DNA and Your Stories

Your ancestors’ DNA is part of your DNA. Your ancestors’ stories are a part of you.  The aim is to bring these stories to light through a tool called genetic genealogy. The evidence that genetic genealogy brings to the table is as important as census records, wills, etc.  Ancestry.com has some fun blogs on DNA that shows the stories that can be lurking in your DNA 

One blog, “9 Wild Things You Can Discover From a DNA Test,” found at blogs.ancestry.com lists some fun facts found through DNA tests.

1.     “You Could Find a 300-Year Old Ancestor Who Never Took a DNA Test.”  This story is about a woman who had a DNA match to a man from the 1700s born in the U.S.  She had never heard of him before, but with some research, she found out that he was her 4^th Great-grandfather.  She was from Honduras.  But there was that family story of her Great-grandfather being an American who was shot by his brother and buried in Honduras.  DNA proved that story to be true.

2.     “You Could Find out You’re Irish.”  Two out three Ancesty.com DNA test-takers find out they have some Irish DNA.

3.     “You Could Find out You’re Not as Irish as You Thought.” One sibling had Irish DNA, and the other did not.  We do not have the same ethnicity as our siblings.  We all have that sibling that resembles “mother’s side” of the family more than the rest.

4.     “You Could Find a New Sibling.”  We see stories in the news all the time now about adoptees finding their family through DNA testing.

5.     “…or Find a Parent.” The same as finding siblings.  There are frequent stories in the news of adoptees finding their parents.

6.     You Could Discover Where Some of Your African Ancestors Came From.” Or in my case, I found out that my mtDNA originated from a tribe in Northern Africa.  One DNA company put my African DNA at 6%.

7.     “You Could Find a Cousin You Didn’t Know – at Your Office.”

8.     “…or Find a Cousin Next Door.”

9.     “You Could Make a New Friend – or Lots of Them.”

There are several DNA testing companies; Ancestry.com, 23 and Me.com, MyHeritage.com, FamilyTree DNA.com, and Living DNA.com are the major companies. Take a DNA test and discover the stories lurking in your DNA.