DNA Tests

[navane]

1964Alum,

Interesting! What has been a problem for us is that Polish last names are often spelled incorrectly in many records, ship manifests, etc. Just a couple of days ago, I got a small break in the case when I found the funeral mass card of a great-aunt (one of my grandmother's sisters that I didn't know about). When I added it to the family tree, Ancestry.com started pulling up old U.S. census records matching her married name. Apparently she and her husband were still living with her folks (my great-grandparents). Those census records were showing with my grandmother's maiden name spelled incorrectly. The only reason I found those records is because my great-aunt and her husband were in the household (with their names spelled correctly). Similarly, Polish people often changed their first names to something more American. So, right now, I'm stuck on trying to find information on a great-grandfather Wojciech who apparently also went by "Albert" or "George".

Hopefully you'll catch a break and find something that links you to the big clue you needed!

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by 1964Alum

Thanks for your story, navane. I am very interested in hearing how this turns out. My mother's ancestry is very well research to way before her gateway ancestors, but not my father's, other than the Quakers. I connected some time back with a contemporary on my mother's maternal line. Lo and behold we had 12 ancestors in common, all in England, where he still resided. He even came to a family reunion here in the US with a huge genealogical chart of his family in England and its connection to the family here. We had an immediate personal rapport. He also had the same rapport with a cousin in my mother's generation who had roughly the same careers in their respective countries. There are also contemporary Swedes who are cousins on my mother's paternal line.

But my roadblock is on my father's side as I can't go back any further than my gateway ancestors with the exception of the Quakers. I did, however, come across a picture of a WWII German officer who was the spitting image of my father. He was a "von", which is part of that family's lore. I couldn't find any further record of him so that is all that I have. Germany is about the only European country I haven't gone to, mainly because of what happened here. There is, however, a street in my beloved Vienna, Austria bearing my family's surname.

Ah, the mystery!

Originally Posted by navane

1964Alum,

Interesting! What has been a problem for us is that Polish last names are often spelled incorrectly in many records, ship manifests, etc. Just a couple of days ago, I got a small break in the case when I found the funeral mass card of a great-aunt (one of my grandmother's sisters that I didn't know about). When I added it to the family tree, Ancestry.com started pulling up old U.S. census records matching her married name. Apparently she and her husband were still living with her folks (my great-grandparents). Those census records were showing with my grandmother's maiden name spelled incorrectly. The only reason I found those records is because my great-aunt and her husband were in the household (with their names spelled correctly). Similarly, Polish people often changed their first names to something more American. So, right now, I'm stuck on trying to find information on a great-grandfather Wojciech who apparently also went by "Albert" or "George".

Hopefully you'll catch a break and find something that links you to the big clue you needed!

Have you tried Soundex with the names? That would be my first suggestion.

Another is the back story of Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. She was born Megan Smolenyak, and then met and married a man with the last name of Smolenyak. She was able to trace their lineage to a small town in Slovakia, and there were four distinct Smolenyak families. Through DNA, they were able to isolate one of the families from the other three, and so it happened that she & her husband were not even remotely blood related.

Navane & 1964, I immediately thought of Megan when I read your posts. So often, the very "tribe" to which we think we belong is not indeed ours. I know that, at best, I'm only half-related to all but seven people with my maiden name. One of my ancestors seems to have had an illegitimate child, and while pregnant with #2, was sent to the United States (to avoid the stigma?). She met & married a man who never adopted her children, but they did use his name. In tracing their mother, it seems that she may not have been German/Swiss after all. This is one of the puzzles I'd like to solve, since there's not proper records otherwise.

[aephi alum]

I used Family Tree DNA because my MIL, who is very into genealogy, asked me to do it and paid for the test.

So far it's told me exactly two things.

1. I have Irish ancestry. (Not a peep about my English, Scottish, Indian, or Polish ancestry. My father's whole family is Polish. )

2. The closest relatives it's shown me are possible fourth cousins. (Which means I am not closely related to my husband.)

I tried to get my dad to do the Y-DNA test, but he refused, and I don't have a blood-relative uncle or other male relative I can ask.

Guess I'm just a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

[navane]

Originally Posted by honeychile

Navane & 1964, I immediately thought of Megan when I read your posts. So often, the very "tribe" to which we think we belong is not indeed ours.

And that is certainly possible. That is why I asked my honorary cousin to take the DNA test. I told him via Facebook the other day, "Even if the test shows were are not blood family, I will always still call you cousin." His response to me was, "heheheh [family surname] is blood family. we are conected but we dont know where and how. we are conectet even with that part they say no we are not conected. yes we are just must find how"

(Specific note to honeychile: The last name you know me by on Facebook is my last name....however, it was not our original surname. Our family name was shortened when my dad was in the first grade. Our original surname is slightly less common.)

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I used Family Tree DNA because my MIL, who is very into genealogy, asked me to do it and paid for the test.

So far it's told me exactly two things.

1. I have Irish ancestry. (Not a peep about my English, Scottish, Indian, or Polish ancestry. My father's whole family is Polish. )

I believe that some companies have tests which are only based off of either the Y chromosome or on the mitochondrial DNA. Those would search the paternal and maternal sides, respectively. If you did an mtDNA test, then you would be looking at your mother's lineage and, therefore, your father's Polish side would not have shown up.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by navane

I believe that some companies have tests which are only based off of either the Y chromosome or on the mitochondrial DNA. Those would search the paternal and maternal sides, respectively. If you did an mtDNA test, then you would be looking at your mother's lineage and, therefore, your father's Polish side would not have shown up.

I did their standard kit and mtDNA. I would have thought that the standard kit would have turned up something about my Polish ancestry based on the X chromosome I got from my father. And it doesn't explain why my English and Indian ancestry don't show up.

I do wish I could have gotten a Y-DNA test. But my father flat out refused, and now it's too late.