Ancestry - good idea, or don't touch it with a bargepole?

[Beeinalily]

I've always been curious about my family, and I'm wondering whether to sign up to one of these family tree type things. My family is a mixed bag though, and I think I might find out some things that I'd rather not know! Have you ever done it, and was it a good idea, or did you regret it?

I started about 20 years ago. It’s my hobby now and I’m doing an MSc.

Yes, I did find out some disturbing stuff but it’s really helped me to understand some of my more recent ancestors and come to terms with an abusive and disfunctional family.

It’s relatively common to find that your parents or grandparents may not be biologically related. That’s your fear then you might be better off not going down that path at all.

BTW you don’t just do a test and find out your family tree. You have to research properly. I think good 80% of trees I see on Ancestry have glaring errors.

I’m on Ancestry, but I did my own research before going on, and used it to make my family tree.
Not everything on there is right. I’ve been offered ‘hints’ that I know are wrong, and I’ve been on other people’s trees and they’ve got things that are wrong. So I’d say, if you use it, do your own research to confirm what they say.
I also did one of those DNA, spit in a tube things, and that was interesting.

Oh and I started researching before DNA tests were commercially available. It’s a useful tool but 99% of research is looking at records.

Not for me. Too.many skeletons in cupboards

One thing to consider with DNA tests is that potentially you are exposing somebody else's secrets. Your decision affects them without them having any choice.
For example, one of my elderly relatives discovered a half sibling. One was delighted and the other was devastated. (The parents had passed away years previously).

I'd be more worried about giving my DNA to a company to analyse and sell.

I would love to research the family tree, just never seem to have the time. I would find the skeletons interesting. Sadly no grandparents and increasingly fewer uncles and aunts to ask, so should have started earlier.

I would never do a dna test. While I would love to know what percentage of viking I am, it's information that can never be taken back. Look at 23 and me going bust and the potential for data to be sold. What if insurance companies want to use it in future to exclude you from products, or medical services to deny you care? Too risky for me.

I love it. No DNA tests here. Ancestry is so enjoyable and a good platform. I recently got in touch with a 1st cousin 2x removed who had mapped so much of my family tree and he has been telling me so many stories about my family that I didn’t know.

I love genealogy. It is a lot of work though and can be addictive. It can also become expensive. My family is a mixed bag too. I’ve found out so so much, yet I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. Some mysteries I think I’ll never solve. I’d say go for it, but be mindful that it can be difficult to process what you’ve discovered. If you do go ahead, please do post again to ask us for tips on starting out.

Well whatever is out there in the past no one present can change it including me so I like to know and am interested in history, if a relative was a bigamist or whatever I can't do anything about it anyway

I wish I’d done it earlier to be honest. I found out that my grandad isn’t/wasnt my grandad via a dna test. But by the time I found out everyone in the generation above me inc my mum had died. I think I may have some half aunts or uncles but they’ll be in their 70s or 80s so no idea if they’re alive and I don’t know their names so can’t find them. By the time any useful census comes out they’ll be dead. So I’m stuck.

Doing a Family tree on ancestry is fairly risk free. If you're talking about a DNA test well that's where skeletons really come out of the closet. Listen to the gift from bbc. It's extraordinary.

I love Ancestry - I have my family tree going back to the 1400s!!!

It’s been fascinating learning about the wider family and uncovering interesting (and tragic) events in people’s lives.

I did the DNA analysis and found out that my brother … is my brother. 😆

I back info up from online Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records. There are lots of errors in my tree, but I can live with that until I have time to look into them all.

I agree. Someone in our family went down the dark hole of discovery. And rather than keep things to themselves or share with those involved discreetly they shared in a local genealogy group. Destroyed some family relationships forever.

The thrill of finding something out, and letting people know about it trumped the feelings of those involved - but they were not their secrets to share.

Unfortunately I’ve found plenty of skeletons without the help of DNA!

I did it for something to do whilst in lockdown . No real skeletons in the family ( parents were who I thought they were / no half brothers / sisters etc ! )
But I have found out some fascinating info into my ancestors going back generations

I would recommend doing it , but be prepared to find out stuff you'd never expect to find .

Lockdown here too.
i already had a lot of information from my grandparents, so it’s been great to add photos and documents to a tree, and find other supporting information.
i love following a trial of a story or looking at old addresses on maps- the research side of it.
enjoy!

Listen to The Gift on BBC Sounds. It's a factual podcast about DNA ancestry kits. Mind-blowing
I wouldn't give these companies my DNA.

Me too, our library service had it as a free offer, online.

No skeletons. Interesting even in researching ‘fowards’ from grandparents/great grandparents and seeing who I'm related to, where they live now, etc.

Some interesting context though. One of my GM’s was known to be ‘shy, uptight,nervy’. Details showed she married at 16 and had her first baby just turned 17. Explains more about how she was.

I would have to think very long and hard about DNA testing though.

I don’t want to give my DNA a to a company. Family Search and Wikitree are free. I do pay for Find My Past because it has the newspaper articles, etc.

I have found several unmarried mothers and illegitimate children in my family in the 19th century and early 20th century - which is surprising given the social taboo in those days. I also found a great, great, great uncle, who did 5 years hard labour for stealing sheep.

It's fascinating. I have been using ancestry and researching and accepting only hints that are backed up by documents. I have only one English/British grandparent but have traced their line back to 1460 and the Scottish lowlands. In the mid 1500's they were solidly Yorkshire, before coming to London and then Kent in the late 1700's. I have only scratched the surface so far.

It is an interesting hobby, 5% of people aren’t the son or daughter of the person they think they are, so worth bearing that in mind. It’s important to rely more on official records than other people’s trees which may contain errors- censuses and parish records are good. It’s a great window into social history and it’s worth looking into this too- for instance if your relatives lived in a ‘court’ you can find out more about their lives when you understand the living conditions (one tap, one outdoor toilet, cramped housing) for instance. My family are very working class and this is also my field of research academically so it has been a great way to understand lived experience of for instance of the mid 1800s, which was famous for poor urban living conditions. Gives you a greater respect for previous generations.

I’ve used ancestry for making a family tree for many years. Nothing life changing has come up - on the whole we are a fairly stable family with few skeletons it would seem. The odd ‘scandal’ within the more recent family and less distant past were already known.
Not all the information will be accurate if you use other people’s trees to build your own. You can use them for ideas but then do a bit more digging into the documents.

I have done the DNA thing and it didn’t tell me anything new, though did confirm that my tree appears to cover the right locations and confirms some of the dna links.

I would never give my DNA to those companies having watched many true crime documentaries about how police use those databanks.

I've been researching on and off for 30 years - its absolutely fascinating. I found some quite scandalous stories but about 150 years ago so no one to be offended now. Some incredibly sad stories of suffering too. My DM hadn't known that her dad had lost 4 siblings as children.

I wouldn't have my DNA analysed though, just in case something uncomfortable popped up.