So Proud of Great Diversity in My Ancestry

[chesya]

I thought Father is of German ancestry because of his German name and his (and my) birth place Tottenham in North London , where at the turn of the twentieth century, the first languages were German and Yiddish. To my surprise his strongest ancestry was Dutch, followed by various places in the UK and then in the historic Austrian Empire - Krakow (now Poland), Lubijana (Slovenia) and Reutte in modern Austria. No Y dna matches for Germany which makes the German name hard to explain.

My mother's mtDNA was off the scale.

1 Denmark St Olai, Hyorring, N-Jylland
2 Denmark - Thisted
3.France
4 Stavropol, North of the Caucus, Russia
5 England or Wales
6 Portugal Douro to Tejo
7 Portugal South of Tejo
8 Byelorus - Ashkenazi Jew
9 Serb or Croat
10 Northern Europe (probably Faroes)
11 Portugal - North of Duoro
12 Denmark Copenhagen
13 ditto - Nazaret
14 Czech - Ashkenazy Jew
15 Vorpommern Germany
16 Balouchistan Sistani tribe
17 Germany Bonn
18 Germany Munster
19 Hungary Budapest
20 Csango Hungarian Moldavia Romania
21 Bydgosszcz between Pomerania and Kuawy Poland
22 Ukraine
23 Libya - Sirte (Gadafi's tribal centre)
24 Austria Innsbruck
25 Slovenia
26 India - Havik group Brahmin caste NW Karnatika
27 Germany Freiberg
28 France Strasbourg
29 Romania Ashkenazi Jew
30 Italy Ancona
31 Iran Zanjani tribe
32 Iran Gilaki
33 Iran Azeri
34 Iran Lorestani tribe
35 Iran Fars tribe
36 Iran Torkouman tribe

Others are below 1%

There are only three definite Ashkenazi matches, but there are others like 'Ukraine' that scream it in the context of other matches.

Thank you for letting me share my enthusiasm!aa

[davidft]

Not wishing to pour cold water on your findings but most credible geneticists would tell you that you can not derive that degree of accuracy from any current DNA genealogy test.

At best DNA genealogy is a pseudoscience based on very small populations and very large assumptions. you may find it useful to read some of the links given on the numerous posts in this section to see more of what others have said.

Out of curiosity which company is claiming the accuracy that you have posted ?

[chesya]

No worries, I only desire as accurate information as can be reliable and your warnings are welcome. I do understand the limitations of the 'pseudo-science', but exhaustive searches cannot even locate the births of any of my grandparents all of whom were supposedly born in the UK. My family history is shrouded in mystery, many family units producing a 'nordic' looking children with 'South Asian' (very rough indications) looking children over and over again - too often to be explained by marital infidelity. Only expected broad indications from the Y and mt tests knowing also that the vast middle of the family tree would remain hidden. I, too was surprised at the accuracy and very pleased. The matches seemed to coincide with hearsay evidence about Sephardic and Roma ancestry, although the Sephardic part turned out to be, in theory, Ashkenazi from the Jewish pale in the old Russian Empire.

The company is Roots for real or Genetic Ancestor Ltd, who say they have worked with the BBC. They do offer explanations for the accuracy of some of their matches in their database, for instance genetic research into the valleys of North-East Iran just prior to the Bam earthquake.

I welcome your opinions and knowledge and will put them to the company.

[LizzieW]

I'd be interested in david's opinions too.  I don't know if you are male or female chesya, but I'm female and have always thought it was a waste of money trying to get a DNA genealogy test done.

Lizzie

[KGarrad]

Hmmm?!

The only mention of BBC on their website (Genetic Ancestor Ltd) is this:

For ordering our new horse pedigree DNA tests as described in the BBC , please email us . . .

Reckon you've wasted your money!

[aghadowey]

The BBC link is mentioned here- https://www.rootsforreal.com/

[chesya]

My mind is open, I welcome your opinions and thank you for them. I have checked the links yet there is nothing that describes the exact form I should expect for the results and vague remarks as to the levels of geographical accuracy and matching. I await substantiated refutation of the form and content of the results. I am by no means wedded to the results that did strike me at first as too good to be true, but I have found nothing to dismiss them completely and there too many elements that concur with informal family history for both mt and Y results to ever dismiss them 100%. The Y results concur very closely with received understanding of my paternal ancestry.

There is always the possibility that I have taken in - I don't yet know - but I have no regrets. I was faced with discovering my ancestry with a rich oral history and no documentation even for my grandparents' births. The DNA tests only give the outside of the 'V' - all I was searching for was some indication - the mt test results far exceeded my expectations.

The BBC often makes errors in its sources, but even Wikipedia is neither 100% reliable nor up to date

I await a response from rootsforreal and a more specific and substantiated refutation from the experts here. Perhaps I will be able to find more answers through participation here!

[Guy Etchells]

Their website makes extravagant claims which cannot be substantiated for instance:

“About 60,000 years ago a founder group moved out of Africa and their descendants, through the natural process of mutation, formed the haplogroups M and N. These groups in turn gained a foothold during the Ice Age in Asia, Australia and parts of Europe and evolved their own specific types. So, for example, Europe is populated by the haplogroups H, I, J, K, T, U, V, W and X; Asia by A, B, C, D, E, F, G, M, and Y; the Americas by an Asian branch with A, B, C, D and X ; Papua New Guinea by P and Q; and Australia by further M and N types.
Everyone in the world fits into one of these haplogroups or motherlines."

They cannot possible substantiate this claim as only a tiny proportion of the world’s population have had their DNA tested.
There could be thousands of other groupings that have not been envisaged yet but until a high percentage of the population have had DNA tests it is just theory.

Likewise the claim “These DNA tests can be useful in tracing African ancestry, British ancestry (English, Scottish or Welsh origins) as well as Viking ancestry or Jewish ancestry.”
There is no such thing as British ancestry even when the divide it into sub groups of English, Scottish & Welsh, it is totally meaningless.

What is English, is it Saxon, Norman, Angle, Jute, Celt (or more correctly Gauls), . What about the Romans whose legionnaires came from all parts of Europe and beyond, it is often said that the Romans pushed the Celts out of England into Wales but in the main the Celts came form the same areas of Europe as the Romans. There were Celts in Italy before the birth of Christ.
 What is Viking ancestry or Jewish ancestry, these are just labels put on grouping that include people of many different races, and it is a culture grouping rather than a racial grouping.
A Viking was a person who went on raids, nothing to do with heritage likewise a Jew or Jewish is/was a person who practice Judaism

When a company makes such elementary errors how can anything they claim be taken as accurate?

Cheers
Guy

[Ruskie]

I agree with the sceptics. I've never seen results like that from DNA testing before.

I would take it all with a grain of salt.

May I aslo add that I'm not sure why a diverse ancestry is something to necessarily be proud of. I can't see that it makes any difference. When broken down in the way that this oddly has been, I suppose we'd all have something similar.