Ancestry DNA Results

 If you've been reading my blog, you know that last year I started working in earnest on my family heritage albums. This involved creating a family tree on Ancestry and learning a lot about genealogy in the process. Although I still have miles to go, I feel like I have a really good start to this project and -- importantly -- I'm excited and motivated to continue!

To supplement the information I've compiled and verified on my family tree, I decided to take the Ancestry DNA test. I sent in my test in early December, expecting 6-8 weeks or more to receive the results. Since then, I've been reading and watching videos on Ancestry to understand what to expect and how to use the results to augment my family tree research.

 In taking the test, I hoped to validate my "paper trail" so far and find clues for further research. I also wondered if there would be any unexpected results, which I've heard is often the case.

 

To my delight, the notification came back just a few days ago that my results were already in. I could hardly contain my excitement! And yes, there were a few surprises!

  This is a screenshot of my ethnicity estimate. Of course, I was expecting to see Europe West as I have already validated that my dad's father's side of the family came primarily from France and Germany. I also expected to see Ireland/Scotland/Wales as I know that my mom's side of the family came from that part of the world, even though I haven't put together that part of my family tree.

But Scandinavia? This was a total surprise and I had no idea what to make of it. My immediate thought was: AM I A VIKING? LOL Short answer: Probably not...but maybe a tiny bit. :)

(not actually me!!)

Further study helped me understand that the Vikings and others from Scandinavia invaded (and sometimes came to live peacefully in) northern France (where my family is from) and the British Isles (where I also have roots). So this influence could be from either side of my family, since both lived in areas of invasion. I will never know for sure, but further study might enable me to make an educated guess.

  The other trace amounts are also interesting. I was very surprised to see only 5% Great Britain as I know that my dad's mother's family hails from England. Obviously that ethnicity became diluted over time. The Iberian Peninsula factor (Spain, Portugal) also warrants further research, but I understand that trace amounts are common in people with Great Britain in their DNA profile.

 In addition to the ethnicity estimate (which you have to remember is only an ESTIMATE based on Ancestry's methodology), Ancestry provides some really interesting migration charts which show how populations moved over time. In the chart below, you can see on the right the regions where my DNA comes from and on the left, where those groups migrated.

 

These charts are consistent with the research I've done so far which indicates that I had family settle in New England and move from there on to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and finally Iowa.

 You can take the Ancestry DNA test without being a subscriber to Ancestry.com, but the results are far more useful if you have a family tree on Ancestry which is filled out as much as possible. This is because the test results also connect you to "cousins" (I found one 2nd cousin, a few 3rd cousins, and the other 500+ are 4th cousins and beyond) who may be on the same research journey. You have the opportunity to connect with these people to collaborate on family history, or at least make use of their documentation. 

 

The only frustrating part of this process is that the vast majority of my DNA matches either do not have a family tree at all or have a very small tree with only a couple of generations listed. Without that information, you can't see how you might be related, unless you message the person privately.

 

 So I quickly discovered that in order to make the most of my results, I needed to add more people to my tree. Up until this week, I had only focused on my dad's side of the family. Now I've started to fill out my mom's side of the tree with as much information as I have been able to validate so far. In working on a couple of those lines, I've been able to verify which line came from Ireland, consistent with the DNA results. There's even a family crest! 

 

For the first time, I now know the names of all 8 of my great grandparents, and all 16 of my great-great grandparents. In the screenshot below, each little arrow at the right indicates that the family tree continues even farther back on some lines. My immediate goal is to fill in each line at least to the homeland, where research becomes more difficult. The more information I can fill in, the more useful the DNA results will become to me.

I know that there are many people who view genealogy as a very dry subject but for me, it is having the opposite effect. I'm fascinated with learning as much as I can about the people who came before me and in turn, hopefully more about myself.

 Much more to come on this subject! Thanks for hanging with me on this journey. :)

jp