Last month Kyle and I decided to purchase the Ancestry DNA kits, we both know our basic heritage but we wanted to know more. Not only does the test give you the breakdown of your ethnicity but it also will link you to others that have also done the analysis who are potential relatives.
My results came back yesterday and it was amazing seeing my ethnicity report. It was worth every penny of the $100 it costs.
I am 49% Great Britain (which is a mix of England, Scotland, and Wales)
18% Europe West (which is Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland)
15% Scandinavian
7% Italian/Greek
6% Irish
5% Mix of other regions
It also linked me with 414 potential 4th cousins or closer. There is one individual who might be my 2nd cousin. I have contacted her so we will see what happens from there.
Throughout this process I was able to create a family tree with ancestry and as of right now I have my paternal grandfathers side linked all the way back to 1586. I have seen everything from census records from 1850 to ship records for ancestors who immigrated from Germany and Switzerland in the 1600's. One of the most interesting things is seeing the progression of my maiden name, from 1586 to now it has seen 7 different spellings.
I am amazed at the information I have been able to find. I am still sifting through information but it's been fun finding distant relatives and learning more about them. Can't wait to see what else comes up.
Have you ever looked into your families history?
I love that you made a contact. I haven't done a lot of family history searching but I have a first cousin who did an extensive one and shared her findings.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by genealogy. Back during the early days of the internet, my dad got really into tracing our family tree and connected with quite a few long-last members of our family (we have a super unique name that ensures if someone else has it, we are definitely related) due to a half-brother situation in the 1870s! So neat that you were able to contact a potential second cousin.
ReplyDeleteThat is really awesome! My maiden name is very unique as well, so it's cool to find others. :)
DeleteSo cool! I would love to do this but just can't justify the price right now... or I should say my husband can't. It seems so neat to know all of that!! :)
ReplyDeleteCool!!
ReplyDeleteYes, my dad was really good with all that stuff so I do have records and pictures. Xxoo
That's awesome!
DeleteHow fun you found out more about your heritage, so cool! My grandmother on my dad's side did a genealogy tree and it was awesome to look through.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool!! I have always wanted to trace my family tree but never knew quite where/how to start. Was it difficulty to trace your ancestry? I think my family would love to have this done.
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't been difficult at all, if you have some basic information you can get started with that. It has been awesome!
DeleteI love that site. I joined to make a family tree for the girls.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! May I ask - how much did it cost? I've always wanted to do this :)
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool? ^I'm kind curious too. I would love to know my exact breakdown!
ReplyDeleteIt cost $99 for the kit, I think it's a good price. :)
DeleteWow I've seen this on tv, but never knew of anyone actually doing it. I love that you even connected with someone you could be related to - keep us updated there!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! How does it break it down for you? Do you provide a DNA sample? Or is it all just by last name/genealogy?
ReplyDeleteI got on Acenstry a couple years ago, but it really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I can easily go back 4-5 generations without even thinking about it. This looks pretty cool though.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot of information about either side of my families so it's been cool seeing all of this.
DeleteI've been wanting to do the DNA kit also but with the free year of membership I just don't have time to enjoy it right now with the baby. However, back in the 90's with the help of my cousins we were able to trace our family roots back to the 11th century.
ReplyDeleteMy family went to Ellis Island once and did genealogy research so that was cool. I went to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and did a bit of genealogy research but got nervous that the Mormons might use my data in a way I didn't agree with (baptisms for the dead) so I quickly left.
ReplyDeleteAncestry is interesting but I haven't had the opportunity to research it. Since my Grandfather's death I have learned a bunch more than I thought I would. My dad has been a wealth of knowledge as to his side of the family anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt's been really neat going back through information.
DeleteMy Great Aunt does the Genealogy for my family on my moms side and it is very interesting. It's a trip learning where we came from!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! Chris and I spent almost an entire summer trying to compile a family tree from ancestry.com, we didn't get too far since basically his whole family. and my moms family are like straight off the boat Italians, and their names were not recorded correctly. But we got pretty far on my dad's side. Maybe we should pay to do the DNA kit!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I've always wanted to do something like this...! When I met my 2nd cousin once removed from my father's side, we were looking to do a family tree, but don't think it's going to happen... Oh well! That'll be cool to hear your potential 2nd cousins story!!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to do this! Esp for Jason - they're 4th generation Floridians and always joke they don't know where they came from (though they know England, but not sure if anywhere else)
ReplyDeleteMy dad's side of the family has a "family book". It dates back all the way when my maiden name was connected (it use to be 2 and 1 and now its 3...its a typical thing from Spain.) But it dates way back...the book itself talks about our family crest and family name and then we have a family tree. I love looking at it and seeing the history. Not many people know their families history and I love that I know that. Ive been meaning to work on my mom's side...that will be very intersting.
ReplyDeleteWow!! What an amazing and informative experience!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so amazing. I need to do this for my kids, I know I'm mostly Irish but I have no idea about my husband!
ReplyDeleteI have done some searching on ancestry.com, but I really want to research more about my grandma's side. There is family drama, and a missing biological grandfather. I have considered paying, but I wasn't sure if they would find anything. Maybe I should try it out.
ReplyDeleteI want to try this one day. I'm curious.
ReplyDeleteI want to get this for my dad! He loves ancestry.com, so I feel like this would be right up his alley!!
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool! My mom has done a ton of our ancestry. She really has enjoyed delving into all of that history!
ReplyDeleteI love ancestry. I have always been told that my family's origins were from England. Plain and simple, England. But our family name is very French sounding and is a derivative of French origins... So once I started looking into it I found that we were French... Aristocrats actually. And that during the French revolution they escaped with their heads to England, but lost all their lands. And later in the 1800's they were offered to have their lands and titles reinstated and refused. They remained English citizens. Now I understand why pervious generations were so adamant that we were English. Also, while they did not change the last name entirely, it did abruptly change in spelling during this time. The spelling that is still used today.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! The neatest part was that its all backed up with real documents. It's incredible to see photos of the real documents and handwriting and signatures!
This is so cool!! I've always wanted to do this. In my history class back in high school, I had to do a project like this and lucky for me, my grandmother had already done a TON of research going back into the 1800s (which is further back than any of my classmates were able to uncover). I know that I'm French, Irish, and Scottish. I'm pretty sure I'm a small part Native American and German as well. But I'd love to learn more! Maybe I'll add this to my Christmas list this year haha
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