Ancestry.co.uk (DNA kit). Experiences?

[researcher90]

I've been building my family tree on Ancestry for a few months now and have just ordered one of DNA same kits. I believe you provide a saliva sample then send off for analysis.
Anyone done this? I know there are lots of different DNA kits out there, but I'm interested specificially in the Ancestry.co.uk ones that that's what I'll be doing... Haha, feeling rather nervous and excited at the same time!
How does it work when you get the results? Does it give you a list of Ancestry members who are identified as your relatives based on matching DNA? Or does it just work with the people you have already got on your tree?
What are peoples' experiences? Do you contact the matches and introduce yourself?

Yes, partner and I did this and was so easy. He was doing ancestry also and was really eye opening - good thing is that it updated his as they got new information. When he initially did it he was 23% Scottish (for example) and I imagine they expanded their database and it changed/updated slightly as their database improves. Hope that helps x

It is exciting, and you may get emails from family you didn't know existed, which is fascinating.

In the "DNA" section, you will get a list of all the people that have tested on Ancestry and who match you from your DNA (and have set their privacy options to show matches). It will give you an approximation of their relationship to you based on the amount of DNA you share, but this is just an approximation, you will have to work out the actual relationship based on each other's trees. Have you considered the possibility of the test revealing unknown relations or different biological parentage within your known family - and how you would handle that revelation?

Many people do the test just to get their ethnicity results, and don't have a tree. They may not be interested in contacting relations or genealogy, so don't be disappointed if you don't get a response. Those who are interested in sharing information generally respond well to a brief, polite message noting your share DNA and asking if they would be interested in exploring the connection further. Don't overshare to start with - just because you are genetically related to them doesn't make them automatically nice or someone you ought to be revealing personal information to.

If you link your results to you in your tree, the "Thrulines" feature combines your DNA result, your tree and other peoples DNA and trees. With this feature I've broken a couple of brick walls - basically by confirming that other people I'm related to also can trace their tree back to the same ancestor. Beware that this feature is only as good as your tree research - if both you and your relatives have made the same mistake and claim the same ancestor it may appear to confirm that mistake. Treat Thrulines like all of Ancestry's hints - something interesting to be investigated but not to be taken as true without your own research to confirm it.

Best of luck!

It’s so helpful! I did my test, and went on to test my grandparents on one side, and an aunt on another side. In a lot of cases it’s backed up my research, it’s also revealed a couple of interesting finds - my 3X great grandfather was in the navy and my aunt had a quite high DNA match with what turned out to be a child he had from his first marriage to a woman in Ireland, before bigamously marrying our ancestor a few years later as a bachelor. He was using a slightly different spelling of his (quite distinctive) surname so I don’t think I’d have stumbled across it otherwise, but it made sense when I found it thanks to the DNA match!

Yes we did it last year found my dad's cousin but he sadly died of covid before dad could speak to him him and his wife found and gone in a few short weeks 😢

But practically speaking your given lists of people and suggestions as to how related you are to them so for example my children came up as matches as either my children or a sibling my moms cousins are 3rd and 4th cousins (accurate) and others show up who only have 4% of dna in common its fascinating

You also get an ancestry profile showing you what percentage you are ds is more "english" than his brother or his sister the belief is that his blond hair belongs to the English side and there dark curly mops belong more to the Scottish/Welsh part

Yes. It tells you about ancestry e.g. how British/Irish etc you are. And for the family trees it connects you with people you share DNA and how you might be related. It also compares your family trees with theirs through something called thrulines and shows how you are related through specific family members e.g. you share a 3x great grandparent. I've found quite a few family members from Australia and USA. It's up to you if you message them and not everyone replies. It also connected me to known relatives like my 2nd cousins so it appears to be very accurate. It also confirms what I've found in my family tree is correct if it matches me with relatives who also have that ancestor in their tree. Other ancestors I've found I have not DNA matched with anyone which makes me think I've either made a mistake or someone's biological dad wasn't who they thought!