Last spring I blogged that I wanted to do a genealogy DNA test but was overwhelmed by the options. In July, I reminded myself that done is better than perfect and I took advantage of a sale that Ancestry DNA was having and sent for an autosomal DNA kit.
I got the results back in August, and was tickled to see my ethnicity breakdown. I’ve never felt a kinship with any particular nationality, but I was very interested to see that my primary ethnicity is Ireland (38%). That didn’t come as much of a surprise since the first immigrant ancestor I’ve confirmed so far in my research was from Ireland. After Ireland, the breakdown is West Europe (23%), followed by Great Britain (11%), Scandinavia (9%) and Finland/Northwest Russia (7%). Before this, when asked my ethnicity I would have guessed Great Britain.
I saw a few DNA matches on Ancestry DNA, but beyond reaching out to one match, I haven’t done much with it. Recently, I decided to upload my Ancestry DNA results to Family Tree DNA. For a small fee, my matches were displayed. They presented me with some 900 matches, ranging from 1st to 3rd cousin all the way to remote cousin. I just reached out to the closest match.
At this point, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed and wondering “now what?” I was contacted by a cousin and asked to join a surname project, which I did. I uploaded my GEDCOM to Family Tree DNA. But I’m not sure what, if anything, I should do next. When I start to read about genetic genealogy, something in my brain rebels. (I’m more of a social science than a hard science person.)
My inclination is to sit tight and wait for people to contact me. But I’d love to hear any suggestions from you about more active ways to benefit from my DNA test. Thanks in advance!
Janine
I assume you knew the 1st cousin and just didn’t know how to contact. I keep running into 1st cousins once removed.
Jerry, I was using the word cousin in the general sense. (That’s how my husband’s family speaks, everybody is a cousin, even if they’re distantly related.) The cousin who contacted me is actually my 3rd cousin, once removed (on my father’s side). I do know all my first cousins–I don’t have many!
I’m glad you keep run into your 1st cousins once removed, because that’s how you found me! Happy new year.
Try this blog post of mine for ideas on what to do next http://blog.kittycooper.com/2013/01/finding-distant-relatives-with-autosomal-dna-testing/
Kitty, thank you so much! Your article was helpful (though my head still swims a bit) and I appreciate all the effort you made in creating it. I know I’ll be reading it more than once!
Thanks Janine,
My new years resolution is to clean up my office and get my genealogical paper files scanned in (thus better organized) so of course I started following your blog. Thank you for all YOUR help!
I started blogging to keep track of what I learned and to help educate my cousins who had tested. Soon I discovered that I loved writing and helping others understand my new addiction. I had always been fascinated by genetics and had followed it in the news avidly. So of course once personal genome testing became available, I tested myself, my dad, and my brother. Soon many more of my family members joined in on the fun.
Having other family members tested, particularly 2nd cousins, is a big help figuring out where all my new DNA cousins fit in. So this has been a great boon to my genealogy hobby. The tag success stories on my blog might be a fun read for you http://blog.kittycooper.com/tag/success-stories/ as it describes all the new cousins I have found with DNA
Thanks, Kitty! Good luck with your organizing. If you have any challenges you’d like me to cover here, please let me know! I’m off to read your success stories now.
Janine, through the years I have come to accept that when I think something and also think that I am the only one on the planet thinking what ever it is I am thinking – I soon find out that I am far from the only one thinking what ever it is. This is true for your thinking about the confusing nature of DNA testing and results. I too have been on that same track. You are ahead of me – in that you have at least done the test. I have yet to send in anywhere to get a test kit. However doing a DNA test is now sitting at #2 on my want to do list.
I have to tell you that the turning point has come within the last few weeks. I happened across a blog by accredited genealogist Michael Lacopo. He lives in Indiana; and his blog is entitled Hoosier Daddy? You can find the blog at http://roots4u.blogspot.com
Michael has been on a quest to find the identity of his grandfather. This blog is the most compelling reading!! Once you start reading you won’t be able or want to stop. He has 80 entries for 2014. He documents the ins and outs, ups and downs of the DNA search results and then his historical research. Michael’s really explains what the DNA results mean. His blog has pushed me to get some DNA tests done. I hope you enjoy this blog.
And now I’m going to go read Kitty Cooper’s blog – mentioned above.
Karen, one of the things I love about blogging is learning that I’m not alone in my quandaries! Thank you so much for your comment. I am familiar with Michael Lacopo. I took an excellent webinar from his last year via the Southern California Genealogical Society. I’ve heard of his blog but haven’t yet read it, mostly for fear I’ll get too sucked in, but of course that’s not smart thinking. Now that you’ve told me how much you like it and that he explains DNA results, I think I’ll have to dive in. Thank you so much!
Good luck with your test! I hadn’t realized that I could transfer my Ancestry DNA results to Family Tree DNA until I read a short ebook on the topic recently (Guide to DNA Testing, by Richard Hill) and I’m glad I found that out.
Good Evening my dear,
I actually had my DNA tested a couple years ago. While I’m glad I did, and hope that I may get a little more information out of it in the future, so far it’s been a bust. My ethnic breakdown didn’t tell me I didn’t already know. I’ve always known I was a German/Irish/Swede. 🙂
As far as the ‘cousin’ connections, again, nothing beneficial. Many of my connections have private trees or no trees at all. I’ve politely contacted almost all with the private trees saying that it seems that we may have common ancestors. IF I get a reply at all, it’s just to say that yes we do and that’s it. No further contact or connection. Those who do have public trees, I don’t see any common connections whatsoever.
On another note, I’ve enjoyed reading the above comments and look forward to checking out the links listed.
Hey, Lori. You might consider transferring your results to Family Tree DNA to see if you get different results in terms of matches. Glad you’ve enjoyed this comment thread!
Now that Ancestry DNA is here in the UK I have sent off my kit and awaiting my results! I’m looking foreward to this and also discovering new family through it.
I hope you’ll let me know what you find out and how the DNA test helps you, Marion!
Janine,
You hit a nerve when you said you got overwhelmed. I had the same issue when I dove into DNA testing after having served as my family’s unofficial geneologist for 25 years. I ended up buying all 4 tests, and I’m still learning how to get the most out of them.
The main thing I learned from this experience is that the “big 4” geneology DNA tests (23AndMe, AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA and Genographic Project 2.0) are all very different. No single test can do everything for everyone, yet.
I summarized the differences on a small mobile website I just put up, http://myfamilydnatest.com. The goal of the site is to help people select the right test based on their particular research objective, so they can get started. More people getting DNA tested = more research value for everyone. Network effect.
Anyway, great post – esp. the video links.
Charles, thanks so much for your comment. I look forward to checking out your site. It sounds really useful!!
Cool, thanks. Really interested in your feedback – if you have the time.
Charles, I finally checked out your website, http://www.myfamilydnatest.com. It’s terrific–you’ve provided a real service to people who are trying to figure out what DNA test to buy. I like that it’s simple, easy to use, and free! Thanks for pointing it out to me!
Yes, I’m way behind in my genealogy emails, so you may not even see this reply! Silly me thought I’d finish all the unpacking and reorganizing in my new house before I tried to find time for genealogy. I’ve discovered that will postpone my research indefinitely! Anyway….I had expressed an interest in the DNA testing to my dh but he read all of the privacy information on the websites and feels like I would be opening up personal information too widely. Have you heard of anyone else with like concerns?
Lin, I haven’t personally heard those concerns, but they don’t surprise me. I did a quick Google search and found this document from Family Tree DNA that might interest you: Common Misconceptions about DNA Privacy: https://www.familytreedna.com/common-misconceptions.aspx. Thanks for your comment. And good luck unpacking and organizing your new home!
Janine –
I wrote a post for my cousins focused on the very basics of using DNA testing for genealogists. Maybe you will find it helpful:
http://blog.kittycooper.com/2015/03/using-your-dna-test-results-the-basics-for-genealogists/
Sorry to have missed you at Rootstech, maybe the Jamboree?
Kitty
Kitty, thanks so much for posting this! Your work is so impressive to me, because DNA testing is so hard to understand (or explain, when you do understand).
I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you at RootsTech. I hadn’t thought about attending the SCGS Jamboree, but now that you’ve had me looking at the program, I just might! I’ll let you know if I’m attending (and I’m sure I’ll blog about it here).
Thanks again for sharing that link!