtml

 

[Pelegrin]

Pelegrin, about frecuency and distribution of names and surnames in Spain, have a look at https://www.ine.es/widgets/nombApell/index.shtml

Thank you I didn' t know it.
The map doesn' t include Portugal but many Galician family names are also Portuguese:
Mouriño/Mourinho, Pereira, Carballo/Carbalho and many more.

 

[Barney12]

Hello fellow pilgrim,

they only look at 1% of your genome. They make conclusions by samples they had tested before and they know the most of the ancestral heritage. They use an algorithm to check for corresponding similarities in the given DNA-sample. So, those tests are just clues of your family roots. Not a proven scientific value.

But: the more tests they make, the more informations they gather, the higher will be the accuracy. And they are testing a lot at the moment. So maybe, in 5 years time the accuracy will be a bit better.

Have fun with your results!

I do know of french, dutch, austrian, polish, germanic, danish, sorbic and ashkenazi jews (grandparents of my father's side) in the last 7 generations of my family. Just talk with your relatives, it's more accurate and informative than you think.

 

[Barney12]

I bought my sons and mother kits from Ancestry.com which I think is an Australian company. My first sons came back and was interesting but when my other sons came back along with my mothers results they had them as cousins!! ( think its just a stab at first degree relative ). But yep.. the more people do it the more accurate it can be with a growing database. It does make for exciting reading!!

 

[NorthernLight]

I think Ancestry is owned by the Latter Day Saints out of Utah. They have spent years going to Registry offices around the world and making copies of records. The ‘original’ copies are in a storage bunker in a mountain, but pretty much all of them are digitalized and available on the website. For those who balk at paying a fee to access them, many libraries have free access, and the LDS have Family Resource Centres where you can use their computers and access Ancestry as well as other ‘Premium’ genealogy websites.