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Ancestry DNA: Why It Rocks

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You guys.

YOU GUYS!!!!!

I have something so cool to show you! It’s my Ancestry DNA results! Want to see where my people come from? Check it out!

Ancestry DNA results

I have been wanting to do one of these DNA kit things for FOREVER and I want to tell you all the reasons why I’m so glad I went with the offering at Ancestry.com.

1. The thorough analysis. Ancestry.com’s DNA analysis looks at over 700,000 genetic markers to try to trace my ancestry. Um, yeah, that’s a lot!

2. The explanations. They give a LOT of information about your results, and how to read them. And I appreciate their honesty about how they are only giving estimates, and that they can rarely be 100% sure. In fact, of all my genetic markers, there is only 1 group that they are 100% sure about for me, and that is Irish. I happen to know that some of their other markers are also correct based on what I know about my family tree. And there were a few surprises, as well (Scandanavian? The marker for Native American being this low?). Those trace regions gave me some hints about where ancestors might have migrated to Western Europe from several hundred years ago. And they showed me where some of those vague, “We are part Native American” statements in my family are grounded, and where they aren’t (sorry, Mom). And that is SO fascinating.

ancestry dna kit

3. The connection with others. Now that Ancestry has my DNA results, it can connect me with other people who have also taken the test and who they believe are relatives of mine. And you guys, they have connected me with over a hundred people that they have 95% confidence are relatives! Just like that! Boom!

4. The desire (and ability) to keep working on my tree. I showed you some of my initial findings with Ancestry.com when I started working on my tree. Having DNA test results with the company is going to help me fill out my tree even faster, as the test results came with many more hints and possible connections. I feel very motivated to steal away for an afternoon, head to a coffee shop with my laptop, and do some serious mapping. Based on my experience with Ancestry.com, I will be able to learn TONS in just a few hours!

AncestryLogo

Basically, Ancestry.com was already my jam, but doing the Ancestry DNA profile they offer took it to a whole other level. The sheer volume of information and connectedness that Ancestry.com can offer makes it a no-brainer for me. If you are wanting to see where your ancestors came from, I highly recommend this kit. They send you some instructions and a vial in the mail, and you just have to send them some saliva and wait for about 6 weeks to get your results. They come to you via the website and an email notification is sent to you as soon as they are up.

Here’s a pro tip for anyone looking for a DNA analysis: get the best ancestry DNA test based on what you are looking for (price, detail, average customer rating, etc.) by checking out DNA Weekly. I always want to see my readers get the best bang for the buck! 🙂

Where Do I Go From Here?

ancestry DNA ireland

photo credit: Franck Vervial via photopin cc

I am planning on integrating more cultural awareness activities for my children based on my results. Yes, we will start to make a bigger deal out of St. Patrick’s Day, but we will also aim to learn more about the culture of Ireland, as well. And now that vague desire to see Ireland “one day” has become a very real goal, and I want my children to get to see it, too!

What do you know about your ancestry? Have you been able to visit the area(s) where your ancestors lived? How do you incorporate cultural appreciation into your children’s lives?

Taking a Peek into My Ancestry: Fascinating, and REALLY Easy to Do!

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I think it isn’t an uncommon thing to become more curious about those who came before you as you get older. I have been making some fascinating discoveries about my ancestors, thanks to a membership I received from Ancestry.com.

I cannot emphasize enough how easy Ancestry.com makes it to discover your relatives and to build a family tree. You can easily get connected with other individuals who share members of your family tree. I found a first cousin of mine who already had a family tree built through Ancestry.com and was able to copy quite a bit of her relatives that we share in common over to my tree.

ancestry photo 2

I was also able to find uploaded photos of relatives thanks to other members who share relatives with me and who have provided those photos for people to see. Thanks to Ancestry.com, I got my first look at 3 of my great-grandparents (two from my father’s side, and one from my mother’s side). Amazing!

ancestry photo 1

If you think about it, photos like this usually only have 1 copy, and so they just get passed down through one particular family, leaving dozens, and eventually hundreds of people who would love to see it with no way to do so. But thanks to Ancestry.com, getting connected with family members (even distant ones you don’t know in person) is remarkably easy, and sharing archives becomes as simple as clicking a few buttons.

And speaking of archives, the records that Ancestry.com connects to is incredible. I have scrolled through hand written census data from the 1920s that shows my grandmother and her 16 siblings (you read that right!), along with the specific occupation of her father and her siblings who were old enough to work. I’ve also read birth and death records, and have been able to piece together where my family actually came from. I’ve traced one line back to Ireland, and another line back to Virginia in the early 1700s, which makes me guess that they were of English descent.

Ancestry DNA

But I’m going to take my ancestry search one step further by completing the Ancestry.com DNA test so that I can get a clearer picture of my background. Both of my parents swear that we are part Native American, but I think a lot of people, particularly in the South, think that is the case for them for some reason. I’d like to know for sure! It takes 6 to 8 weeks to get results back, and once I have them, I’ll be doing another post to let you know what kind of information I receive back, just in case you are contemplating making the $99 investment in the kit.

I’m looking forward to connecting the dots, so to speak, in my own genealogy and to having more concrete information to share with my children about their own ancestry. Thus far, I have been extremely impressed with what I have been able to find with just a short amount of research on the Ancestry.com website, and would recommend a membership. You can join for 1 month for $20 or for 6 months for $99. If you buckle down, you can find much of what you are looking for in just 1 month, and it will be $20 VERY well spent, in my opinion.

Can’t wait to give my update in a few weeks about where in the world I’m really from! 🙂 Have you ever worked on your genealogy? Made any particularly fascinating discoveries? And did you use Ancestry.com to help you find answers?