Lilian's Tree

A few weeks ago I asked Helen to answer some DNA questions, for me, here are her answers. Thank you, Helen. 1)        How many years have you be doing genealogy research and why did you start? I have been researching for 32 years. I had always had an interest as my father was English but I started research in earnest to stop my mother plaintively complaining that she never knew her grandfather (due to a family split which is a whole another story!).   I found out one thing then another and was hooked! 2)        When did you first use DNA, in your research and why? I did my first DNA test in the days when blood was required. Then did a mitochondrial test with Ancestry which while interesting did not help me much. It was not until autosomal testing started that I found DNA to be a useful genealogical tool for me personally though I had been trying to entice some Quested males to do a YDNA test for my ...

Way back in October 2013, I took my first DNA test, with FamilyTree DNA and wasn't surprised by the results. In fact I was disappointed, until friends explained that it confirmed my paper trail. Ethnicity Estimate, British Isles    87% Scandinavia    10% Trace                 3% Nothing happened until RootsTech 2017 and a new testing company, LivingDNA, came on the scene. So in May 2017, I again scraped my cheek and sent it of for testing.  Again I wasn't really that surprised with the results. Ethnicity Estimate, Europe             98.8% Central Asia       1.2% February 2018, saw me take a test with MyHeritage, only to find that both FamilyTree DNA and MyHeritage use the same testing company. Something I wish I had known before I tested. My results weren't that different. Ethnicity Estimate, Europe      100%    Thi...

                                            Next month I’m attending a two day seminar on DNA and as I know next to nothing about mine, I’m spending some time looking at my three DNA test results. This test was done through My Heritage and it didn’t give me any surprises. My paper trail shows English, Irish, Scottish and German heritage, so this is pretty close. (Not a full breakdown shown.) Europe                            100% North and West Europe           82.6% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh       60.4% Scandinavian           ...

Well Rootstech started in Salt Lake City, on Wednesday 28 February 2018 at 9.30am, after registration. BUT for us Aussies, it was 3.30am Sydney time 1 March 2018. Myself and several others, Helen Smith, Pauleen Cass, Jennie Fairs and Alona Tester, to name some, oppted to stay DownUnder and miss the fun and snow. [insert a very sad face, here. :(  ] Cost is a huge factor for us Aussies, when we travel but this year we have our own #Congress2018  or to give it it's correct title the    15th Australasian Congress On Genealogy and Heraldry.    Not on the same scale as Rootstech, it is still the biggest one held her in Australia, every three years and we have choosen to attend that.  But I digress, more on Congress, in other posts. The organisers of Rootstech have selected 19 different sessions, from lectures to the general sessions, to be lived streamed. Great if you live in the USA but not so good for us. Alarms are being set for either 3.00am, to h...