RootsChat.Com
General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: davidft on Wednesday 24 October 18 11:07 BST (UK)
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As several of you know you can get different DNA estimates from different companies. Having just got my "My Heritage " results back I thought I would post my results from three companies so people can see the wide variations you can get.
Living DNA
100% Great Britain and Ireland (also gives a breakdown into 10 UK regions)
FTDNA
84% West and Central Europe
16% Scandinavian
My Heritage
43.5% Scandinavian
28.6% Ireland Scotland and Wales
15.2% East Europe
11.8% Iberian
0.9% Italian
The FTDNA and My Heritage results come from the same sample. The Living DNA results come from a new sample
I guess the "moral" of the story is if you don't like the DNA results from one company try another who knows you may get an ethnicity prediction more to your liking ;D ;)
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I've had DNA ethnicity results from
Ancestry
Living DNA
MyHeritage
The only thing they all agree on is that I am 100% European!
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Just goes to show:
Interpretation of DNA results (especially ethnicity) is an Art form, rather than a Science! ;D ;D
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Had DNA results from 23andMe and Ancestry and both are surprisingly similar. Both show that I have Jewish heritage (which I thought I had and is almost certainly linked to my g.grandfather whose origins I haven't found yet).
The best thing is that there are lots of trees on Ancestry that show my g.grandfather as the son of a certain couple, Richard and Priscilla. In my heart of hearts, I knew this was wrong but had no way of proving it until I recently asked someone who had my family in his tree on Ancestry, how we were linked. He said he was descended from the family of Priscilla. Fortunately, he had done his DNA with Ancestry so when I got my results and we weren't a match, I knew that I was right and all the trees on Ancestry were wrong. Granted Richard and Priscilla did have a son with the same name as my g.grandfather (in fact they had 2 but one died as a baby and the 2nd one named after him), but he wasn't my g.grandfather.
Believe it or not, I wrote to all the people who have this couple as my ancestors and asked them to remove my true ancestors from their tree and, without exception, they all have. RESULT. ::)
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Surely the important thing is that the DNA results are to all intents identical? The ethnicity results are relatively less significant and are notoriously differently assessed by the testing companies. What's with this obsession with ethnicity? Aren't we all mixed?
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My obsession with just one part of my ethnicity is that I hope it will lead to the origins of my g.grandfather. His eldest granddaughter, (that is my father's eldest sister) burned all paperwork and photos relating to this man and his mother after the death of her own mother (my g.grandfather's daughter) in 1952, and apparently said "We don't want to be bothered with all that"! My gut feeling, from photos of my g.grandfather, my gran and my dad and his siblings, is that my g.grandfather was Jewish in origin (and either Spanish or Portuguese depending which member of the family you speak to) and, of course, in 1952 not many years after the end of WW2 being part Jewish was probably not something you would boast about.
Unfortunately, so far the only DNA matches with Jewish ethnicity are 4th and more distant cousins, although I do intend to look at them all and write to the ones I think might be able to give some assistance. Ideally, I'm waiting for someone who is still in the UK and a match to do their DNA. All the closer matches I have, I've worked out the link and, in most cases I'm not bothered whether these people contact me or not.
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Surely the important thing is that the DNA results are to all intents identical? The ethnicity results are relatively less significant and are notoriously differently assessed by the testing companies. What's with this obsession with ethnicity? Aren't we all mixed?
I would like to give this a big LIKE ;D
How many times has it been said on here (and other sites) that the ethnicity results should be taken with a pinch of salt, and trace %s with pepper, vinegar and lots of other condiments.
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Surely the important thing is that the DNA results are to all intents identical? The ethnicity results are relatively less significant and are notoriously differently assessed by the testing companies. What's with this obsession with ethnicity? Aren't we all mixed?
Precisely, which makes Ancestry's adverts to push the ethnicity aspect of the tests all the more ridiculous IMO.
I don't mind people taking them as gospel (which they are not IMO) as some do but equally I think its good that people point out the shortcomings (which I have done several times on here) and then people can make up their own minds.
:)
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I'm not advocating completely ignoring ethnicity; instead I'm pushing for more folk to test and that's a struggle but possibly will be mandatory in future...
What would be a great help now would be for people who upload to Gedmatch to upload a Gedcom at the same time, please.
On top of that, can I make a plea that the utilities provided are used and in particular Tier 1 Triangulation Beta. Working towards finding that elusive common ancestor is surely better shared than attempted on one's own. This utility alone is worth a 1 off 10$ just to try it and be presented with 2 graphical presentations (one "Tree" with associated Gedcoms and the other tabular by chromosome from 1-22). In addition you can download a .csv and enter it into Excel and work on it from there by comparing your Gedcom with any others and contacting all those in your Triangulation Groups. Yes, it requires a bit of patience and grind in the hope that folk will get back to you. Well, they do but don't expect it all to fall easily into your lap - communicate!
You will have to use Word & Excel or similar and a laptop or pc - tablet/phone too small...
No, I don't get a %
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I like this explanation about what DNA may be passed down to siblings from parents, the cards analogy is a good visual explanation.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mx4/
Cheers
Guy
PS Scroll down for the cards
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I'm not advocating completely ignoring ethnicity; instead I'm pushing for more folk to test and that's a struggle but possibly will be mandatory in future...
What an horrific thought! :o
Sounds like something proposed by the Nazi Party in the 1930's?
It was called Eugenics.
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What would be a great help now would be for people who upload to Gedmatch to upload a Gedcom at the same time, please.
I've never even seen a Gedcom, never mind have one to upload.
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Who said anything about eugenics? Not I.
Think about all the data we freely pass to Ancestry, for one?
Think also about having to provide more and more proof of identification?
DNA'd at birth, is it so unrealistic in this day and age...
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A Marquessate who claims never to have seen a Gedcom, surely not? But perhaps never heard of Gedmatch, either. Oh, dear, suddenly I feel all alone out on my limb...
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https://www.gedmatch.com/login1.php
GEDmatch provides DNA and genealogical analysis tools for amateur and professional researchers and genealogists. Most tools are free, but we do provide some premium tools for users who wish to help support us with contributions. You will need to upload DNA and / or genealogical (GEDCOM) data to make use of the tools here.
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A Marquessate who claims never to have seen a Gedcom, surely not? But perhaps never heard of Gedmatch, either. Oh, dear, suddenly I feel all alone out on my limb...
I'm on Gedmatch.
I just don't use any family tree programs for my tree. I just have it on my computer in Excell.
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Well....being a Gedmatch user you will have noticed that some kits have uploaded a Gedcom based upon their FT. Why not take a peek and see what they've provided? You will, possibly, have noticed that Gedmatch provides a means of comparing 2 Gedcoms. I don't think they will ever provide a means of comparing an FT Excel spreadsheet to a Gedcom, but what do I know, maybe they will...
The Gedmatch team are attempting to provide a means whereby (amateur) DNA research can augment "normal" FT research and for that they should be commended and a good bit of what they have provided is free and constantly being updated and upgraded with some support from those that buy Tier 1. I doubt they're going to get rich that way.
It just makes it a bit easier for some users if they have another kit's Gedcom otherwise if you are assisting with a query why not help in this small way. A high proportion will know their way around an Ancestry or MyHeritage FT but might find it not so easy when your .xlsx lands in their inbox. I suppose there is some virtue in not using the proprietary FT programs but even the free ones have the facility for compiling a Gedcom….go on make my day and try it!
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I'm not advocating completely ignoring ethnicity; instead I'm pushing for more folk to test and that's a struggle but possibly will be mandatory in future...
What an horrific thought! :o
Sounds like something proposed by the Nazi Party in the 1930's?
It was called Eugenics.
History tells us that Eugenics was "invented" (coined) by the British in 1883 closely followed by the Americans, the Nazis were very late in being involved and their involvement was the spark that caused the interest in Eugenics to wane .
The Eugenics Records Office of New York even researched family history and the Americans were the first to sterilize “unfit” individuals, African American women, blind, mentally disturbed, deaf and even alcoholics to prevent them passing on their genes.
Cheers
Guy
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Well....being a Gedmatch user you will have noticed that some kits have uploaded a Gedcom based upon their FT. Why not take a peek and see what they've provided? You will, possibly, have noticed that Gedmatch provides a means of comparing 2 Gedcoms. I don't think they will ever provide a means of comparing an FT Excel spreadsheet to a Gedcom, but what do I know, maybe they will...
The Gedmatch team are attempting to provide a means whereby (amateur) DNA research can augment "normal" FT research and for that they should be commended and a good bit of what they have provided is free and constantly being updated and upgraded with some support from those that buy Tier 1. I doubt they're going to get rich that way.
It just makes it a bit easier for some users if they have another kit's Gedcom otherwise if you are assisting with a query why not help in this small way. A high proportion will know their way around an Ancestry or MyHeritage FT but might find it not so easy when your .xlsx lands in their inbox. I suppose there is some virtue in not using the proprietary FT programs but even the free ones have the facility for compiling a Gedcom….go on make my day and try it!
Hadn't noticed them before, just had a look at few, one or two even had a name or two otherwise Hidden Hidden.
I won't be creating one of them, or sending my tree to anyone, if they want to know, than ask. I'll answer.
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A Marquessate who claims never to have seen a Gedcom, surely not? But perhaps never heard of Gedmatch, either. Oh, dear, suddenly I feel all alone out on my limb...
I'm on Gedmatch.
I just don't use any family tree programs for my tree. I just have it on my computer in Excell.
So, if we were a DNA match you might be able to give me names and dates for many of your gt-grandparents and perhaps gtgt-grandparents. That's more info than most matches offer, and it would be enough to get me started on working out the connection.
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A Marquessate who claims never to have seen a Gedcom, surely not? But perhaps never heard of Gedmatch, either. Oh, dear, suddenly I feel all alone out on my limb...
I'm on Gedmatch.
I just don't use any family tree programs for my tree. I just have it on my computer in Excell.
So, if we were a DNA match you might be able to give me names and dates for many of your gt-grandparents and perhaps gtgt-grandparents. That's more info than most matches offer, and it would be enough to get me started on working out the connection.
Yep, I chatted with quite a few matches and worked out the connection. Mine are all Irish famlies so I can only get a couple of generations back I guess that's why all this in depth DNA research doesn't grab me, the paperwork to make sense of distant matches just doesn't exist.
I only got tested because the test was a Xmas gift but it got me to look again at some of the famlies which led on to finding a few more records so it worked out well for me and the matches that were stuck with just Ireland as a birthplace.
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Well, I suppose that's an explanation for your apparent lack of enthusiasm for Gedmatch and Gedcoms.
As for "Hidden", what's so upsetting about that? It's pretty standard to obscure the identities of living people; Ancestry & MyHeritage do it. The GRO to a degree does it with Census & BMD data. There may be ways to work around such.
It's not that difficult to compile a Gedcom and upload it to Gedmatch. Who knows, maybe there'll be a number of hits.
Wouldn't it be nice to enthuse others and then maybe more will take a DNA test in return for a little help.
I've found Rootschat very useful and perhaps my tuppence worth is attempting to return the favour, Sinnan. Is it the lack of Irish detail that's the stumbling block? There's not much anyone can do about that and yes it is a struggle trying to identify those obscure DNA links but I thought I'd give it a go and maybe, just maybe, a few Gedmatch TGs will work out.
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As for "Hidden", what's so upsetting about that?
Not in the sightliest bit upsetting.
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As several of you know you can get different DNA estimates from different companies. Having just got my "My Heritage " results back I thought I would post my results from three companies so people can see the wide variations you can get.
Living DNA
100% Great Britain and Ireland (also gives a breakdown into 10 UK regions)
FTDNA
84% West and Central Europe
16% Scandinavian
My Heritage
43.5% Scandinavian
28.6% Ireland Scotland and Wales
15.2% East Europe
11.8% Iberian
0.9% Italian
The FTDNA and My Heritage results come from the same sample. The Living DNA results come from a new sample
I guess the "moral" of the story is if you don't like the DNA results from one company try another who knows you may get an ethnicity prediction more to your liking ;D ;)
As I have now received my Ancestry origins I thought I would add to the above, needless to say they are different again!
Ancestry results
88% England, Wales and Northwestern Europe
7% Norway
5% Scotland and Ireland
Still not taking any of it seriously thought! ;D ;)