Ancestry

[mi*vida*loca]

I did my test in early December and got my results this past weekend.

Like I said in a PP post I'm Puerto Rican and we know Puerto Rico is a huge melting pot. My great grandmother just recently passed away a few years ago and her last name was French. Her husband (my great grandfather) was Afro Puerto Rican. As far as she could go back (she remembers her great grandparents) they are all from Puerto Rico.

So I was expecting mostly anything and everything.

26% Iberian Peninsula
19% Europe South
14% Native American
13% Ireland/Scotland/Wales - This caught me off guard

I had a mix of African countries that equaled about 18%. There were also small amounts of Russian, Middle Eastern, Great Britain and Asia.

I then had 1000+ cousin matches. I know 3 on the list as my second cousins. The rest are 3rd cousins and up. I've only gone through and taken a peek the first 20 or so and I have no idea who they are. They are all on my mother's side so far. It states we share a great great grandparent. Considering my great grandparents all had about 10-15 siblings I doubt even my grandma would know who they are. It was very interesting.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Both my husband and I took the Ancestry test about a year ago. He has since learned that he has six half siblings!

This is awesome! Can you tell us more? Was he shocked? Did he meet them? This is fascinating to me.

 

[tzolkin]

So, my husband got his results back right before Christmas and it has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. He really wanted to know his ethnicity info, but much more has been revealed.

A few years ago, he finally sat his mom down to have a conversation about his father. (She had never told anyone.) The story seemed plausible, but the name was alcohol related (think “Captain Morgan”) so we thought maybe that was made up to protect her secret.

DNA results showed quite a few “Morgan” matches including a half-sister. Fortunately, the accounts are all managed by a cousin who has studied genealogy for 30 years and just happens to live 30 minutes from us (we are 12+ hours from all other family).

DH always assumed his dad was some crappy, deadbeat kind of guy. But apparently he’s a family man who has been married for nearly 40 years. The problem with contacting them?— the oldest sister is two months older than DH. So the father was married with a pregnant wife when he was conceived.

We just met the cousin over the weekend and spent hours talking about family history and looking at hundreds of photos. It’s been bittersweet for DH. The cousin plans to tell his father that he exists (his mom literally never told anyone) and go from there. We certainly don’t want to upset his wife or ruin his family, so it’s likely he will never tell them.

 

[lovin'fl]

I took the test about 2-3 years ago. My father, deceased now, was a chronic adulterer so I keep expecting to find a surprise sibling but no surprises so far.

 

[mco65]

I have been a paying member of Ancestry.com for many years. I truly enjoy learning about my ancestors... its quite a thrill. I have also had my DNA tested and found several close relatives that I was unaware of... still, i am not planning any reunions with them. They are interested in the same thing i am.. our ancestors. I share with them what i know, they share with me what they know.. its really nothing more than that.

I found a 3rd/4th cousin this past weekend who lived in Bakersfield, CA all his life. His parents were from TN... He didn't have much info on his ggrand parents from TN which were also my ggrand parents.. So I showed him all the info i had on them.. which i am confident was a great find for him... that's really all it is at least for me.. not meeting new cousins.. but finding out what my new cousins know that i don't!

If sometime down the road i get a chance to meet (in person) a newly discovered cousin, that's fine to....

 

[aprilgail]

We just met the cousin over the weekend and spent hours talking about family history and looking at hundreds of photos. It’s been bittersweet for DH. The cousin plans to tell his father that he exists (his mom literally never told anyone) and go from there. We certainly don’t want to upset his wife or ruin his family, so it’s likely he will never tell them.

There is no more hiding with DNA available- if you had a child you may very well be found. Given a child away, Donors etc- doesn't take much now to locate them! I have helped many people find their biological families through DNA-as well as finding my own.

ETA- so just checked my daughters ancestry dna and last night she got a new half sibling match!

ETA- and just found out that the new half sibling is a triplet! So she now has 2 more half brothers and a half sister!

 

[sonnyjane]

Just got my results - nothing unexpected (bummer!). 48% Eastern European (Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia) and the rest made up of Irish/Welch/Scandinavian/West Europe.

The only thing that was surprising is that based on my DNA, my ancestors on my dad’s side came over far earlier than I expected- 1700-1750 and settled in West Virginia. My mom’s family didn’t come over until much later... 1900-1925.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I took the 23andme test when it was only $49 over Christmas. My results came back 2.5 weeks later. I'm not at all surprised by the results. I'm 100% European. The breakdown is:

Northwestern European 86.1%
French & German 71.4%
British & Irish 4.8%
Broadly Northwestern European 9.9%
Eastern European 8.8%
Broadly European 5.2%

 

[FlightlessDuck]

So, these DNA tests show your DNA but not necessary represent an actual percent mixture of your genealogical makeup, due to DNA recombination. Each egg and each sperm carries a different mix of a parent's genes.

Here's an article from just yesterday about it:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health...mother-was-italian-why-arent-my-genes-italian

 

[AlohaNow]

There is no more hiding with DNA available- if you had a child you may very well be found.

DH put the test kit on his wish list this year, got it as a gift, and mailed it off. I believe that most people do it for fun and to confirm what they already know, and to find out their percentages. DH did it because for 47 years he never knew who his biological father was. Now he does. A letter has been mailed. And now he waits. I'd love to tell you all the story, but you will understand that it is not mine to share. It has been an unbelievable and mind blowing three weeks.

 

[bushdianee]

DH put the test kit on his wish list this year, got it as a gift, and mailed it off. I believe that most people do it for fun and to confirm what they already know, and to find out their percentages. DH did it because for 47 years he never knew who his biological father was. Now he does. A letter has been mailed. And now he waits. I'd love to tell you all the story, but you will understand that it is not mine to share. It has been an unbelievable and mind blowing three weeks.

Did your husband have a name to begin searching? My grandmother refused to tell my dad anything about his biological father. I just got my results back from Ancestry and there were no surprises as to heritage. I am hoping that a connection pops up but am also being realistic about it.

 

[AlohaNow]

No name, not at all. This all came through DNA matches from the test and an extremely informative phone call from a newly matched relative. Other pieces were put into place and the lifelong mystery was finally solved.

 

[aprilgail]

DH put the test kit on his wish list this year, got it as a gift, and mailed it off. I believe that most people do it for fun and to confirm what they already know, and to find out their percentages. DH did it because for 47 years he never knew who his biological father was. Now he does. A letter has been mailed. And now he waits. I'd love to tell you all the story, but you will understand that it is not mine to share. It has been an unbelievable and mind blowing three weeks.

Found mine through there also and like I have said he had passed away in 1999- but I found some new info out this week, a relative sent me his death certificate and I looked up the address on the death certificate and apparently my bio father was homeless and living in a homeless shelter in NYC.

 

[Turn the Page]

I don't know about these DNA tests. I think they could be useful if you're trying to find family members you didn't know you had but from what I know about genetic drift and population DNA and such I'm really leery about the validity of the ethnic breakdowns.

Also, apparently it says in the fine print on those kits that after you submit your DNA the company then owns your DNA. Not to be a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist but the concern is that Ancestry and 23andMe can then turn around and sell your genetic information to third parties such as insurance companies. Frankly, I have enough health problems as it is, I don't particularly want my life and health insurance companies to know if I have the genetic markers for conditions that would make my rates sky rocket....or ineligible for coverage entirely.

ETA: Hmm, interesting article. I especially like the last quote from one of the DNA companies that says their ancestry percentages are based on a confidence level sliding scale ranging from 50-90%. The higher the confidence rating you select the less specific they are.