to ask about ancestry etc DNA tests?

[ASpookyUsername]

I have asked for a DNA test for my birthday as I'm really interested in my family tree and really want to get a few questions answered.

Which company is best? Ancestry, My Heritage etc?

DH is complaining about the cost of the tests, and then seemingly you have to subscribe? It looks like it could cost £150 in total which is a lot of money!

I really want a test but DH Is refusing to pay that much.

So which is cheapest but also gives good results? Not just ethnicity which doesn't really interest me. I want to see family members.

Can you get good results with the kit alone?

Anyone got any advice and tips?

I know other people on here have used them and been happy with the results but personally, I think they are a waste of money.

It isn't like having the test will give you your whole family tree and tell you about family members, it will only link you to other people who have also taken the DNA test via Ancestry and who are on the database. As most people haven't done this, I would be surprised if you found any family members.

I've used the Ancestry DNA kit. It's been useful for filling in some of the blanks in my family tree. I've had quite a few new 'cousins' contact me for information on relatives too.

You do have to take a monthly subscription out to Ancestry to use it at its full potential and to compile your family tree.

I think the Ancestry kit is £79, but I'd wait a few weeks and it should be on offer for around £59 around Black Monday. They always lower the price then and on Father's Day, Mother's Day etc.

Ancestry is the best one to use as it’s got the most users for matches. There are other sites you can upload to afterwards which will compare your results to others from 23 etc.

I’ve been curious too, but - adjusts tinfoil hat I’m not keen on providing my DNA.
It’s not far fetched to imagine the data base leaking or being sold to e.g. medical insurance companies or worse.

Wait till Black Friday and it will be reduced to £59.
You will need a subscription to be able to view results properly.
Also be prepared for the results! Found out that my dad had another brother, and I suspect there will be another one. (Or more!!!)

Really, you need to start building your tree before you do the tests, as then it's easier to see if/where you are related.

My birthday is before black friday though :(

Do you really need the subscription? I've already done my family tree but its my father's side where all the mysteries lie and its been harder to do that side.

why did my pp not go pink? :S

I bought an Ancestry one for my mum’s birthday a couple of years ago and the subscription really helps, you won’t be able to see many records otherwise. You could just subscribe for a few months though.
It takes a while for the results to come back anyway, so why not agree with your partner he gets it for you when it’s reduced?
I found it frustrating personally as the relatives we were interested in were Irish and a massive amount of Irish records were destroyed in a fire, so ran into a dead end.

I did the ancestry dna, paid around £79, didn't subscribe to a monthly fee as i wasnt interested in doing my family tree but more about my dna as i dont know my dad and was hopeful i could find some links to that side of the family. The dna bit was great and you get linked with all the others who have similar dna to yourself. Well worth it in my opinion.

Ancestry is best for the UK, it has the biggest database.
I did mine about 2/3 years ago and have found a lot of people I share ancestors with.
I also found an uncle I knew nothing about and that I have a faulty gene that means I have an 80% chance of developing breast cancer.

So highs and lows!

I had already researched an extensive family tree. the DNA test just confirmed that it was correct!

You can usually get Ancestry for 1/2 price via: <a class="break-all" href="https://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/offers/subscribe?dna=crossAct&key=Uwww.ancestry.co.uk/cs/offers/subscribe?dna=crossAct&clickref=1011l6FpWCNy,1011l6FpWCNy&adref=&o_xid=01101l4awk&o_lid=01101l4awk&o_sch=Affiliate+External" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/offers/subscribe?dna=crossAct&key=Uwww.ancestry.co.uk/cs/offers/subscribe?dna=crossAct&clickref=1011l6FpWCNy,1011l6FpWCNy&adref=&o_xid=01101l4awk&o_lid=01101l4awk&o_sch=Affiliate+External

If you have at least a basic family tree it will help you get the best matches on DNA. And do respond to messages.

I did ancestry dna and 23andme and have really enjoyed both. Ancestry found me a cousin in new zealand and 23andme gave valuable health information and I dunno it's just interesting.

HeyGepetto I posted this link to the Irish Times on another thread.
There are a lot of other routes now online, to trace Irish ancestry.

Marian Finucane is an Irish Broadcaster on RTE Radio- she had a very interesting interview with a genealogist this last weekend- worth listening to if you are tracing.

OP I'm with 7Worfs- I read some research recently that had traced information provided through DNA kits (cant remember if it was Ancestry or another company).
While the research was benign, it did make me stop and think about who "owns" the information on my DNA, and who can use it, and in what way.
It sounds tin-hat conspiracy theorist, but - I am a big fan of privacy and boundaries for everyone's safety.

So... Ancestry is good for finding out where your ancestors were from, as well as linking you to people who 'match' with you. Just be careful... I actually found out that my dad wasnt my real dad from Ancestry - matched with the 'donor' as well as other 'donor siblings'. It was a bit of a shock.

To see the full family tree then yes there is a monthly subscription but this can be cancelled at any time if you pay monthly and then started up again at a future date. Thanks

Okay, I might go with the simple kit and then explore a subscription later on if I need more information.

Mainly just want to know if my dad has extra siblings and if a cousin is really a cousin - could the basic kit tell me this? Or do these people need to put their dna in too?

I'm pretty sure another cousin I don't speak to anymore will have done one of these tests as she used to be on genesreunited. So maybe that will help if she's on ancestry.

Thank you @DuchessDumbarton i will have a look at those!

Ancestry have recently updated their ethnicity estimates.
To echo a pp, be aware there may be unexpected results.

I'm supposedly half x and half y.
My results showed I'm less than a quarter x, so I thought one grandfather can't have been who I thought.
The recent update now has me at less than 10% x so now I'm questioning whether my dad is my dad. Crap.

I’ve done the dna Test because I don’t have any full bio relatives apart from my mum. So far I have a second cousin and a few third cousins.

I’ve had ancestry membership on and off but I haven’t at the moment as I don’t have the time to look at my family tree. You can subscribe to this and cancel it anytime you like x

I did it. Wanted to know if I have a certain heritage (I do!) and have been matched with around 400 people. A lot are in the US so I’ve been investigating which ancestor emigrated. It will only show you those you share dna with that have already done the test so if the relatives your curious about haven’t, you won’t get any answers there I’m afraid.

Hmmm just be prepared for the fact that skeletons may come out of the cupboard. DH did it and discovered not one but two unexpected uncles. I’d test the water around your family circle before taking the plunge OP - if some relatives appear concerned / are very anti the idea I’d proceed with caution.

The ancestry test doesn't tell you about genes though does it? I know someone who said she downloaded the raw file and put it on another site which told her all the markers and faulty genes. No idea how that works though...

That's what I did Sunset, I used Promethaese to find out about my genes, using my raw data from Ancestry.

I'm a genealogist.
DNA tests are useful if you want to find out your general ethnicity, find living relatives, or test a hypothesis. Most other general family tree research is better done by following the 'paper-trail' - for example on ancestry with a subscription - but without a DNA test. It's cheaper too and no-one can sell your DNA.
I research about 60 family trees a year and I advised only about 50% to take DNA tests.
If you do test, do it with a reputable company and know that you can often transfer your data to other reputable companies for free and multiply your chances of a good match. Please also do use GEDMatch and other tools!

@TheGlaikitRambler

Could you talk me through how to do that please? Thanks