Is a DNA test really worthwhile ?

[Stergios1]

Hello,
I did mine three times (same results each time) a few years ago. Insightful, and they have improved a lot since then. Got to meet a few distant relatives/descendants  from 4-5 generations ago. Good luck with yours.

[PommieG]

This topic has not gone as I expected. it has become instructions on how to research which I do not need.
   23&Me sent me a match, possible 2nd cousin. Nicholas Nickleby, (not his real name). No Nicklebys in my tree but in his list of surnames is 'Hussey'. Ah! my mothers maiden name and I had plenty on her family but not Nickleby. So I contact Mr Nickleby and find that he had been adopted by a Charles Dickens and his birth name was Major. Wow! Great aunt Ellen had married George Major, already in the tree. Given a couple of generation and Nicholas fits neatly in the tree. . If a given 'match' has no common surname then I have no way to research it. It's as easy as that
    The DNA test cost me about $70.00 AU. and after 10 or 12 years it has yielded only about 8 relatives I question whether it was worth the expense, time and effort.

[phil57]

Not being particularly conversant with the Australian systems of BMD registration and their searchability, you may suffer from difficulties in that regard. I know you don't want instructions on how to research, but my own experience is that very few even relatively close DNA matches will have recognisable surnames from the direct lines of my family tree, due to the number of intervening marriages between the match and the generation where our common ancestors reside.

I have spent a lot of time (more so than researching my direct family probably) in researching and recording collateral lines - the lines of descent from brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles of my direct ancestors, and bringing them forward as far as possible to the present date. Sometimes this produces direct results, in that the surnames of DNA matches that I would otherwise never have recognised are already in my tree and require minimal (or no) further research to identify the matches. They also have the additional benefit of solving a lot of problems and dead ends along the way, as several times I have as a result found information that has broken down what at first appeared to be insurmountable brick walls via the paper based research involved in expanding those lines, completely unrelated to DNA matching.

But for those relatively close matches that I have which aren't immediately obvious, even if the match for whatever reason of their own does not wish to correspond with me, there is often enough information in their online tree, or otherwise, to enable me to identify them through a little further research of the England and Wales BMD records. The names of two grandparents might allow me to find their marriage, then search for the names of children born to them having the same mother's maiden name recorded, and do the same with thier marriages and children in turn. Or I can work backwards from a name that I do know, again by searching the BMD records.

I have just resolved one match where I had only her father's surname, and no idea who she was, other than that she was female. But an online search allowed me to establish that she had also used her Ancestry username on pinterest, where her proper name was also recorded against that monicker. Armed with that information, I was able to work back three generations through BMD records and find our connection

I assume from what you are saying that there is no way to perform similar searches with Australian BMD records?

[Guy Etchells]

This topic has not gone as I expected. it has become instructions on how to research which I do not need.
   23&Me sent me a match, possible 2nd cousin. Nicholas Nickleby, (not his real name). No Nicklebys in my tree but in his list of surnames is 'Hussey'. Ah! my mothers maiden name and I had plenty on her family but not Nickleby. So I contact Mr Nickleby and find that he had been adopted by a Charles Dickens and his birth name was Major. Wow! Great aunt Ellen had married George Major, already in the tree. Given a couple of generation and Nicholas fits neatly in the tree. . If a given 'match' has no common surname then I have no way to research it. It's as easy as that
    The DNA test cost me about $70.00 AU. and after 10 or 12 years it has yielded only about 8 relatives I question whether it was worth the expense, time and effort.

Only you can decide/justify the expense, time and effort you dedicate to your research one certificate may be looked on as a waste of money to one person but a required resource for another.
Your post shows why DNA can be a very useful additional resource for many family historians and why most experienced family historians use every resource available to them to add weight to their research.
Sometimes we do have to question if we can justify (to ourselves) the cost that would be involved as you and I have done in posts but I would suggest that happens in all aspects of living, we adjust our priorities to our needs.
It's like my brother when he was in the army his hobby was car rallying. He had a heavily modified Escort RS in which he won many rallies. However, when he was de-mobbed the car was absolutely no use in daily driving as the compression ratio was so high, he had to slip the clutch in slow moving traffic, horses for courses.
I would view 8 (new?) relatives from a DNA test as a good result and certainly as a starting point to confirm/ understand why the paper trail uses different names, to me that is one of the joys of family history. The thought of the off mentioned, “Soon we will be able to go to X site and our family history will be available at the click of a button” fills me with dread, that is when I would feel it was no longer worth it.
Cheers
Guy

[melba_schmelba]

my only dilemma is whether to send some envelopes my mother licked and sealed in the 60 & 70s to be tested for her DNA or not

Is that a genuine possibility, Guy?

Yes there are I think three companies that currently offer this but it is very expensive, that is my dilemma, can I justify the cost?
At present I have my DNA and a First Cousin's DNA (from my mother's side of the family).
I also have a living cousin from my father's side of the family (but she has not tested at present).
I should therefore be able to trace both sides of my family, but DNA from letters my mother sent would?may add to the possible pool of DNA connections.
Cheers
Guy

Can you list the companies Guy, do we have examples where people have successfully done this? Would FTDNA or MyHeritage accept such uploads as well as GEDMATCH?

I have not checked whether companies accept the upload but see no reason why they would not accept such files.

https://www.totheletterdna.com/
Step 1 – Determine if DNA is present – cost US$165
Step 2 – Determine if DNA is human, and if sufficient for processing – cost US$395
Step 3 – Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) – cost US$1600 – includes generation of the autosomal DNA file for upload to GEDmatch, the full WGS BAM file, and Haplogroup data.

https://www.keepsakedna.com/
approx.. costs US$390 plus a processing charge (not determined)

https://livingdna.com/
approx.. costs US$500-US$800 per sample
Cheers
Guy

Thanks Guy, do we actually have any testimony from people that have used LivingDNA for this? As they seem by some margin cheaper, as it seems like KeepsakeDNA would also end up £1000+ with the undetermined processing charge. Actually probably best belongs in its own thread.

[Rosinish]

The DNA test cost me about $70.00 AU. and after 10 or 12 years it has yielded only about 8 relatives I question whether it was worth the expense, time and effort.

Have you uploaded your results to other free sites?

I have managed, by a lot of leg work/research to identify the common ancestor connections of 3 people so far, all with no surnames identifiable to me, 2 of them descended from illegitimate children with 'Reputed' fathers' surnames.

It's best upload your results to as many free sites as is possible as many matches will have tested with different companies.

In checking your matches, have you tried the LEEDS METHOD to help you?

I found this a great help...

https://www.danaleeds.com/the-leeds-method/


Annie

[PommieG]

Not being particularly conversant with the Australian systems of BMD registration and their searchability, you may suffer from difficulties in that regard. I know you don't want instructions on how to research, but my own experience is that very few even relatively close DNA matches will have recognisable surnames from the direct lines of my family tree, due to the number of intervening marriages between the match and the generation where our common ancestors reside.

I have spent a lot of time (more so than researching my direct family probably) in researching and recording collateral lines - the lines of descent from brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles of my direct ancestors, and bringing them forward as far as possible to the present date. Sometimes this produces direct results, in that the surnames of DNA matches that I would otherwise never have recognised are already in my tree and require minimal (or no) further research to identify the matches. They also have the additional benefit of solving a lot of problems and dead ends along the way, as several times I have as a result found information that has broken down what at first appeared to be insurmountable brick walls via the paper based research involved in expanding those lines, completely unrelated to DNA matching.

But for those relatively close matches that I have which aren't immediately obvious, even if the match for whatever reason of their own does not wish to correspond with me, there is often enough information in their online tree, or otherwise, to enable me to identify them through a little further research of the England and Wales BMD records. The names of two grandparents might allow me to find their marriage, then search for the names of children born to them having the same mother's maiden name recorded, and do the same with thier marriages and children in turn. Or I can work backwards from a name that I do know, again by searching the BMD records.

I have just resolved one match where I had only her father's surname, and no idea who she was, other than that she was female. But an online search allowed me to establish that she had also used her Ancestry username on pinterest, where her proper name was also recorded against that monicker. Armed with that information, I was able to work back three generations through BMD records and find our connection

I assume from what you are saying that there is no way to perform similar searches with Australian BMD records?

'I assume from what you are saying that there is no way to perform similar searches with Australian BMD records?

Ahem ! Why do you assume that I'm searching BMD in Australia ? I'm an immigrant, usually called a £10 pom because I came here in 1968 under the then assisted passenger scheme. My search is 95% English. Like you, I have searched all possible lines from my ancestors. I thought I'd made it clear that I don't expect a DNA match surname to appear in my tree. Quote myself:- "There are no Nicklebys in my tree". But a common name was found

[Ruskie]

People are just trying to help you PommieG. Without knowing how experienced you are, assumptions were made, possibly sometimes incorrect. No one knows you are an “emigrant”.

More help may have been offered than you want or need, but surely that’s a good thing. 

DNA matches can live anywhere in the world, so knowing a bit about for eg the census or BMD records of particular countries might help if you wish to trace any of your matches back to find their parents, grandparents and beyond.

So to answer your original questions:
Is a DNA test really worthwhile.
Is family history worthwhile?
I’d say most of us wouldn’t be here unless we answered “Yes” to the second question, and a growing number of us would also answer “Yes” to the first question.

[phil57]

Ahem ! Why do you assume that I'm searching BMD in Australia ?

Because I made an assumption based on your username, and because I can't believe you are having as many difficulties as you appear to be if you are researching England and Wales BMD records and making full use of the different online databases available and their opportunities for using various search methods, whilst combining them with other sources of information.

I am sorry I made an assumption, but I was just trying to help. I might even have offered to assist you, but it seems pretty clear to me now that you are more content with having a moan than trying to resolve any issues, so I'll wish you luck and leave you to it.