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.
