What do percentages of ethnicity actually mean

[Guy Etchells]

It's worth keeping in mind Ancestry's description of their different areas. 

Under Scandinavia, it says "Primarily located in: Sweden, Norway, Denmark  Also found in: Great Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, the Baltic States, Finland" 

Under Ireland, it says "Primarily located in: Ireland, Wales, Scotland  Also found in: France, England"

So really, both of these areas cover Great Britain/England.

It is really just another way of saying you may have some “Viking DNA” or “Celtic DNA” etc.

If you look at the groupings for Scandinavia the countries listed are all countries the Vikings raided or traded with.
In a similar way the Ireland examples have all experienced Celtic settlement during history.

Really it does not tell you anything more than a general history of Europe would tell you.

Cheers
Guy

[cardinalcanary]

Thanks Guy

I will settle with that for my Scandinavian DNA and Irish DNA.

I think the most intriguing trace DNA is my caucasus trace. I will read up on that next.

Stephen

[cardinalcanary]

Yes you can upload to www.gedmatch.com. (its free) I think this site is good in that it has a number of different tools to play around with and you can get several different analyses of your results too - which may help explain things (or confuse them a bit more ... )

Good luck

Hi David

I now have my kit uploaded on GEDmatch and think the results that I am getting are really interesting. I don't know exactly what they mean yet but there is certainly a lot more that you can do with the info on GEDmatch.

I have lots of questions but I will start with one (in three parts).

Does it make a difference on which chromosome a segment match occurs? My top result has some fairly long CM strings over 2 choromosomes. One on 2nd and one on 17th. Does the chromosome relate to a particular population group? Can I use the info to track down our common ancestor?

[familydar]

Specific chromosomes don't relate to population groups because we all have the same number of chromosomes.  But of course matches can be used to track down a common ancestor, that's the reason a lot of us test.  If two people have a significant match, such as the long strings on chr 2 and 17 that you mention, the likelihood is that those people are related.  Gedmatch will give an idea of how many generations you might have to go back for the common ancestor.  It's then a case of comparing trees, looking for a surname or location common to both and in the right generational window. 

You still need to build your tree and do a bit of detective work, a DNA test isn't going to give it to you on a plate - "hi there, see me, the flashing green neon bit on chromosome 3?  You and your DNA match inherited me from your great Uncle Albert twice removed" isn't reality yet.

Except when cousins marry, we each have two parents and four grandparents, eight GGP, 16 2xGGP, 32 3xGGP, 64 4xGGP etc.  If gedmatch estimates (for instance) 4 generations difference you need to be looking at 3xGGP give or take a generation or two (because DNA inheritance isn't on an exact 50/50 basis).  That's 32 surnames and locations.  It helps a lot if you can at least tentatively "lop off" a branch, perhaps because the person you're trying to find the link with doesn't match other people for whom you've already found the common ancestor - that's why it's helpful to have known cousins test.

DNA testing for genealogical purposes isn't a magic bullet but it's a useful tool.

Jane :-)

[cardinalcanary]

Thanks Jane

If my matches uploaded their info I'd like to think we can work out how we are related but most don't seem to have anything uploaded let alone the 3 x ggp row on their tree.

I like ancestry's feature where trees are automatically cross referenced when there is a match. I have 11 of those so far. I guess that's a reasonable hit vs the 2000 potential matches ranging between extremely likely and moderately likely that I have found.

GEDmatch is interesting for the where do I come from bit. Plus I have a few people hits. Mainly in the 4 to 5 generations. I like the graphics that show where your DNA matches up.

I have spent a lot of hours trying to figure out population groups, Eurogene numbers and how DNA works generally. Slightly mind blown but getting there.

[familydar]

If my matches uploaded their info I'd like to think we can work out how we are related but most don't seem to have anything uploaded let alone the 3 x ggp row on their tree.

I second that.  If a match looks promising I contact the person concerned and ask if they'll upload a tree/email me a gedcom but I don't have a very high success rate.  If the person concerned is actively monitoring their account they presumably have no interest in sharing info.  Or they don't want to be associated with my generations of ag labs!  I also try a google search - sometimes you can identify the person and find their tree elsewhere.

Trying to find a common ancestor is much easier if the interested parties are "attacking" it from both sides but perhaps the people we're griping about don't realise that.  It's nigh on impossible if the only tree available is your own.  Sometimes it winds me up to the extent that I consider deleting my tree from all the places it's currently online, in the hope that it will force potential cousins to contact me, but that makes me no better than them and so far I've resisted the urge.

We choose to have our DNA tested and whilst there will always be a percentage of people who don't wish to share because they're hoping to identify their birth mother or natural father, the majority of us posting here are genealogy geeks seeking to fill in gaps, expand our trees and make contact with the second and third cousins we never knew we had.  I don't mind if some distant cousin wants to adopt "my" late 3xGGF but it would be polite for them to introduce themselves and explain what their connection is.

An afterthought - I gather you've tested with Ancestry.  As well as GEDmatch you can upload your results to FTDNA, like GEDmatch it's free and you might get a few more matches.

Jane :-)

[cardinalcanary]

Thanks Jane

I guess FTDNA is the next port of call.

[alfietcs]

Be prepared for all your percentages to change

FTDNA have recently re-jigged their data, and I have gone from 45% Scandinavian down to 17% and all my other percentages have been altered plus a few extra trace regions have turned up. I think there is a long way to go with all this.

It is all interesting stuff though.

[cardinalcanary]

Thanks Alfie

GEDmatch suggests that I have all sorts of differing ethnicity depending on which calculations I look at.

Bizarrely I am getting trace Amerindian in some calculations. How did that get there? I wonder if that's Alaskans heading into Siberia then on to the Baltics.