AncestryDNA Search

Today's entry is related to the previous post about my dna results (you can read it here http://islandgenealogy.blogspot.ca/2016/01/wow-i-had-no-intention-of-going-more.html). I've been asked how Ancestry DNA has helped in my research, so I thought I'd fill you in on my experience. I hope I explain it well enough so it's not too confusing.

Shortly after receiving my dna results, I availed of a free online course at the Ancestry Academy titled DNA 101: An Insider's Scoop on AncestryDNA Testing found here https://www.ancestry.ca/academy/course/ancestry-dna-101. I found it extremely helpful, and learned a few tricks that I was able to put to use to locate living relatives based on my dna.

Before I get into how I was able to do that, I should say that Ancestry provides you with a list of people who have also taken the test and who have some dna matching your results. The greater the genetic match, the greater the likelihood of a closer relation. Additionally, if you both have a family tree on Ancestry with the same data, it can determine whether you both have the same person in your respective trees. I had one such genetic match that showed me exactly which couple someone else and I are both descended from, based on our tree data. But otherwise I was a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of going through dozens (or more) genetic matches to see if I could find a match manually since nobody else had similar data to mine.

Here's where the online course became very beneficial! One of the topics covered was how to use the search feature specific to genetic matches. I hadn't availed of the search feature until that point, but once I did I found it extremely helpful. You can search by surname or location, or both, so that you get a short list of genetic matches who also have that search criteria in their trees. Searching through 1 or 2 results is much less daunting than the prospect of searching through dozens!

As an example, I entered search criteria "Ireland" and "Murray", the surname of my great-great-grandmother Mary, which resulted in one matching tree. When I had a look through that tree, I discovered it contained a William Murray from Ireland whose parents were Thomas and Mary. My Mary had a brother named William, and her parents were Thomas and Mary, so I had a look at other information including spouse name, birth and marriage dates and more specific locations. I was able to determine that the person who posted the tree and I were not only genetic matches, but I had located the specific family we were both descended from, thanks to the search feature. I sent the contact a message, and we've been able to further share information, including documents and photos, via email. This has been mutually beneficial, as we are both able to fill in some missing information for each other, and if we had not both taken the dna tests, we may never have been in contact!

As I am able, I intend to enter each of my known ancestors' surnames and locations to see what other contacts I can make. Once I receive the results of my close relatives' dna (currently being processed), I intend to do the same with their results. I look forward to gaining new insight and information through these additional dna results!

Heather

Wow, I had no intention of going more than 3 months between entries, but it's hard to set a new routine when life gets in the way! I'm going to make more of an effort going forward.

In the past 3 months, a lot has happened for me in regards to genealogy! I've received my dna results from Ancestry DNA going back roughly 1000 years, am currently awaiting results for two more relatives, I'm enrolled in my final two courses of my Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies, and I've had some new genealogical discoveries and made new contacts.

So the big thing I want to get into tonight is my dna results. I'm very pleased with my experience, from the time frame it took to receive the results (less than a month), to the results themselves which more or less confirmed I was on the right track, with just a couple of very minor intrigues: 44% Ireland, Wales and Scotland, 38% Western Europe (mainly France, Germany, Spain), and 11% Scandinavia. I was somewhat, but not overly, surprised to see trace amounts of European Jewish, but I was much more surprised to discover trace amounts of Middle Eastern. I initially suspected this may have been from the Crusades, however, I recently read an article about Middle Eastern dna being extracted from a skeleton near York, in a Roman mass grave. Theories on who the men were include gladiators, soldiers, or even criminals. Having a couple of Yorkshire lines myself going back centuries, this is very intriguing! The UK, Irish and Scandinavian percentages all sounded about right, based on my current research and lore passed down through the generations, and the Western European percentage seems to confirm some family lore and speculation, as well as some research.

One of my branches were the Buffetts of the south coast of Newfoundland, who allegedly originated in France. While I have no doubts that they were from France, my own research is not yet back that far so until I can confirm it myself, I cannot say that with certainty. Other related families on the south coast of Newfoundland (of whom I'm also descended) have mixed origin stories, with some being France and others England, so again, until I can locate information for myself I cannot say with any certainty.

Another of my lines is Gates, and I've read two differing origins on the surname. One being that they were of the Briton people, and they got their name because they lived at or near gates. This is completely logical, given that many British surnames were based on locations and landmarks. However, the other origin is that many Gates were descended from Gaetz of Germany. Given the very prominent, bright blue eyes in our Gates family, we believed our family to be of the latter group. My high percentage of Western European dna would indicate this is a good possibility!

More lore says that multiple lines were descended from Scandinavia. A great-grand aunt said we were descnded from Scandinavians, though it's unclear whether she refered to the Stevensons or Duncans. I believe it to be the Duncans who were quite tall and fair, with the men standing over 6' tall even in the 1800s, much as you might expect a Scandinavian (but again, no proof so far). Another line is allegedly descended from one of the MacDonald clans, and based on what I've read, the clan's history included descent from a former king of Scotland, who married the daughter of a king of Norway, and he in turn became king of Norway.

Finally, more family lore says that my grandfather's great-great-grandmother was a Spanish woman, who wore a red cape and a black poke hat. While the lore states that her husband was a paymaster sergeant in the army, I have no names, and unfortunately, have not yet traced those lines back far enough. But having Spanish ancestry would also up my Western European percentage, and could definitely also explain the trace amounts from the Iberian Peninsula.

It will be fantastic to receive the results of my relatives (hopefully in the next couple of weeks) to see how their results compare to mine!

Heather