Has anyone on Top Dog had their DNA done for genealogy purposes (I don't want to know if it was because policeman Plod got you for something criminal lol)? I have and am wondering what others think of the results. Do you understand them? I do understand the ethnicity and that part of it was no surprise to me as, with one small exception, I not found anyone in my history to date, that was not from England, many of whom I believe to have been Anglo Saxons, partly because Lea is an Anglo Saxon name meaning meadow or field. This would explain the 56% Western European I would imagine. Although there might be a dash of Italian (Roman) or France (Norman) blood in the mix up too. My only exception is a splash of Welsh blood, although that will fit nicely with my Cornish ancestry in the Celtic bracket. However I have not had any messages from the many dozens of people who are supposed to share my DNA (even the strong probability ones), so on that front, it was a waste of money! Cheers Diana
Yes I did soon after starting to look into this hobby (about 10-12 years ago). At the time it was all about Y chromosome testing. My result proved that I was not genetically related within hundreds or maybe thousands of years to others with my surname who had started a DNA group. I was trying to find a way over a brick wall but DNA testing was not the answer on this occasion. The tests available now are far more varied and sophisticated but I'm not particularly interested in what percentage of my DNA is Neanderthal or whether I have Viking blood in me - certainly not enough to fork out for the tests again. I have never been contacted by anyone who might be related to me in those 10 years despite my tests and details being on the largest database in the world for such things. I remain sceptical about its value for genealogy because of the considerable occurrence of illegitimate births in bygone ages and the inevitability that many male babies were therefore adopted into families and given the names of the fathers who were not the biological father. Tony
Awww! Come on now Tony! Illegitimate babies! Never! I can't believe that of my god fearing ancestors lol
Thankfully in my case Tony, I have enough of my Dad's genes (including an extraordinary likeness to his mother now I am older!), not to have had to question him, but I ain't saying anything for the riff raff before him! lol
Interesting that you posted this, Diana. Yesterday was hubby's birthday and our daughter and s.i.l gave us ( Mine belated) a message that they are ordering a test for each of us. When it arrives, we do it and then get the results I will give you my opinion !! I was sitting of the fence about having it done before now.
Hi Sue, I will look forward to hearing your thoughts! Going back to my results, I did receive the names of 3 people whom I already knew about as I have been in touch with them for years. I then had 8 people who were supposedly between 2nd and 4th cousins of mine, and then about 40 or 50 who supposedly 5th to 8th cousins. Well, firstly it is very difficult for us to get back to 8th cousins (or, even 6th or 7th in some cases), as Oliver Cromwell put a stop to that when he ordered all parish records to be destroyed and should no longer be recorded....thanks Ollie NOT! A lot of these contacts were in the US and many of them DO have records back past the 1600's because many descend from the Pilgrim Fathers. so they bypass the period of Cromwell and can reconnect with earlier records from England. On average we have 2 to 3 missing generations which makes it almost impossible. Of the 8 closely related cousins (2nd to 4th) I do have most of my lines back to include 4th and 5th cousins, but even though I contacted all of these by sending a message listing all of my known ancestors (both husbands and wives) surnames, and a list of all known Counties that they lived in. I received two replies....both with people of the same name i.e. Pain, but no relationship at all and living in Counties dozens of miles distant from mine. I know (at least, I have been told, that DNA doesn't lie! Okay, that is fine, but I have problems believing these people who rave on about how they have found blood relations that they never knew of before. So, please let me know about your results when you have had time to digest them, as I have other friends who swear by DNA and seem to understand a lot more about centimorgans and DNA segments (the more the better I believe)! The reason I had mine done was, like TonyV I was trying to knock down my major brick wall, but so far no way! Good luck with yours, Diana
Thanks Diana My daughter says it was her husband's idea and she's sure he wants to check her lineage. I know if I have questions about terminology I can ask my brother and/or nephew... both are scientists.. one a genetics guy. Maybe it will help with my brick wall. My Irish gr. grandfather, but I'm not going to hold my breathe. It will hopefully answer some questions on my husband's side... how much German ancestry in his family! I have read that you can get different results among siblings just because one may have more of Mom's DNA and the sibling more of Dad's It may be awhile...these kids plan things but sometimes they take awhile to come to pass.
Sharing DNA with someone doesn't necessarily mean they share your interest in family history, even less your particular twig.
My thread Jumping with Excitement http://www.genealogy-specialists.com/threads/jumping-with-excitement.8024/ described how DNA testing helped to solve my roadblock re the big lad's great grandfather. It has certainly been worthwhile doing for that very result.
The story in my family was that my father fathered a child with my mothers sister and she is a bit younger than me, so one day late in his life I asked him was he her father (no one else was game to but I never got on with him so it didn't matter to me) and all he did was laugh and said that he knew who her father was but he wasn't saying. My aunts husband told her mother and sisters that my dad was the father so who do you believe, this poor girl still has no idea that who she thinks is her father is NOT.
Maybe to avoid loosing some teeth the hypothetical son could have phrased the question something along the lines of "How come a handsome man like you fathered such an ordinary looking bloke like me?". Might have worked but on the other hand the father might have realised that another ordinary looking bloke had somehow taken preference in his wife's bed in order to have produced an ordinary son.
Very true Bonzo Dog, but I have noticed that some of my ancestors lines are researched by dozens of people, yet others (my Lea family for instance) have very few researchers, so I always feel that the interest in our past varies tremendously from family to family! Cheers, Diana
I had an Aunt who had an illegitimate son always said that it was the son of the people she was in service to back in the 1920's who had 'raped her'. Her son grew up to be an exact replica of an Uncle of my Aunt, which might have been because some of his genes reappeared in her son, but although she took the truth with her to her grave, it is generally thought that it was her Uncle who fathered her child. I am personally of this belief, as both were nasty pieces of work, and with both looks and character being identical, it was almost a certain bet in my opinion! We will never know! Diana
Diana...last night I woke up about 3:30 and sleep eluded me so I started reading some articles in the latest copy of "Your Genealogy". (A Canadian published magazine with more than its share of American stuff ) I digress.... Anyway, there were 2 articles on DNA testing.. One by Diahan Southard who says " Just Keep It Simple". She says you want as many members of your family to take the test so you can get a good broad view of your ancestral heritage. Now the tests she is talking about involve swabbing whereas a lot of others are spitting in a test tube. The other was Dave Obee who is a regular contributor to the magazine and writes history books. Dave says " Don't Forget Your Roots" He stresses looking at siblings some cousins as well. He states you get different matches depending on which parent gave you what DNA. He didn't have a lot of matches on ancestryDNA, but one of his sisters had 10 percent more matches than he did and the other sister 40 percent more. Both Diahan and Dave state if your parents are still living get them tested first.
@Shellymac , & others-it's a sad truth that there are people out there who would concoct such stories on the strength of some-ones appearance just out of malice or boredom to stir people up. Ignoring the fact that looks can jump a line of descent or two - or three. Then there are the true stories which keep us guessing
As my Aunt adamantly refused to say who the father of her son was, even though he himself flew from England to Australia specifically to ask her as he really wanted to know, but still she refused, the question has to be asked....WHY not tell him as the father (if it was true that she was raped), would have most likely have passed on by then? Or she could have even made up some name...no one would have been any the wiser! The most likely reason was that all of the rest of the family would then have known it was her own Uncle, and very likely not as a result of rape! But then, I do have a bit of a nasty mind when it suits me!!!