I was recently given a gift of ancestry.com and I’m curious if anyone else has used this service?
Have you ever considered trying ancestry.com?
by minimus 39 Replies latest jw friends
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Giordano
Yes............. my wife, sister-in-law and a close friend signed up for it. It made for an interesting fun evening comparing the results.
There are a bunch of these companies on Google.
How accurate they are is another matter.
Here's a site that rates the best of them.
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Slidin Fast
I have been studying my ancestors and I am constantly amazed by the wealth of info that turns up. The more you dig the more appears.
The trick is to double-check information from the research of others before accepting it as absolute. The info from birth and death records, census returns, wills etc is superb.The amount of primary documents that have been scanned and made available is huge. Each individual piece of info can be attached to the relevant ancestor adding to the overall picture.
I now have records going back to the 15th C, my main problem is how to extract everything and make it accessible for the future. I fear I am going to have to write it all up.
In short, I think that Ancestry.com has the most info available, its not cheap but the amount of research and painstaking work behind the scenes is undeniable. Be prepared to see time evaporate as your interest though as
So yes I think from the UK perspective it's gold.
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recluse
yes, and i just found out i am related to adam and eve! but seriously, i have one of their kits i need to send in to them but just never have done it yet
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Slidin Fast
Don't mess with the DNA kit stuff. IMO that's just a gimmick, it doesn't tell you anything specific about your family tree. The main site is a valuable research tool that rewards serious investigation. Sorry I am so enthusiastic about this I have on financial interest in it but I have found a lot about my family.
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blownaway
I did it about 6 months ago. I was told growing up most of my heritage was England and Germany. I did the Ancestry.com and it came back 60% England and 35% Western Europe and 2% Scandinavia so they were not lying.
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Dagney
Yes. About two years ago we connected with another family related to me by an in-law. It's been a most happy connection and we like each other very much and have grown close. It's really amazing.
So I did my own DNA, and there is no surprise on my genetic makeup, except for more Irish than Scottish. But wow, there is an abundance of 3-4th cousins that we can't figure out where they come from. I haven't had time to connect with them. But we built a family tree a few years ago and it was fascinating. One of the things that affected me emotionally was how many babies people had, and how many they lost, and how short the lifespan was.
I think it's a great service. Thank you Mormons.
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FedUpJW
Did it once. Having a written family history to compare their results to showed that my parents had three more children than the one sibling I grew up with, all younger than I. Now how can that be? maybe an "invisible" family. That would fit the JW teachings of Christ's presence I guess.
Never did, and never will do the DNA thing. But my best friends Scandinavian bred father did and it came back that he was 80% Asian and 20% black African. One of the most round eyed, pale skinned, blue-eyed, blonde haired Asian Negros I have ever seen.
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William Penwell
The trick is to double-check information from the research of others before accepting it as absolute.
I have being doing genealogical research now for almost 40 years. The above comment is correct. Do not take he research of others as being accurate unless they can back it up with documentation. Family stories are a good starting point to know where to look but once again verify it with documentation.
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Still Totally ADD
My wife gave one to me was a x-mas gift a few years ago. I was always told I had native American and African American in my back ground. It never showed up but it showed I had Greek, Italian and Irish. The rest of my heritage I knew about. I was disappointed about no native and African American in my background but now I know why I always liked Greek and Italian food so much. Still Totally ADD