General Chat

would like some more insight as to how DNA research actually works...

Bob
there is a very good DNA masterclass in this Lost Cousins newsletter:

www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/aug19news.htm#DNAmasterclass&gsc.tab=0

Nameslessone. Mine were done with ancestry.com and myheritage.

With MH I go from a 1st Cousin twice removed straight to someone who is 3rd-5th cousin. All I know we have a matched surname but can't fit her in.

On Ancestry i go from sibling all the way to .goodness knows where.

Have you tried on Ancestry to use the colour spots to group the matches it helps a great deal. But I have to say i'm quite light on matches in some areas but they do come up from time to time.
Have you managed to get someone from 'your other' side to take a test so you can eliminate those matches? I've had matches that I can't explain and then someone with a bit of a tree or another match and it all falls into place.

WOW!

RTR I am beginning to think that my grandfather isn't my grandfather after all, but as my Mother is illegitimate and no one so far knows of her existence, as I said earlier the family stories match but as yet no DNA grr.

I have mixed feelings about this series too.

Some of the DNA aspects were interesting, but I found the overall format and presentation a bit lacking. I will carry on watching though.

I must admit I was a bit tearful when the Hodgkinson's Disease family had their result.

I'm not sure I'll bother watching the next one.

Although it was genuinely emotional in places, in general it felt annoyingly smiley and superficial - but then I'm not a fan of Stacey.

There were a number of unsatisfying loose ends.
For instance, although the bearded man's possible father and brother turned out not to be his relatives , they did find and name his actual grandmother, one of whose 5 sons was his father.
But there was no indication of whether or not there would be any follow-up with the birth family. Perhaps they didn't want contact - but if so, that wasn't stated.
The story was left hanging in mid-air.

I know the programme is more about the wonders of DNA than about finding relatives - but . . . . .

I can't make up my mind about the Stacey programme so I'll probably watch the next one before deciding whether to continue.

One thing, though, hers was better than the Ant & Dec one, in my opinion. All of them have a bit of a 'me' aspect to them but theirs was nothing but me, me, me. I ought to have expected it, of course.

In my opinion, none so far has been a patch on the Long Lost series with Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell. I wonder whether their compassionate approach has anything to do with their backgrounds (Davina lost her Mum when she was young and Nicky was adopted)?

I would agree about unfinished stories and because we belong to this site, our interest is perhaps more of the whole family picture rather one aspect solved by DNA.

Interesting that the 2 men met up and could 'recognise' family traits, even a way of walking, when results showed no biological link.

Do we see what we want to see and build relationships upon that, only to have it dashed by science?
I think the men hoped to keep in touch though.

When we worked out who OH’s grandfather was by using dna matches and dirty trees we chose not to get in touch. OH’s mother was born 110 years ago and we don’t know if he ever told his family although he did ‘confess’ to the girls father.

Interestingly we have matches with about 5 second cousins on Ancestry from this family and not one has enquired about the close relationship.

We have a similar situation nameslessone and I have worked out a couple of possible contenders from 1911 census.
It would be interested to see whether DNA links to either of the names, I guess, so perhaps I ought to get those tests ordered.

Go for it, Gwyn :-)
It was strange about the two men who thought they were half brothers. Possibly we do see what we want to see, sometimes!:-(

I too compared this programme to Long Lost Family (both UK and USA) and found it lacking. Mind you, the Covid situation has possible curtailed where they could have gone with it in more normal times :-)

I think the word Stilted comes to mind Myfanwy.....will watch next week though :-D :-D

Nudge up for tonight x

Thanks Ann.

Well I know a lot of us don’t know what day it is at the moment..me included :-D :-D

:-D :-D :-D

Underwhelmed
:-( :-( :-(

BBC 2 tonight (Wednesday) :-D


EDIT.....ITV1.