My DNA Story

My Ancestry DNA Ethnicity Estimate.

For Christmas 2017, my parents gave me the gift of an autosomal DNA test kit.  I was THRILLED!  I won't lie, though - it wasn't a huge surprise.  Since my parents aren't quite as well-versed in genealogy and DNA testing as I am (which isn't even very much), my mom had previously contacted me to find out which DNA testing company I would be most interested in testing with.  Being just a little OCD (okay, a lot OCD - stop laughing, mom!), I had jumped right in to researching which kit would work best for the results I was hoping to get from it.

My ultimate overall goal was to maximize my DNA cousin matches, as I have a 2nd great-grandfather who has, thus far, been for me what genealogists refer to as a "brick wall."  This simply means that I have not been able to find much information about him at all, despite MANY hours of research.  As I travel back in time through the branches of my family tree, it's as if a brick wall has been built where he appears - my research stops at him and can go no further.

I promise I'll get into those details in a later post, but for now, the point is - I wanted to get as many DNA matches as possible, with the hope of having someone match me who is also descended either from this 2nd great-grandfather or from an ancestor preceding him.  That way, I might have a chance of tracking him down or, at the very least, continuing to research that branch of my family tree.

With that in mind, here are the criteria on which I based my choice:

1. Ethnicity estimate and matching. This was an absolute must. The four largest DNA testing companies - Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, and My Heritage - all offer this service, but some of the smaller testing companies offer only the ethnicity estimate.
2. Database size.  I wanted to test with a company that had a lot of users, therefore maximizing my potential cousin matches and giving me the most bang for my parents' bucks.  Ancestry DNA has the largest database, currently at over 9 million users.  23andMe boasts 5 million users, and Family Tree DNA has a very respectable 1 million users.  Relative newcomer to the DNA party, My Heritage, has quickly grown to almost 1.5 million users.  (Source:  The DNA Geek)
3. Transferability.  I wanted to test with a company that would allow me to transfer my DNA data to other DNA databases - again, in order to maximize my matches.  Luckily, all of the four large testing companies named above allow for the download of your "raw" DNA data from their sites.  However, only two of the four (Family Tree DNA and My Heritage) will allow you to upload data from other testing sites.  In order to jump into the Ancestry or 23andMe match "pools," you must take either an Ancestry or 23andMe DNA test and then submit that test to its respective company.
4. Health Analysis.  I wanted to be aware of what health issues might potentially be lurking in my genes, since I am reaching the age that some of the more concerning problems (like breast cancer) might start to surface.  Currently, 23andMe is the only testing company that provides a health analysis report, although there have been recent rumors that My Heritage may soon offer this service, as well.
5. Cost.  Even though I wasn't personally paying for the test, I still wanted to minimize the out-of-pocket cost, while still achieving my desired results.  Luckily, it was Christmastime, and there were lots of sales available!

Ultimately, I chose to test with Ancestry DNA so that I could take advantage of their enormous match database.  I would also be able to transfer my results to both Family Tree DNA and My Heritage, and Ancestry was running a sweet Black Friday sale.  So that checked off four of my five criteria above.  But this meant that I would have to wait until I could test with 23andMe in order to obtain the health analysis, right?  Well...not so fast!

As it turns out, there are several other sites out there that offer varying types of analysis tools for your DNA data.  One of those sites, Promethease, will allow you to upload your raw DNA data file (downloaded from your chosen testing site) and will, for around $12, generate an individualized DNA report that will tell you the health conditions for which you might have an increased or decreased risk.  It may also contain some fun tidbits, like whether or not you carry the marker for blue eyes, or whether you have an increased sense of taste for bitterness!

It was amazing how accurate my Promethease report was.  I won't get into all of that here (this is being published for all the world to see, after all), but suffice it to say that there were many items that were spot-on with my family's medical history.  Nothing too alarming, but definitely some things to take into consideration as I get older.

Another site that offers many extremely useful DNA analysis tools is GEDMatch.  GEDMatch will allow you to upload your raw DNA data from any of the four major DNA testing sites (and some others), and they provide powerful tools to assist with analyzing your matches.  One of the greatest benefits to GEDMatch is that it allows you to test with any company, yet still be able to match with those Ancestry or 23andMe users who have also uploaded their data to GEDMatch and with whom you would not otherwise be able to match - that is, unless you had tested directly with the same company.  GEDMatch also offers a chromosome browser (as do several of the testing sites, but not Ancestry), which can be useful for helping determine which part of your DNA came from which ancestor.  This is helpful when you have a DNA match but are unable to determine who your common ancestor might be.

A final DNA site that I utilized was DNA Painter.  This takes the data from the chromosome browser one step further and allows you to "paint" your chromosomes for a more visual representation of the portions of DNA that you share with your matches.

I am still searching for that elusive 2nd great-grandfather, but I am hopeful that by using these tools to analyze my matches, I will locate him one day and eventually be able to further my research on that branch of the family tree.

How about you?  Have you taken a DNA test?  If so, please comment below and share your thoughts!