Another DNA chapter revealed

The other day, a second sibling's DNA results came through. DNA is always interesting. We each inherit 50 per cent of each parent's DNA, but obviously not the same 50 per cent. That's what makes DNA testing for genealogy so intriguing.

Me

Here are the high level snapshots of our respective ethnicity estimates. I've mentioned how pleased I am with my own DNA ethnicity estimates here before. Proud Celtic Viking here!

But it turns out that my sister has even more Irish DNA than I have. Both of us are low in terms of British ethnicity, with me at six per cent and my sister at five per cent. Our brother shames us both though, having a whopping 27 per cent British ethnicity. I can hear our mother, who was very proud of her UK passport, in another dimension cheering and saying. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Sister

As to that Scandinavian (Viking!) ethnicity? I win that, having 24 per cent, with my brother having 14% and my sister having just 11% Scandinavian ancestry.

So far, AncestryDNA has found for me 116 4th cousins or closer (in the 18 months since my sample was processed); 100 4th cousins or closer for my sister (in seven months), and 172 4th cousins or closer for my brother (in two days).

Of those cousins, I share 43 shared ancestry hints with my sister, and 58 shared ancestry hints with my brother. We're all different, after all.

My brother's DNA results don't help crack into new Dougherty DNA leads, unfortunately. I was really hoping for some new finds on that line. But he does win, hands down, in terms of being the most British of us.

Brother 

I have a third sibling, but sadly, he's not interested in any DNA testing.

At the same time as my brother's DNA results came, his wife's also arrived. Now in her case, my sister in law starts out with 768 4th cousins or closer. Yikes. I'll be plowing through those for quite awhile.

This marks my 100th post to this blog. To mark the occasion, I've given the blog a bit of a makeover. Thank you all for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy my family history stories and meanderings.

The never ending story continues.....




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