DNA testing - results

[Gofer Blue]

How amazing is the timing of this thread for me!

My wife has just had her DNA profile back this week. Her biological mother was unmarried and had several (seven so far, we have discovered) children. Hence she has a number of half brothers and sisters, all of whom are now known to her and vice-versa. We don't know if there was a common father. Her DNA has a 100% probability match with a lady who was born the same year as her and in the same town.

---

Therein lies one of the dangers of DNA testing - the moral of the story is.... be very wise what you do with the information. Imagine the scenario if my wife were to share this information with the lady....... "your father is my father too" !

Apologies, on re-reading the sentence about the father "The issue is that we have discovered that this lady's father was married at the time to someone else" it doesn't make sense. What I meant is this lady's father was married to her mother but fathered my wife with another woman at the same time.

[Cyclops]

Is it me, but is it a bit weird that folk have 'carried on' and thought no-one will ever know - and now it's possible that their actions may be potentially laid bare because of DNA evidence.

We all know how criminals are being caught decades after committing crimes because of advances in DNA science, but here we are talking about the man/woman-in-the-street having the means to discover the truth about long-lost family secrets.

Don't really know why I feel uncomfortable about this. I know my paternal great grandmother was immoral before she married, when she was married and after she was married. But I know this from the available records in newspapers and birth and census records. I don't feel anything about it - I just accept it as a fact of life, I suppose. Is there really any difference between having this knowledge from these sources and getting DNA matches? Logically not. But it feels different to me somehow.

[Des Parrot]

Is it me, but is it a bit weird that folk have 'carried on' and thought no-one will ever know - and now it's possible that their actions may be potentially laid bare because of DNA evidence.

We all know how criminals are being caught decades after committing crimes because of advances in DNA science, but here we are talking about the man/woman-in-the-street having the means to discover the truth about long-lost family secrets.

Don't really know why I feel uncomfortable about this. I know my paternal great grandmother was immoral before she married, when she was married and after she was married. But I know this from the available records in newspapers and birth and census records. I don't feel anything about it - I just accept it as a fact of life, I suppose. Is there really any difference between having this knowledge from these sources and getting DNA matches? Logically not. But it feels different to me somehow.

I never knew my great grandfather as my grandfather was a bastard. No-one had any idea, as it was 120 years ago. DNA testing enabled me to find him and verify through court and newspaper reports about non payment of alimony. I have no intent of pursuing it & have a separate private tree but it’s good to find the link of something that was a mystery for over a century.

[Mario Miethig]

I had the dna test done though ancestry, because I was curious of my ethnicity. My Nan came from Belfast, so knew I wasn’t 100% Welsh. Results came back 53% Scots Irish, 43% Welsh and 4% Irish.
The real shock though, was later finding out the man my Mum thought was her Dad wasnt. A bit of detective work with some new found relatives, found through Ancestry and we’re more or less certain we know who her real Father was. My Mum passed away in 2014 and in a way I’m glad she wasn’t around to find this out, as she would have been devastated.
These DNA tests really do open up a can of worms, as this thread has shown.

[Baloo]

Received a heritage DNA kit as a gift.

76% Welsh/Scottish/Irish
12.5% English
10.5% Baltic (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania)
1% Middle Eastern

[Cyclops]

Thanks for all the comments on this subject.
It won't have escaped the notice of anyone who's read this thread that no-one has said DNA testing is rubbish and one big con-trick - which is quite unusual on this forum.....

[Baloo]

Thanks for all the comments on this subject.
It won't have escaped the notice of anyone who's read this thread that no-one has said DNA testing is rubbish and one big con-trick - which is quite unusual on this forum.....

I was a little sceptical as the kit was gifted to me and I sort of went along with it. After a few months though I received a close DNA match from Australia and it turned out to be a relative that my mum knew and we exchanged an email or two. Haven’t been able to track down the Baltic heritage yet so maybe a family secret!

I get lots of 3rd-5th cousin matches. Although I read that we each have 17,000 5th cousins on average so I don’t pop them all onto the XMAS card list.

[The Lone Gunman]

Is it me, but is it a bit weird that folk have 'carried on' and thought no-one will ever know - and now it's possible that their actions may be potentially laid bare because of DNA evidence.

You mean to say that human beings **** around? They don't stay faithful to one partner throughout the entirety of their adult lives? People have lovers, affairs, stuff like that?

Wow! Thank God for Ancestry and DNA 'evidence'. We'd never have known otherwise....

[The Lone Gunman]

I never knew my great grandfather as my grandfather was a bastard. No-one had any idea, as it was 120 years ago. DNA testing enabled me to find him and verify through court and newspaper reports about non payment of alimony. I have no intent of pursuing it & have a separate private tree but it’s good to find the link of something that was a mystery for over a century.

So what actual good has this 'knowledge' done for you or your family? Have there been any tangible benefits?

What fascinates me about all this stuff is simply that people are fascinated by it. I don't understand it at all.

[Lither_1927]

Received a heritage DNA kit as a gift.

76% Welsh/Scottish/Irish
12.5% English
10.5% Baltic (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania)
1% Middle Eastern

I don't believe them

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Received a heritage DNA kit as a gift.

76% Welsh/Scottish/Irish
12.5% English
10.5% Baltic (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania)
1% Middle Eastern

I think it's the case that the DNA test concerned doesn't relate to nationality (Welsh, Scottish, Irish etc) but to the commonality of your genes with those found in Wales, Scotland, Ireland etc. and at a certain point in relatively recent history.

[Des Parrot]

So what actual good has this 'knowledge' done for you or your family? Have there been any tangible benefits?

What fascinates me about all this stuff is simply that people are fascinated by it. I don't understand it at all.

Some people play internet games, breed spiders, spend all day on their phones, which I don’t understand. For me i like the detective work, it’s a giant puzzle and when I solve a link or find out something interesting it gives me a buzz. I’m related to Scott, my wife to Oates, now I love that type of obscure but interesting fact. Each to there own.

[The Lone Gunman]

Some people play internet games, breed spiders, spend all day on their phones, which I don’t understand. For me i like the detective work, it’s a giant puzzle and when I solve a link or find out something interesting it gives me a buzz. I’m related to Scott, my wife to Oates, now I love that type of obscure but interesting fact. Each to there own.

Fair enough. The detective work angle I get. I can also understand tracing family trees as a hobby. What I’ve never understood is the emotion some people attach to the whole thing, or the apparent desperation some seem to have to track down distant relatives.

[lardy]

Some people play internet games, breed spiders, spend all day on their phones, which I don’t understand. For me i like the detective work, it’s a giant puzzle and when I solve a link or find out something interesting it gives me a buzz. I’m related to Scott, my wife to Oates, now I love that type of obscure but interesting fact. Each to there own.

That's awesome. I loved Neighbours.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Fair enough. The detective work angle I get. I can also understand tracing family trees as a hobby. What I’ve never understood is the emotion some people attach to the whole thing, or the apparent desperation some seem to have to track down distant relatives.

There is obviously a huge interest in people knowing more about their origins, perceived identity and even relatives. I think it's fairly easy to understand.

[The Lone Gunman]

There is obviously a huge interest in people knowing more about their origins, perceived identity and even relatives. I think it's fairly easy to understand.

Perhaps, although it’s of no interest to me despite having a background that I’m sure would be fascinating to plenty of people. But as I said above, the things that baffle me are how emotional some seem to get over long-dead people they never knew and are barely related to, and how desperate some seem to be to link up with distant relatives. Each to their own, I suppose.

[Tuerto]

Perhaps, although it’s of no interest to me despite having a background that I’m sure would be fascinating to plenty of people. But as I said above, the things that baffle me are how emotional some seem to get over long-dead people they never knew and are barely related to, and how desperate some seem to be to link up with distant relatives. Each to their own, I suppose.

It's great fun. I had incest, child beaters and adulterers in my family history, also thuggery and fraud, in fact, fraud is how i got my surname.

[The Lone Gunman]

It's great fun. I had incest, child beaters and adulterers in my family history, also thuggery and fraud, in fact, fraud is how i got my surname.

Allegedly.

[life on mars]

I know a few folk that have found solace tracing such data as family and loved ones depart thier lives , and they seek the families heritage they even incoporate travel to many towns and countries , visiting graves and libraries.

Everyone to thier own ..

[celever]

I recently got my DNA results from Ancestry. 34% Wales, 23% Ireland, 17% England, 16% Scotland, 10% Denmark/Norway

I must be British with a bit left over from the Vikings.

[celever]

My parents divorced many years ago.

On my father's side, my great great grandfather was illegitimate. He was a pimp in Temperance Town (site of the bus station) in the 1880s. Did a bit of robbery, stealing from the punters and spent some time in Cardiff jail. His wife was in court many times for having a brothel. She died of alcoholism at 23. Her dad ran the Lamb and Flag in Canton.

I mentioned this to my mother, her reply 'I always knew you were from a long line of bastards'

[Cyclops]

Allegedly.

Nah - provably

[The Lone Gunman]

Nah - provably

So you claim, but I’d take it with a large pinch of salt.

[Cyclops]

So you claim, but I’d take it with a large pinch of salt.

Supported by documentation that would be accepted by reasonable people

[The Lone Gunman]

Supported by documentation that would be accepted by reasonable people

Sure.