Ancestry DNA Results

My ancestry DNA results are in! I’m so excited! Actually, that may be an understatement.

I have wanted to get my DNA tested since the Fall of 2003, about six months after beginning my ancestry research journey. Back then it was $549 and the testing was much less advanced, and often gender specific. As a college student at the time, that was definitely not in the budget. My DNA test was a Christmas gift from my husband, on sale during the holidays, and with shipping cost just under $100.

After considerable research, I choose Ancestry DNA for my test. This article in particular proved helpful: Most Bang for your DNA Bucks. Eventually, I will get tested at 23andme as well.

Ancestry DNA claims that your kit arrives within two-weeks and then it takes about six to eight weeks to process your results, so you are looking at waiting about two months for you results. However, the entire process was much quicker; from placing the order to receiving results it took just over six weeks.

To give you an idea of how DNA breaks down over the generations:

Me=100%

Parents- 50% from each

Grandparents- About 25% from each

Great-Grandparents- About 12.5% from each

Great-Great Grandparents- About 6.25% from each

Third Great-Grandparents- About 3.125% from each

Fourth Great-Grandparents- About 1.562% from each

Fifth Great-Grandparents- About .781% from each

This does not mean that you don’t carry DNA from older ancestors; it’s just that it’s broken down into such small parts that it may not be distinguishable with a DNA test. However, Y and X chromosomes prove the exception to this because they are passed on from father to son or mother to daughter, and since they do not recombine much, you can use X and Y DNA to go back perhaps thousands of years. The DNA test that I took does not focus on X or Y DNA, rather it looks at more than 700,000 autosomes or segments in all 23 chromosomes. So, in general this type of test would mostly pick up your ancestors of the previous two to three hundred years, however; there is a chance of detecting some trace DNA of older ancestors.  

For me, there were two main purposes for getting DNA tested:

1. To establish whether my ancestry research of the last twelve-years and 3,500+ ancestors on my family tree is on track.

2. To determine if I posses any Native American ancestry. Inaccurate claims to Native American ancestry are so common that it’s practically a joke among genealogists. In my ancestry research I came across three separate claims to a distant Native American great-grandmother, two of which I disproved fairly quickly, however; one of them actually seemed plausible. Very intriguing for me.

If you’re still reading, you must be wondering about the results and if I got the answers to my questions. The short answer is yes, indeed I did.

The vast majority of my DNA (87%) is from Great Britain, Europe West, and Ireland, as I anticipated.

While the results reveal interesting trace DNA from seven regions, including some slightly unexpected areas, based on what I know, none of it is outside the realm of reason. Trace DNA includes anything less than 4.5% of your total DNA. Not particularly surprisingly, 10% of my trace DNA includes Europe East, Finland/Northwest Russia, Iberian Peninsula, Italy/Greece, Scandinavia. Somewhat intriguing is that 2% is from the region of Caucasus in West Asia. Finally, more than one percent of my trace DNA is Native American! I realize it’s not much, but Native American DNA is distinct and there was enough DNA from several generations ago to show up in the DNA test- that’s exciting enough for me!

For family members contemplating what this means for you, it’s not possible to know what your particular DNA holds without undergoing testing yourself. However, from my own research, I know that my dad’s side by in large immigrated from England, Scotland, Germany and France. The Scandinavian, Finland/Northwest Russian, and some of the Eastern European DNA likely derived from my dad’s side as well. My mom’s side generally originated in England, Wales, Ireland, and Germany, however; there is some Swiss, and that side is likely where the majority of Europe East derives as well as the Caucasus and Native American.  At this time I know of no ancestors from the Iberian Peninsula or Italy/Greece, but given the fact that those areas are very admixed because of thousands of years of migration, it’s entirely plausible that some of my ancestors happened through those areas.   

Thus, the DNA test proved that:

1. My ancestry research is on track.

2. I do in fact have at least one Native American ancestor. I’m actually fairly certain that it is a sixth great-grandmother on my maternal grandmother’s side.

I’m glad that I had the test done; I truly feel like I “know” myself better. I would recommend it to anyone interested in having their DNA tested; however, in my opinion it’s best to have at least some knowledge of your ancestry before you take the DNA test. This way the results provide more understanding, and perhaps some areas of further research, rather than causing confusion and possibly an identity crisis as I’ve seen with some people who only have their DNA tested without any research.