Community Chat

[151949]

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@Laura14 wrote:

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@Cakers3 wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

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@CinNC wrote:

I have several relatives in my family who do geneology but my brother decided to take a test when his wife did...figured no surprises. 

Found out that either my maternal grandfather or great-grandfather had an "illegitimate" daughter that we never knew about. My brother was contacted by one of the her grandchildren. 

My sister's family was stunned by the fact that they were significantly Irish. They are long-time members of the DAR, and many of their known ancestors are German and Mennonite/Amish. Apparently the older members of the family were horrified by this news....my adult neice's comment was "Weird, archaic racisms die super hard apparently"

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I had a similar experience - my grandmother was a member of the DAR and her mother's  family had for many generations belonged to the mennonite church. On her father's side his family was from Coburg, Germany and was only in the US 2 generations above my Grandmother. They were also Mennonite. However, when I got my DNA tested I was only 8% german. My grandfather was 100% Italian and had immigrated to the US as a child from northern Italy - but I'm only 5% Italian. Now my Dad is 100% Irish - his parents immigrated to the US from Galway, and, yes, on my DNA I am 75% Celtic - Irish and/or Welsh.

I wonder how accurate these tests are. I have small % of dna from all over Europe but I bet - in all the generations my family was in the USA - esp the Germans who were here since something like 1720 - they mixed it up with some non germans.

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I guess I need to trade in my leiderhosen for a kilt!

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@151949I never bought that commercial. 

I don't understand how your results showed so little Italian since you have posted a lot about being Italian and how your family ate Italian food, including how you all ate bread and olive oil.

I understand people can have some variance but if one is brought up speaking, dancing, eating, dressing, etc. as one ethnic group then I'm pretty sure the leiderhosen guy is just a come on commercial.

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@Cakers3  I won't speak for her but Northern Italy is a hodgepodge and also the home of many blonde hair blue eyed Italians.  Depending on where up there you come from, you could be Italian but your ancestry could actually be across the border.  Especially if you are close to the eastern border which change hands and became part of Yugoslavia after the war.  

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Exactly - sometimes german , sometimes swiss, sometimes french, sometimes Italian and God only knows how many others. BTW - my grandfather had light brown hair and blue eyes, but his sisters were all typical Italian coloring - olive skin and brown eyes & hair , as did my Mom.

[Jinlei]

I think these things are a waste of money and whomever thought it up is getting rich.  I find it difficult to believe they can tell where you came from with a DNA sample.  I already know where my ancestors came from and who I am, why would I pay someone money to tell me all over again?   JMO.  Good luck to all who participate.

[CLEM]

Your thread reminded me that I have been wanted to order one of these DNA kits.  I really know my ancestry since I came from Europe, so I don't know why I am doing this.  Who knows what will find out.

[lovesrecess]

I have hesitated to do any of these due to two of my siblings getting results that were totally different from each other's...maybe I will do it and be a tie-breaker!

[Laura14]

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@BirkiLady wrote:

@Laura14  This reunion post included our maiden name, married name, current address, phone numbers and emails. The committee didn't miss anything! It's out there for the whole world. So much for keeping my Facebook privacy settings how I preferred. Had nothing to do with FB in this case. An entire committee and not one person thought about the consequences. I didn't bother to comment about it. Figured they probably heard it all from the other 600 classmates. Nothing detrimental happened to me as a result. It was thoughtless and very stupid.  On the plus side: The committee put on a great 50th Class Reunion two years ago! We're also getting together in August for a mini (one evening) reunion. Retirement enables people to return for this stuff, I guess. 

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@BirkiLady    Um, someone needs to brush up on common sense.  I am so sorry!  I now feel okay about ignoring all of my alumni updates.  Unbelievable!

[Laura14]

@CLEM  I am doing it for the medical info.  I waited for it to go on sale and it did so I am now awaiting my spit cup.  

@lovesrecess  That's odd although I did hear once that even though it's the same gene pool, you inherit different genes from everyone who came before unless you are identical.  So one sibling could pull more genes from one side of the family than the other.  I have one sister who has much lighter coloring than the rest of us.  I'm going to guess if she ever does it, she pulled in more of the French side than the Italian.  Definitely a conversation piece if nothing else these tests!  

[151949]

@BirkiLady  I believe the DAR (daughters of the American Revolution) is an organization whose members can trace their ancestors to being in America before the American Revolution - not the civil war, which occured about 100 years later. Unless they have loosened up their requirements. My grandmother had ancestors here since the 1700s and was a member of the DAR. My Mom and I weren't interested but could have belonged if we were.

[151949]

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@lovesrecess wrote:
I have hesitated to do any of these due to two of my siblings getting results that were totally different from each other's...maybe I will do it and be a tie-breaker!

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I agree - I took it with a grain of salt since I know a set of identical twins who got different results from each other. 

Also my father had an identical twin brother and his daughter & I sent ours in.I got 75% celtic (Irish & welsh) & English she got 55% celtic and no english despite that her mother was born in wales and came to the USA as a war bride after WW11 and her father was 100% irish. It did not even match us up as relatives on the part where they tell you other people you may be related to.

[JillyMarie]

Could someone tell me what level of detail to expect from one of these tests?  I have hesitated to participate because I'm not interested in knowing I'm European.  I know that already.  I want to know where in Eastern or Northeastern or Central or Southeastern Europe. 

[151949]

Usually they circle areas like mine had a circle around Ireland and wales, then another around western Europe ( France, germany, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, northern Italy) and another around baltic areas (crotia, Hungry, slovakia). That is all the more specific it got. In the explanation they break it down into %. Like mine is 75% celtic ( Ireland & Wales.) 2% baltic and 23% western Europe.