DNA Testing for genealogy

Red_in_SE8 said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Although gene pools are constantly changing and being modified particularly so over the last 100 years there is still a resident gene pool in every location of the world and again particularly where isolation or restriction of movement have been resticted. It’s not precise in that it can pinpoint your ancestry as such but it can and does provide information on where the majority of those with your dna are most prevalent.

As I posted earlier. Traditional research provided me with information that my maternal ancestry was Irish and Jewish Lithuanian. The dna test my mum did nailed both those bang to rights.

Not snake oil and perhaps most useful for those of us with a slightly exotic ancestry but certainly not snake oil.

Who are you trying to kid? You are as exotic as pie and mash and jellied eels.

It’s my varied genes that gives me my edge over you in our discussions.

50% Norse and 50% Anglo-Saxon, I don't need a test to confirm that

LuckyReds said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

LenGlover said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

So much fear. In 50 years we’ll all be dead and no one will give a fuck.

Your grandchildren or great grandchildren might when they can't get life insurance....

Life’s too short and much changes. I wonder if my great paternal grandfafher was worrying about his great grandson ( not a pejorative comment) when he arrived in Whitechapel in 1890 ? Live your life. Don’t do harm to anyone if at all possible and don’t live in the shadow of fear. Mostly. Things look after themselves.

Not too argue with your point, Shootie - but I'd hazard a guess and say your great grandfather was thinking about his great grandson (i.e his descendants) when he moved to Whitechapel in 1890. It would've been for a better life, with greater stability and safety, surely?

I've considered doing a family tree, and I've got a lot of questions over my grandfather; specifically his upbringing and the early death of his mother. He never spoke about it, but it seems like quite a sorry story. Similarly, I know very little about the roots on the other side of my family.

On the other hand, the DNA aspect of things terrifies me from a confidentiality/privacy point of view; and the idea of being able to see genetic pre-dispositions concerns me. I'm not too sure if I'd want to know..

Why not give them a false name and use a work or friend's address for anything coming back by post?

i_b_b_o_r_g said:

50% Norse and 50% Anglo-Saxon, I don't need a test to confirm that

Nobody has those sort of percentages of ancestry. Im sure there will be something of interest lurking in there. Wouldn't you like to find out ?

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

JamesSeed said:

cherryorchard said:

JamesSeed said:

flyingkiwiDK said:

To anyone who has taken a DNA test for genealogical reasons, and mainly out of interest which website did you use and was it worth it?

Also did you make any interesting discoveries regarding your ethnic background?

I was given the test as a 60th birthday present. 'Ancestry' give you the facility to create a family tree for free as part of the test. But to get any hints, or matches with other family members you have to subscribe.

The test initially revealed that I'm 33% Irish, but more recently my profile has changed to 33% 'Irish or Scottish'. This makes more sense as I haven't found any Irish ancestors, but Jimmy Seed's mum was Scottish.

I've found it very useful for plotting the family tree (bearing in mind Jimmy Seed has five sisters and four brothers, so it's an enormous tree), but it hasn't yet revealed much about Jimmy's footballing sister Minnie Seed.

I'd certainly recommend Ancestry though. It all works very well, and the software/website is excellent.

Nothing to do with her DNA but did you know that Minnie (Seed) Quayle (by now widowed) was living with her (also widowed) sister Frances at 9 York Road Aldershot during the war. I found them on the September 1939 register. Frances (dob 16.04.79) was the Householder and Minnie (dob 12.03.97) was 'doing her bit' as an Aircraft Worker.

Yes I did know that, but cheers for the info anyway, much appreciated. I have quite a good timeline for Minnie, and all her football stats, but what I'm lacking is more info about her relationship with Jimmy. I have one living person to speak too, but from what my sister tells me, she doesn't have much to add to what she knows. Trouble was, he had five sisters and four brothers, so they can all get mixed up
I know he missed a Boxing Day match up north (Middlesbrough I think from memory), the day she was getting married (near Middlesbrough), so he could attend the wedding (I assume).

@JamesSeed Whilst on the subject ... Just wondered if you'd heard of a book called Terrace Heroes (The Life and Times of 1930s professional footballer) by Graham Kelly? There is a chapter on Harold Hobbis of Charlton and Jimmy Seed gets lots of mentions. It may be of use even if its only for a backround feel of the times. Either way its on line here.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nn5tY8lLNl8C&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=bartram+and+matthews+playing+for+the+same+team&source=bl&ots=8OMPJvgZLw&sig=5S2hWqvhiIGJ4PqSaLWWYnd9W2M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiftpnWuYzZAhVBDsAKHUPLAI4Q6AEINTAD#v=onepage&q=bartram and matthews playing for the same team&f=false

Wow, thanks so much. It’s obviously pretty rare as it’s on Amazon for over £110 and on eBay for £233 and £76. Fortunately they had a secondhand copy for eight pounds!

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/221797981013

AddicksAddict said:

i_b_b_o_r_g said:

...with a French kidney

If it's from Normandy, that's just more Norse.

Its from Toulouse, so probably North African

guinnessaddick said:

Ordered a kit from Ancestry in the off chance that my cousins might be on it. My Aunt moved to USA from Ireland in the 50s, got married had 3 kids (1 set of twins). One thing and other she ended up leaving, she hasn't seen them since the 60s. She is now 82 and we have spoke about it in the past and would like to find them, but hasn't tried, just thought it could be an easy way to find them if they are on it or if they have kids, they might be on it.

I did the same with Ancestry and it has really paid off, have had loads of matches with cousins in the US and Canada. My Dad left Ireland for the UK in the 1930s but he had relations who had left for the US/Canada around 1890/1900. We have shared loads of info/documents, pictures. Its also confirmed that contacts I had already made on Ancestry were indeed relatives. Incidentally, recently I have made use of the Irish Government site https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/. Completely free too!

@Dazzler21
If you are afraid of being upset by what you will find, then my advice is to avoid family history research.

I come from a perfectly "normal" family. In addition to illegitimacy, I have unearthed insanity, insolvency, incest... and that leaves all of the rest of the alphabet of embarrassments to explore! Actually, these are the people about whom you can discover most, in a wide variety of documents.

For me it was so much more interesting to find out about Victorian justice and punishment by following the trial and transportation to Australia of someone to whom I am distantly related. Or discovering on the internet a picture of the 60+ children in a Suffolk workhouse taken the year when someone I was researching was a young inmate there.

Bought a test off of Ancestry.com. Wanted to see if I could pin point exactly which regions of Ireland and Poland my family comes from. I am too far removed from that part of the bloodline for them to plot specifics sadly, however I did get some ethnicity percentages. Turns out im less than 1 percent Irish, I was totally shocked by the news but it turns out I'm 35 percent from Great Britian (a very pleasant surprise as I didnt think I had any in me). Well worth it especially if you are a bit older

My breakdown was slightly surprising. I'm 28% white rhino and theoretically an endangered species.

Should have realised that the cheap DNA test offer made by a Nigerian Zoo was too good to be true.

Gypsys, tramps and thieves on my mum's side and Vicars, tarts and illegal bookies on my dad's side.

Fairly standard considering my Bermondsey roots.

Call me paranoid if you like but what becomes of the samples?

LenGlover said:

Call me paranoid if you like but what becomes of the samples?

They are all sent to the secret dna storage facility located under the EU building in Brussels.