General Chat

You can upload your DNA data to MyTrueAncestry to get a comparison with DNA obtained from ancient sites. You get one free go. You can pay for a subscription to get further detailed analysis.

Just because your grandparents were born in Germany and their parents were married in Germany does not mean that their dna ethnicity is German.

Nationality is a political concept, borders are moveable and people move around. In the 18th century much of Europe was under the control of a German empire,( the second Reich), following the unification of German states.
I’ve forgotten most of what I learnt at school, but I think several modern countries were included.

I don’t know how far back then German ancestry goes as it’s difficult to find records online

I do know my grandad was born in 1881 in Hamburg and his parents names and where and when they married and approx when the they came to the U.K. between births of. two children

So that side may well go back many centuries as both parents were definitely German

Again I recommend the Lost Cousins dna masterclass. I,m on my iPad so you need to google for it.

Obviously Lost Cousins would like you to join but it can be read for free. Try that one before undertaking any courses. It is an excellent source and easy to understand.

Updated: I've switched machines. This Lost cousins newsletter seems to have the latest masterclass:
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/latemar22news.htm#Masterclass

Once you've understood that then this article on ethncicity results is very good :
https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/dna/what-do-dna-test-results-mean/

Perhaps this free course may help with understanding DNA , it started Monday 14th November.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genetic-genealogy-researching-your-family-tree-using-dna

It is very difficult to compare one company's results against another. My Heritage makes my second region Iberian, yet Ancestry has only just given me a vague trace of Basque. But if I add my English & NOrth west European results together I get close to the Ancestry figure.

More interestingly Livingdna makes me wholly English and Irish. There is no northen England, Scotland or Northern Irish. Very different to the other two companies. They claim to go back 10 generations.

It all goes back to what data they all have.

The Yorkshire families had Scottish names, but I've gone back 5 generations and can't say for sure that they came from there.

(I was born in Barrow, was up there on Monday scouring the cemetery for ancestors. Found some too).

But did the families 'come' from Scotland, or come back from Scotland?

My Cornish GG grandparents, and many others, left Cornwall when tin mines started closing and moved to Barrow in Furness. My GG grandparents came back to Cornwall before my g grandad was born.
However, some never came back - like parents of the man who could be my dad's dad. He was born in Barrow, but coincidentally moved down to Devon/Cornwall when he was in the Navy. I studied his genealogy - he was 100% Cornish, but a 'Barrow' man.

Here's a twist - Doncaster is actually a part of Scotland!

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20211019-the-scottish-town-stranded-in-england

Yes, I understand that too, though the Vikings must have taken over pretty well. But OH's results give him almost all English, his father is from Shropshire/Staffordshire and his mother is from Yorkshire families who originally came from Scotland. He has zero Scottish. The lines must be drawn very firmly, no grey areas.....

Well that explains your Northern/Western European - it's the Vikings invading Cumbria, and the Normans - who were from Denmark, Norway and Iceland:-D

Don't forget - England is in Western Europe.

I'm 98.9% northern/western european, which includes 14.8% Scottish/Irish/Welsh. Plus the 1.1% Nigerian.

As I have a paternal Scottish family line, that is not surprising. And I have a line apparently connecting back to Norman knights which comes through both of my (related) parents through my ggrandfather. He married into all these folk from the south Lakes. The forth grandparent line is also from that area.

GrannyFanny, what are your DNA results?
There's a LOT of Norwegian Viking DNA in Cumbria :-)

Yes, I understand that. However I don't understand why I don't have at least a trace of
English DNA as well.

Grannyfanny. The 1.1% Nigerian will be regarded as a distant trace - you would not find it in 4 generations a will probably never find it.

I had mine done years ago by 'My Heritage', as did my sister.
Mine was:
47.1% Northern and Western European
43.4% Irish, Scottish, Welsh
9.5% Iberian

My sister is similar, but with more Northern and Western European, and only 3%Iberian.

I have found no 'Northern Europeans' or Irish Scottish or Welsh in my family genealogy.

So apparently no actual 'English' - but I have traced my dad's mum's side back to 12th Century, which was when the 100% Cornish split into a bit of Breton.
So, that to me is the Irish, Scottish, Welsh - also known as Celtic, and Western European.

My mum's mum's side were mainly from Suffolk. for generations - there's a lot of Viking DNA in Suffolk- that would explain the Northern European.
Mum's dad's side - well there's a 'Doutch' there - Western European.

As for the Iberian, one of my great grans was from an old New Forest traveller family.

My nephew had his DNA done at the same time. His dad was Irish.
He has similar DNA to his mother and I, but smaller percentages, and no Iberian.
The main DNA from his Irish dad - an actual Murphy? ROMAN :-D :-D :-D

However, 'My Heritage' managed to link us together as sister, nephew etc properly.

If you find you don't understand certain parts of your DNA results, you need to remember that there can always be doubts about the father of a child. And no, I don't understand my results either, as I have 1.1% Nigerian, but none apparent in my tree going back 4 generations. I also have no English DNA, despite a huge ancestry in the south Lake District, so don't know where they came from.

According to Ancestry I am 52% England and northwest Europe. That is made up of 32% from one parent and 20% from the other.

gone back on my line for both parents but cannot find anything in scandanvian will have to check my tree to co nfirm this seems mostly London?

That is pretty high. If you have done your tree back a few generations you should be able to see where that comes in. If not then things may baa bit awkward.

Lost Cousins have a very good dna masterclass. I’m sure it has been updated this year - try Googling for it.

Added: Ancestry are now sorting your ethnicity to one parent or the other, I think My Heritage may be doing something similar. This could help you work out where the Scandi but comes from.

hi thanks for all replies my says 59% Scandinavian