DNA tests on Northumbrians?

[Gen List Lass]

Good luck Roger, I STILL haven't understood what all those markers mean to me!

Gen in NBL England

[supermoussi]

I have my results now, but am trying to make sense of them..... not a simple thing at all.

Roger

What test did you do and what were you trying to find out?

[didactylos]

I took the FTDNA test whilst at the Olympia Exhibition in February.

All I seem to have from that is a very broad brush Orcadian with some Middle Eastern mix and a load of names that I 'might' be connected to.

I guess part of the problem is I did the test without really knowing what I was expecting, and what I have got either isn't much - or else I really don't have a clue how to then use the information.

The 'tutorial' material on the website is far from helpful either.

Maybe I have just dipped my toe in the water of something that in a decade or two will be far more useful - due to advances in the science and a greater amount of people being involved, or maybe I just have stumbled across a modern version of the 'snake oil salesman'.

I'd like to think its just my lack of knowledge, but maybe I, like a lot of others, stumped up an amount of money expecting more than just the 'you basically come from western europe' thanks for the cash,

Roger

[supermoussi]

I took the FTDNA test whilst at the Olympia Exhibition in February.

Which FTDNA test was it though?

[didactylos]

Family Finder....

Roger

[supermoussi]

For most British people Family Finder won't tell you much. Exceptions may be people with adoptions in their recent tree or those with unusually mixed genes.

If you want more specific genealogical info you are restricted to testing your paternal line (STRs for very recent history, SNPs for further back) or your maternal line.

[didactylos]

Ok thanks for that, looks like I need to get my credit card out again....

Roger

[DevonCruwys]

The ethnicity part of the Family Finder test doesn't really tell you very much at present but there is supposed to be a more advanced admixture test in the pipeline. A lot of British people come out with a small Middle Eastern percentage with this test but it is not of any significance. There simply aren't enough reference populations available for matching purposes at present.

You need to go through your match list and contact your genetic cousins to see if you can work out where you are related. I find the easiest tactic is to download the match list, and then focus on the people with British, Australian or NZ e-mail addresses as these are the people with whom you will most likely to be able to find a genealogical connection. Start with the closest matches. It's almost impossible to find connections with fifth to distant cousins.

Make sure you add your list list of ancestral surnames and if possible upload a GEDCOM of your family tree.

The Y-DNA test would actually have been the most useful test to start with as the Y-DNA database is much larger and there are numerous well established surname projects. There is a sale on for the Y-DNA test which ends on 26th July.

[belfordian]

It. Is over 5 years since the previous messages were posted but I wondered if any more developments have been made re DNA of northumbrians since then? Like many others I have taken various DNA tests and found a few matches some of whom I can see clearly how we are connected, others with no obvious connection and a few with georgraphical connections which could be red herrings.

I live in North Northumberland with ancestry over last 250 years in this same area and Tyneside. My mitochondrial haplogroup is K1c2, not very common in England. Does anyone know if it is more common in North Nthbld than rest of country? My earliest ancestor in female line is Ann Thompson of Lesbury born about 1780-85. I harbour a fantasy that she stems from Scandinavian forebears as some of my closest DNA matches are Swedish and my ethnicity % from Scandinavia is in region of 13%.

The FTDNA group for Northumberland does not seem to have been updated for some time so has not proved very useful. But most of the other DNA sites are worldwide and I would like to find something more specific for  this area. Can anyone suggest anything?