So It Looks Like I'll Be Taking Another DNA Test

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Okay I have to say I have been intrigued by the information that Ancestry.com has been showing about their new DNA test and when I got the invite Friday to buy a test kit for $99, well....I couldn't help myself. Impulsive? Um...yes. However, it will give me more information about my ancestors! So that makes it okay, right? LOL! Okay I have to say I am a full blown genealogy junkie now. I can't hide it. I am sure many of you out there feel the same way. I just had to giggle at myself at how fast I whipped out my credit card. Now why did I do this, you may ask? Well, this is why.

If you have been following my blog you probably came across my posts regarding me using African Ancestry's DNA admixture test which they offered I believe up through February of this year. I have a feeling they stopped doing the test once they learned of the forthcoming release of Ancestry.com's new kit. Anyway, my results came out to be 70% African and 30% European. I had taken the test to see if any Native American DNA would be detected from it. The oral history that I had received from family members on my maternal line was that there was Native American blood, specifically Cherokee in our family. My research uncovered some circumstantial evidence that perhaps it was in fact Tuscaroran or Coree blood. On my test results however, nothing was detected. I did keep in mind that no test is 100% definitive. Part of the supplemental information I received with my results said the following:


My focus on research once I received my results shifted toward looking at the majority of my genetic DNA, specifically my African American ancestors that were most directly connected to me. I have recently made some wonderful discoveries when I went back over past research I had done on my Bryant, Mitchell, and Jones family lines. I have to be honest about something though. I have been wondering could there still be some portion of my genetic make up that was not detected by my first DNA test. This Native American lineage is supposed to be from a couple of my 3rd great grandparents. With each generation that gets diluted. How much would be left by the time you get to me? Perhaps 2-5%? Who knows if any?  However, if there is something there and if I have come to understand AfricanAncestry's information correctly then there is a about a 35% chance it would not be detected. So yes I have come clean. This has still been in the back of my head. So I think spending the $99 on this new test from another party would be good to see if I get the same results or perhaps something different. We'll see.

The other thing intriguing about this new test from Ancestry.com is that they appear to break down European ancestry to some extent. On my Whitney family, the oral history passed down to me has been that the earliest Whitney ancestors were Portuguese and came from the Azores. They had spent some time in Bermuda and then subsequently made it to America. It would be interesting to see if this new test could detect anything to indicate this. 

Once I am done with this particular admixture test though, I have to get down to the business of tracing my African DNA roots. We received our tax refund, so after paying off some bills, there should be a little splurge money left to to do my other test for my maternal lineage so I can see where my roots take me to in Africa.

I hope no one gets the impression from this particular post that I am in some way unhappy with my test results with African Ancestry. I was satisfied with the kit and with the customer service I was provided with. The individuals I spoke with over the phone were very professional and took time out to answer all my questions. I just think information is power. So if I still have questions floating around in my head I think it is best to act on trying to figure things out rather than just letting things go. It will haunt me otherwise. At least that's how things work for me. Anyway, I am excited to see what this leg in my journey brings.

I'll keep you posted.





Comments

  1. I will be taking this test too...You are an official genealogist...lol Love your Post!!!

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    1. Thanks Yvette. I am glad to see I wasn't the only person who couldn't help themselves. :) It will be interesting to see what we find out.

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  2. I've already done three so I didn't jump on this one. The main benefit, I think, would be the large pool of other ancestry users who would be interested in the genealogical link as opposed to 23&me where people don't seem to be as anxious to make connections as I would have thought. Maybe there will be a way to upload other results to Ancestry eventually.

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    1. That's what intrigued me about the test Kristin, the large pool of users who are specifically doing the test for genealogical reasons. This has great possibilities.

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  3. I ordered the latest Ancestry test too. Interested to see how this test is different from the Y-DNA & mtDNA tests I took through Ancestry in 2008.

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    1. Hi Patrick. Thanks for stopping by. Yes it will be interesting to see the benefits of doing this test.

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