Long ago, I dived head first into family research and haven't quit since. But the more accessible and user friendly sites like Ancestry.com have become, the more and more I see people getting their heritage completely wrong.
Y'all gonna learn today...
Let's begin.
When I first began my journey, the internet didn't have massively popular sites to explore at the convenience of my fingertips. People had to refer to actual hard copies of records *gasp*, photos printed on photo paper *gasp*, and even talk to our family via voice phone calls, snail mail, or in person *gasp*.
Times were different then. Communication via technology was just getting it's bearings. Most people used @AOL for email, and MySpace wasn't even a thing. Hell, myself and people I knew in the 90's didn't have a daily use for internet, so much so that we didn't even have internet at home. We paid bills with handwritten checks. If anyone wanted to know how to spell a word correctly, every home had a Webster's Dictionary next to a Bible.
When I initially set out to learn more about my heritage during my tender young adult years, I first talked to the eldest members of my family (they were alive then, and very quick minded, mind you).
I had long conversations with my grandmother about her memories of yesteryear; childhood stories, musings of her marriage to my grandfather, even stories passed on from her mother, and her mother.
She had given me a solid foundation of knowledge:
Her mother's name, birth/death dates, birth/death places
Her mother's father & mother's names
Her mother's sisters' names
Her father's name, birth/death dates
Her father's sister's names.
Her father's parents' names.
And even her father's grandparent's names.
I wrote each and every word she said, verbatim, eager to know where my people came from.
The same goes for my grandfather.
He and I didn't have the closest relationship at the time, but he did confirm some of the information my grandmother had given me about her own family (what he could remember about her family. They had divorced in the 70's).
But he also gave me two generations back on his mother's side of his family, and three generations on his father's. Again, solid foundation.
Note: My grandmother also confirmed much of my grandfather's information, as well.
Both of my grandparents went as far as sending me documents that supported familial evidence. My grandmother gave me originals, but my grandfather did send copies. Something is better than nothing!
Skip ahead quite a few years and one could search records online through the Mormon church (I am not LDS, nor is my family, but to date, the LDS church does have an abundance of documentation and records of more than just their 'own'), RootsWeb and even through the Social Security Administration. There were a few more excellent websites out there, free and organized. All compiled by people like myself who had shared documents, tales of lineage and more importantly, were committed to getting everything right.
Then Ancestry.com was born.
UGHHHHHH.
Ancestry.com became the Disney Corporation of genealogy based websites; buying others out one by one, making it difficult to do any online research without a membership, and making a huge mess as they gobbled up what were once good things.
The problem has been going on for awhile now, but here I am, spending my summer off work venting every five minutes under my breath about it AND boring y'all with this post.
I recently submitted my DNA to Ancestry.com, and I cannot lie, I am glad I did. I'll get to this soon.
I have used an alias name on Ancestry forever, and I had also created four trees specific to my family, but not linked to myself. They have each been added to through the years, just as an additional space to keep records without the fear of a house fire (I do document everything by hand, as well).
I began with each biological grand parent (four, duh) of my own, and hence forth I went.
But the problem from the start was that flaws existed within the site. Major flaws. And not so much the site, but it's members. This has only grown into a larger problem with the introduction of DNA kits as the masses flock to this site to commit what I call "weekend genealogy".
These people seems to get click happy with every shaking leaf they see, collecting information from here, there, everywhere, and their underwear drawers.
If the last name looks legit, it fits, right?
NOT.
Today was the straw on the camel's back.
I had vetted all of my information up to a seventh generation biological grandfather. I knew his name was 100%, without a doubt correct, but imagine my Joffrey Lannister frustration when every single piece of "documentation" from other member's' hints reveal that my 7th gen grandfather is married to a woman two years his junior, yet mysteriously this bride o' his shares the very unique name of his sister...
Yeah.
Sorry to disappoint, I'm not inbred. And thank God I'm not Joffrey Lannister. We all know how well that played out...
But with an old world, simple skill called "reading", I was able to disprove the bride's name (my 7th gen great grandmother) and figure out the correct name. Only took a whole day of clockwork research, digging through census records, scouring family history books from the Library of Congress, and a bottomless pot of coffee.
You see my dilemma?
People just don't know how to read anymore, let alone know how to add.
Addition and subtraction are also not difficult tasks. Ask a 2nd grader. But they also, like reading, seem to be a lost art among millions of Ancestry.com members.
PEOPLE CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT THAT THEIR GRANDMOTHER SHOULD BE BORN BEFORE THEIR FATHER.
Really.
Too many times have I sighed aloud when seeing dates that just don't make sense regarding time.
Are dates that hard to wrap the common mind around?
*Forgive my pretentiousness.
Let's begin from the left. It was long ago.
The furthest right is now.
The further we move left, the years decrease.
The further we move right, the years increase.
1779 does not come before 1719.
I genuinely thought time lines were a thing that most comprehend by 4th grade, but leave it to the internet to prove me wrong. Big fail, Ancestry users.
Hey, but if any of you need a financial advisor, I'll gladly work with you for free...
All I am saying is that if you desire factual family heritage evidence, Ancestry is not the place unless you know how to read, add, and are willing to commit hours upon hours of legitimate research and fixing other peoples' mistakes.
Piggybacking off of other users will only cost you a grandmother, or six, and you'll wind up in a country your genes never stepped foot in.
One misstep is all it takes.
Speaking of genes, I was gifted an Ancestry DNA kit back in September 2018.
Call me lazy, or even skeptical, but I did not submit it until recently.
I didn't fill out the "Personal Discoveries" bits simply because I was afraid any answer I gave could possibly sway my results...if you catch my drift.
I have natural dark blonde hair, and a pretty fair complexion. That kind of rules out a few regions.
I wanted an all in answer of my genetic heritage without the color of my eyes discarding certain countries, like Norway, for example.
Even better, I did not connect myself to any tree, or my parents for that matter. My Ancestry trees are built upon each of my four biological grandparents, and researched back in time from them. My account name was an alias forever...until recently. I do not exist in a tree. My parents and their siblings do not exist in my trees.
My results came back and basically confirmed what I already knew:
0% everything else.
There are, however, many misconceptions about DNA.
Science (of the Mendelian variety) has proven that not every child, or pea plant, of the same biological parents will pull the exact genetic markers and traits. This would be why I don't look identical to my sister, folks.
Just because my DNA does not show any North American Native markers doesn't mean that my sister or brother don't have them. I could simply just be more European white than they are, which could explain why I burn under the sun and they do not...
*For reals, we do have Native American family members who are not so distant that we are direct descendants of.
Genotypes and phenotypes are randomized during conception. Each offspring has a certain percent chance of having certain traits based on alleles. Some traits are stronger (thanks, mom), and others less, which is why siblings aren't carbon copies! Nor are we 50% mom and 50% dad's traits. Some people just code for more of one than the other.
It's science. Science is cool.
Maybe this guinea pig example might help.
So, I was pretty excited to see that there's a genetic reason that I burn. Thanks, European ancestors.
Furthermore, I was surprised that my results connected me to first and second cousins who I KNOW are my cousins, yet I had no idea they submitted their DNA at some point, too. Heck, I didn't even know they had Ancestry accounts. Sure, we share relatives, but my tree had no way of knowing I was a first or second cousin to them, nor had I ever used any of their hints because their accounts are private.
The DNA knew, which is why I am not so skeptical now. Makes me wonder what'd happen if my sister had an account with no lineage or tree and did the DNA test...would it link us as siblings?
I'm about to find out.
I'll be purchasing her test, as well as one for my mother, too.
Overall, I will continue to use Ancestry, because I can't lie, I do like how accessible it is (if I'm willing to pay the $20 per month premium). I'll pop on every few months, pay for a 30 day subscription, gather any new documents, pictures, records, and then disable my subscription for another few months.
People do upload and share things daily, which is sometimes useful.
But would I rely on Ancestry to get the facts straight and provide me with accurate heritage?
Absolutely not.
As for my relatives, it's all up to myself, and the Mormons :-)
Y'all gonna learn today...
Let's begin.
When I first began my journey, the internet didn't have massively popular sites to explore at the convenience of my fingertips. People had to refer to actual hard copies of records *gasp*, photos printed on photo paper *gasp*, and even talk to our family via voice phone calls, snail mail, or in person *gasp*.
Times were different then. Communication via technology was just getting it's bearings. Most people used @AOL for email, and MySpace wasn't even a thing. Hell, myself and people I knew in the 90's didn't have a daily use for internet, so much so that we didn't even have internet at home. We paid bills with handwritten checks. If anyone wanted to know how to spell a word correctly, every home had a Webster's Dictionary next to a Bible.
When I initially set out to learn more about my heritage during my tender young adult years, I first talked to the eldest members of my family (they were alive then, and very quick minded, mind you).
I had long conversations with my grandmother about her memories of yesteryear; childhood stories, musings of her marriage to my grandfather, even stories passed on from her mother, and her mother.
She had given me a solid foundation of knowledge:
Her mother's name, birth/death dates, birth/death places
Her mother's father & mother's names
Her mother's sisters' names
Her father's name, birth/death dates
Her father's sister's names.
Her father's parents' names.
And even her father's grandparent's names.
I wrote each and every word she said, verbatim, eager to know where my people came from.
The same goes for my grandfather.
He and I didn't have the closest relationship at the time, but he did confirm some of the information my grandmother had given me about her own family (what he could remember about her family. They had divorced in the 70's).
But he also gave me two generations back on his mother's side of his family, and three generations on his father's. Again, solid foundation.
Note: My grandmother also confirmed much of my grandfather's information, as well.
Both of my grandparents went as far as sending me documents that supported familial evidence. My grandmother gave me originals, but my grandfather did send copies. Something is better than nothing!
Skip ahead quite a few years and one could search records online through the Mormon church (I am not LDS, nor is my family, but to date, the LDS church does have an abundance of documentation and records of more than just their 'own'), RootsWeb and even through the Social Security Administration. There were a few more excellent websites out there, free and organized. All compiled by people like myself who had shared documents, tales of lineage and more importantly, were committed to getting everything right.
Then Ancestry.com was born.
UGHHHHHH.
Ancestry.com became the Disney Corporation of genealogy based websites; buying others out one by one, making it difficult to do any online research without a membership, and making a huge mess as they gobbled up what were once good things.
The problem has been going on for awhile now, but here I am, spending my summer off work venting every five minutes under my breath about it AND boring y'all with this post.
I recently submitted my DNA to Ancestry.com, and I cannot lie, I am glad I did. I'll get to this soon.
I have used an alias name on Ancestry forever, and I had also created four trees specific to my family, but not linked to myself. They have each been added to through the years, just as an additional space to keep records without the fear of a house fire (I do document everything by hand, as well).
I began with each biological grand parent (four, duh) of my own, and hence forth I went.
But the problem from the start was that flaws existed within the site. Major flaws. And not so much the site, but it's members. This has only grown into a larger problem with the introduction of DNA kits as the masses flock to this site to commit what I call "weekend genealogy".
These people seems to get click happy with every shaking leaf they see, collecting information from here, there, everywhere, and their underwear drawers.
If the last name looks legit, it fits, right?
NOT.
Today was the straw on the camel's back.
I had vetted all of my information up to a seventh generation biological grandfather. I knew his name was 100%, without a doubt correct, but imagine my Joffrey Lannister frustration when every single piece of "documentation" from other member's' hints reveal that my 7th gen grandfather is married to a woman two years his junior, yet mysteriously this bride o' his shares the very unique name of his sister...
Yeah.
Sorry to disappoint, I'm not inbred. And thank God I'm not Joffrey Lannister. We all know how well that played out...
But with an old world, simple skill called "reading", I was able to disprove the bride's name (my 7th gen great grandmother) and figure out the correct name. Only took a whole day of clockwork research, digging through census records, scouring family history books from the Library of Congress, and a bottomless pot of coffee.
You see my dilemma?
People just don't know how to read anymore, let alone know how to add.
Addition and subtraction are also not difficult tasks. Ask a 2nd grader. But they also, like reading, seem to be a lost art among millions of Ancestry.com members.
PEOPLE CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT THAT THEIR GRANDMOTHER SHOULD BE BORN BEFORE THEIR FATHER.
Really.
Too many times have I sighed aloud when seeing dates that just don't make sense regarding time.
Are dates that hard to wrap the common mind around?
*Forgive my pretentiousness.
Let's begin from the left. It was long ago.
The furthest right is now.
The further we move left, the years decrease.
The further we move right, the years increase.
1779 does not come before 1719.
I genuinely thought time lines were a thing that most comprehend by 4th grade, but leave it to the internet to prove me wrong. Big fail, Ancestry users.
Hey, but if any of you need a financial advisor, I'll gladly work with you for free...
All I am saying is that if you desire factual family heritage evidence, Ancestry is not the place unless you know how to read, add, and are willing to commit hours upon hours of legitimate research and fixing other peoples' mistakes.
Piggybacking off of other users will only cost you a grandmother, or six, and you'll wind up in a country your genes never stepped foot in.
One misstep is all it takes.
Speaking of genes, I was gifted an Ancestry DNA kit back in September 2018.
Call me lazy, or even skeptical, but I did not submit it until recently.
I didn't fill out the "Personal Discoveries" bits simply because I was afraid any answer I gave could possibly sway my results...if you catch my drift.
I have natural dark blonde hair, and a pretty fair complexion. That kind of rules out a few regions.
I wanted an all in answer of my genetic heritage without the color of my eyes discarding certain countries, like Norway, for example.
Even better, I did not connect myself to any tree, or my parents for that matter. My Ancestry trees are built upon each of my four biological grandparents, and researched back in time from them. My account name was an alias forever...until recently. I do not exist in a tree. My parents and their siblings do not exist in my trees.
My results came back and basically confirmed what I already knew:
There are, however, many misconceptions about DNA.
Science (of the Mendelian variety) has proven that not every child, or pea plant, of the same biological parents will pull the exact genetic markers and traits. This would be why I don't look identical to my sister, folks.
Just because my DNA does not show any North American Native markers doesn't mean that my sister or brother don't have them. I could simply just be more European white than they are, which could explain why I burn under the sun and they do not...
*For reals, we do have Native American family members who are not so distant that we are direct descendants of.
Genotypes and phenotypes are randomized during conception. Each offspring has a certain percent chance of having certain traits based on alleles. Some traits are stronger (thanks, mom), and others less, which is why siblings aren't carbon copies! Nor are we 50% mom and 50% dad's traits. Some people just code for more of one than the other.
It's science. Science is cool.
Maybe this guinea pig example might help.
So, I was pretty excited to see that there's a genetic reason that I burn. Thanks, European ancestors.
Furthermore, I was surprised that my results connected me to first and second cousins who I KNOW are my cousins, yet I had no idea they submitted their DNA at some point, too. Heck, I didn't even know they had Ancestry accounts. Sure, we share relatives, but my tree had no way of knowing I was a first or second cousin to them, nor had I ever used any of their hints because their accounts are private.
The DNA knew, which is why I am not so skeptical now. Makes me wonder what'd happen if my sister had an account with no lineage or tree and did the DNA test...would it link us as siblings?
I'm about to find out.
I'll be purchasing her test, as well as one for my mother, too.
Overall, I will continue to use Ancestry, because I can't lie, I do like how accessible it is (if I'm willing to pay the $20 per month premium). I'll pop on every few months, pay for a 30 day subscription, gather any new documents, pictures, records, and then disable my subscription for another few months.
People do upload and share things daily, which is sometimes useful.
But would I rely on Ancestry to get the facts straight and provide me with accurate heritage?
Absolutely not.
As for my relatives, it's all up to myself, and the Mormons :-)
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