Ancestry.com dna results

[fizz83]

Hi all,

Im hoping there are a few people on here who know a little more about the dna testing than myself and are able to help.

I just got my results back, 50% European  West, 31% Irish 12%Great Britain - (with a small percentage of 4 other traces).
Now all my research so far, going back on some lines into the 1500's, i have English  ancestors right through, with the odd irish/welsh/Scotsman. I'm saying about 90% English so far on my tree.
 
The results have definitely thrown me, as there are certainly no links to abroad... i might add too my dads side are all quite darker skinned /toned and certainly not typically -british' looking. I myself am very very olive with dark features.i was hoping dna may have given a clue to that...

 Is it just that the European West is so far back i wont discover it? Or with it being such a great number  (50%!) Is it likely there is something i have missed closer home?
I would love anyones thoughts

[davidft]

Your results are not unusual although can be a bit of a shock at first. For an explanation  why have a look at a couple of the short films on the Ancestry site that should put your mind at rest.

The Ancestry Academy has a number of short films that explain DNA and ethnicity. You can see the titles here

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/academy/course/ancestry-dna-101


The Ancestry Academy is found under the Extras tab at the top of the Ancestry home page

[shellyesq]

If you go to Ancestry's DNA page, click on where it says Full Ethnicity Estimate, and click on each section, you will see what area they cover.  For example, under Europe West, it says "Primarily located in: Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein  Also found in: England, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic".

Unfortunately, it's not yet an exact science.

[bther]

Do you have royalty lines? Since there was intermarrying between countries at least of royalty and sometimes royalty was not actually from the country they ruled we can have ancestors that lived in a country but who have DNA from somewhere else.

[fizz83]

Thanks all for your replies.

I have watched the videos and read the Estimates in full when I first received my results, I guess it will just be that the European West lines are beyond the papertrail, but I will keep on the hunt!

bther: No, I have no royalty lines in my tree - but Im sure that does explain things for a lot of people

[pharmaT]

Thanks all for your replies.

I have watched the videos and read the Estimates in full when I first received my results, I guess it will just be that the European West lines are beyond the papertrail, but I will keep on the hunt!

bther: No, I have no royalty lines in my tree - but Im sure that does explain things for a lot of people

A lot of the results come from way back beyond the paper trail.  There was a lot of emigration into the UK from elsewhere in Europe in the past  Also because what we inherit from our grandparents rarely works out 25% each and multiplying that across the generations we can inherit quite a bit from one ancestor and nothing from another.  A relatively small percentage of your ancestors will show up in your DNA when looked at over a lot of generations.

My paper trail stretches from Cromarty to Rochadle (furthest South) yet I too have West European, my mum has Greek and Cacasus also (I didn't inherit this bit).  I find it a bit sad that it's likely I'll never know where that came from but it's likely to be far back.                                             

[Ayashi]

So the odds are that the non-British DNA is on your father's side.

I guess one other explanation for the unexpected DNA is that somewhere along the line the father on paper wasn't actually the one who did the deed! Our trees are only as accurate as the paper trail they follow. I'm aware of one area of my tree where the mother ran off with her lodger- the child born 9 months later was attributed to the lodger but luckily it was recent enough for photos to show otherwise (quite clearly, too!) Who knows what people got up to in the past but as much as we'd like to think it, it's unlikely that 100% of all our ancestors were faithful.

[Julz1211]

So the odds are that the non-British DNA is on your father's side.

I guess one other explanation for the unexpected DNA is that somewhere along the line the father on paper wasn't actually the one who did the deed! Our trees are only as accurate as the paper trail they follow. I'm aware of one area of my tree where the mother ran off with her lodger- the child born 9 months later was attributed to the lodger but luckily it was recent enough for photos to show otherwise (quite clearly, too!) Who knows what people got up to in the past but as much as we'd like to think it, it's unlikely that 100% of all our ancestors were faithful.

It's so true I have a guy in my original birth certificate who I know isn't my bio as I'm of olive skin, brown eyes, dark hair . I met my half sister & brother 4 years ago all from the same mother none of us know are real fathers yet I am a mirror image of my sister we are the only  ones with the brown eyes, hair, skin etc mum is pale skinned, blue eyes as is the so called bio father on my birth certificate even our brothers are Blonde hair,blue eyes,pale skinned.. It's a mystery a lot of secrets went on in the past especially when a unmarried pregnancy accrued....

[squatt]

Cuckoo in the nest is one possibility as mentioned. Sadly it happens more than you realise. A study done a few years back reckoned that as many as 1 in 5 families had a cuckoo in the nest without the male partner knowing about it.

Other explanations include the war years..when a lot of men where away fighting the wives sought comfort/financial support/excitement.

Also immigration too various countries in the early years with partners disappearing to seek there fortune.

Factor in the old master and chambermaid scenario, as in the olden days dole did not exist and people had to go into service living away from home treat like a slave.

lots of variables.

The thing to note about the british DNA sample by ancestry is still VERY small compared to USA as more people from this country take it then the results will change including yours