Advice needed on taking DNA tests

[sugarfizzle]

SusieK

Your Scottish brick wall may or may not come tumbling down (especially if your father doesn't test!), depending entirely upon who has or hasn't tested, and how far distant you are talking in generations (? your father's 2G or 3G grandparents).

Your mother's line, you are almost certain to get a good idea of who her great grandparents might have been, or at least which family lines they are associated with. She'd be looking for 3rd and 4th cousins, plenty of the latter should turn up, by excluding matches with her grandfather's line.

So, she may be disappointed not to find close matches, but should find out a little about her grandmother's family. She may strike lucky and achieve both outcomes - descendants of her great grandparents would be 2nd cousins of some degree.

Go for it, but be prepared to put some work in!

Regards Margaret

[brigidmac]

Id recommend ancestry too
There is a way to download results to other sites later tho i havent worked out how .

More people seem to do DNA in USA
My nonegenarian scots aunt did hers i manage it ...matches came in slowly .she didnt meet many cousins growing up as so many families had already emigrated also sime of her cousins were a good 20 years older .
One descendant didnt know that his great gran was an umbrella maker who had left scotland  aged 14 .he wasnt sure of his grandfathers name because his father had died young .my grandad had kept photos from his siblings abroad from 1920.s so i was able to share these and we have just made contact with aunties 2nd cousin who can share personal memories of the 40.s /50's in Glasgow  and stories about their own grandparents .

My mother did actually find a DNA cousin who was looking for his paternal origins and had no idea that his grandma had given a baby up for adoption before marrying and having his dad ...

Im hoping to find his half sister from first marrige of his father my.mums uncle because she may have photos of this great aunt .but unlikely she will do a.dna.test too

You can also pay people.to manage your tests but expect its expensive

[SusieK]

My very belated thanks to brigidmac and sugarfizzle for your responses - unfortunately before I could reply I got distracted by two deaths in the family and haven't had the time or inclination for family history since. Things are getting back to normal and I can pursue this a bit further now. Thanks to all that responded.