• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

D.N.A. TESTING

Brummie a long time ago said:
Carolina: UK and USA DNA testing is legal but France since 1994 have made it illegal and heavy fines are levied if found out.

France has some rigid succession laws, and a woman's husband is assumed to be the father of her children. The moratorium on DNA testing comes from a bioethics ruling in 1994. Paternity testing is illegal in France unless ordered by a court, and DNA testing is seen to be a form of this.
Personal DNA testing carries high fines in France. If a result was 'favourable' and could be made use of, then one would have to explain how the information came to light. Testing kits found by random customs checking can cause quite a bit of grief for the intended recipient.
I have seen a number of 'arguments' in favour of allowing it, with various qualities of discussion. All the ones I have looked at have been traceable to businesses that want to profit from it.
This doesn't help those who simply want to establish a general lineage, such as "Do I have a bit of country X ?" but there it is, cultural differences.
Andrew.
Click to expand...
Be careful what you might find out. On a genealogy course one student ‍ said her mother was always very quiet when asked about family. We met a few years later at a ancestry fair. This student from the past told us then why the mother had been so sheepish. The said students father was not the father but was a next door neighbour then tells us they had a full brother and a half sister. They had by all accounts met up.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Carolina: UK and USA DNA testing is legal but France since 1994 have made it illegal and heavy fines are levied if found out.

France has some rigid succession laws, and a woman's husband is assumed to be the father of her children. The moratorium on DNA testing comes from a bioethics ruling in 1994. Paternity testing is illegal in France unless ordered by a court, and DNA testing is seen to be a form of this.
Personal DNA testing carries high fines in France. If a result was 'favourable' and could be made use of, then one would have to explain how the information came to light. Testing kits found by random customs checking can cause quite a bit of grief for the intended recipient.
I have seen a number of 'arguments' in favour of allowing it, with various qualities of discussion. All the ones I have looked at have been traceable to businesses that want to profit from it.
This doesn't help those who simply want to establish a general lineage, such as "Do I have a bit of country X ?" but there it is, cultural differences.
Andrew.
Click to expand...
I found Familysearch a Mormon site very useful. Some lines if you were connected would go back generations for you.
 
I'd be frightened to have mine checked , I'd dread to find out who of notoriety I was related to . How would it feel to find out you were a direct descendent of Vlad the Impaler or somesuch . I think I'd rather stay in the dark , as I do when I'm at work till they decide to take me out and throw *** all over me Mushroom don't you know
 
Richard Dye said:
Terrence, I think that site is now a part of Ancestry. I will check it out,always looking for something useful!
Click to expand...
"FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Mormons], and is closely connected with the church's Family History Department."
 
Familysearch is pretty good, registration but no subscription required. Transcriptions for most UK censuses, a wide range of US records and the are some from other areas as well.

You can also create your own tree and view others but like any site don't believe what you see in them unless you've done your own research. Errors are common.
 
Richard Dye said:
Janice, I live in the US but would be searching UK. Would it still be effective?
Click to expand...
Don't forget that it was the LDS that first made available the 1881 Census for England, Wales and Scotland. Although the LDS is primarily based in the USA their doctrine encourages ancestral research and for many Americans that means looking to the UK. Pre-computer that meant going through UK records and putting them on microfiche. In many cases they were allowed access to these records as the holding authority then got a searchable, copy of their precious records in exchange. The world of genealogy owes a massive thanks to the LDS and its volunteers for the pioneer work of creating these accessible sources. Without wishing to detract from the work of the LDS one should always bear in mind that these secondary records have been created by non-professionals, often without the local knowledge, e.g. that can't distinguish between Sunderland or Sutherland, an English county versus a county of Scotland, an error I found in the 1881 Census!
 
Just checking my Living DNA profile I see that I have, as part of the package, Autosomal, MT DNA, Y DNA, Family Matching and Wellbeing Taster. As paid for extras I am offered Wellbeing, Viking and Vitamin Subscription. Apart from an alerting email when these extra services were added I can't say I have been under pressure to pay any more.

I have had one person contact me on behalf of a relative who has a 4th cousin plus link. That person was the daughter of a British soldier serving in BAOR post-WW2 and didn't know anything about him. Unfortunately I am not aware of anyone in my extended family that served in BAOR.
 
MWS said:
If it was for your Dye ancestors I think you might find it could take you back to the early 1700s with little trouble.
Click to expand...
Thank you MWS! Some years ago we were at the Statue of Liberty and on their computer it showed that Dyes landed in New Amsterdam (New York) in 1629. Unfortunately I do not know what database they used.

I will follow your lead, thank you again!
 
  • Appreciate
Reactions: MWS
My wife and I bought a kit each some 2 years ago and my background was very accurate.
However you would need to join up too develop the extended family's.

Ernie
 
G-ORDY said:
I bought a kit from MyHeritage.com for my wife last year (it was the cheapest at the time!)

Gobsmacked when she found a half-brother that she didn't know existed.

Long story but they are now great friends - a real "Long Lost Family" with a very happy ending.
Click to expand...
I used Ancestry to find out who my biological father was and also found a half brother. I now know about my genetic inheritance and the missing side of my family tree. My half brother is thrilled to have a sister as he was an only child as well. I did tread very carefully and used an intermediary to make the connection.
 
Gus Wah said:
The fundamental premise behind all DNA testing companies is that buying their test will tell you what you would not have otherwise known. And the disappointing reality is that they are essentially out to bleed you with enticements as you search for the truth of your heritage. It is not rewarding to learn that the enormous data you're first offered when you begin with Ancestry.com will be snatched away after a trial period. In fact it's quite a nasty awakening. That company has limitless power and unceremoniously devours millions of sacred databases in its path. Like the graveyard records here in my village. Now they belong to Ancestry.com and we must pay to see them.

The programs you've seen on television are probably factual when journalists report discrepancies and inaccuracies in the data of paid DNA companies. I agree that if someone has tested bloodlines with a DNA company and there are few (or no) others among his/her bloodlines registered in the database, it is ludicrous to think that information will surface about known relatives from close generations. Your DNA will, however, fetch you some centuries-old probabilities about your continental origins and so forth. This might be interesting, but I doubt that it's the focus for many of us.

I personally want to know about people in my immediate past. Let's say the past 100 years. Those are the people who matter. Whether my distant ancestors (might have) travelled the seas of Mesopotamia 3,000 years ago is not what I came for. When my father hung around B'ham, he was among thousands of young Canadians during the war. I need not say more about the probabilities, but I'd be absolutely fascinated to learn that I have British relatives. In fact I don't doubt for a millisecond that by this point in history there are tens of thousands of Brummies who are related unwittingly to N. Americans in the aftermath of WW2. Sorry if I offend, but that is just a reality that cannot be erased.

The analysis of your blood, if a DNA company's employee is cautious and scrupulous, is a wonderful thing. It has already helped millions of people find relatives (me included) who might have been given up for adoption or whose significance to family heritage fell by the wayside in past generations. It's the very thing that should make everyone pay attention to the technology.
Click to expand...
Just to point out Gus the current Ancestry DNA test uses a small amount of saliva, no bloodletting is required. But the rest of your comments still stand. From what I've read the ethnicity part of the report is the least secure and people should think about what they want to achieve by taking the test and a little about how it works. Derek
 
Gus Wah said:
Yes, Stokkie, agreed, and sorry if I made the suggestion there was actual blood involved. One of my tests used saliva and the other used buccal mucosa scrapings.
Click to expand...
No need to apologise, Gus. I just wanted to clarify for people who haven't done this kind of DNA test that it's painless. Some are terrified of needles. (Of course there are other kinds of DNA tests for medical purposes which might involve blood samples).
But thank you for your experiences and comments. I tried to research experiences and possible outcomes before I took the plunge. Derek
 
Stokkie said:
No need to apologise, Gus. I just wanted to clarify for people who haven't done this kind of DNA test that it's painless. Some are terrified of needles. (Of course there are other kinds of DNA tests for medical purposes which might involve blood samples).
But thank you for your experiences and comments. I tried to research experiences and possible outcomes before I took the plunge. Derek
Click to expand...
I think I have said this before but it appears that Ancestry is buying up many of the independent sites. In the US the Mormon church had a wonderful free site only to be absorbed by Ancestry.
 
I had Ancestry DNA test some 3 years ago and results showed accurate origins of my Mother & Father. I am satisfied with the brief information.
However no information of their parents or siblings.
As has been said.Ancestry have pestered me ever since to sign up for a FREE months trial to investigate my ancestry further.
Ernie
 
I am a member of ancestry DNA, joined as I wanted to find out about my paternal grandfather. The test when uploaded came up with about 34,000 possible DNA matches. I must admit I cheated a it, I exported the matches then got one of my old work colleagues to manipulate and export the file into excel. From there I chose the top 12 most common names and started making a tree from those names. I ended up with a tree with 34,000 people in it. Then after 6yrs I got a second cousin match. Her tree matched up with names I had in my tree and we started to communicate. Turns out my grandfather was her grandmother's brother. However he changed his name in the 1920s hence me never finding a name matching mine. I think if you join, be prepared to be patient.
Bluedownunder
 
My Daughter did Ancestry - just for fun at 1st. But as she knew I had started to try and find out about Wifes Mother and line she found a very close match for my Wife - a child of her Moms Uncle. This opened up a whole new chapter to search which turned up 4 more children and so far 4 grandchildren.Me and wife have now tested and got in touch with this Lady and her son is currently trying to find us info/pics.We have sent about 6 contact messages and had a couple ourselves - but as said its a very slow business with back up replies thin on the ground.
 
villafanman said:
has anyone done d.n.a. testing?? where do you start many thanks
Click to expand...
Hi, I have recently done a DNA test with Ancestry. The test helped me confirm some ancestors but not others.
It relies on people from your close or distant families to also have taken a test so that you can compare family connections.
What I did find out was that more people take the test, but do not have a family tree connected to it and have not been on
Ancestry for over a year. I suspect they take the test for a bit of fun to find their ethnicity, which is only an estimate anyway.
Beware you may find some skeletons in the cupboard!!
Once you have the results from your test I believe you can load it into other programs like MY HERITAGE.
All the best with your research.
 
I did an Ancestry DNA test a few months ago and it finally meant that I could prove that my maternal grandfather was not the person on Mothers birth certificate, but someone entirely different. I already had an Ancestry account for family history so I haven't been pestered for more money! For me this test has solved a major problem and opened up many other possibilities for adding to the family tree. I would recommend it if you are interested in your genealogy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top