Next FTF Article is up: My genes

My continuing fascination with genetic genealogy was explored a bit more in this week’s post at Family Tree Firsts.  Check out the post here.

 

You may remember a few weeks back I posted about receiving my AncestryDNA test in the mail.  It was different that the FTDNA test that my dad was shipped.  For FTDNA you do a cheek swab, with Ancestry you spit in a vial.  I think, personally, I prefer the check swab.  Less chance for spit to go everywhere, and as the mother of 2 boys I have enough of that in my life already.

 

It was interesting to read their ethnicity break down on me.  Yes, I am a white girl.  Just in case there was no doubt in anyone’s mind.  There is no way to deny it as they tell me I am from… Europe.  As a visual person I liked that they gave you a graph for the percentage breakdown as well as a highlighted map of where you come from; more visuals for every learning type.  Uh-oh, the education classes are coming through.

 

If you are not familiar with the history, culture, or the basics for the regions Ancestry says you come from there is a summary page on each ethnicity that you can read.  I didn’t learn anything ground breaking because growing up with a history teacher for a father, loving museums, traveling, and reading odd books I know a little bit about a lot of subjects. 

 

Most exciting for me is connecting with cousins through their matching system.  So far a half a dozen people have contacted me after I emailed nearly twenty about our families.  Who knows that I can learn, what we can learn, by having this contact.  Of course I am secretly hoping for story and picture sharing.  I love having the images to place in the tree, making the entry a person and not just a bunch of names and dates. 

 

Now there is another test on the way.  This time it is for my husband and I am just as excited about it!  This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!

*Map image from the Library of Congress
*Ethnicity Breakdown is a screenshot from my results on Ancestry.com