General Chat

Oh, I don't deny that people have found rellies they didn't know exist, but I do not trust the science being used by some of the companies, I do not trust the companies to keep results safe OR not to keep them if that is what they promise, and I think they give people a wrong idea of "finding themselves".


There actually was a very interesting case here in Canada in the last few years. The guy was interviewed on radio earlier this week.

He was raised as a "black Irishman" (his description), didn't know who his father was, and I think was initially raised to believe that his mother was actually his sister. A couple of years ago he was in his mid-50s and had his DNA tested with 123andme because he wanted to know something about his inherited medical prospects.

He did make a big point about the fact that 123andme is not one of the sites that generally connect people.

He was contacted by email by a young woman in another province who said that she believed he was her grandfather as 123andme results showed they shared 27% of their DNA. His response was that he didn't have any children old enough to have produced children her age ................ at which she immediately responded that he must be her half-brother.

It turned out that she was right ............. as a result, he discovered that his father was a Cree from one of the largest reserves in that province, and he has since embraced his First Nations background, found a large family, and been accepted by them.

So that is another good story ...................................


but still not enough to persuade me that all is good in the land of DNA testing!

DNA is regularly used in forensic science as key evidence.
So inaccurate that it has been successfully used to solve many cold cases!

It has become a vital health tool.
It was used to prove the lineage of Richard Iii remains.

I have not shelled out for the Ancestry DNA test. Rellie found me from a match she had with my 2nd cousin. Ay do not just hand out Yr details I'm such a case you get a message asking if you wish for contact

I have mixed feelings about Ay DNA so have not used it. Otoh I can do nothing about close rellies. For sure Ay have reached a critical mass and poss make money out of it than member subs.

The desire to K ow who we are and where we came from is very strong.

So Rollo has proved me wrong ..................

Hurrah!


Do you also know that if you send a DNA sample to 2 sites, or even to the same site months apart, that you are very likely to get different results??

True.


eRRol's post ............

"II was talking to a guy earlier today (in Waitrose of all places!) who worked in forensics and he said that DNA is still very much in its infancy and although a major step forward, should not be relied upon as there can be inaccuracies."


That is spot on.

Sylvia is wrong about rellies. A few weeks ago a female rellie with whom I share a GGF contacted me out of the blue as a result of her Ancestry DNA package. It would have been impossible to establish the link solely from records.

Well, my nephew had his done, and bought a kit for his mum (my sister) - both were from 'My Heritage'.
They were sent off at different times - but it identified them as mother and son!
Then, months later, I bought a kit - sent it off, and it identified my nephew as a relation and my sister as a 'close' relation - probably sibling!
Mine was 40 odd % Northern European (Sweden, Denmark etc), 40 odd % Celtic,(Welsh, Irish or Cornish) and 9.6% Iberian.
My sister was similar, with slightly more Northern European and 3.1% Iberian.
Nephew was similar, but with slightly more Celtic (his dad was Irish), no Iberian - but a touch of Roman!

My nephew is a member of 'My Heritage' - he's a member of most genealogical sites - he needs access for his job - though was never overly interested in genealogy.
Anyway - he was sent a tree he was probably related to, which he sent to me.
This was the Cornish side, which I'd traced back to the early 1700's, but had come to a halt. I looked at the tree he sent, which went back to 1480.

It had the same people as I had from 1820 backwards, so I then started ensuring these other people were actually related to me!
They were. Cornish parish records are all online - and free.

I'd come to a halt on my tree, because I couldn't quite fathom what I was seeing.
I was looking for tin miners, but had come across the aristocracy!
After that, it was easy! :-D :-D
I've gone back even further - to before 1066 - quite a few around this time were from Brittany.

We haven't come across anyone else who is alive, who is anything closer than 6th cousin!
Also, we have had no links to the Suffolk side - they were in the county for at least 400 years!

It gives a whole new meaning to I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
I was talking to a guy earlier today (in Waitrose of all places!) who worked in forensics and he said that DNA is still very much in its infancy and although a major step forward, should not be relied upon as there can be inaccuracies.

Bang goes my theory on Midsomer Murders.

Testing companies can claim ownership of your DNA

Okay, so your DNA is inside of you. A corporation can’t really claim ownership of it. But they can claim ownership of the DNA sample you send them, and the analysis they run on it, including the resulting information on the makeup of your genome.
When it comes to Ancestry, while the company recently revised its policy to state that it “does not claim any ownership rights in the DNA that is submitted for testing,” another clause in its policies asserts that even if they don’t actually own your DNA, the company can use that DNA basically however it wants


I find this worrying :-( :-( :-(

Very interesting Sue thank you and I am shocked or surprised

Now you can see what I am made of lolol

thank you Hun x :-D

I’ll send you mine so you can see results x

There was quite an interesting session on "Essential Considerations for DNA Evidence" from Rootstech a few weeks ago

https://tinyurl.com/y57ah69r

I'm not well up on DNA ( understatement! it mostly goes right over my head) and this was easy to follow.

Sylvia has put me off a bit I am thinking more of a back rub now Rose or pedicure :-D

Not had it done myself but know people who have found it great to match with distant cousins and breakdown some brick walls.

The pamper day sounds just as good though :-)

Ohhh that is interesting Sylvia .....not that I have anything to hide. No I am just curious to know how my DNA or my heritage is made up.

As many of you know, I'm against the DNA tests. My training as a geneticist makes me extremely wary.

It really depends on what you are looking for .....

........ will it identify an unknown relation such as sibling, close cousin?

NO

It may suggest that you have links to such-and-such. It is then up to to contact that person, and try to work out if you have a link.

Do you want to find "lost" relations?

Maybe you'll find them.

You also have to aware that some of these sites do release the information "when asked" to police forces, and you have no say on whether your tests will be examined or not.

Thanks Sue, so were they easy to understand 60% English 10 % roman and so on?

My results came back within 3 weeks and that was during a busy offer period too. So pretty swift IMO :-D

I asked the kids for it for Mothers day Rose or I may swap if for a pamper day you know how fickle I am :-D

FMP have an offer on for mothers day

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ancestry-dna-testing/