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Buckeye_Democrat

(14,847 posts)
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 01:43 PM Sep 2018

Are people afraid of DNA tests, in general?

I resumed my genealogy hobby a few months ago after a long break from it. I decided to work hard at identifying my paternal ancestry, a branch of my family tree that "hit a brick wall" sooner than all of the other branches.

I resorted to DNA tests this time around, including Y-chromosome tests. The narrowest subclade of my paternal haplogroup indicates Scotch-Irish origin from a few hundred years ago.

One of the testing companies listed my closest paternal relatives in their database. Almost all of the surnames in that list didn't match mine. but they're common surnames among the Scotch-Irish.

There was one surname match, though, and that man's ancestor lived in the same part of Virginia where my ancestor lived! His ancestor was listed as mixed-race in tax lists and census records from the late 1700's and early 1800's, though, and mine was always listed as white. I've also seen very old pictures of my paternal ancestors, and they were indeed very white.

After trying to contact him with no success, I then looked up his genealogy online and found it. It included a hypothesis that his family was the result of a white woman who chose to have children with an African slave. There was a record of that happening by a white woman who shared our surname. A potential problem with that idea, in my mind, is that the record was from many miles away in another state and the dates weren't a good match either.

Not to mention that my paternal cousin who descended from the man of color belongs to the same paternal haplogroup as me and it's definitely of Scotch-Irish origin, not African.

The online genealogy that I found also named a possible father of the man of color paternal cousin, one that made more sense. I then found a descendant of that family. I asked if he or any of his male relatives would be willing to take a Y-DNA test to see if we're related, and I promised to pay for it.

I've received no reply despite how that person keeps showing "activity" on that genealogy site.

Oh, well.

I'll probably give up on genealogy again soon.

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Are people afraid of DNA tests, in general? (Original Post) Buckeye_Democrat Sep 2018 OP
Two things here Sherman A1 Sep 2018 #1
I did the autosomal DNA testing too. Buckeye_Democrat Sep 2018 #2
It's scares the hell out of Me! dubyadiprecession Sep 2018 #3
I get it! Buckeye_Democrat Sep 2018 #4
That means we are cousins. Big Blue Marble Sep 2018 #6
I'm a relative newcomer to my genealogy... Thyla Sep 2018 #5
I know where I come from. (n/t) Iggo Sep 2018 #7
A very close friend of mine, who was adopted, did the DNA thing dixiegrrrrl Sep 2018 #8
also, I know some people don't want their DNA in a database dixiegrrrrl Sep 2018 #9
Obviously some are but as an adoptee DNA tests were a goldmine for me and... WePurrsevere Sep 2018 #10
I was gung ho until I saw that I was distantly related to a family named Spicer MaryMagdaline Sep 2018 #11
I'm only afraid of DNA tests True Dough Sep 2018 #12

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
1. Two things here
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 01:53 PM
Sep 2018

I was just discussing DNA stuff with another volunteer at the Historic Preservation Group where I help out. She has had hers done and disproved a random family theory about Native American Blood in their lines. I have chosen to not have mine done with regard to the privacy issues I have seen crop up of late.

As to continuing your research, that is of course up to you, but the DNA thing is just one tool in the box and there are so many others. You will get some luck and some responses, other times not so much. It happens to everyone doing their research. I wouldn't despair.

Buckeye_Democrat

(14,847 posts)
2. I did the autosomal DNA testing too.
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 02:06 PM
Sep 2018

Last edited Wed Sep 19, 2018, 12:02 AM - Edit history (1)

It indicated mostly English/Scottish and NW European ancestry, like I expected.

A surprise was "Ashkenazi Jewish" and "Eastern European".

There's one surname in my family tree that's very unusual. I corresponded with a woman who descended from that family and she insisted it was Germanic in origin, like all of her other German-American ancestors. I was lazy and took her word for it.

After the DNA test, I investigated that surname again. It's indeed a Jewish surname found in Eastern Europe! Later immigrants to America (through Ellis Island) with that surname were Jewish.

That woman is surely dead now. Her genealogy claiming it was "Germanic" has been repeated by many others, though, so I guess that's one of her legacies. Lol!

dubyadiprecession

(5,620 posts)
3. It's scares the hell out of Me!
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 02:09 PM
Sep 2018

I'm a sixth cousin of Orson Wells, but Sarah Palin is also related to him as well! I don't want to find out were related!

Buckeye_Democrat

(14,847 posts)
4. I get it!
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 02:11 PM
Sep 2018

I looked up George "Dumbya" Bush's ancestry several years ago and found out that I'm his distant cousin (at least on paper).

I think my IQ dropped a few points upon making that discovery. Lol!

Big Blue Marble

(4,978 posts)
6. That means we are cousins.
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 02:18 PM
Sep 2018

Hi Cuz.

I, too, found out that I am distant cousins with the Bushes.
Glad I didn't know during his administration.

Thyla

(791 posts)
5. I'm a relative newcomer to my genealogy...
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 02:14 PM
Sep 2018

At this point the DNA testing isn't something I plan on doing but if I can't make in roads on one line om my mothers side I may consider it. I still think we can dig a bit deeper but there seems to be limits to what I can find online even after subscribing.
I may actually need somebody on the ground back in Australia which I'd likely hire before trying the DNA thing, I don't know really how that works and if specific info is in there. Not afraid of it however.

It's fascinating though, turns out I'm more Australian than I thought. Some of it goes right back to some early settlers and learning more on this will be a history lesson most Aussies wouldn't be aware of but should know. There are some interesting family stories too that I wouldn't mind confirming or not.
Sometime rabbit holes are a good thing.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
8. A very close friend of mine, who was adopted, did the DNA thing
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 03:30 PM
Sep 2018

Long story short, she found her blood siblings, via Ancestry dot com, after 50 years! And is thrilled. Now they are all connecting with each other, all happy that many family questions have been resolved.

I am thinking of it, because my paternal side of the family is unknown.

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)
10. Obviously some are but as an adoptee DNA tests were a goldmine for me and...
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 03:35 PM
Sep 2018

I'm very thankful that so many bio family members in both Canada and the U.S. have taken one too. Their testing (on Ancestry, 23andMe, etc) allowed me to quickly find my bio parents and families and be reunited with them. I get a great bonus of being able to build my very own family roots tree too which I'm loving.

Before taking the tests or uploading my data to places like GEDmatch, My Heritage and Family Tree DNA I thought about it and read the TOS but I didn't find anything in them that made me uneasy enough to stop. I figure if they want info on me, at my age and with my life and health background, they have it already.

MaryMagdaline

(6,849 posts)
11. I was gung ho until I saw that I was distantly related to a family named Spicer
Tue Sep 18, 2018, 03:36 PM
Sep 2018

Thankfully, some cousins married into the Spicer family, and they are not blood. When I found out I was 1/8 to 1/16 Scottish (depending on whether my great-grandmother is Scottish like her husband or Irish as her surname would suggest), I shuddered to think I might be related to the 45.

Seriously, I have spoken to two people, one my BIL and one an acquaintance, who found out that they have unknown nephew and sister, respectively. The family members were all surprised (dad did not know they he had another child/mom did not tell family she had a child before marriage). Everyone in both cases ended up liking one another, however, it's a bit scary to think who my brothers and cousins may have fathered.

My BIL's brother suspected he was not related to his family who were darker skinned than he. He has blonde hair and blue eyes; everyone else is brownish. The family myth that there was Native American blood turned out to be totally false. This White, Southern, family has African American blood. All Trumpsters. They took it well. Considering the BIL's brother found out he was not an out-of-wedlock conception, everything else he found out (surprise nephew and AA blood), were all ok news to him.

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