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Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #15
I did my first test through National Geographic's Human Genome Project, then through Dr Stephen Oppenheimer's EthnoAncestry Project.  Those analyses found that my male gene type is R1a1-2a, one of the British Isles' 50 male founding clans.  The R1a1-2a gene type arrived in the British Isles around 6,500 years ago and is observed today around the Thames or the Severn, to a lesser extent in Kent, Cumbria and East Anglia.  My father's ancestors were from Cumbria and probably lived in the same area for 6,000 years.  Before arriving in the British Isles, my paternal ancestors were horse nomads from Central Asia.

My mother's ancestors spent the last Ice Age on the Iberian Peninsula, then walked northwards along the Atlantic coastline as the ice sheets melted, arriving in Britain around 7,000 years ago.

Since those first DNA tests, I have tested with Ancestry and MyLivingDNA and uploaded my DNA results to MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, FamilyFinderDNA, GEDMatch and My True Ancestry.

Apart from connecting with many close and distant cousins, I have discovered the identity of my maternal grandmother's father, a family mystery for 120 years, and made contact with my mother's previously unknown half-brother.

I'm particularly interested in how I'm linked to ancient DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of folk who died long ago.  Apart from the Cheddar Man (7150BCE) and the Amesbury Archer (1450BCE), I share DNA with Bell Beaker Folk from England (2150BCE) and the Czech Republic (2215BCE), Norse-Gaelic and Norse from Iceland, Denmark and Sweden (935CE, 875CE and 1050CE) and seven Celtic and Briton gladiators from York (250CE).

The only issue I have with DNA testing is that it can become all-consuming  :)

It's also not something you would want to pursue if you're a bigot and/or hold racist beliefs  ::)

“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #16
I can proudly state that I have no known Collingwood or Essendon supporters in my ancestral lines.
Reality always wins in the end.

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #17
Was this testing DNA in general, mtdna (mothers side), or Y (fathers side)? Some sites offer really specific testing (FamilyTreeDna) was one.

Just making the distinction between 'ethnicity' and 'relationship'....

In terms of relationship the test has indicated matches on both my mother's and father's side. (aunts, uncles, cousins)
In that respect with around a dozen known relatives having used the same test it is quite accurate.

The ethnicity factor is a little harder to split because my parents had similar ancestral breakdowns....mostly Irish/English.

It is definitely indicative of my mother's side...The European Jewish shows up in relations on her side and a 'Victorian settlers' component comes from the fact that her parents were from farming families in the Seymour/Avenel/Nagambie area before moving to the Riverina in NSW in the early 1900s.

I can't identify a distinctive ethnicity that I can attribute to my father's side alone.

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #18
The ethnicity estimates offered by the various DNA testing companies are very much estimates and will vary according to each company's reference sample, estimation methodology and timeframe.

Ancestry's ethnicity estimate changes periodically and my latest version is England and NW Europe 55%, Germanic Europe 5%, Norway 4%, Baltics 2%, Finland 1%, Scotland 13%, Sweden and Denmark 15%, and Wales 5%.

MyHeritage's ethnicity estimates are updated infrequently and mine has remained as follows for some time; Ireland/Scotland/Wales 33.7%, Scandinavia 27%, Eastern Europe 26.9%, Iberian Peninsula 9.2%, Italy, 1.7%, and Western Asia 1.5%.

My Living DNA is a relatively new company and most of its reference sample is from the British Isles.  It's estimates are based on where your ancestors were likely to have been up to 1,500 years ago, much further back than other DNA companies.  My ethnicity estimate is Great Britain and Ireland 97.6% (broken down into areas within mainly England but also Ireland, Scotland and Wales), and South Germanic 2.3%.

Family Tree DNA's ethnicity result is England/Wales/Scotland 44%, Central Europe, 42%, Ireland 13%, and Finnish 1%.  FTDNA also provides an estimate of your ancient European origins and mine is Metal Age Invader 16%, Farmer 46% and Hunter-Gatherer 39%.

Eurogenes is accessible via GEDmatch and its estimate is North Artlantic 44.44%, Baltic 21.73%, West Mediterranean 13.33%, West Asian 6.44%, East Mediterranean 5.05%, Red Sea 1.32%, South Asian 1.21%, Siberian 0.82%, Sub-Saharan 0.35%. Amerindian 0.22%, and Oceanic 0.10%

I could go on but folk would start to nod off!

Based on my great great grandparents' places of birth, my ethnicity is England 93.75% and Swedish 6.25% (the Irish were a generation further back).  Of course, that doesn't take into account ancestral migration and the Norse contribution to the English (and Scottish, Welsh and Irish) genepools. 

What does it all mean?  Take it with a grain of salt  :)
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #19
Long time no speak, but this topic is of a fair bit of interest to me as it is a bit of a hobby of mine.

I have done a number of people's DNA for them and done a lot of research. The ethnicity side is literally just a "fun" thing, it is basically irrelevant, but the actual DNA matching can have some quite amazing results, depending on how far back you go and how much time and effort you put into it.

I was able to find my grandfather on my father's side through a connection with a 3rd cousin once removed on Ancestry and a second cousin twice removed on MyHeritage, well that an a lot of detective work, but it was quite cool, to eventually get to know the history of this side of the family, to provide my mum with photos as and to finally confirm the connection through asking someone on my grandfather's side of the family to take a test. But I have so far helped find missing dad's, cousins, sisters etc, so it can be quite rewarding in helping people connect.

My own the journey was crazy, my father's side in particular were connections with DNA (and public records) back to the 4th President of the USA ( James Madison), but also to a number of families who had written family history books, which once I came across these were really amazing. The oldest public record I could find was a connection to a family member living in Norwich in the UK in the 900s, but it is quite difficult around this era, because really public records are limited to landowners mainly, but honestly all of that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Also if researching your Irish heritage it can be particularly difficult because a lot of public records were burnt, but what you can do when you believe you have matches is actually contact specific parishes in the regions and ask them to confirm records..
So let's say your 5x Great Grandparents traveled to Australia (let's say Port Fairy as that was a common destination for Irish immigrants) in 1850 or so, they will appear on birth certificates for their children (born from 1853) as well as their death certificates, but you will need to check their parish (usually death certificate is a really good place for this) to get the parish they were from in Ireland to get more details.

Anyway that is already so much info, but overall I would strongly suggest that it is worth getting your dna done (I suggest Ancestry purely because a number of sites .. my heritage/gedmatch/familydna etc) allow you to upload your ancestry DNA file to their database for matches, but ancestry doesn't give you the same option.

It can be a lot of fun, but also time consuming and you have to be prepared to know you could be shocked by your results if you start digging.

There are great communities out there to help as well. I done most of my research with English, Irish, USA, Victoria and Tasmanian records, with just a little overlap into NSW and Germany, by far the easiest records I found to source were from Victoria and Tasmania.

Anyway hope all is well, time for me to pop away again
Goals for 2017
=============
Play the most anti-social football in the AFL


Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #20
I can proudly state that I have no known Collingwood or Essendon supporters in my ancestral lines.
My Great Great Uncle played for Carlton from 1868 to 1872, and then a few times in later years. Most of my family have been Carlton supporters since. Another couple of boys from the family played for East Melbourne before they became extinct.
Live Long and Prosper!

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #21
@mateinone

Nice to hear from you and thanks for the family history update.  It’s a great interest/obsession 🙂
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #22
I just got an Ancestry DNA match with a James Hird  :o
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

 

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #23
I just got an Ancestry DNA match with a James Hird  :o

Now you will understand your odd, unconscious attraction to syringes ;D
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #24
I just got an Ancestry DNA match with a James Hird  :o
There's a good reason to stop, before things turn nasty around here!
The Force Awakens!

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #25
I just got an Ancestry DNA match with a James Hird  :o

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives. :(

Re: Ancestry Tests

Reply #26
You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives. :(
Certainly confirms that DJC is brave and fearless, it's a bit like announcing you've found long lost Uncle Hitler! ;D
 
The Force Awakens!