AncestryDNA: My Surprising Results Are Back

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during this process of having my DNA analyzed with AncestryDNA, it’s the more you learn, the more you realize how complicated and involved this whole tracing your DNA heritage can be. The more you learn, the more questions you have. This stuff is intense, but every day the process is getting better and better.

So here’s how this process went for me:

I ordered the kit back on April 9th and it arrived the very next day. (I ordered my kit from here: AncestryDNA Kit) (See that previous post here: Where Do I Come From Anyway)

Using an Ancestry DNA Test

 

I activated the kit online following the easy directions inside the kit. After I activated it, which is basically just registering the kit with AncestryDNA so that they know you’ve gotten it, I received this email below.

Ancestry DNA Notification Email

 

I completed the test the following day (it was super easy…just involved spitting into a little vial a few times) and mailed it in. On May 4th, I received this email:

Ancestry DNA Email Notification

 

Yesterday, May 19th, two weeks and a day after that previous email, I received this email below notifying me my results were available. So the whole process from start to finish was under 6 weeks. Pretty fast!

As I stared at that email, my heart skipped a little beat. For some reason I felt a bit nervous about seeing the results, have no idea why!

DNA Email

 

Here’s how my DNA test came out.

Ireland: (Ireland & United Kingdom): 27%
Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark): 20%
Great Britain (United Kingdom): 18%
Europe West (The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland): 11%
Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal): 7%

DNA Results from Ancestry DNA

 

So, apparently my DNA indicates 98% Europe and 2% West Asia. When I clicked on “Show all regions,” the results showed 0% ethnicity for Africa, Native American, Asia and Pacific Islander.

Ancestry DNA Test Results

 

The results indicated traces of Italy/Greece, Europe East, Finland and Northwest Russia and the Caucasus area, but per AncestryDNA, those results are unreliable and may not have any bearing. Here’s what they say about the “trace regions.”

Trace Regions

 

My baby book indicates my heritage as English, Irish, Scottish and Dutch. Since my maiden name is Scottish, I was thinking Scotland would show up heavily, so that part had me a bit confused. Remember how I said this stuff is kinda complicated?

From reading in the AncestryDNA forums and on their FAQ page, I learned that Ancestry lumps a lot of regions/countries into one area on the report you receive, so “Scandinavian” can include a lot of other areas than you would initially think.

A poster named Liz, who ranks very highly on the Ancestry DNA forum and is apparently very knowledgeable about interpreting DNA results, said that there’s a large overlap between Scandinavian, Great Britain and Ireland in DNA, so they can be classified either way.

For example, here’s how Liz answered a question from another poster:

I would not necessarily assume you have ANY actual Scandinavian ancestors (at least not in the time frame where you’re likely to get to using paper genealogy).  I wasn’t specific about this in my post, but although I came up as 19% Scandinavian, I have NO Scandinavian ancestors even though I’ve traced my family back pretty far on all sides.  Everyone traces either to England, Scotland, or Ireland (or Germany, Austria, Switzerland for the other bits of my ethnicities which I didn’t comment on above).  But definitely no Swedes, Norwegians, etc.

Given historical events & migration patterns (Vikings, etc) there is a Scandinavian component present in the DNA of many people with origins in Great Britain & Ireland.  So while it’s of course possible that you have somewhat recent ancestors from a Scandinavian country, it’s also quite possible that it’s Irish/Scottish/English that just got classified as Scandinavian, and the Scandinavian comes from those early Vikings rather than anyone you’re likely to be able to document in more recent times.

See what I mean, it’s complicated. She recommended to another poster that they download their raw data file from AncestryDNA and upload it to a site called GEDmatch.com because it gives a much more detailed breakdown.

GEDmatch

 

I did that late last night and it’s still processing everything. The raw data file that you download from AncestryDNA is HUGE. It’s in a zip file so it downloads quickly. You’re not supposed to unzip it, instead you upload it to GEDmatch in its compressed state.

I’m not sure how long it will take GEDmatch to process the file, but it’s been working on it all night long. So, it takes a while. Apparently, it breaks the raw file down into a lot more detail though, so it should be interesting to see the results.

I’ve really enjoyed this process. I jokingly told my son last night that I need to plan a trip to Ireland so I can meet “my people.” He got a good laugh out of that. You know me, always looking for an excuse to travel. This is as good an excuse as any!

An article I found interesting: Recent University of Oxford Study Sheds Light on Estimating Great Britain Ethnicity

 

DNA Matches

In addition to the breakdown of my DNA, AncestryDNA also found 1,211 ancestor matches. When I clicked on the words “View All DNA Matches,” it showed an “Extremely High” chance that I’m 1st cousins with 1 person in their database, and “Extremely High” match that I’m 2nd cousins with another person. There was an “Extremely High” match that I’m 3rd cousins with 4 people.

The other 1,205 folks are all 4th-6th cousins. You indicate if it’s okay to be contacted through AncestryDNA (not directly) so potentially you could reach out to these long-lost (or not) relatives if you wished.

AncestryDNA

 

This is all way over my head, having never studied genealogy at all, but I do find it all really interesting. I’m not sure I’ll pursue it much further than looking at what the GEDmatch site produces, but it was well worth the $99 I spent to have this done. It will also prove helpful for my son if he ever wants to trace his DNA back. I wish this had been around when my parents were alive, would love to have had them tested because the more family members who test, the more information you learn.

If you are interested in tracing your heritage/ethnicity back, you’ll find the kit available here: AncestryDNA.

If you decide to order the kit and have your DNA tested, let me know what you discover or if you find any surprises. The time really flew by for me and the results were back before I knew it. Definitely a fun experience and one I’m glad I did!

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Comments

  1. Thanks for the review of AncestryDNA. I’ve been a member there and have been tracing my tree for years. It’s become one of my hobbies and I have found wonderful wonderful info and connections. Now that I know how easy the DNA process is I think I might must go ahead with it. Thanks Susan!

  2. I recently ordered the Ancestry DNA kit. When the results came one huge surprise for me was I have no Native American DNA. There is a family photo of my Great-Grandmother on my mother’s side where she looks very Native American. According to the DNA analysis I am mostly British and Irish with mostly European region counties identified.

  3. Susan Petersen says

    I commented about my DNA find when you posted you had sent in your DNA, so I won’t repeat the story here. You’re right, it is all very fascinating. I encourage you to take advantage of the 2-week free trail Ancestry often offers. You can uncover so many family stories. I now have such a deep appreciation for my family who went before me, there fortitude and strength. I also have a new interest in history because it is much more personal now. Have fun with it!

    • Susan, funny thing, I signed up for AncestryDNA for one month and did a small amount of work, then was gone on vacation so didn’t get a chance to do anymore. I got a notice from Ancestry that it was going to renew and I clicked to prevent that. I got a message saying all the info I had compiled so far would be deleted. That annoyed me that they just delete everything when you don’t renew and the renewal was pretty expensive so I still clicked that I wanted to discontinue. Then they offered me 3 months for $19.99 or something around that amount. I accepted that. So I basically have about 2 1/2 months left to explore. I’d love to just turn it over to someone way better at this than I am, but the pricing to hire one of their genealogists was very, very, very expensive. It’s disheartening to know that you do all that work compiling the data but it disappears if you don’t subscribe to the service indefinitely. I know they can’t offer it for free, but I don’t want to pay forever, or at least I think that’s how it works. Is that right?

      • Susan Petersen says

        I’m not sure it disappears, I think you just can’t access it until you rejoin. You can use a free software to build a tree. If interested, let me check with some friends for recommendations. I join month by month, when I want to research. I might be able to work on your’s a bit……let me know at [email protected]

        • Thanks, Susan. I’m still a member for right now. What happened was when they started to auto-renew, I went in to cancel it and they offered me three months for what they were going to charge for just one month…so I got three months for $19.99 or 19.95, something like that. I’m pretty sure it said that it was going to delete my tree if I didn’t renew, at least I thought that’s what it said. When I clicked to not renew anyway, that’s when it gave me the much better deal. Pretty sneaky!

        • I’ll google that and see what I can find out…if it does delete your work or not.

        • Okay, maybe it doesn’t delete it…check this out: http://ancestryforums.custhelp.com/posts/5b0c8c77b5 I think you just loose access to some different records. It sure made it sound like it was going to delete it in the message I got when I wasn’t going to renew. I’m glad they don’t actually delete the tree because it could at least help someone else who is searching on the site.

          • Susan Petersen says

            Perfect! Yes, I keep paper copies of everything I find. I have a simple binder system I use. I find it is easier to share with family this way. I’ve been researching for almost 20 years and find it very addicting. So happy you blogged about genealogy and can’t wait to read the upcoming comments.

  4. I also did the ancestry DNA test was was very surprised about my results
    With the German last name I have from my Dad’s side of the family I was sure I would be 90% German however i’m 62 % British and then the eastern Europe ,only 8% German which my Dauksch cousins couldn’t believe haha

    It is very entertaining, I didn’t do the match thing either

    • It really is interesting what we find out. I still don’t really understand it all but there are some great explanations in the AncestryDNA videos on YouTube. If I understand it correctly, we inherit 50% of our DNA from our mother and 50% from out father, but the difference comes in what’s in that 50%. For example, the mother could be Irish, Scottish and Dutch, but in that 50% you inherit, you may not get any of the Dutch part. So it’s not evenly distributed. It really is fascinating!

  5. That is so interesting, Susan! I am considering doing this. I know if I do I will be hooked and will be going in to a rabbit hole and may not be able to let go of it! Thanks for sharing!

    • lol I’m not sure how much I play with the AncestryDNA site but I did want to take the test just to see what it showed. So you don’t have to do the whole research thing. I’m not sure I’d have the patience for that part.

  6. Great to hear your results! I mentioned before I sooo want both my parents to do this! I figured it was better if they BOTH did it instead of just me. That way I know who has what. I have always been curious since nobody seems to know any history before my paternal grandmother’s father in PA. Am I sensing a SECRET or something? hahaha I also want to see if my mother is 100% polish….because those who came from Poland had ancestors that could have come from somewhere else . My dad’s grandmother was from a wealthy plantation owning family in VA….and wound up poor as dirt, being done wrong by her one brother. Plantation owners usually had slaves….and some kids by them. It’s just the way it was. I may have a ton of relatives that were kept hush-hush way back when. I REALLY would like to know and to find as many of them as I can!

    • Many of the plantations and farms in VA were “burned out” counties and so much history was lost. There is a big gap in searches. The Library of VA has some information. Many of the blacks in VA were from the West Indies and not directly from Africa as slaves. They owned farms too.
      Information on Ancestry.com is supplied by families and not always accurate. My niece puts ours in and has trouble with getting relatives married into the family with the same first name connected to the right family and date.
      If the ancestors came as colonist, they will not be listed at the Ellis Island site. You can also search the Mormon site, do a cemetery search, look up military records and birth certificates.You can see ship’s manifest online too. Hope this was helpful.

    • Robin, let me know what you find out…it would be great if they both did it…you would definitely learn a lot more from what I’ve read.

  7. I’ve always thought you look like an Irish lass! How wonderful that it’s confirmed! Lots of Scotch-Irish people on my mother’s side of the family and I’ve always wanted to travel to Scotland and Ireland, too! Of course, I want to stay in a castle, don’t you?

    • Really? lol Well, apparently there’s some of that in there. I had two friends (upon seeing my results) tell me I’m a “mutt.” 😉 Yes, yes, yes on the castle idea. Hey, we could go to Port Issac and rent Doyden Castle! Remember that little mini castle in Doc Martin? https://betweennapsontheporch.net/doc-martin-itis-and-doyden-castle/
      I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland after seeing the movie, Waking Ned Divine. That is one of my all-time favorite movies, have to watch at least once a year!

      • Sally Cannon says

        That is one of my favorite movies!!! I can’t wait to get my results back. I think England, Ireland and Danish are going to prevail. We shall see!!!

  8. I think this is super cool! It is such a comfort to be able to connect with our ancestors. It truly gives you a feeling of belonging. I think I would like to do one these DNA tests someday.

  9. M sakelik says

    I went to a genealogy seminar and learned there are several reputable companies providing this service. She explained the differences in service, results and types of tests, very informative. Most tests ran $99- 125, but very different results. Some get more specific than other depending what you ask and pay for. Yours seems to pretty broad and less detailed than other test out there.

  10. Susan, Please consider making contract with the people considered your first and second cousins. They might be able to tell you so much more about your family background. You will be so glad you did !

    • Susan Petersen says

      Susan ….I totally agree with Margot. You should contact your first and second cousins. As I commented on your first DNA post, I connected with a cousin who helped solve an old family mystery. We met with several other cousins, whom I had met as a child, and had a nice family reunion weekend. It was wonderful.

  11. DeAndrea says

    I too have done the Ancestry DNA and have uploaded my file to GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA. It is all very interesting! I have had people from both Ancestry and GEDmatch contact me to see if we can figure out what our connection is. This past year for Christmas gifts, I gave DNA kits to my husband, our 2 kids and my mother-in-law. You would be surprised at how different the results are between each person.

    I do have an Ancestry paid membership however I don’t like that it automatically rolls over to the next year so I just “gift” the membership to myself. So far so good. I also have a paid membership through My Heritage. I’m not so sure I like it as well and may not renew it. One thing though because they are different sites, I might find info that is on one and not the other.

    My library offered an intro class into using Ancestry which I found very helpful. The class primarily focused on searching the census records. My library is offering a class next week about DNA and would love to attend it but have another obligation. Hopefully it will be offered again! Also while on the subject of the library, in our genealogy section I can browse through Ancestry for free. So another good to know fact.

  12. Susan,

    Thanks for sharing your results.

    I’ve been doing our collective genealogy for quite a few years now. I have found some fascinating stories, and connections and in a few years my hubby and I plan on going on an ancestors road trip.

    I would encourage you to build your tree, and digitize any historical records, or photographs. It would be a legacy to pass down to your grandchildren.

    ~Kiki~

  13. Susan, thanks so much for sharing your results. You inspired me to buy a kit and find out about my ancestry, too. I know what I have been told, but who knows? The way I understand it, the female will find out about the mother’s ancestry and my brother will get my father’s. I don’t know if I am going to be able to persuade him to do this or not.
    We learned from some past research by another family member, that one of my mother’s ancestors had twin children taken in a raid by a nearby Native American tribe. For generations, the family name passed down in that tribe. That always fascinated me, knowing that somewhere I have some Native American kin! Geneology is so interesting to me!

  14. I was told that after doing the DNA test, you can find out if someone who is a genetic match for you is doing family research on Ancestry.com and get in communication with them. On a TV show that Ancestry sponsors, they show that happening and another show where people are searching for their birth parents, it helps them a lot. Have you done that?
    I have some of my husbands ashes and wonder if they could do genetic testing with that.

    • Rose, I did notice that a child of one of my father’s (would that be a cousin?) has been on there adding info. Also, a daughter of one of mother’s sisters, (another cousin, right?) has been adding photos and info, too. They had added a photo that showed what I was told by my sister, was my Mom and Dad, only the person who added it said it was Mom and her brother. I messaged them to let them know that I thought it was my mom with her dad but they haven’t replied back. They may not be on the site right now. My mom and dad had lots of brothers and sisters. I was so young when they were around that I don’t remember that much about them. Everyone was all spread out so we rarely saw each other.

  15. How interesting! I have been meaning to do this but just have not. Now, I am going to for sure. I have been researching my family since my teens (about 50 years.) I have my mother’s paternal side done back to the early 1700s (Scottish/English) and her maternal side back to the 1600s. Some of which must still be certified/sourced. On my father’s maternal side, her mother’s family immigrated from Sweden and I have found the ship they came over on but other than their emigration record, I have not found any records in the Swedish databases. You have to have a great deal of information to find documents from European countries. I love it. My husband calls it “digging up bones.” I have found many cousins and even a great grand aunt who is still living and doing well!
    Thanks for sharing your experience. I think it will push me to continue on with the DNA matching.

    • Sally Cannon says

      Vicki,
      I think I’ve been getting some of my info from “Digging up bones”. I’m guessing we’re related on your mother’s paternal side? Please feel free to contact me. I’ve hit a roadblock on that side.
      Sally

  16. I had mine done over a year ago. Amazing and surprising. We have a lot of similar DNA. Let me just say one thing about the Irish DNA. They told me Great Britain was separate from Ireland as Scotland, England, Wales is all together (same DNA). Whereas Ireland is different with not so much intermingling. My son-in-law worked for Ancestry at the time I had mine done. Great post!

  17. I have researched my family right back to the 1500’s using Genes Reunited. A lot of information can be found using Latter Day Saints website which is free of charge!! https://familysearch.org/
    Enjoy your journey
    Blessings
    Jacqui

  18. Cyndi Raines says

    Very interesting! Now you have my curiosity peaked as to how different mine would be in comparison to my sisters! May have to do this, but right now I don’t have a lot of extra time to do the deep searching that I know I would then want to do. I have picked my mom’s brain over the years and have a pretty good start on grandparents and great grand parents, on both sides. Thanks Susan. So when’s your trip to Ireland? haha P.S. The trellis is all painted and looks so nice! Actually my husband did it while I did all the windows inside and out and the screens. Whew – glad that’s done.

  19. Margaret says

    LOVE your blog, Susan!!! I purchased a software program “Family Tree Maker 2014” (http://www.mackiev.com/) – it synchronizes with Ancestry.com but can be accessed offline anytime on your computer. You can add information and download documentation (census records, birth records, death certificates, etc.) on your Ancestry.com site – then synchronize all the information and documentation between the two. So, you can “save” all the hard work and the documentation you find online in Ancestry.com to your computer rather than having to print everything. You can also download the documentation from the Ancestry.com site into a folder on your computer if you choose not to purchase Family Tree Maker 2014 (option located on the R side of the document – allows you to zoom in offline). I suspect that if you took a break from Ancestry.com, you could simply synchronize your work again if you chose to re-subscribe. I still have a month left on my “free” Ancestry.com trial. I’m considering purchasing an international membership to access European records. I find that Ancestry.com is a more user friendly format for entering information than Family Tree Maker 2014 but that could be because I started with Ancestry.com…?

  20. Margaret says

    LOVE your blog, Susan!!! I purchased a software program Family Tree Maker 2014 (mackiev.com) – it synchronizes with Ancestry.com but can be accessed offline on your computer. You can add information and documentation in either (Ancestry or FTM 2014) then synchronize all the information and documentation between the two. So, you can save all your hard work and the documentation you find online in Ancestry.com to your computer rather than having to print everything. You can also download documentation from the Ancestry.com site into a folder on your computer – (the option is located on the R side of the document) and this allows you to zoom in. I suspect that if you took a break from Ancestry.com, you could simply synchronize your work again if you chose to re-subscribe.

  21. J oy Fling says

    Susan, I agree that you should reach out to your first and second cousins. I have contacted several of mine and received wonderful photographs of my paternal grandmothers’ grandparents and their family of 13 children. Even pictures of the farm house they lived in. The most surprising photo was one of my 4th great grandfather’ log cabin(photo taken in 1916) built in 1778. Not to mention he was sold as in indentured October 16, 1771 in Philadelphia. If you do not reach out, you will never know what treasures you will miss. Think of it a a legacy for your grandchildren

  22. Karen Ely says

    Susan, I have been on Ancestry for a couple of years now and had my results done to AND my Mother did hers. It was interesting to break ours down and see the differences. Of course, half mine is from my Dad. I was shocked that I was 71% Western Europe, 20% more than my Mom and I do have documented German ancestors on her side. I also took the mtDNA test from FamilytreeDNA, which traces back your straight maternal line DNA, in other words, mother’s mother’s mother’s etc etc. That picked up a lot of distant cousins MANY from Sweden, Finland, and Norway and I was only 9% Scandinavian. So you DO have Scandinavian relatives but they are most likely WAY back there. Likewise, there is a Y test that only males can take that traces back their father’s father’s father’s etc DNA. The autosomal test allowed me to discover a 3rd cousin I didn’t know existed, cough. She is also my Mother’s 2nd cousin. So there was some hanky panky there. These tests are not for the faint of heart, but I really like this new cousin. So if your parents or siblings are still alive, you should suggest they also do the test! If you want to dig in to ancestry, it is very time consuming and can suck you in fast but very rewarding. I recommend that if you don’t want to join Ancestry just yet that you buy a Software for Genealogy that you can start using. The recommended one that is compatible with both Ancestry and FamilyTree is called Software McKiev and RootsMagic. It replaces FamilyTreeMaker which Ancestry did away with. That way you can transfer info. Ancestry is great for finding documentation on family but beware, not everyone is careful about what they post and they don’t do their homework!

    • Thanks, Karen…this info is so helpful! Unfortunately, my parents are deceased…dad died when I was 19 and my mom when I was 21. My brother died a few years ago at 61 and my sister died last year at 69. So it’s just me now. My dad never talked about his parents or family and my mom was unable due to being very sick, so I’m on my own trying to figure this out. So really appreciate all this great info. I will look for that software!

  23. Karen Ely says

    Also, for your readers, Familysearch.org is run by the Church of Latter Day Saints, which also is linked to Ancestry, but Familysearch is free to use. In June, 2017, the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research will be moving their yearly conference from Samford University, Birmingham, AL to the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga!! A week of speakers and learning on campus. Registration in January, 2017. It’s an early sell out.

  24. How so very interesting…I have often thought to do this….thanks for all of this great information Susan!….

  25. Your DNA closely matches mine. I wonder if you will show up on my cousins list? LOL If you continue your interest I would recommend Roots Magic software rather than Family Tree Maker. Ancestry.com will not support Family Tree maker software by 2017. By the end of the year Roots Magic will connect to Ancestry.com just like Family Tree Maker.

    • Thanks, Kim…I’ll check out Roots Magic. Life is so funny, yesterday I went to a garden nursery to look at their shrubs and a guy who was working there had a very strong Irish accent. It sounded great…loved hearing him talk. We started talking and I told him I had just done the AncestryDNA test and Ireland came out at the top of the results. I mentioned I was confused since my maiden name was Scottish and I figured it would be at the top. He told me there were a lot of folks in Ireland with my maiden name, that his neighbors across the street had my maiden name. Last night I googled and read some history that explains how they were driven out Scotland and into Ireland, so now it all makes sense. There so much more online now than there was just a few years ago. I guess a lot of folks are getting interested in tracing their roots back. It was just so amazing that I would meet someone who just arrived here from Ireland a week ago right after getting those results back.

      • Hi Susan have both software programs and will move to Roots Magic when the time comes. Love your story re: meeting the Irish gentleman looking at shrubs. Finding out your roots changes your life in many small ways doesn’t it? you may never have noticed him before this. Through Ancestry.com I am in contact with distant cousins in England and Scotland. I really enjoy talking to those “across the pond” as my 92 year old Scottish auntie would say. My Scottish maiden name is like Smith in Scotland!! I know there are a lot in Ireland as well. Good luck to you!! I am warning you genealogy can be addicting!

        • The more you learn, the more you realize we all come from one place: planet earth. We are all way more alike than we are different. I wish I had more time to devote to it, the landscaping is calling me now. 🙂

      • Susan Petersen says

        I love these serendipity moments.

  26. Vicky from Athens says

    Love this post and am fascinated by family research but I would like to echo Myrna’s comment on the fact that the info on Ancestry can be erroneous – info on public member trees isn’t always correct. It’s only as good as the knowledge of the person who entered it. I found this out 3 years ago when I went to the little village in SW France my gg grandfather immigrated from in the 1850’s. I went armed with my family tree (as I knew it) written down. the ladies at the town hall looked at it and said “Non, non!” As it turned out, his parents names were both incorrect on my info and I now have a copy of his birth record to prove it. Often, when searching through other member trees, people just copy down what they see assuming it to be correct. This is a very addictive endeavor and can bring much pleasure. It’s like a never ending treasure hunt and I recommend it to anyone with an ounce of curiosity about their roots!

    • Thanks for that warning, Vicky. I will definitely keep that in mind as I work on my tree at Ancestry. That’s great you were able to track down the info on your grandfather!

      • Vicky from Athens says

        As a footnote . . . I had my father’s DNA tested before he died and found that he is in a very small haplo group located only in SW France, NW Spain and Ireland. I was told that he’s a direct descendant of Cro-Magnon man who was found in a cave in SW France and actually only a couple hundred miles from the village my gg grandfather was born and lived in til he left for the US at the age of 18. This DNA stuff has me hooked. The more I find out, the more I want to know!

  27. denise Davis says

    Very interesting!! I have been on the fence about submitting my dna. Question– did Ancestry say what they did with the DNA once the testing is completed? Do they destroy it? Just curious. 🙂

  28. I’m waiting on my results now. It was good reading your post. Thanks for the info to further the results. Now I’m really excited.

  29. Thank you for sharing. My ancestry DNA results
    36% Great Britain
    33% Ireland
    15% Europe West
    5 More regions

    • Were you surprised by your results, Vicki or were they about what you expected? I was a little surprised by mine, but I think my Scottish heritage is hidden inside the Scandinavia results.

      • Yes really surprised (No Native American) my grandmother was born on a Indian reservation in Chickasha, Oklahoma. So I expected some. But the DNA circles & DNA matches are awesome. They have helped me break down brick walls. As a bonus I’ve found many Cousins who have the same passion for family history! Have fun with it. Vicki

  30. I know I’m late to the game here, but I couldn’t help but note that Scotland is part of Great Britain, which is represented in your results as 18%. Plus, the history of migration between and within the British Isles is long and extensive, so your results are not surprising.

    • That’s true! My maiden is one that’s very prominent all over Scotland and Ireland, I learned that a while back from someone who was born/raised in Ireland and just moved to the states. Love learning about all this, but the morn I learn, but more complicated it seems. lol

  31. Grandmom says

    Wow! This post certainly got people talking. I joined Ancestry 3-4 years ago. My sister & I worked on it together, although she’s in another state. Both of us have more recently gotten back to it. Last month, I finally did the DNA testing. No surprises tho…our Mother had always told us we were Irish/Scots/German. On my paternal side, I’ve gone back to my 20th Great-grandfather. Come to dead-ends on both my maternal sides tho. Susan, we’ve been out of the US just rwo times…both to Ireland and we’d go back in a heartbeat. After our DNA tests, we’d like to visit Scotland and England. ENJOY IRELAND

  32. Rhonda Merkl says

    I have just started with Ancestory DNA. Waiting for my results. I am adopted and hope to find my biological father and family. Anyone have an experience to share to give me hope?

    • Rhonda, I’ve heard of people finding family that way. You may want to upload your results to GED match once they are available and make sure they are available on Ancestry’s website and not marked as private. Best of luck!

  33. I am an Ancestry user and want to share a bad experience so everyone will learn from what happened to me. As with any social media, there are creeps out there. An other user took my family tree and used a legitimate ancestor who shared the exact name and very close birthdate with a family member of one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, then falsely using that person’s ancestors as mine. I double checked my method and thought I was correct in “discovering “ these results. I let my excitement get ahead of more caution. But I thought I had proved the results by researching through another avenue. Unfortunately when someone twists your real ancestor information you can be fooled. This person gave a clue in the user name-nocred. (As in no credibility!) I shared with family before I checked a third time with the help of another family member who was excited to help me. I found my error and had to send a red faced apology to my family. They all responded with, who cares, no worries, it’s fine, etc. What a wonderful family. Oops but my oh so excited to help person suddenly was too busy. I think he needed that to feel special. I’m sorry for him. To stop the malicious hijacker of my family tree, I posted for all members to read, giving the tree name and user name. I sent an email to Ancestry. I took down my tree to private until aI had completely exposed the creep. I emailed the creep. I corrected my tree and then made it public. Nocred and the false tree disappeared. I worry there will be other victims, so be extra cautious and do correct documentation with no short cuts. Second lesson I’ve learned is to be sensitive to sharing results. As someone commented earlier, stories written or told for generations are often inaccurate. There are also secrets that come to light. I’ve learned before sharing any of my research with a family member to state that some information may be upsetting because it doesn’t match the family legends. I make sure my family member knows that everything I put down is documented, so no fussing if they don’t like what is true. This caveat helps avoid problems. I hope my experiences are helpful to all users.

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