Roots and Rambles is where New England house historian and genealogist Marian Pierre-Louis gets off the beaten path. This blog explores genealogy, old houses, history, book reviews and the latest news in the genealogical community. Come follow the ramble.
What I did first what to analyze my ancestry based on my genealogical research. Based on the origins of my immigrant ancestors I calculated basic ethnic percentages. I broke this down between my Mom's side of the family and my Dad's. Next I took my Dad's ancestry and broke it down into ethnicities as well.
The fun starts when you compare your genealogical ancestry to your genetic ancestry! I think the results are often unexpected or off the mark. I took a look at both my dna results and my Dad's compared to our genealogy. Lastly I compared my dna and my Dad's dna results side by side. I am definitely his daughter even if I can't fully explain some of the ethnicities listed!
Have you tested your DNA to your parents'? Did it come out as expected or were there some surprises? Let me know!
I've tested my ancestral DNA at 3 different testing companies - AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA and Family Tree DNA. Should the results all be similar or different? Join me as I explore the results of the 3 companies side by side.
I also point you to the ISOGG Wiki which is a great source for further information on ancestral DNA and genetic genealogy.
Even though I tested at AncestryDNA in 2012, I didn't get excited about DNA until this year when my uncle and my father tested as well. With more close family in the pool it became more obvious to me how to use the results.
Then last week I watched a webinar "Watch Geoff Live: DNA" where host Geoff Rasmussen revealed DNA results live in the webinar with the help of DNA expert Diahan Southard. This webinar was very helpful as Diahan went through what everything meant (ie how to interpret the results). Geoff was also very lucky because the results he was sharing belonged to his grandmother, who is a few generations closer to his more distant ancestors than he is.
I learned many new tricks but there was one in particular that stood out for me.
[The webinar,
by the way, is still available to watch for free through Sunday, May 1,
2016. If you have tested with AncestryDNA you will definitely want to
watch this.]
Filtering Your Matches
Diahan showed how we can use the filters to maximize the benefit of our DNA matches. In the webinar Geoff was actually able to prove (with Diahan's help) that two people he suspected belonged to his Brown family actually did belong because they were DNA matches for his grandmother. He was able to prove this because he had done quite a bit of previous research identifying these individuals. So he knew they existed before the DNA test was done. He just needed to prove they were connected.
In my case, I have a brick wall, Magdalena Roemer, who is my 2nd great grandmother. She was born in what is now Baerenthal, Moselle, Lorraine, France. Many genealogists refer to the larger region as simply Alsace-Lorraine.
Unlike Geoff, I don't have any "suspect" relative matches.
But I can still use Diahan's trick to my benefit.
I went into AncestryDNA and brought up my matches. Next I clicked on Search Matches button.
Next I entered a surname, in this case, Roemer. You also have the option to add a location but I opted to skip that so as not to narrow down the results.
What happens next is that AncestryDNA searches all the trees of your DNA matches for the same surname and returns those results to you.
Before learning this trick I was clicking into every DNA match individually and trying to figure out how they connected to me. With 101 4th cousins or closer matches, this was a slow process!
Remember, I didn't have any potential relatives for Magdalena Roemer before this search but afterwards I did! I am basically starting from scratch. But identifying potential ancestral relatives is half the battle. AncestryDNA pointed me in the right direction and now it's up to me to do some good old fashioned genealogy research to see if I can connect the two on paper with documents. In other words, AncestryDNA is acting as research guidance!
After finding the surname match my objective was to find out as much as possible about the match. My number one goal was to find naturalization paperwork so that I could identify whether the match came from Baerenthal just like my ancestor. That would make for a very strong case for them being family!
Some Important Considerations
In order for this trick to work you need to have a public family tree associated with your AncestryDNA account AND your matches also need to have a public family tree. If they have no tree or a private tree their shared surnames will not return in the results.
The other thing to consider is that even though you have a DNA connection with a potential match, unless the match is definitive, in other words you can identify exactly which ancestor you share in common, then you might actually be connected through a different ancestor than the "shared surname." For instance, if a DNA match doesn't have a very complete tree or if there are errors in their family then that might lead you in the wrong direction.
Watch Me Walk You Through the Process!
I created a video showing you exactly what I did and how. You can watch it here!
Try using the Search Matches filter for yourself and see what kind of results you find! And let me know if you have any tricks of your own!
I was alerted by a post on Facebook from Megan Smolenyak that the Ancestry DNA results had been updated and refined. I had done the DNA test in the last year or so and I was anxious to see what new details came to light.
Imagine my shock when I see the new details virtually erased my British ancestry! (see before and after image) In the first round of DNA testing Ancestry said I had 71% British ancestry. That fits pretty well with what I know about my ancestors. In round 2 Ancestry relegates my ancestry from "Great Britain" to less than 1%.
I can see that they are now separating out Ireland from Great Britain. I have one great grandparent with ties to Ireland. All the rest of my British ties come from England, Wales or Scotland. The increase to 19% Irish seems very high.
Also, my Scandinavian ancestry, of which I have no verification whatsoever from my own research, increased from 12% to 25%. The only thing I can imagine is that I had long time ago Scandinavian ancestors who settled in Scotland.
Or maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. After all I really don't understand the ins and outs of autosomal DNA. Perhaps the testing represents what I've been given from my ancestors passed down through autosomal DNA instead of an even spread of DNA from all my ancestors. Someone more knowledgeable will have to advise me on this.
At this point I am left with more questions about what Ancestry's DNA testing represents than I am with answers about my ancestry.
One of the most interesting subtopics in genealogy is that of DNA, the ability to prove (or disprove) your ancestry based on your genes. DNA can't necessarily prove who your ancestors were but it can give you a good look at what region of the world your ancestors come from. Traditional DNA tests such a Y-Chromosome testing for men and Mitochondrial testing for men and women have been around for quite awhile. In the past year or so autosomal DNA testing for genealogy has started.
I have been an active amateur follower of DNA stories in the news. I am no expert but I try to keep up with the latest changes and happenings. I have harbored a secret desire to get my genealogy tested for a long time.
I'm not a person to get to overly excited about anything (passionate, yes; excited, no) but I admit I am very excited at the moment. I know that a DNA kit is on its way to my house. In just a few days (I hope!) I will receive a DNA kit from AncestryDNA.
I'm going to take you on the journey with me. This will be my first time exploring my DNA and looking in-depth at a DNA test. I'm going to share my findings with you and we'll learn to interpret the test together. You probably be able to give me some pointers!
I can't wait! I wonder if I will be in for any surprises!
Full disclosure: AncestryDNA is proving the kit to me free of charge so that I can evaluate the product. It will in no way impact my opinion or assessment of the experience. I would be equally happy to assess the products from FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe.
