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It's easier than ever before to check your entries from the 1881 Census - more details here
DNA
- Thread starter Fern49
- Start date
It would be marvellous - but the chances of finding that out are pretty remote, at least for the forseeable future. Ethnicity percentages are extremely unreliable, partly because the databases are skewed. For example, until this year 99% of all the people who had tested with AncestryDNA lived in the US, and the percentage is still likely to be at least 98%.I've been alerted that Ancestry.com.au will be offering a DNA test to their invited members. I've put my name on the list. How marvellous it would be to know my exact ethnicity.
Have you taken a Family Finder test? It's a LOT cheaper, and whilst their database is smaller, they probably have more Europeans who have tested than ALL the other companies added together.
You can have both for what I consider a reasonable price. I originally took the Ancestry autosomal DNA test. It's possible to download the Ancestry DNA data and upload to FTDNA. Last December when I did that FTDNA was giving the top 20 matches for free and $39 USD for access to everything. I'm 100% European on both sites--no surprise given my ancestry. Ancestry has me higher for the British Isles while FTDNA has me higher for Western Europe. It's more of a gee whiz thing than vastly scientific. I like it best for the match potential--of course, as an American, I've more chance of those. However, I think there is lot to gain for those of us with ancestors in places like Ireland with few records. I'm currently working with a DNA match in trying to find a common ancestor--we both have family from the same place in Ireland.
(By the way, it doesn't work the other way around. Unfortunately Ancestry doesn't accept raw DNA uploads from other sites.)
(By the way, it doesn't work the other way around. Unfortunately Ancestry doesn't accept raw DNA uploads from other sites.)
Deb, I'm not sure you've taken into account the higher price that Ancestry charge in Europe? I believe it's £99 plus £20 shipping, which works out at nearly $180, and this means that when you add the $39 unlocking fee it works out at twice the cost of testing with FTDNA. I don't know yet what the costs will be in Australia.
You are right, Peter, that it is not as good a deal as in the US as Ancestry charges more than FTDNA in UK. The main advantage is getting access to two data pools while knocking off some of the cost. I also did a DNA upload to GEDmatch which is free. Don't know if many Europeans use that or not.
Yes, the downside of free is that Gedmatch performs sporadically. It took several tries to get my DNA data uploaded. However, once that's done, access is easier and they do have some nice matching tools and a chromosome browser.
And I'm really glad you asked that question as it caused me to log in and check it--and I've a new match from my Irish past on my #3 chromosome. I've written her before but lacking the Irish records we've been unable to confirm the connection.
And I'm really glad you asked that question as it caused me to log in and check it--and I've a new match from my Irish past on my #3 chromosome. I've written her before but lacking the Irish records we've been unable to confirm the connection.
It is sadly very very common and in the nature of DNA matches that the matches you find have no paper trail. This is often because people take DNA tests to try to fill gaps in paper matches then get frustrated with matches they can't "prove" with paper records.
It's a bit of a catch 22.
It's a bit of a catch 22.
I use Gedmatch, and never had a problem. I find it useful but the Family Finder - Chromosome Browser over at FTDNA is excellent.
There is quite a good write up here and well worth the read.
trebor
LostCousins Member
From the description this is the paternal line only. From my research my great grandfather is illegitimate and I have no idea of his father will this make that test of little value or could it possibly provide a eureka moment?
As you can see my knowledge of DNA research is not very good.
Trebor, DNA research is a bit like Lost Cousins. It's only going to work if other people get tested or load their ancestors.
So in your case, the test itself won't tell you anything, but, if someone else has taken the test and you have matches with them, then you can start to explore where your ancestors start to converge. More and more people are getting tested so the chances of finding something is improving.
Taking the test may tell you nothing, not taking the test will definitely tell you nothing.
So in your case, the test itself won't tell you anything, but, if someone else has taken the test and you have matches with them, then you can start to explore where your ancestors start to converge. More and more people are getting tested so the chances of finding something is improving.
Taking the test may tell you nothing, not taking the test will definitely tell you nothing.
Assuming you're talking about your great-grandfather in your direct paternal line, then yes - it's probably the only way you could ever find out who his father was. For example, if you get several matches with people with a particular surname, that could well point to the surname of your unknown ancestor - so the next step would be to look for people of that surname who were in the right place at the right time.
I'd suggest re-reading the DNA articles in my newsletters - they're designed to make the principles underlying DNA tests understandable by any family historian.
trebor
LostCousins Member
It was reading this post that generated the interest I had not previously looked at this line of research.
I think that it will be worth checking it out and will start by reading your articles with more interest.
Many thanks for your advice Peter.
trebor
LostCousins Member
Thanks Peter that has made the search much easier - I have already read the first article and found it very informative.
Fern49
LostCousins Star
Thanks for all the replies, very informative, but looks to be a bit of a waste of time for the obvious reasons mentioned above. I do know what my ethnicity is, within a bulls roar, I was thinking if there is a 'stray' that I know nothing about, !! (curiosity killed the cat)
It depends how far you've gone back on each line - if you've gone back (say) 7 generations on each of your 128 lines then you're not going to make any surprising discoveries. But if your great-great grandfather was out in India, and there's a rumour that his wife (your great-great grandmother) was partly Indian, then this might well show up.