Ancestry DNA Results

This year for Christmas James and I both received Ancestry DNA kits to discover our genetic makeup and origins.  The day after Christmas we both spit in separate little vials, then mailed them off for processing.  The kit said it would take 6-8 weeks for results (bummer!) but to our surprise we were thrilled to get them just three weeks later.

Being a germaphobe, bottling my saliva in a vial was worse than getting my blood drawn, but I digress..

Here are my results: Mostly German, with a really small amount of other European sprinkled in.  You can see most of my family was also part of a large migration from Ireland in the 1700s.

Here are James' results: Mostly Scandinavian, but with a fair amount of other European countries mixed in.  Because he has built his family tree extensively through Ancestry.com, we can even see the migration patterns of his direct family members during two large migrations in very early US history (1600-1700s).

James explained to me that this test doesn't necessarily show you where your ancestors came from (migration-wise), but that it matches DNA patterns in your cells to common markers from different people groups all over the world.  So even though I can trace my family members entering the States through Ellis Island from both Germany and Ireland, the physical traits I have and the DNA patterns in my body most closely resemble pure German genetic traits.  James' results were a bit more intriguing, because he has no known ancestors from Scandinavian countries, mainly just the British Isles, France, and the Czech Republic.  It would be interesting to try and trace his family back far enough to find out!

If I'm being honest, these results left me feeling a little disappointed.  Partly because I was hoping for some surprise amount of diversity, but also because they arrived in my inbox the morning after visiting the Holocaust museum and listening to a survivor share her stories of her captivity and the german SS soldiers.  Now I know my family members were already in the United States well before the 1930s and had no part in that, and I also know that you can't blame every German person for the acts of a small group of sick men, but it was just a little unsettling to think that the people my DNA stems from were capable of such a disgraceful time in history.  Much to think about.

Some of my friends have taken a similar test through 23andMe, which I would be interested in taking as well, to see if they offer any other information about my genetics.  I know that their fancy version of the test includes additional information like your risk for certain diseases, carrier status, and a few random facts like whether or not your body responds to caffeine.  I might try this test later this year and of course I will share my results. :)