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Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing / Ancestry DNA: German great-grandfather, no German in 'ethnicity breakdown'?
« on: Thursday 13 February 20 22:41 GMT (UK) »
I have a German great-great-great grandfather (from Vorpommern in northern Germany, around the Baltic Sea area).
Given the relative distance, I was not expecting to find much trace of this in the Ancestry DNA / FTDNA / MyHeritage ethnicity estimate, because on average a person derives 3% of their genes from a 3x great-grandparent.
In fact, no 'German' surfaced in my ethnicity map - I was 85% Irish / Scottish and 15% 'England, Wales and Northwestern Europe' on Ancestry DNA; 95% British Isles, 3% Scandinavian and 2% East Europe on FTDNA, whilst on MyHeritage the breakdown was 95% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh and 5% Scandinavian.
I didn't really think about this...until I tested an older relative who is the great-grandchild of this German Pomeranian ancestor. Now, a great-grandchild typically receives 12.5% from a great-grandfather (give or take a bit with random recombination) - yet this older relative, who is much closer genetically to the German heritage than myself, also had no 'German' showing anywhere in his ethnicity breakdown.
Instead, on Ancestry DNA (the only one he's tested with thus far) he was 91% Irish and Scottish and 8% England, Wales and Northwestern Europe, with the only other element being a very small 1% European Jewish.
I have read that AncestryDNA actually has a 'Pomerania' genetic community cluster and I find it rather suspect that even someone as closely related as a great-grandchild would apparently evidence none of this ancestor's ethnicity in his estimate.
Are the Pomeranian German genes being grouped under another category, such as 'England, Wales & NE'? Is there any other reason why the estimate would not include it at all?
Given the relative distance, I was not expecting to find much trace of this in the Ancestry DNA / FTDNA / MyHeritage ethnicity estimate, because on average a person derives 3% of their genes from a 3x great-grandparent.
In fact, no 'German' surfaced in my ethnicity map - I was 85% Irish / Scottish and 15% 'England, Wales and Northwestern Europe' on Ancestry DNA; 95% British Isles, 3% Scandinavian and 2% East Europe on FTDNA, whilst on MyHeritage the breakdown was 95% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh and 5% Scandinavian.
I didn't really think about this...until I tested an older relative who is the great-grandchild of this German Pomeranian ancestor. Now, a great-grandchild typically receives 12.5% from a great-grandfather (give or take a bit with random recombination) - yet this older relative, who is much closer genetically to the German heritage than myself, also had no 'German' showing anywhere in his ethnicity breakdown.
Instead, on Ancestry DNA (the only one he's tested with thus far) he was 91% Irish and Scottish and 8% England, Wales and Northwestern Europe, with the only other element being a very small 1% European Jewish.
I have read that AncestryDNA actually has a 'Pomerania' genetic community cluster and I find it rather suspect that even someone as closely related as a great-grandchild would apparently evidence none of this ancestor's ethnicity in his estimate.
Are the Pomeranian German genes being grouped under another category, such as 'England, Wales & NE'? Is there any other reason why the estimate would not include it at all?