So yesterday I FINALLY got my chance to buy an AncestryDNA kit from Ancestry.com, only several months after my first e-mail (and second) saying I was eligible to purchase from their limited supplies. It was like being on hold for a company with really bad customer service. "Please hold, your call is very important to us..." Meanwhile, an hour later...
If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know I already did my maternal DNA (haplogroup T) and my paternal DNA (through my brother - R1b) but the AncestryDNA test does autosomal DNA testing - that is, it doesn't just look at your maternal line or your paternal line, it looks at a bunch of your DNA and can tell you not necessarily what countries your family comes from, but what ethnic groups and the general areas from which they came. Now, I love my family tree -y'all know that - but as far as family trees go, it's fairly boring. I have family from Ireland, England, Germany, and Denmark, but in autosomal terms, that basically makes me 100 percent northern European. Still, my family has been in America for so long and there are maternal lines I just can't trace that who knows who else my family has intermarried with? So, even though I pretty much expect a fairly homogenous result, I've still been really psyched to do this test. You can do it through a whole bunch of genetic genealogy/genetic testing sites, but the test is still really expensive, and Ancestry has been offering it cheap, which is why I waited.
Anyway, I didn't realize that I was only going to be allowed to buy one test. Limited supplies - duh! The thing is, while I really want to take the test, I feel like I already know what it's going to tell me. What I really wanted was to also buy a test for my boyfriend because I think his genetic genealogy will be fascinating - both his parents are from Honduras, and he has known Mayan, Jamaican, Sicilian, and Scottish branches, and who knows what else!! So, part of me wants to just let him take the test when it comes in the mail - I've been dying to find out more about his background...I know it's going to show a fascinating and diverse mix of people and places...but part of me really wants to be selfish and keep the test all to myself!
Ah, genealogical dilemmas!
Anybody have suggestions of other companies to purchase a (relatively) cheap autosomal DNA test?
Surprise! - You and your boyfriend are first cousins!! No, but really, your unknown ancestors are probably more Northern Europeans, but fear not, your ancestors (all your branches) were adventurous enough to leave Europe and migrate to the New World where they not only survived but they thrived. That means you are decended from some pretty strong people.
ReplyDeleteBTW, as smart as the Mayans were, I hear that they never developed any wheels. Be careful of that guy. 8-)