Genealogy Chat

My mother wants to take a test. Which is the best one for her to take? It would be good to have the European part broken down, eg: Mediterranean, E European etc. After one that is easy to understand, good value and accurate. Thanks. She is trying to find her USA GI father. We do have one man it might be who is Mexican and are hoping that a DNA test might mean we could eliminate or include him in our list of possibilities.

Hi, I've seen something about this type of DNA testing before where it trys to establish your genetic background. After watching this 'other' program I was not convinced that they have yet perfected it. It seems that the world is split into only a few areas as far as this type of testing is concerned. No doubt in time just like current DNA fingerprinting it will improve. I suppose what I am saying is that I wonder whether or not you would get the answer you want from this type of testing even though in the program tonight it did appear to do the job for Colin. Just my thoughts Paul

I really doubt that there is a test to pick out 'Mexican' DNA since I would expect quite a mixture of backgrounds among Mexicans anyway. I don't think that even the kind of test that Colin Jackson had was very accurate anyway, as I'm sure I've heard or read before that it always comes up with a small percentage of Native American DNA to please Americans! Kate.

I'd love to have it done! This is the reason why I started this infuriating hobby in the 1st place! My Grandfather, my Mother also my elder Sister all had olive skin and dark brown eyes. I have brown eyes too and my 2nd daughter was BORN with dark brown eyes! (This only happens to ...dare I say it?....black babies) I am trying to find the link and think it might be continental. My Grandfather looked Indianish. Where do you go to get it tested? How much? Anyone know?

Well I was born with brown eyes and I'm as pale as a very white thing.... And my niece was born with brown eyes - but her father is half Italian (half Irish too!) Some Welsh and Cornish ancestry can give olivey complexions, with possible Portuguese/Spanish connections. I would be interested in a general sense for something that might be able to tell me if I had say Scandanavian blood or French etc. I think I remember a programme a year or three back where Eddie Izzard had his DNA looked at or something and it came back to Viking blood - but I may be wrong and it may have all been a strange dream.... but I think I am right! But yes I have noticed on a few similar programmes where Native American Indian is always down there with a small percentage. I would be a bit miffed if it came up on one for me though! Alex

DNA can show racial, but not national, characteristics. If you have a man in mind, you can ask for a paternity test using DNA from him. Just finding the same racial origins in your DNA will not mean anything in itself. Perhaps the BBC website on WDYTYA? might give further details. nell

Thanks little nell. Will try WDYTYA web site. If it says I gotta get preggers 1st, I hope they gotta nice young man to remind me how! lol I'll maybe forget to tell him that I have been through the change years ago!!!! LOL Sssshhhhhhh ;-) On a serious note... I damn well KNOW that theres 'forin' blood in my Ford line! Recently found a Mother named 'Lavinia' b1830c No father of her baby named Elizabeth Pilliner, my great grandmother :-((( Cant find Elizabeths birth ref: Not many Lavinia's in the 1800s in England! am I clutching at straws?Lavinia sounds 'forin' to me!

response to 'But yes I have noticed on a few similar programmes where Native American Indian is always down there with a small percentage. ' I vaguely remember being toldtaught, that, at some stage there was an 'ice bridge' between america and europe and (for lack of caffeine and a better word) 'white' man travelled to what is now america. In that case wouldnt both native american and european DNA lines still contain some minute trace or connection to those ice age travellers? Perhaps this the cause of false 'native american' matches ?

Hi Julia DNA is facinating subject, so I thought I would add my 10 penneth. Saw a programme on Discovery last year which did suggest there was evidence from some stone spearheads found in N America that northern European man did travel across the pond following the edge of the ice pack for food and rest Another programme on DNA again last year where hundred of samples were taken from females along the west coast of Africa from Senegal to the Congo. They looked for a certain marker in the DNA . They then looked at females in the UK who had roots with the Carrabean who probably had a tree linked to the awful days of the slave trade. There were several females in the UK who did have the markers and one lady went to the village on an island in west Africa and met the person the sample was taken from. It was a great story.

Sorry, this is very off-topic, but 'Still looking': the name Lavinia comes from Roman mythology. There are 2,200 Lavinias or Lavinas on the 1841 England census, according to ancestry. Kate.

DNA Testing - If the other person has not been tested then the cost of doing it here is useless. I understand there are two banks of tests one is in USA and the other, I believe, in this country where you would have to go for the test, and that is the big hospy in Cambridge - cant remember the name of it. The cost is about £150 - and maybe further costs if you are looking for a match. This system was pointed out to me some years ago when it seems there is/was a big move to find a family of PAGE (some in my tree) and an American Page is looking for the descendants of the family who should have title to masses of land and property in N W London !! Cost may have gone up now and, of course, you have to be pretty sure that the Mexican side has been tested too.

If it's anyhelp to anyone who may want to look at info- I did notice on the top of the paper Colin Jackson was holding it said AncestrybyDNA- they have a site AncestrybyDNA(.)com Obviously never used them myself, but just noticed name on his results Simone x

Seems prices have gone up ! Have a look at : http://www.dna-worldwide*com/ (replace the asterisk with Dot)

Joe, your site uses the other site to get the results, so it would be cheaper to go direct as it is only $399 for the Euro test.

I got a DNA testing kit from a company called Oxford Ancestors.... but then didn't go through with it because it would have cost me £180 which I couldn't afford. They may have changed their pricing structure since.... this was 5 years ago.

The University of East Anglia is doing a study using dna to see if geographical area are related to illnesses. You need 3 generations in the same geographical area to take oart. I think its East Anglia at present. I have volunteered as I qualify Ken