Have you had ancestry DNA testing done and was it worth it?

1. 36

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   Have you had ancestry DNA testing done and was it worth it?
   
   I know it can be quite pricey, but there are several gaps in our history on my Mother's side.  My grandparents, great grandparents and beyond were born in a time where they were not welcome here and did a lot to disguise who they were and where they came from - even lying to the later generations of our family.  It would be so interesting to see through genetics where we actually came from.  My mother is the last in her generation - both her sisters are gone.  All of my grandma's siblings have also passed. 
   
   for best results would it be best for me to do it or my mother?

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2. 82

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   I've never personally done it, but my parents had one of these tests done. They seemed generally pleased with the results (my mom is big into ancestry stuff). I don't think it would matter if it was you or your mother who took the test. I think the percentages would just be lower for you because you would have your father's ancestry as well.

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      DzyMsLizzyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No matter who takes the test, there will be a paternal ancestry as well.....

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      MizBejabbersposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Why don't you do a hub about it? I would love to read of your mom's results.

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      M. T. Dremerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I was just trying to point out what she might expect from her vs her mom taking the test.

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3. 92

   MizBejabbersposted 10 years ago

   Yes, we have and I wrote a hub on it. This was on my father’s side of the family and the results were quite shocking. We were not whom we had always believed ourselves to be, and we are almost wishing that we had not had the test done. On the other side of the family, my mother’s youngest brother who is now in his 80s has just submitted his DNA test and we are awaiting the results. Whatever happens with this test will be informative because we know that the family has an assumed name. It was assumed for political reasons at least 300 years ago along with thousands of others who assumed this name in Europe to hide their true identity. [It was NOT changed when the progenitor emigrated to the American colonies in the 1750s.] We are hoping it will tell us who this line really is. Also, there is some speculation as to whether this line is French or English, as people in both countries assumed this name.
   I think that all in all it is worth it to know who we really are, especially if you family came through Ellis Island and the officials changed your family name. None of my family came through Ellis Island, however, in doing genealogy I did find two Jewish lineages whose names were changed when they converted to Christianity in the old countries, which may account for my gluten sensitivity. I think for reasons of health the DNA tests are worth it.
   Our family DNA tests were Y-DNA, (male only) so I’m thinking about having a matrilineal DNA test done to find my mother’s ancestry. In my opinion these tests are definitely worth it.
   Just a note: Ancestry.com is stopping doing DNA tests and we have until September to move our files to another DNA website so we can keep comparing them with new tests that come in. I think the fee is $19.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Christin...and a fabulous Hub did MzB write!!   I became so enthused, I told my sons we all need to save our pennies so we can do the "DNA Thing!"   I feel it would be so exciting just to KNOW....even if we discovered some "Oops! & Uh-OH's!"   LO

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      MizBejabbersposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for the compliment, Paula. I intend to do more as I get more information.

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      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am def. going to check out your hub on it - thanks! I def. need to learn more before deciding which one to do and on whom.

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4. 90

   DzyMsLizzyposted 10 years ago

   Have not--it would be interesting, but not in the budget.  It's very expensive.  (And yes, "only" $100 is 'very expensive' when you live on a fixed income.)

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   sheilamyersposted 10 years ago

   I haven't, but I've been giving it a lot of thought. I'm glad you asked this question and I'm looking forward to hearing about what other people who've done it have experienced.

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6. 86

   Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years ago

   I haven't either, but I am awfully tempted.  There are several different kinds you can get done - the one that traces your father's father's father's, etc., one that traces your mother's mother's mother's, etc.  There are specific ones to see if you are related to a particular individual. There is also one that checks your haplogroup so you know what percentage you are from different countries or locations. I think that even with these tests, I would still want to do the research to find the specific connection, but the tests might lead us in the right direction.

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7. 39

   maxancestryposted 7 years ago

   I wasn't sure at first, but I'm very glad I did it. The DNA test helped me zero in on my Ancestry theories and I'm about to crank it up a notch and do the National Geographic Genome 2.0 test to identify Haplogroups. It really is a fun train to ride. I'm still having way too much fun with mine.

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