Thinking of trying DNA testing, it's on sale

[Pressm4n]

Hello, I saw this thread and thought I would reply to it. I had ancestry done last year, but, it seemed very vague as mentioned by others. It showed what I had expected after doing a lot of genealogy on my family. That being said, you will be linked to others with the same DNA markers and if they have family trees set up, it can be helpful for your research.

I spent about 100 on Living DNA after my British/Scottish and Irish made up mid 90% of my DNA. As stated before Living DNA breaks down the British Isles into a number of areas. The test took about 4 months, but, I was very impressed. The autosomal results (your personal make up) were very similar and linked to places I knew most of my family came from a long time ago (Ulster and others areas). The yDNA (paternal side, passed down to sons) was awesome. It answered some questions about my father's line I have been researching.

Overall, it was a lot of fun seeing the results.

Rob

[Me cousin Jack]

I’ve found and been in touch with 3 family members I never knew, and learned some things that would have otherwise been lost to me and my family forever, so while I’m a fan, I acknowledge the risks in administering such a test and the detriment that can go along with it, ie; possible medical claim denials, not only for myself but for family memebers for many generations to come should the information be used, hacked for purposes not of MY intended use.

Pay attention to your application settings.

[MacRob46]

I have toyed with having my DNA done but have not as yet. Most of my Scottish ancestry comes down through females in my paternal line (I know a good deal of the genealogy) with the male line most likely from Northern England and the Scottish border.

That being said, I question a lot of the promises being made by DNA testing companies, especially through their advertising. It is not likely to pinpoint the exact origins of your family nor is it going to tell you family names and places, down to the square mile. These companies rely on your relatives, whoever they may be, to have been at some point put into one or more of the data bases which they search (your relatives' DNA that is), in looking for a match to your DNA. If it is not there then you have a general idea of your family's origins and that is about it. I have seen more than one person who very enthusiastically announced that they now know who they are and, especially, what Highland Clan they belong to. The problem is they have nothing to back this up and no names or exact locations to cite for their ancestry - oh yes, no genealogy either, just a sept name and the DNA report.

I am probably wrong, but to me this is not much help and, since I know a good amount about my family origins, back to the late 17th c., I am wondering if I want to spend the money and, for me to have any hope at all of finding anything of use I will have to pony up the funds for an extensive test to get much information.

A friend recently bought a basic test kit from one of the leading providers. A percentage of his DNA indicated he is Jewish and of an Eastern European origin. Not that it is an indication of anything, but he is a retired Presbyterian minister. A previous basic kit from another vendor connected him with a man in England who had the same markers as him. They had a correspondence spanning a few weeks and neither could connect to the other with their known genealogy.

I am just not sold on the value of this testing and, remember, you are giving these companies an awful lot of very personal stuff, and just how do they safeguard it? Recent news reports indicate they are not doing a particularly good job of that at present.

[Duncan H]

Have a read of this newspaper article first.......Ancestry investigation reveals security concerns around DNA database

https://dailym.ai/2M0mcHk

[MacRob46]

On CBS This Morning there was another report of a DNA firm being hacked with login information stolen. I forget the name but it was not one of the "big three." There is definitely a problem which, of course, extends to a lot of firms not connected with DNA research.