Considering researching at Ancestry.com? You might not like what you find.

Just got my results back. I was very sceptical so a little reassured when it picked up a distant Australian cousin with whom I have been in contact for years. I had always understood that my jewish grandparents had married (not always!) outside of the faith. My results however said 2% jewish. How can it determine faith or am I misunderstanding it?

 

It can probably tell if you've been eating kosher

 

Having been active in my own genealogy research for a couple of decades, I have kept a keen eye on the development of DNA testing services. My personal interest is in the history of the family and not who is/may be a distant living cousin.
In most cases I can think of, other than verifying lineage following an exhumation of a very distant ancestor (unlikely in most of our situations I suggest), they only serve to confirm common ancestral links for people that have carried out the tests.
So far I haven't seen any worth spending money on, as even the ethnicity information seems vague to say the least.

 

There is lots of data out there on the DNA services.

In short the study keeps evolving, far faster than any services.

They are useless as a result, can pick up a continent or two but... the rest is effectively guesswork off their database and rather unscientific.

Beeb's done a few pieces on it, and the whole thing is frankly an easy money spinner. Treat it like an expensive lottery ticket and bit of whimsy rather than any serious endeavour.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

 

This one made me laugh - what Wellington would have thought would be interesting - answers on a postcard or post below please

From Ancestry - whilst looking for something else

UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949
Name: Ernest Wheeler
Service Date: 1815
Service Place: Belgium
Campaign or Service: Battle of Waterloo
Regiment or Unit Name: Machine Gun Corps
Regimental Number: 175086



TD

For reference - https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1686/31794_221579-00324?pid=1760339&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=bDz19760&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&db=CampaignMedalRolls&gss=angs-d&new=1&rank=1&MS_AdvCB=1&gsln=wheeler&gsln_x=1&_F4E2F07A=546886&_F4E2F07A_x=1&MSAV=2&uidh=5nr&pcat=39&fh=0&h=1760339&recoff=&ml_rpos=1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=bDz19760&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

 

My grandad was in the MGC, he'd have loved sitting in a square popping 'frogs' with his Vickers.

 

You have to laugh

Doing a search and Ancestry tells me:

Census & Electoral Rolls
1
1881 England Census 1
See all 1 results…

So that would make you think that there is 1 (one) result for your seach parameters..........................

How wrong could you be................................ on opening that Census I was confronted with ...................

Results 1–50 of 12,315



No wonder I need pills
TD

 

Just have to wonder how they cope with data protection......

 

The Curious Cases of Rutherford anf Fry - The Viking Code
How do ancestry DNA tests work? Science sleuths Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate.
BBC Radio 4 - The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, Series 12, The Viking Code

 

Had mine done last year apparently i'm a Celt or something like that.

 

As the bosun on my first ship said, when I said 'if we did something or other'. If your auntie had balls she'd be your uncle!

 

Everyone I know that has played this game has found out they were related to either George Washington or King George III or both.

 

dbf could be right .................. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-u...-genealogy-test-that-revealed-a-family-secret

TD

 

I appear to have many matches of 3rd to 5th cousin in the family line so no high percentage numbers.

 

Just got my ancestral DNA test results back. Interesting but no suprises;
48% south central England
14% southeast England
a smattering of East Anglia, Cumbria, Central England, Yorkshire
a hint Scotland and Ireland
and a bit of Germanic (from the old anglo-saxons probably)

So all you jolly, forin chappies can just b* off - it is my country !
(Dons top hat and places monocle in left eye)

(Only joking chaps, honest ! )

 

Ahhh - the old 'travelling salesman' mix eh what

TD

 

How very dare you, Sir !.....I'll have you know I come from a long line of respectable Agricultural Labourers.....we've shovelled sh*t for some of the best families in the land !

 

Ah I know - I'm standing in some right now

TD