There is a free public workshop sponsored by Archives of Ontario which I am watching at the moment - just on lunch break. The name of the workshop: Genealogy and Genetics.
I must admit my initial concern when we tested in 2006 was what would these results be used to look at. It was about six months before we actually did the National Genographic Test and submitted it. I have nothing to hide but taking the test implies on my part that I think this is a good idea to do DNA testing. As it has turned out the advent of DNA testing did a great deal towards teaching us that we are all a subset of African diversity; our footprint in Africa still shows up 60,000 years after our ancestors are said to have left Africa.
The database that is used by National Genographic has samples from indigenous groups from many many parts of the world. They particularly took DNA samples from groups of people who were static; i.e. had been in their location for thousands of years by their known history. It was such testing that let National Genographic create the haplogroup charts for yDNA and mtDNA showing the changes from the oldest samples to the modern samples found around the world although primarily in 2006 the purchased samples were from North America and Europe (including the British Isles). It was a gift to be able to see one's trek out of Africa and now, twelve years later, that trek is for the most part unchanged from the original map which we received with our results.
The introduction of autosomal testing though has brought to the forefront a dilemma with regard to who we are by our ethnicity. Having testing at all of the testing companies I can say quite assuredly that none of them are the same. They all use different comparison databases. Our personal ethnicity doesn't change but the way that they are calculated based on different reference points results in a variable ethnicity between companies. The reference points can and will become more or less precise. That is the amazing part of genetics and DNA studies. As you accumulate a greater number of samples than the chances of introducing another ethnicity from these new sample takers increases rather than decreases the number of ethnic origins because we are a migrant people. We keep moving; perhaps not in each generation but over time our people have moved.
When I started to work on genealogy, I had no idea on the birth places of my ancestors past grandparents except in the case of my Blake direct line and my Pincombe direct line. The other two lines were mired in stories partly to conceal and partly speculation generated by discussion of my parents with their parents in their childhood. It wasn't that that sent me to genealogy; rather it was my cousin who needed me to write a bio for the Westminster and Delaware History Books (published in 2005). He tried to get my sister to write it and she redirected him to me because Ed (my husband) does genealogy. As resistant as I was to becoming involved in genealogy a trip to Europe had stirred just a little of that interest. The suggestion that my grandfather had owned a grocery store on Wharncliffe Road (it was my uncle, his son) was enough to spur me onward to write the bio. I took 43 courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (best couple of thousand I have spent in a while!) and while taking the courses I did the needed research and produced the bio in time for publication (with the help of my siblings and Pincombe cousins that my cousin brought together for a research day). The information still stands as being correct even after 13 years of publication which I think might be amazing given the possibility of making a mistake in moving backwards in time.
Once into genealogy though I could not leave it alone. It has occupied my waking hours now for fifteen years and the fascination increases rather than diminishing. Have I solved all the problems? Absolutely not; nor will I in my lifetime. DNA has pointed out more possibilities than family lore ever did. The Ethnicity results have given credence to that family lore.
The misuse of ethnicity though is always in my thoughts. Living next door to the United States I am very conscious of what can happen in a society when one group decides it is better than another based on colour. It is a scary thought actually; one we must avoid at all costs. We are all equal under the sun.
Showing posts with label National Genographic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Genographic. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2018
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Comparison of ethnicity over several testing companies
Looking at my ethnicity testing over several companies. My Living DNA Results have really proven to be significant in my trek backwards and leading up to that test was the presence of Irish DNA in other testing companies results. I always knew that I would test primarily British Isles and would anticipate being strongly from the counties of England since all of my ancestry back many generations in some lines and at least back into the mid 1700s in most lines is English.
That does support my idea that I am primarily English many generations back but other companies have picked up a European component and I might assume that it is fairly ancient because of matches that I have with people living in European countries with lengthy trees dating back there. I still have my Christopher Buller who lived circa 1764 to 1832 mostly in the Bermondsey Surrey area and close to Tooley Street, Bermondsey Lane and Long Lane whose parents are a mystery. His Slop Shop was on Tooley Street; slops being the name for the uniform that sailors wore. With a name like Buller one might think that he is descendant of the Buller family of Somerset or perhaps of Warwickshire (are they the same family? have not yet found that link) but I can not find a link back to either of these families for Christopher. The hint of European and my DNA matches with people of German ancestry (and no other) led to to wonder if the name was anglicized from Buehler to Buller. That still remains a thought as immigration from Germany to England was ongoing especially during the times of the Georges (George I, George II, and George III in particular). This family also was involved in the confectionary business in Birmingham lending more credence to this thought as early German immigrants to London were in the confectionary business.
The Irish ancestry is interesting as some claim that my Charley/Charlie line (my 4x great grandmother Mary (Charlie) Pincombe)) was Irish but this is too strong at Living DNA to just be the influence of Mary one would think! As a 4th great grandmother she would contribute slightly more than 1.5% on average so I do have to keep her in the back of my memory but in general this does look like my maternal grandmother's mother who also quite handily carried my mitochondrial DNA which is passed on to me. The mitochondrial DNA H11a2a1 in the Blood of the Isles Database was found in Ayrshire/Argyllshire Scotland and Northern Ireland. Hence my thoughts did quickly go back to her.
The Scandinavian component (Germanic perhaps) has been picked up by most testing companies in various percentages ranging from a high of 37% to a low of 0%. Certainly the east coast of England has a component of Germanic races and I do have Yorkshire ancestry but always suspected it was a long way back. I still think that but I do have matches come in for fifth cousins or greater who live in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and have, where they have family charts dating back for a long time.
Living DNA
Great Britain and Ireland 96.5%
South Central England 31.7%
Central England 14.6%
Devon 14.6%
Southeast England 7.2%
South Yorkshire 5.4%
Southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland 4.8%
Northumbria 4%
Northwest England 3.5%
North Yorkshire 3.5%
South England 2.7%
Aberdeenshire 2.5%
Lincolnshire 2%
Europe (North and West) 3.5%
Scandinavia 3.5%
Ancestry DNA
Great Britain 64%
Ireland 14%
Europe West 11%
Scandinavia 6%
Iberian Peninsula 1%
Europe East (less than)1%
Italy/Greece (less than) 1%
Finland/Northwest Russia (less than) 1%
Melanesia (less than) 1%
FT DNA
West and Central Europe 46%
British Isles 38%
Scandinavia 12%
West Middle East (less than) 1%
Finland (less than) 1%
Oceania (less than) 1%
National Genographic
British Isles 48%
Germany 33%
Southern Europe/Middle East 19%
My Heritage
English 53.4%
Scandinavian 33.3%
Irish, Scottish, and Welsh 2.1%
Iberian 10.3%
Italian 0.9%
23 and Me
British and Irish 54.7%
French and German 15%
Scandinavian 2%
Broadly northwestern European 26.9%
Broadly southern European 0.3%
Ashkenazi Jewish 0.2%
Broadly European 0.7%
Broadly Oceanian (less than) 1%
North African (less than) 1%
23 and Me offers an interesting Ancestry Timeline with their ethnicity reporting which places all of my Ashkenazi Jewish, Oceanian, North African ancestry as dating back to a 4th to 7th or greater grandparent likely born between 1680 and 1770. My Scandinavian ancestry from a 4th to 6th grandparent born between 1710 and 1800. My French and German ancestry from a great grandparent to a 3x grandparent born between 1800 and 1860. My British and Irish ancestry from a parent, grandparent or great grandparent born between 1860 and 1920 and of course my father was born in 1904 in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England (and three of my grandparents were born in England in 1875, 1876 and 1886).
That does support my idea that I am primarily English many generations back but other companies have picked up a European component and I might assume that it is fairly ancient because of matches that I have with people living in European countries with lengthy trees dating back there. I still have my Christopher Buller who lived circa 1764 to 1832 mostly in the Bermondsey Surrey area and close to Tooley Street, Bermondsey Lane and Long Lane whose parents are a mystery. His Slop Shop was on Tooley Street; slops being the name for the uniform that sailors wore. With a name like Buller one might think that he is descendant of the Buller family of Somerset or perhaps of Warwickshire (are they the same family? have not yet found that link) but I can not find a link back to either of these families for Christopher. The hint of European and my DNA matches with people of German ancestry (and no other) led to to wonder if the name was anglicized from Buehler to Buller. That still remains a thought as immigration from Germany to England was ongoing especially during the times of the Georges (George I, George II, and George III in particular). This family also was involved in the confectionary business in Birmingham lending more credence to this thought as early German immigrants to London were in the confectionary business.
The Irish ancestry is interesting as some claim that my Charley/Charlie line (my 4x great grandmother Mary (Charlie) Pincombe)) was Irish but this is too strong at Living DNA to just be the influence of Mary one would think! As a 4th great grandmother she would contribute slightly more than 1.5% on average so I do have to keep her in the back of my memory but in general this does look like my maternal grandmother's mother who also quite handily carried my mitochondrial DNA which is passed on to me. The mitochondrial DNA H11a2a1 in the Blood of the Isles Database was found in Ayrshire/Argyllshire Scotland and Northern Ireland. Hence my thoughts did quickly go back to her.
The Scandinavian component (Germanic perhaps) has been picked up by most testing companies in various percentages ranging from a high of 37% to a low of 0%. Certainly the east coast of England has a component of Germanic races and I do have Yorkshire ancestry but always suspected it was a long way back. I still think that but I do have matches come in for fifth cousins or greater who live in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and have, where they have family charts dating back for a long time.
Living DNA
Great Britain and Ireland 96.5%
South Central England 31.7%
Central England 14.6%
Devon 14.6%
Southeast England 7.2%
South Yorkshire 5.4%
Southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland 4.8%
Northumbria 4%
Northwest England 3.5%
North Yorkshire 3.5%
South England 2.7%
Aberdeenshire 2.5%
Lincolnshire 2%
Europe (North and West) 3.5%
Scandinavia 3.5%
Ancestry DNA
Great Britain 64%
Ireland 14%
Europe West 11%
Scandinavia 6%
Iberian Peninsula 1%
Europe East (less than)1%
Italy/Greece (less than) 1%
Finland/Northwest Russia (less than) 1%
Melanesia (less than) 1%
FT DNA
West and Central Europe 46%
British Isles 38%
Scandinavia 12%
West Middle East (less than) 1%
Finland (less than) 1%
Oceania (less than) 1%
National Genographic
British Isles 48%
Germany 33%
Southern Europe/Middle East 19%
My Heritage
English 53.4%
Scandinavian 33.3%
Irish, Scottish, and Welsh 2.1%
Iberian 10.3%
Italian 0.9%
23 and Me
British and Irish 54.7%
French and German 15%
Scandinavian 2%
Broadly northwestern European 26.9%
Broadly southern European 0.3%
Ashkenazi Jewish 0.2%
Broadly European 0.7%
Broadly Oceanian (less than) 1%
North African (less than) 1%
23 and Me offers an interesting Ancestry Timeline with their ethnicity reporting which places all of my Ashkenazi Jewish, Oceanian, North African ancestry as dating back to a 4th to 7th or greater grandparent likely born between 1680 and 1770. My Scandinavian ancestry from a 4th to 6th grandparent born between 1710 and 1800. My French and German ancestry from a great grandparent to a 3x grandparent born between 1800 and 1860. My British and Irish ancestry from a parent, grandparent or great grandparent born between 1860 and 1920 and of course my father was born in 1904 in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England (and three of my grandparents were born in England in 1875, 1876 and 1886).
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