I finally got my Ancestry DNA results. I haven't been doing much ancestry research or blogging this year because I've been using my spare time to write a book, but I thought a blog entry would be the best way to share the results (more about the book will be coming soon).
Ancestry.com did a nice job with the design of the dashboard, and you can quickly see the answer to the question I know most people are asking when they spit in the tube and mail it off, "From where did my ancestors come?"
As it turns out, the fact that my youngest daughter was born on St. Patrick's Day is even more meaningful because I discovered 42% of my "ethnicity" is Irish. That's not a surprise as all the family lines I can trace back farthest come from Ireland, Scotland or the UK. That list includes the Castellaws, the Joyners, the Cobbs, the Dougans, the Marburys, the Yelvertons and the Pattersons.
If you are curious, you can check out the full ethnicity results here.
While the ethnicity was fun to see, as a longtime Ancestry.com user, I was more interested in seeing what connections I would be able to make with other users. Of course, the hope is that they may be able to provide more details on an ancestor or make a connection that I've not been able to make.
Remarkably, Ancestry.com was able to find 184 "ancestry hints" and 692 cousins.
When you select one of the "cousins," you can find out how you're connected and then check out their family tree, as long as it isn't private. So the user above, "J.J." and I are second cousins, once removed. Our mutual ancestor is Tom and Nancy Johnson Castellaw. I can now send J.J. a message or check and see if he or she has added details to his or her family tree that I've not yet discovered.
Three of the individuals I matched with are previously unknown second cousins. Six are third cousins while the rest are fourth cousins or greater.
Above is another example. R.F. and I are fifth cousins, connected through my fourth great-grandfather, Etheldred Yelverton. A few years ago, I spent many hours researching Etheldred and this family line so, at some point, I can share that research with R.F. and perhaps he or she will have even more information.
Although I don't have the time right now to dig into this, once I do, I have no doubt these results will help me fill in some "ancestry blanks." If you would like to try Ancestry DNA for yourself, use this link to save 10% (and, full disclosure, you'll be getting me a $10 Amazon gift card).
For more blog entries, visit my Blog Home Page or to check out the genealogy research about my specific family lines, go to my Haywood County Line Genealogy Website.
