Here is my assigned topic for this month’s Secret Subject Swap from Karen at Baking In A Tornado:
“Have you used one of those DNA testing services?
If so, why did you choose to do it?
If not, would you consider doing it?
Why or why not?”
This is an interesting topic with many folks feeling strongly one way or the other. My husband and I are pretty much open books, both in real life and online. We feel we don’t have anything to hide and we also feel the government and private companies already know more about us than we could ever imagine.
But let’s step back a little bit for some background. First, me. I grew up knowing that my paternal grandmother was born and raised in Nova Scotia and was Scottish, Clan MacQuarrie. My maiden name is Blanchard so I always assumed my paternal grandfather’s heritage was English and maybe some French if you went back far enough. My mother was orphaned around age three, but she knew she was Irish.
My husband’s father was obviously of Scottish descent, Clan MacNicol. His mother was thought to be of German with a dash of Spanish/Mediterranean heritage.
L: MacNicol Crest on clan tartan R: MacQuarrie Crest on clan tartan
Back in our early years together, I joined Ancestry.com and started building our family trees. It was fascinating, time consuming, and addictive. I eventually dropped my membership, freeing up time and money. Fortunately my cousins took up the challenge and continued growing our family tree, tracing our paternal grandfather’s line back to the the early Massachusetts settlers and England.
My mother’s side hasn’t been productive at all, partially because her father went by several names. Some day I hope to get back on Ancestry.com and try again. A lot more records have been made accessible since I dabbled in 2009.
Stu’s family provided even more of a challenge when I moved the search to Scotland. Poorer records (out of what was available then) and the habit of naming sons & daughters with the same first names as their parents made it difficult to go very far. His mother’s side took me to Germany, about what we expected.
In 2014, we decided to do the Ancestry.com DNA test when we saw it on sale. In the five years since, the results have been fine-tuned from our initial results. The more people who submit DNA allow them to continually improve the accuracy.
Here was my original estimate from 2014. Shows the Irish and Scottish ancestry that I expected with a dash of other area. Nothing real surprising.
Here is my current ethnicity estimate…a little stronger percentage wise, but still no surprises.
The new maps they added show where my family started and where it migrated. Nova Scotia and New England. Just what I expected.
Stu’s story was a little different. Here is his 2014 estimate. Interesting…hmmm.
Here is his most recent estimate, closing up the accuracy on those percentages.
The new maps show some interesting patterns, including the settlements in the early Virginia area. Digging further into the Ancestry.com offerings, I found this information in the community section.
..and this!
Well, now I just had to look into the history of Africans in Scotland and came across this fascinating article. I’ll let you read it…but it means I am even more anxious to get back into Ancestry and Stu’s family history.
After the first DNA results we had assumed the heritage was from his mother’s side due to her darker complexion, which Stu also has, and her broader nose, which he doesn’t have. Now it’s beginning to look like it comes from the McNicol side.
Fascinating stuff – we will probably never find where the African came into his ancestry, but we’ve enjoyed speculating on the various ways it could have happened.
Are we happy we did the DNA testing? Absolutely yes. Not just because of what I’ve written above, but because it’s a look into our history.
What about you? Have you had your DNA analyzed? Do you think you will?
What is the Secret Subject Swap. Simply put, a group of bloggers submit ideas, topics, or questions to be answered in a post. Then the hostess, Karen @BakingInATornado.com, divies the ideas back out to the participating bloggers. Then they write. These brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were in turn assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Here are links to the blogs featuring their Secret Subject Swap posts today. So sit back, grab a cuppa, and check them out. You’re bound to find one to enjoy and maybe even promote some thoughts of your own.
Here are this month’s brave bloggers:
- Baking In A Tornado
- Wandering Web Designer
- Spatulas on Parade
- ME! Our Prime Years
- Part-time Working Hockey Mom
- Climaxed
9 thoughts on “#SecretSubjectSwap: DNA – do or don’t?”
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I think it’s all so fascinating. One thing that my cousin did, that I just love, is he sat my great grandmother down in front of a tape recorder and said “talk, tell family stories, start as far back as you can remember”. We ended up with some pretty incredible family stories going all the way back to the pogroms in Russian, and all in her own voice.
I wish we had done this but now I am the oldest living relative in our immediate family, no parents/grandparents/greats. Sigh…
I have my father’s fathers family genealogy written down all the way back to when they came to America. My paternal grandmother I know very little about. My mother’s family I know back to my great grandparents on each side. That’s it.
I would love to do a DNA test and have thought about asking for one for Christmas.
Do it – the female side of the family carries the most accurate DNA or so I’ve been told.
I’ve been wanting to renew my ancestry again too. Years ago it was so expensive but I’ve noticed that the pricing has gone way down. I haven’t done the DNA test yet, but want to. I loved searching our ancestry but then I got sick and let it go. I need to pick it back up!
For me, the price has gone up but I think I can get a discount with my AARP membership. But as long as I’m writing, I can’t do it. It is addictive and time consuming. LOL! Go for the DNA though, only requires you to sign into Ancestry, not have a membership.
I know enough about my roots and family, so I probably won’t do it. I love that people who were adopted and are looking for their birth parents or potential siblings have this possibility via DNA technology. Same goes for law enforcement. These days they are able to match old DNA evidence to criminals and hold them accountable – late, but it happens.
I’ve read some amazing stories out there…you never know what you might find.
I don’t have strong family ties. My dad and his parents are gone and all made my life rough. My mom doesn’t have much to do with her dad, and her mom is gone as well. Neither of my parents had a big family and still had rifts and fights that lead us to be pretty isolated. My family has always been of my own choosing, the people I love that have gathered in my life one way or another over the years. So I pass on this kind of stuff. Too many bad memories associated with my bloodlines. But it is still interesting to see what others find out.