Comments on: How accurate are Genealogy DNA tests?

By: P Szczudlo

P Szczudlo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:41:24 +0000

Dear List,
Where I would agree finding out where your ancestors originally came from sounds remarkable, I need to throw a wrench into the whole ancestral DNA analysis.
DNA analysis can tell you very little about your ancestral line. What DNA can tell someone is a whole lot about the “YOU of TODAY.” I wish to caution everyone that regardless of what a legal disclaimer tells you about how they will only use your sample for ethnicity testing and no other uses, is totally bogus. When you send out a cheek swab, a drop of blood or any other part of you for testing you are sending a part of you.
Disclaimers mean nothing in today’s society. One company’s disclaimer will generally not follow to another company who might purchase the assets or documentation from the original company. I have seen early genealogical websites with legalese that would make your eyes cross when it came to promises on how they will not give out your personal information if you upload it to their site or do a search on their site. They promised that in no circumstances would your personal information be given out or would you lose control over your research. How many of us now see our early research on the Web because we trusted someone not to publish it originally?
Waste your money on a “find your ancestor” DNA test, just remember the long term consequences.
P. Szczudlo, Cleveland

By: Holly N

Holly N — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:02:12 +0000

They are not cheap if you want it done right.

When my daughter did a paternity test for an adoption we also did the ancestrial dna. This is very expensive and reliable to 99.9%. They can onlyl tell you the percentage of ethicity i.e. native american 60% european 15% etc. I asked if there was anyway of telling what tribe or anything about my ancestors. I was told no and that anyone tells you there is they are taking your money. Now this is a very well respected lab. So I have no doubt about it. I also called several labs just to see what they would say. These were all labs that deal with ancestrial dna. They all said the same thing. This test cost me $1500.00 so I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t getting taken for a ride. With 10 different labs telling me the same thing I tend to believe that the 1st lab was correct

By: Veronica Alicia

Veronica Alicia — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:45:19 +0000

After getting as far as I could with my Family Tree, my husband gave me a (65th) birthday present of a DNA Test with Oxford Ancestors (see web site) for a matrilineal test.
It’s great fun to be able to say to people that I’ve traced my family back some 17,000 years to a “Clan Mother” they have called “Una”.
She must have had good walking boots because her DNA is placed somewhere East of where Moscow is today!

By: Lola

Lola — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:31:34 +0000

They have huge limits. That is as a woman you’d likely have an mitrochondral DNA test done – that would check the line of your mom, her mom, her mom, etc. Each generation would halve the insight into your origins.

There have been interesting comparisons done, that show it is the limits of their databases that can change results.

If you just want a bit of fun, go ahead. If you want to learn your genealogy that will take research.