Why Do People Pay For An Ancestry DNA Test But Fail To Respond To Messages ?

[TonyV]

I've just finished watching the Ant & Dec DNA programme mentioned above. It was both amusing and poignant watching, as you might expect when that pair is involved. There was some very thoughtful commentary, particularly from Dec but also quite a bit of stuff that might affront relatives who took part in good faith e.g. "extracting the Michael" after meeting then leaving relatives. Ant and Dec didn't care a stuff that scoffing to the camera after meeting relatives might be pretty hurtful - what fun to have met our peasant relatives!

Like other family history programmes a huge amount of background was done by researchers for the pair. So there was no real comparison with what posters here would be familiar with. This meant that they were able to get far further back than most of us could with limited budgets, time and resources. So anyone just starting out might be misled by what in fact was a huge expensive advertorial by Ancestry for their DNA service that they will get similar results.

Also both Ant and Dec ended up with Irish "royal" ancestors and this panders to the type of family historian who gets into the hobby hoping to find lordly ancestors. Reading up on the subject suggests that if we go back only about 1000 years we are all related to each other and we might as well include the odd king or queen in that motley collection of ancestors i.e. a connection with so-called royalty is a certainty. That's not my aim and I am content to have found humble "ag. labs." are mainly my ancestors but who include a sprinkling of criminals, residents of workhouses and asylums as well as births prior marriage - in other words just a normal, fascinating family.

Nevertheless and getting back to the question of whether the programme will lead to more people getting DNA tests, the likely answer is "yes". But mainly because it will have misled them into believing that it is easy to do it by yourself and that you'll likely end up having kings and queens as ancestors and taking part in family reunions with relatives who never knew about each before even though they won't have the promise of the bar bill being paid for by someone else and appearing on tele.

Tony   

[BushInn1746]

Like other family history programmes a huge amount of background was done by researchers for the pair. So there was no real comparison with what posters here would be familiar with.

Also both Ant and Dec ended up with Irish "royal" ancestors and this panders to the type of family historian who gets into the hobby hoping to find lordly ancestors.

Nevertheless and getting back to the question of whether the programme will lead to more people getting DNA tests, the likely answer is "yes". But mainly because it will have misled them into believing that it is easy to do it by yourself and that you'll likely end up having kings and queens as ancestors and taking part in family reunions with relatives ...
 

Hello All

Agree Tony.

Despite 25 years, I can't confirm my main line yet beyond 1785 - 1786. The furthest back is a 1746 Marriage, which needed 6 Wills Proved 1800 to 1828 (3 not online) of both sides of the 1746 Marriage, to confirm a solid paper link back to that Marriage.

2. People must realise that Lords and a number of Trades, Yeomen, to peasant Farmers under each Lord at local and regional levels supported a King and therefore can't all be related to King / Queen too.

3. Specialist Historians are probably employed to check a researcher's research for possible Royal links!

4. An online Tree had not even checked the 1911 Census, which says he was born Staffordshire. The Tree author has simply took Yorkshire from a suggestion on another Forum.


People are being mislead I feel, about all this advertising! DNA testing does not exclude significant document research as well, many of which are not online.

Mark

[BushInn1746]

Hi
I wish to add that Rootschatters have made absolutely brilliant suggestions, leading to some brilliant document finds of several types. The date and name of one of the 6 Wills (mentioned above) came in a PM, for me to obtain, Thank you all, Mark

[guest189040]

Despite researching for 10 years only Farm worker and related activities for many of my family.

When we research there are certain surnames that can trigger a deluge of hints on Ancestry.  With the surnames like Neville, Stanley, Strickland, Southward, Montague often the key in the part of England where I live (North West).

Literally only this week I found one of these names in my line and as it happens the family concerned still live in part of the ancestral home where the remainder is a National Trust property and one that we have visited often in the past.  Sir William is the very first out of some 1500 on my tree with any title.

My Wife found a Stanley in her line that we traced to King Edward III and she now has a huge tree covering all Europe and going all the way back to William the Conqueror, Rollo, Alfred the Great, the Medici family, even HRH The Queen is on her family tree (16th Cousin, 1 removed).

If I read posts that say we are not bothered about finding royal links, then you are missing out, it opens up a whole new world of intrigue, murder, mutilation, persecution, and nasty deeds that make Horrible Histories child’s play.

We are all related one way or another, it is a case of finding the link and going down that link is fun and fascinating just thinking about the social activities that ensued.

[Redroger]

The name Luffman is prominent in my tree, at its least uncommon frequency historically in Southern and South West England. During the Anglo Saxon period there was a Leofman (its early form) recorded as a moneyer (coin maker) in Ethelred the Unready and subsequent kings. There was also a Leofman Thane of Hayling Island who is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Have not yet attempted to trace any of these forwards, though I am specially interested in why the Hayling Island thane left the area. I suspect that he had gone North in 1066 and supported the Scandinavian invasion that was defeated at Stamford Bridge immediately (3 weeks) before Hastings. If it is documented then the records involved have not yet been transcribed. The surname as Loveman appears in the Prologue to Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 250 years later, and from then keepscropping up from time to time in archaic or more modern forms.

[dlbendigo]

I believe that these people are only interested to discover their own origins, and do not participate any further.

[Petros]

I had researched my line fairly extensively so was very surprised when 2 unexpected close matches came up as 2nd and 3rd cousins respectively, probably uncle and niece. I sent both a general query about their possible links to my maternal line, which they came up as shared matches for.

He replied saying it had been a present and he had over 20 first cousins and wasn't interested in looking further, she hasn't replied. 

This is a little frustrating since the level of DNA match, using the tool suggested by a responder on here, indicate that he is a half first cousin. I knew my grandfather had abandoned his family but nobody had ever suggested that he had fathered other children although he may have been unaware of the fact since the surname of the unexpected matches does not tally with his.

[IgorStrav]

I had researched my line fairly extensively so was very surprised when 2 unexpected close matches came up as 2nd and 3rd cousins respectively, probably uncle and niece. I sent both a general query about their possible links to my maternal line, which they came up as shared matches for.

He replied saying it had been a present and he had over 20 first cousins and wasn't interested in looking further, she hasn't replied. 

This is a little frustrating since the level of DNA match, using the tool suggested by a responder on here, indicate that he is a half first cousin. I knew my grandfather had abandoned his family but nobody had ever suggested that he had fathered other children although he may have been unaware of the fact since the surname of the unexpected matches does not tally with his.

Yes, I absolutely understand how frustrating that is.
However, if you look at it from the other side, the 'uncle' you contacted may still have parents alive, or fond memory of parents and grandparents, and may be very reluctant to throw a Non Parental Event into the mix.....

I remember reading a book by someone who had discovered post DNA that he wasn't the son of his 'father' and the difficulties ( ) that created with his mother, who was still alive.....

[Redroger]

Which of course is utter rubbish. Which rag did he read that in? Assuming he can read