DNA - What's the point?

[Shiny1]

Morning All,

I'm sure I must be missing something here so I'm hoping someone can help me.

My daughter bought me an Ancestry DNA test as a birthday present, I've just had the results back and don't really see any new information.

It's told me I'm a mix of English, Scottish, Irish with a bit of Sweden and Norway mixed in, nothing I couldn't have guessed at really. I've linked my tree to the results for something called thrulines but can't see anything.

What am I missing? Surely for the price they charge there must be more to it than telling me I'm from the UK?

Thanks for the help,

Michael

[dublin1850]

The point of the DNA tests is to discover people you share DNA with (relatives) not any 'ethnicity' nonsense. There is no 'Scottish' or 'Irish' gene, there is just the likelihood that if you have a match with someone who has said their ancestors were from a certain place, then yours are too. Nothing to do with the DNA.

[Shiny1]

Thanks a lot, in that case I must definately be missing something as I can't see any relatives being suggested anywhere at all.

Michael

[Guy Etchells]

You are looking at the wrong “part” of your DNA results, the ethnicity is more or less rubbish as there is no such thing as ethnicity for countries. The countries forming the UK for instance have been invaded, migrated into, enjoyed traders coming in and out for centuries. These people have consorted with the native peoples to the extent that it is doubtful whether any DNA from the first settlers in the UK countries is left.

To get any benefit out of DNA forget about ethnicity and concentrate on the raw data which is passed down to you from your ancestors, like pieces of a jigsaw, how much you share with another person.
Cheers
Guy

[Shiny1]

Thanks Guy, so really I don't need the DNA then, I can just concentrate on the non DNA methods?

I can't see anything other than the ethnicity bit when I log in.

Thanks for the help,

Michael

[Nanna52]

It depends what you are looking for. 
Personally I have narrowed down an unknown father.  I now know all my great grandparents, just missing which of their five sons is my grandfather. 
I have confirmed research showing that my 2times great grandmother had siblings who followed her out to Australia.  I had argued with a cousin about that. 
Found that my grandmother didn’t ask strangers to be executors of her will but a cousin and the husband of another cousin.
Confirmed people in an address book of my mothers I found were relatives.
Found more relatives that I didn’t know about.
All this in about two years.  It takes time.  I’ve recently had an argument with thru lines as it kept following my step grandfathers line, not biological.  Probably because that is how my half first cousins and others know it.

[avm228]

It can’t be the case that you don’t have any DNA matches, surely?

If you click on DNA along the top menu of the Ancestry home page, it should take you to a DNA page which has various boxes.

Mine are: DNA Story, DNA Matches and Thrulines, respectively.

Does yours look different from this?

[Skoosh]

Better with the Y DNA test!

Skoosh.

[Shiny1]

Thanks everyone,

I've just had a look to see what headings I have and found the DNA matches seems to have populated since my last look with a number of 4th - 6th cousins.

Is that the sort of thing everyone else sees?

Michael