One Person’s DNA Ancestry Test Results from Many Sites

15Oct2019

Vicki’s note – An article I found on Reddit (which I don’t use) about one person’s experiences and preferences for DNA testing companies. That person’s preferred companies are from first to last in order of the title of their article.  The person seems to be part of an on-line group named r/AncestryDNA – “A place to share your heritage, genetic ancestry, and explore the amazing family stories people have to share!” run by Ancestry.com.

Remember to take any DNA test results ethnicity with a grain of salt – and companies update your results with increased testing participants affecting the algorithms.  There is also the privacy issue, but DNA tests a great way  to get more clues about your ancestry and help find adopted/unknown family members.

To read the entire article, and the person’s comments on each DNA company – click here

“My DNA Ancestry Test Results from Many Sites (Ancestry, 23andMe, The Genographic Project, Living DNA, Ethnogene, MyHeritage, FTDNA, Insitome, GEDMatch, DNALand, Helix)

Hello all. Like many you, I am a fan of DNA tests that show our ancestral breakdowns. I have tested with every major site, and some more minor ones, too, and wanted to share my results. For reference, I am ethnically 50% Greek, 25% Austrian, and 25% German. I have some other ethnicity mixed into the German quarter from many, many generations back, including English, French, Dutch, Swedish and Welsh (if I built my family tree correctly on Ancestry…), but those only equal roughly 0.5% of my ethnicity combined, and so do not really factor much into my sense of identity.

The title of my post lists the tests more or less in order of how I liked them and considered them to be accurate or not, for me, anyway.

• In short, I am a fan of Ancestry and 23andMe and would recommend those two above all else….”

 

DNA Testing Sales and Deals

Vicki’s Note – A 6-8-2017 posting by Shop The Hound BLOG.  This is a continuation of the two  informative DNA Testing webinars by Legacy Blaine Bettinger at our Stateline Genealogy Club @ Beloit Public Library program today 6-9-2017. I thought you might like to see that there have been two additional DNA Testing companies added in just the one year since the webinars were recorded – MyHeritage and Living DNA. 

If you were waiting for a sale to get a DNA test, here you go!  Remember – these sales tend to happen near a holiday.  Father’s Day gift anyone?  

The more people that get tested, the more chances you have of ethnicity samples becoming more accurate, and the more chances you have of finding cousins.  If you have had your DNA tested, look back at the results a couple of times per year, you may find more accurate results just from more data being added from new testers. You will not have to pay again.

Or you can pay about $39 to have a DNA test from another company transferred to Family Tree DNA.  The more companies you test at, the greater your chances of having a match with a cousin. 

And information from YourDNAGuide.com about another free option to share your DNA tests.  Download your results to Gedmatch.com   to compare with more users.   GEDmatch provides DNA and genealogical analysis tools for amateur and professional researchers and genealogists. Most tools are free.  Read how to do it in the second part below:

 

• BLOG
• WHO IS THE HOUND?
• SHOP THE HOUND
• WHAT THE HOUND FOUND
• The DNA Angel Project™
• FACEBOOK FEED
• GENEALOGY EVENTS
• LET ME BE YOUR FOREVER AMBASSADOR
• READING GENEALOGY

DNA DEALS

There are so many DNA Deals we had to add a special page for them all. I have to tell you I haven’t met a DNA test that I didn’t like and I’ve tested with every one of these companies. Take advantage of the Father’s Day Specials; for yourself, your dad, your uncle, your aunt. Tell everyone to test, because I’m always looking for cousins.

AncestryDNA (Canada) Get $20 off their DNA kits.  Click HERE

 AncestryDNA (US) Get 20% off their DNA kits.  Click HERE

Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) Save as much as 20% off their DNA kits. Click HERE

MyHeritage Save $20 off their DNA kits. Click HERE

23andMe – Get your genealogy and medical DNA information. Save $50.  Click HERE 

Living DNA Save $40 off their DNA kits Click HERE

 

https://www.yourdnaguide.com/upload-to-gedmatch

• 

Together we can navigate your family tree using your DNA.

• Your DNA Guide HOME
• About

Gedmatch.

Gedmatch can be a great place to collaborate with others who have been tested at other companies and gain access to more genetic tools to try to figure out how you are related to others.

It is a FREE (yes, FREE!) service provided by very intelligent and motivated genetic genealogists. Anyone with genetic genealogy test results from 23andMe, FTDNA.com (the Family Finder test), and Ancestry.com.

1. Head over to www.Gedmatch.com and click on “New User.”

DNA Testing – Hummmmm

Vicki’s Note – this is a post by Harry Kretchmer –  You and Yours, BBC Radio 4; shared from my BBC app (on my smart phone).  I added BBC and a NPR apps to my phone so that I could see what the “real” news is.  Facebook, t.v. news, etc, are great, but I trust these two sources for “NOT” fake news.

The following post gives me pause, but it sounds like the Ancestry.com “contract” has been “corrected”.  When I got my DNA tested at Ancestry.com, I did see the option to share my results (statistically only) with scientific research.  I decided not to do that at this time.  Giving Ancestry.com too much power?

Anyway, us genealogists are suckers for anything that make our searches easier.  DNA testing has been worth it for many people to help break down walls. 

I have a wonderful new relationship with a third cousin mutually discovered by DNA test results.  He is from the original “home” state Pennsylvania, and has been invaluable to help to me and my sisters sleuth out family history clues on-site.  We have traded old family photos as well.

I still think DNA testing is worth it, and Ancestry.com is the powerhouse tester.  Four million tests generates a lot of good results.

25 May 2017

Ancestry.com denies exploiting users’ DNA

By Harry Kretchmer –  You and Yours, BBC Radio 4

25 May 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40045942

A leading genealogy service, Ancestry.com, has denied exploiting users’ DNA following criticism of its terms and conditions.

The US company’s DNA testing service has included a right to grant Ancestry a “perpetual” licence to use customers’ genetic material.

A New York data protection lawyer spotted the clause and published a blog warning about privacy implications.

Ancestry told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours its terms were being changed.

Headquartered in Utah, Ancestry is among the world’s largest for-profit genealogy firms, with a DNA testing service available in more than 30 countries.

‘Perpetual’

The company, which uses customers’ saliva samples to predict their genetic ethnicity and find new family connections, claims to have more than 4 million DNA profiles in its database.

Ancestry also stores the profiles forever, unless users ask for them to be destroyed.

The company’s terms and conditions have stated that users grant the company a “perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable, transferable license” to their DNA data, for purposes including “personalised products and services”.

In a statement to You and Yours, an Ancestry spokesperson said the company “never takes ownership of a customer’s data” and would “remove the perpetuity clause”.

It added: “We will honour our commitment to delete user data or destroy their DNA sample if they request it. The user is in control.”

• How DNA-testing kits are becoming big business

‘Unaware’

Joel Winston, a consumer rights lawyer and former New Jersey State deputy attorney-general, was one of the first to spot the legal wording and to warn of the possible implications.

“Ancestry.com takes ownership of your DNA forever; your ownership of your DNA, on the other hand, is limited in years,” he said.

He added: “How many people really read those contracts before clicking to agree? How many relatives of Ancestry.com customers are also reading?”

Mr Winston also warns that many consumers are unaware of the additional uses of the data.

In its terms and conditions Ancestry makes reference to “commercial products that may be developed by AncestryDNA using your genetic information”.

One customer, Richard Peace, used AncestryDNA to learn more about his family history.

‘Not happy’

He told You and Yours he “knew nothing” about the commercial use when he signed up for the test.

“I’m not happy about it and today I will be emailing them to ask them not to use the information,” he said.

Ancestry told the BBC: “We do not share user data for research unless the user has voluntarily opted-in to that sharing.”

The company added: “We always de-identify data before it’s shared with researchers, meaning the data is stripped of any information that could tie it back to its owner.”

The ambitious scale of Ancestry’s plans does have support among some academics.

Debbie Kennett, a genetics researcher at University College London, welcomed the aim of building a large, global DNA database.

“For genealogy purposes we really want, and rely on, the power of these large data sets,” she told You and Yours. “A DNA test on its own doesn’t tell you anything at all.”

You and Yours is on BBC Radio 4 weekdays 12:15-13:00 GMT. Listen online or download the programme podcast.

 

Free Access to Fold3 In Honor of Pearl Harbor’s 75th Anniversary

Vicki’s note – The “free” access to Fold3 requires you to register with your email address and a password.  (Many of these Database “free” access offers may require your credit card information, and then you would have to cancel before the membership fees are deducted after the free access time is up.)   An article from Family Tree Magazine, Madge Maril:

∞

 Monday, December 05, 2016

Free Access to Fold3 In Honor of Pearl Harbor’s 75th Anniversary Posted by Diane Madge Maril, associate editor of Family Tree Magazine, here with news from Fold3. This Wednesday will mark 75 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. For many, it is difficult to believe that much time has elapsed since the tragedy unfolded in 1941. Photo from the Library of Congress During December, Fold3 is also allowing free access to over 113 million WWII records—including 35 million WWII draft registration cards. “Fold3 hopes these resources can help each user discover their own military ancestors and the brave lives they led,” Fold3 announced. To honor the fallen and respect those who bravely fought, Fold3 is featuring the stories of twelve Pearl Harbor survivors, highlighting their genealogy, military service and personal histories. Four of the men are USS Arizona veterans. Explore the Fold3 USS Arizona interactive virtual memorial as well for free on Fold3. Simply enter the name of the serviceman you are searching for, and the image viewer scans a photo of the Hawaiian memorial for the name, allowing you to find the name of a loved one on the memorial online. The bottom of the website also offers a 10$ off coupon for an AncestryDNA test, for those looking to expand their genealogy research through DNA testing.

5 First Steps to Researching Your Own Adoption

Vicki’s Note – article from Family Tree Magazine:

∞

5 First Steps to Researching Your Own Adoption

11/28/2016

By Sunny Jane Morton and Judy G. Russell

Simplify researching your adoption by taking these 5 easy first steps.

Trying to discover the identities of your own birth parents means navigating a maze of records access laws, genetic matches and family stories. Make sure you cover these 5 first steps to researching your own adoption as you begin your search:

1. Get a current copy of every bit of information the state where the adoption took place makes available.

You may have done this, but if it’s been more than a couple of years, do it again: Laws may have been passed making records more open. If the state allows access to your original birth certificate, get it. If a past request was denied, ask again, in case the laws have changed.

2. Review every scrap of information available within your adoptive family.

Review every letter, photo, postcard and memory for clues about the adoption and your biological parents. Ask questions of everyone who might have information and be willing to share it.

3. Take an autosomal DNA test at every testing company you can.

AncestryDNA has the biggest pool of test-takers, but don’t overlook 23andMe and the Family Finder test from Family Tree DNA. The right test for you is the test that puts you into the pool with a close family member—and you won’t know where that pool is until you dive into it.

4. Share your information on registries that cover the area where you were adopted.

Then search to see whether a member of your birth family may be looking for you. Many states (such as New York) have registries, and you can use websites such as Adopted.com.

5. Join online support groups.

Groups such as DNAAdoption and the DNA Detectives group on Facebook may be able to help you. Some can teach you more about DNA testing and how to build the kinds of family trees you’ll need to identify your genetic matches. Some can help you navigate record access issues or explain the confidential intermediary process. All will help guide you when it’s time to make contact with a possible family member.

SAVE 20% on AncestryDNA! From now Through April 26

(Vicki’s Note – an alert from Thomas MacEntee.

DNA Test Sale Thursday April 21, 2016 -Tuesday, April 26th, 2016.)

April 25th is DNA Day – celebrate and save!

SAVE 20% on AncestryDNA!
Now only $79
Are you curious about your ethnic mix? Have you hit a brick wall in your genealogy research and need a breakthrough?

A DNA test could be the answer and right now, through , AncestryDNA is having is best sale of the year! Normally $99, you can now get your DNA text kit for $79.

Join over 1 million other people who have tested with AncestryDNA and find connections and expand your genealogy research today!

Click here for more information and don’t delay – this sale ends next Tuesday!

Copyright © 2016 GeneaBloggers, All rights reserved.

“Watch Geoff Live: DNA” free webinar Tuesday

 

“Watch Geoff Live: DNA”.

Geoff finally did it! He took his first step into the world of DNA and had his two maternal grandparents tested (autosomal tests from AncestryDNA). He recently received the testing results and has waited to explore them – for the first time – in front of a LIVE webinar audience.
You are invited to watch live as his DNA results are revealed. He is hoping that somehow DNA will bring down one of his longest-standing brick walls.
On hand to interpret and explain what Geoff discovers will be DNA expert, webinar presenter, and yourDNAguide.com’s Diahan Southard. Geoff has kept the results hidden from her as well. The result will be a live and unscripted session giving DNA neophyte (like Geoff) viewers a first-hand look at what to expect from their first autosomal DNA test.

About the Presenters
Geoffrey D. Rasmussen is the father of four budding genealogists. He graduated with a degree in Genealogy and Family History from Brigham Young University and has served as director and vice-president of the Utah Genealogical Association. He is a dynamic genealogy speaker on all forms of genealogy technology, and as host of the Legacy Family Tree webinar series, has spoken virtually to nearly 100 different countries. He has authored books, videos, articles, and websites, and develops the Legacy Family Tree software program. On a personal note, Geoff enjoys playing the piano, organ, cello, basketball and bowling. His favorite places are cemeteries, the ocean, and hanging out with other genealogists. He met and proposed to his wife in a Family History Center. He is the author of the recently-released, Kindred Voices: Listening for our Ancestors, and the popular books Legacy Family Tree, Unlocked! and Digital Imaging Essentials.

Diahan Southard is a microbiology graduate, and publisher of yourDNAguide.com.

Time zones: 2pm Eastern U.S., 1pm Central, 12pm Mountain, 11am Pacific, 6pm GMT.

Please send your questions, comments and feedback to: geoff@legacyfamilytree.com

How To Join The Webinar

Tue, Apr 19, 2016 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CDT

Learning the DNA Lingo

Vicki’s Note – article from Family Tree Magazine.)
Learning the DNA Lingo
4/6/2016
By Blaine T. Bettinger
Taking a DNA test for genetic genealogy research? We’ll help you understand some of the scientific terms you’ll come across.
Autosomal DNA (also called atDNA or admixture DNA): genetic material inherited equally from mother and father. It’s genealogically useful for ancestry back through about five to seven generations. Beyond that, you may not have inherited enough DNA from any one ancestor for that person to be represented in your autosomal DNA.

Centimorgan (cM): a measurement of the distance between genetic markers on the DNA based on the expected frequency of recombination with each generation. On average, one cM equals one million base pairs. In general, the more centimorgans you share with a genetic match, the closer your relationship (although individuals related through multiple ancestors also may share a high number of centimorgans).

Chromosome: a threadlike strand of DNA that carries genes and transmits hereditary information.

Genome: All the genetic material in the chromosome set of an organism. 46 chromosomes make up the human genome.

Genotype: The genetic makeup of a particular individual.

DYS (DNA Y-chromosome Segment): DYS followed by a number identifies a short segment of Y-chromosome DNA, also called a Short Tandem Repeat (STR) or a marker. A Y-DNA test reveals how many repeats of a particular nucleotide sequence are found at that DYS marker. For example, DYS390 is one of the most commonly tested Y-DNA markers, and values for the marker typically range from 19 to 28 repeats.

Genetic cousins: Individuals whose DNA test results match one another. You may have cousins who aren’t genetic cousins—that is, you and your cousin don’t match on DNA tests because you didn’t inherit enough of the same DNA from the same ancestor.

Haplogroup: a collection of related haplotypes with a common ancestor. The haplogroup (also called a clade) is usually defined by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutation that arose in an ancestor hundreds or thousands of years ago, and is found in all of the descendant haplotypes.

Haplotype: an individual’s set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or DYS markers. Males who are recently related through their paternal line will have similar haplotypes and belong to the same haplogroup. The more diverse two haplotypes are, the more time has passed since their most recent common ancestor.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): genetic material both males and females inherit from their mothers. Because it’s passed down mostly unchanged from mothers to daughters, mtDNA can tell you about your maternal line—but because this type of DNA mutates infrequently, the results reveal only “deep ancestry,” not definitive links to recent generations.

Modal: the set of most-common DYS values in a group of closely related haplotypes. A particular branch of a surname, for example, might have a slightly different modal from another branch of the name.

MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor): the most recent paternal ancestor of two males. Every male on earth shares an MRCA with every other male, although some will have an MRCA thousands of years ago and others will have an MRCA within the last few generations. Y-DNA results can reveal how many generations have passed between two participants and their MRCA.

Mutation: a usually harmless change in the DNA sequence. A mutation can change the value of a DYS marker, for example. Although mutations are random, they typically occur at a known rate and thus provide a rough molecular “clock” useful for surname studies.

NPE (non-paternal event): a break in the Y-chromosome line resulting from adoption, infidelity or another cause. NPEs (also known as non-paternity events or false paternity) can be detected by DNA testing.

Recombination: the exchange of DNA segments at conception. Due to recombination, you inherit less autosomal DNA from each generation going back in time.

SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism): the mutation of a single nucleotide in the Y-DNA sequence. One of the nucleotides, represented by the letters A, T, C or G, replaces another at that location in the sequence. Haplogroups are defined by SNPs.

STR (Short Tandem Repeat): a repeat of a short nucleotide sequence on the Y-chromosome. The DYS390 marker, for example, is an STR with between 19 and 28 repeats of the short nucleotide sequence. Closely related males will have a similar number of repeats.

TMRCA (Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor): an estimate of the amount of time between two males and their most recent paternal ancestor, calculated using differences between the two haplotypes.

Y-DNA: genetic material passed down from father to son. Because surnames also pass from father to son, Y-DNA tests can confirm (or disprove) genealogical links through a paternal line.

Planning to add genetic genealogy to your family history research strategy? Or have you already taken a DNA test with Ancestry DNA, Family Tree DNA, 23andme or another company? Visit Family Tree University to find convenient, online genetic genealogy classes to help you choose the right test for your needs, analyze your test results, and use your results to answer questions about your family tree.

5 Myths About DNA Testing

(Note From Vicki –  Our Stateline Genealogy Club @Beloit Public Library program on July 8, 2016 will be “The New Frontier in Genetic Genealogy – Autosomal DNA Testing”, webinar by Ugo A Perego.)

Article from Family Tree University  – 1-13-2016

5 Myths About DNA Testing

Vanessa Wieland, Online Editor
Note from the Dean
My sister was the first one to get her DNA tested in our family, and for a long time, I just assumed her results and mine would be the same. After all, we’re full siblings, right?
Not necessarily.

This was one of the first truths I learned about genetic testing, and it’s a powerful one. While we may share a lot of traits both physically and on a chromosomal level, even having the same two parents doesn’t mean we inherited the same genes. After all, each of those two parents inherited two sets of genes, but they can only pass down half of what they inherited to their offspring. And that means that there’s quite a bit of variance possible between two people of the same tree.
So like snowflakes, we’re all special and unique, at least a little bit. But the beauty is that those traits we do share can help us discover more about our own ancestors!

Once you have your results, it’s not enough to simply compare them with your closest family (that’s only step one); there’s so much more you can learn. Genetic genealogist Blaine Bettinger provides the guidance you need with this 4-week course tackling the fundamentals of Genetic Genealogy. Read more below to avoid common misconceptions and sign up for the course today!

5 Myths About DNA Testing

Course Details: Genetic Genealogy 101
Date: 1/18 – 2/12
Length: 4 weeks
Price: $99.99
Instructor: Blaine Bettinger
Register Now

Although genetic genealogy can provide you with valuable clues to your family heritage, it comes with a lot of misconceptions. To help you understand the benefits and limitations of genetic genealogy testing, here are a few of the most common misunderstandings. Mastering these will help you avoid the most common mistakes that beginner genetic genealogists make.
1. A DNA test can fill in my family tree.
Although DNA testing is powerful, it is merely one of many tools in the genealogist’s toolbox. DNA test results alone cannot fill in your family tree. For example, although a test can determine the genetic relatedness of two or more individuals, it usually cannot reveal the exact genealogical relationship between those individuals.

2. I’m terrified of needles so I can’t take a DNA test.
Good news! Although DNA used to be obtained by taking blood, getting a DNA sample now is as simple as spitting in a tube or swabbing the inside of your cheek!

3. I’d like to test my great-grandfather’s DNA, but he died years ago.
You don’t need to exhume your ancestor to get useful information from a genetic genealogy test! Genetic genealogists use their own DNA to learn about their ancestors. For example, a man’s Y-DNA was given to him by his father, who received it from his father, and so on back through time. And every one of us has autosomal DNA that we inherited from our grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond.

4. Since I’m a woman, I can’t learn about my deceased father’s Y-DNA.
Although as a woman you did not inherit your father’s Y-chromosome, there is a very good chance that there is another living source of that Y-DNA. For instance, do you have a brother who would have inherited Y-DNA from your father? Or does your father have a living brother? There are usually several different sources for the DNA you’re looking for; to identify those sources you’ll need to understand how Y-DNA is passed from one generation to the next.

5. DNA testing will reveal medical information about me.
With the exception of companies that intentionally test for medical data, most genetic genealogy testing does not uncover or share any important health information about the test-taker. However, test-takers should understand that some limited medical information can inadvertently be revealed by a genetic genealogy test, especially as new scientific discoveries uncover previously unknown connections between health and DNA.

Why not take a DNA test today?  (Click on these Links for the Tests:)

AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and Family Tree DNA (no relation to us) are all popular; research them and find out which one seems right for you! Take the test and sign up today to learn what the results will tell you about yourself and your family.

Genetic Genealogy 101
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• What genetic genealogy is and how it works
• How DNA can help your family research
• What different types of DNA tests there are, and what you can learn from each one
• How to avoid common genetic genealogy misconceptions
• How mtDNA, Y-DNA and atDNA figure into your family history
• What tests are available-AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA and more-and which one is right for you
• How genetic genealogy can be used to bust through brick walls

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