Adventures in Genealogy

As I've shared in the past, I've been working on my family tree via Ancestry, and it has proven to be one of the most interesting tasks I've ever undertaken. When I first started, I really wasn't sure what I was doing, but I've learned a great deal and feel like I've made good progress. My goal is to trace each line of my tree back to the "homeland", and I'm slowly but surely getting there. I now have 673 people in my family tree!

To supplement my research, I also took a DNA test through Ancestry and linked it to my online family tree. Since I received my results last December, I'm now up to 778 "cousins"!  Interestingly, I have heard from a couple of them with questions about a particular family branch. With my grandma's records, I was able to help both of them with their questions.

I now also have 15 DNA circles, which are groups of family members that are connected via a single relative. In order to have DNA circles appear in your results, you need to have researched back several generations. Having DNA circles is a confirmation that your research is correct, which is a very good thing! DNA circles can provide insights and clues for further research.

 Recently, Ancestry updated my DNA Ethnicity Estimate results based on additional comparison data they've obtained. You really have to take your results as a best-guess estimate. Back in the olden days, populations migrated great distances, so just because you have ancestors in a particular country NOW doesn't mean that they originated there. Your results also depend heavily on the samples available for comparison. Ancestry is constantly obtaining more population samples, so the results will evolve over time.

My results have changed in terms of how they're labeled, but not materially. Ancestry has refined their comparison areas and re-categorized/renamed them. For instance, my original estimate showed that 37% of my DNA comes from Europe West (France, Germany, etc.). This is consistent with my research.

Now "Europe West" is called Germanic Europe, and my new percentage is listed at 23%. But because of how populations migrated, part of the area that was previously considered Europe West is now grouped with England and Wales.

 

 The numbers have changed, but if you look at the old and the new maps, you can see that the circled areas are really just about the same, with a few areas eliminated.  As time goes on, the results will become more defined and specific...and hopefully even more accurate.

Now turning to my family tree, I've learned that in general, my family has been in this country for many generations. There are just two lines (through my paternal grandpa) which have been here for a relatively short time. Grandpa's dad's family came from France and his mom's family came from what was then called Prussia. As best I can tell, the immigration took place during my third great grandparents' generation around 1800.

The remaining lines of my family (on both my mom's and dad's side) have been in this country since the 1700's and much earlier. Some immigrated to the early settlements in the colonies back in the 1600's. As such, I have a number of relatives who served in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

So, long story short, in order to meet my goal of researching each family back to the homeland, I have to go back a LOT of generations! This project is going to take some time!

 If you haven't jumped into family history research, I would highly recommend it. At each turn, there's a mystery to solve and a brick wall to break through. It's fascinating to learn more about what makes you...YOU!

jp