I am not affiliated with AncestryDNA and don’t receive any compensation from them. It is simply the test I used. And just in time for Fathers Day they have begun filling social media with ads for their best price of the year. Just today I was telling a coworker now is the time to buy if you are at all interested in doing so.
My encouragement is usually met with indecision. Folks don’t know if they want to spend the money. They aren’t sure which company to use. They aren’t sure they trust the accuracy. They are afraid of what they might find. Or they are uncomfortable putting their DNA out there to possibly solve crimes in the future. These are all things you need to research and in the end you have to make the decision that’s right for you. But if you do it?
ALL THE COUSINS.
Holy cow at the cousins. It is overwhelming. And neverending. The more people send in tests the more matches you get. They send you new matches as they are found so years later I still get new matches. I mean, just look at that picture! I have over 1000 4th cousins or closer. Those 44 starred matches? Those are the few I have researched and solidly followed how we are related. And the more information Ancestry gets from all the tests the more they can predict where you’re ancestors are from; that means your Ethnicity Estimate “changes” (actually just updated) and that can be confusing. My original results said 33% England/ Wales/ Northwestern Europe…that number is now 79%.
I have enjoyed looking into my matches. Some come with a common ancestor and are easy to research. Some are a complete puzzle..but I like puzzles. Then you get that one match that is definitive proof so-and-so really was your 3rd ggrandmother when you really weren’t for sure (true story!)
Sometimes you get messages from matches. I like that but some people don’t. I’ve reached out to a few of my matches with little to no response. Some matches don’t link a family tree for you to look at and compare and that can be disappointing, but you just move on to the next match and keep going.
In the end, I’m a fan of DNA testing for genealogical research. Lots of great info to be gleaned from the results. And great stories to uncover! I’ll tell you one of those stories in my next post.
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