Author Topic: Why do people bother with DNA tests?  (Read 1634 times)

Offline Seesure

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Re: Why do people bother with DNA tests?
« Reply #18 on: Wednesday 01 April 20 10:42 BST (UK) »
Thanks all for taking the time to reply, I plan to carry on doing my own research as well as I've found some really great nuggets of information but it's so bloody frustrating at times ...  ;D

Also I'm getting sick of hints on Ancestry to other peoples trees where they've got the information clearly wrong....

e.g. One 3rd great grandfather in my tree was born on 1819 and his wife in 1820 .... so many other people have them having a son in 1835...whilst biologically it's possible it's highly unlikely.... from my research this particular child was actually born in 1839 and the parents got married in 1841...

Some people then for some reason seem to miss out another child in the family who is given the same name as my 3xggf, so as a result they all have him (3xggf) as living from 1819 to 1912.... which in fact 1912 was the death of jnr as evidenced by his death certificate !!

It looks very much like they've seen a hint and copied it blindly without thinking....or challenging the information.

Offline jillruss

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Re: Why do people bother with DNA tests?
« Reply #19 on: Wednesday 01 April 20 12:53 BST (UK) »
I may be missing out on possible links but I pretty much ignore any of Ancestry's 'suggestions' other than the 'common ancestors' one. As you say, the others seem to be full of other people's errors. Its quite soul destroying when you 'review' trees of others with a similar name as yours and notice that one of them has made an error and all the others have merely jumped on the bandwagon. Why do these people bother of they're not prepared to do things properly? I have picked up on info that I hadn't known, but I always try to check it out for myself before running with it.

Also, I do find searching for matches by surnames every few months often comes up with new info.

But, oh how I wish people would include a tree when they do a DNA test. I'm not asking for one of those with 10,000+ names - often just a few generations will do. Sometimes, you can work with one or two surnames and placenames.

I appreciate Ancestry can't strong-arm people into including a tree but surely they could require people, when registering, to say where they're from and what age range they fall into. At the moment this info is only requested and, most of the time, not completed. More than once, I've managed to find someone's link to me through their surname (assuming its not Brown or Smith!) and their location, mostly by using FreeBMD to start with.

Perhaps Ancestry would consider requiring people to fill out their personal data rather than just requesting? Its not as if its overly intrusive.
HELP!!!

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Baptism nowhere to be found. Possibly in a nonconformist church near ALMONDBURY or HUDDERSFIELD.

Offline Gadget

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Re: Why do people bother with DNA tests?
« Reply #20 on: Wednesday 01 April 20 14:11 BST (UK) »
The matches's  trees that annoy me are the ones that indicate a tree and when you get there it has one member or just a few - all named as private. Surely, Ancestry could filter out such trees.
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Offline emeraldcity

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Re: Why do people bother with DNA tests?
« Reply #21 on: Wednesday 01 April 20 14:13 BST (UK) »
It amazes me how many people take the test and that's it, they appear not to want to learn or reach out when they get matches...

Over on Myheritage I have 5 interesting matches...

226.9cm over 9 segments (UK based)
87.4cm over 4 segments (US based)
86.7cm over 3 segments (US based)
78.2cm over 4 segments (US based)
68.4cm over 6 segments (UK based)



A ~200 cM match is very interesting to people like us, but I get the impression a lot of people on the other side are totally non-fussed because it seems very distant to them and they're simply uninterested in helping work out the mutual connection. I also suspect there's an element of family protectivity at play and they're unwilling to investigate the possibility of any impropriety.

Another more mundane factor, imo, is just that sometimes messages don't get relayed to people properly. Email account spam filters, site bugs (Ancestry has stopped notifying me of messages via email, bizarrely), that kind of thing. Also, there is a trend with older internet users where they forget their login details and end up remaking email accounts etc, so it's possible sometimes their DNA site profiles are linked to email addresses they no longer have access to. Btw, on the latter point, I don't mean to suggest all older internet users are forgetful - but you've probably seen first hand on sites like Facebook where you see the same person with six different accounts because they remake their profile every time they log in! (Technological factors are as much at play there - added online security measures, internet browser suggested passwords, Apple keychains etc - they add to complications if you're not technically savvy). That applies in the same sort of way to other networks like Ancestry/MyHeritage.



Offline DavNich

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Re: Why do people bother with DNA tests?
« Reply #22 on: Wednesday 01 April 20 20:17 BST (UK) »
I have 5  2nd cousins suggested by Ancestry, but only one was known to me.

Two are connected to a cousin of my father who was adopted shortly after birth. (260 over 12 & 239 over 15) Surprise no.1

One is adopted and conected to my mothers paternal side. She had her DNA to find her father. She was successful and as her father is not in my matches then I must be connected to her mother. She wishes to remain her mothers little secret (354 over 20) . I have my ideas as to who it may be, but!

One has no tree and has not replied, but she is again on my mothers paternal side (222 over 17). I have a comprehensive tree and I cannot find her.

The fifth is also on my mothers paternal side and is known to me(2C and 7C, 245 over 17). She shares matches with my two unknowns

When my results came through 15 months ago, it was a surprise and a challenge which I am enjoying.

I have uploaded to MyHeritage. I have 2 unknowns out of my top 8. I an adopted (92 over 6) and one no reply (94 over 5). Only one of my grandparent lines has not produced a surprise.