Disclaimer: I was provide a free DNA test for the purpose of this review. I used this site prior to this review. All opinions are my own.
Ancestry.com review
A few months ago I discovered Ancestry.com. At first I gave it a passing glance looked up some family members and made a small family tree..... Now a few months later I am obsessed.
About Ancestry.com
If you are anything like me you are always wondering where your family came from.
You may want to know about things such as was anyone in your family famous, did your family members fight in any of the major wars heck I even wanted to know if I had any villains in my family. I have a select few relatives that make me think their had to be some real bad blood somewhere in our family tree.
I found myself fascinated by the whole thing. My grandmother gave me the name of a few relatives and told me a little bit about our background, but like me her facts were limited.
So I took what little information she gave me and got started.
Its super easy to get started. Sign up and do a few searches start a small family tree and watch it grow!
And once you start you just can't stop! I would sit down at 9 PM when the kids went to bed and at 2am I would look at my clock and be in complete shock I was on the computer that long!
~ The first step in tracing your history is building a tree.
Begin with yourself then go back as far as you can. For me that was very limited I was only able to go back to my grandparent's parents (My great grandparents)
It was enough though! I was able to find out so many facts like census, death index, marriage, birth and I didn't find any but it is possible to find information about what wars your family fought in.
You find these out by wiggling little green leaves. Every time you add a member to your tree they search millions of records to find out as much as possible. You can see from part of my family tree below what the leaf looks like. I blanked out some of my information, but if you look at my cousin Christopher's name you can see a green leaf in his top corner. When I clicked that leaf it gave me hints about him.
You then simply review the hint and if its right you can attach it to that person on your tree! Wanted started off as a few names has now turned into a huge family tree.
So this is what I was able to do for free. I wanted more though so I contacted Ancestry.com and wanted to know if I could do a DNA review.
Wondering what that is?
AncestryDNA is a new DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest testing technology to improve the way you discover your family history. This service combines advanced DNA science with the world’s largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections. It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as: what region of Europe are my ancestors from, or am I likely to have East Asian heritage? Ancestry DNA can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of possible DNA member matches.
Your AncestryDNA results include information about your genetic ethnicity predictions and provide you with DNA matches, linking you to others who have taken the AncestryDNA test. Your results are a great starting point for more family history research.
The AncestryDNA test uses microarray-based autosomal DNA testing, which surveys a person’s entire genome at over 700,000 locations, all with a simple saliva sample. Additionally, the new online interface integrates state-of-the art tools for you to utilize your DNA results for family history research.
The test itself was super east to take.
They sent me a kit
I then took a DNA sample (saliva),
I mixed my sample with a solution,
Stuck in in a provided packing box and sent it in.
With in a week I got an email saying my sample was received and a few weeks later I got my results!
From here I can click on my results and find out more about my genetic back round.
It was a lot of fun to learn more about my ethic background and history, but the best part was finding all my possible family matches!
I spent hours looking at others family trees and getting excited every time I found someone we had in common!
I was able to add others to my tree and doing the DNA test gave me huge look into my past.
I'm going to spend the next few weeks building my mom's side of the tree so I can give her a family tree for mother's day! I'm also thinking of getting her a DNA test. I know she would love to learn more about her past.
I know from my DNA test that the Ireland results came from her side of the family. It was only 9%, but my mom and her father have always been proud of their Irish background :).
I can't even begin to put into words how exciting it is to find out more about my family and where I come from. Every time I get a wiggling green leaf I get super excited and can't wait to find out more about my family. Its as simple as starting with yourself and building a tree from there
If you wish to learn more or what to start your own history search please see my link below:
Just beware it is addicting and you may think your sitting down for a few minutes to do a quick search and hours later you will still be there!