DNA Confusion

[Janethepain]

Albufera32, you explained that much better than i could have! All I would add, as an example, is that my family history is Irish in Scotland for close to 200 years in most cases, and over that in a few.  Like many immigrant communities, they married from within, for generations, and so  even though  I have branches in Scotland  for a very long time, both my parents are from traditional Scottish/Irish communities, and my ethnicity estimates ( as they vary with company involved, and thru' 3 or four estimate updates  in time too), are always between 75% and 100% Irish. And the other 25 or so percentages are Northern Irish/South West Scottish - because of intermingling over millennia in those areas!  I can go back 4+ generations born in Scotland, but I am still genetically Irish!

Hope this helps.

[lilybd]

Thank you for everyone’s help but I still believe if my dads ancestry (via his dad) was 50% English then English should show up on his Ancestry DNA no matter what percentage that would be - so even 1%

Sara

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Sara,

In a while, weeks or months your ethnicity estimates will change - as others have suggested using the matches and seeing where they take you is much more useful.

I have used this example in other posts: Mum was, for a while, said to be 100% Swedish. She is now down to only 10%. 

Liz

[coombs]

Yes those ancestry estimates are just that, estimates, I have thought of doing it myself but if it is just estimates, then I may stick to a paper trial, especially if the estimates are likely to change.

I discovered a ancestor recently whose ancestry goes from Essex to Bedfordshire, then to Wales, and then further back to Ireland and France. I managed to find a verified line of landed gentry going back to 1st Baron Hastings.

I have a 1765 born ancestor Susan Fradine who was born in England but her dad was French Huguenot (one of the last to come to the UK) and her mum was born in England (to a French father) as was her mum born in England (to French parents). So Susan was genetically French.

[lilybd]

Thank you I am aware they are estimates but I had traced the paper trail on my grandfather’s side back over 200 years and they are all English so for ancestry to say my dad has no connections to England is strange.

The paper trail is only as good as the person who provided the information at the time. Whilst I would not judge anyone, people for various reasons may choose to lie / hide the truth when giving information on documents.

So unfortunately the DNA is not backing up my paper trail.

Feeling very confused
Sara

[Rosinish]

So unfortunately the DNA is not backing up my paper trail.

You need to be looking at your closest matches & their places of birth/parentage etc. rather than anything else.

Any of your ancestors' paper trail could be what you described..."lie / hide the truth" but that's what you have to try & find out for yourself through those matches using cMs & % shared DNA.

Annie

[brigidmac]

If it helps .my mother is 22,percent English (& northern Europe,,)
but I am only 2,percent .
I'm definitely her daughter ;.match her paternal cousin and descendants of her welsh grandfather .
I also match her maternal half cousin which is frm her English grandmother
And distant relatives from her jewish grandfather .
statistics add closely ,she's 24percent jewish im 12 percent

I think my.English ethnicity has been re-assigned to.a little Irish ,& italian for me the mother has neither of these .

You do have to see your matches ....do any known cousins match your father and do matches come up
to other people with high welsh ethnicity .

Can you identify his closest matches ....are there any .where you have no idea how they link .?

What cm are these matches ,.?

*Modified
Just found my first ethnicity DNA amounts I was 42 percent english
That was before they redefined and classed Scotland into high and lowland now I'm 56 percent Scots makes perfect sense Father almost pure Scottish mother 13 percent from a great great grandmother who was Scottish

[Nanna52]

Sara I too have found ethnicity confusing.  I have traced back 200 years and more on some lines and cannot find Scottish links.  According to my ethnicity I am 16% Scottish.  I have traced my sons grandmothers side back four generations and they are all born in Scotland.  His ethnicity?  16% Scottish.  How can we be the same?  Statistically he should be close to 25%, his grandfather was from Poland.  This is why I take it with a grain of salt.

[brigidmac]

Twinkle Do get your mother and brother to check every 6 months for Ancestry redefining ethnicity

Ditto nana
You have to press a button for update otherwise it will stay at first evaluation
I was sorry to see my 9 percent Scandinavian disappear when the Welsh Irish Scottish analysis became more specific .

Ethnicity has helped me help others find ancestors descendants and relatives the more I understand it the more useful a tool it is .