Tuesday 12 March 2019

Finding Out Where I Come From With Findmypast

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Do you ever wonder where you come from? About all the ancestors who came before and helped make you the person, you are today? Now that I am older and have children of my own it is something that I often think about. When I was a little girl my grandparents would often tell me tales about growing up in the war, about where their families came from and about family members that were no longer with us. I wish I could remember what they told me as I didn't have much interest when I was younger and now I am older and interested my grandparents are no longer with us. I think that is the reason why I am so curious about finding out about my past, My Mam died when I was younger and so did all my grandparents so I only have my dad to tell me things and he can only tell me about his own family, not my maternal side.

Findmypast DNA testing kit box

Findmypast

So when I heard about Findmypast I was curious to see if I could actually find out about my ancestry with a quick and simple DNA test in the comfort of my own home, I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to try it out free of charge. Findmypast is a DNA testing kit that you can order online for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, the kit arrives in a small box (small enough to fit through the letterbox) and contains instructions, a test tube and a cotton swab. All you need to do is register the kit online, follow the instructions - a super quick and easy swab in your mouth and then send the test off in the prepaid envelope provided. 

A few days later I received an email saying my results had arrived at the lab and then around a month later I got an email to say my results were ready to view online. Findmypast is different to other DNA kits as they work in partnership with Living DNA and they don't just look at your DNA they also look for common patterns, resulting in them providing you with twice the level of detail of other DNA testing kits.

results of findmypast dna testing kit


The Results 

The results showed that I am 100% European, 86.7% of my ancestors come from the UK & Ireland and 13.3% from Scandinavia. The results also break down which regions my DNA come from, the highest percentage is from here in the North East, closely followed by Ireland (My dad's dad was from Dublin, Ireland). I know that both of my Mam's parents were born here in the North East, I also know that my dad's mam was born here in the North East and his dad was born in Dublin, Ireland but that is as much as I knew. The results go back over 10 generations and you can break down the results to see sub-regions that show what percentage of your DNA is made up from each area, which was interesting to see it is mainly made up from areas in the North East, South East and Ireland.

graph breakdown of my family history


You can also see your ancestry through history and there are lots of charts and graphs to explore. After seeing the results I feel like I have a bit of a better understanding of where I came from and I found it really interesting to discover that some of my ancestors have come from places that I had no ideas about such as East Anglia (12%) and South East England (5%). I always wondered if my ancestors were from far off places or were Britsh and these results show that I am very much British with no relatives from exotic places apart from a bit of Scandinavia.

results of my findmypast dna testing kit


What I thought

I am glad that I took the test as I found it really interesting finding out where I come from, where my ancestors were from and how this has all been found so easily in my DNA. I think for people like myself who have lost parents or don't have older relatives to ask about family history this test is really good for helping fill in some of the blanks you may have about your family history. 

The test was super quick and easy to carry out with clear instructions, getting my results was quicker than I thought and they were really easy to breakdown and explore in my own time at home. I found out information I will be able to share with my family and have a much better understanding of where I come from.

My next step will be to be to take the regional breakdown and start to search for my ancestors in Findmypast. They can help me search by region to start building my family tree. Who knows what I will find!


Disclosure I am working with Mumsnet and Findmypast and received a complimentary Findmypast kit and have been compensated for writing this post. However, all opinions are my own. 
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22 comments

  1. Oh wow this is so interesting! I would absolutely love to find out more about my family history :)

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  2. I think mine was pretty much the same as yours, I know i didnt have anything majorly unexpected turn up! lol

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    1. I was hoping I had ancestors in some exotic places but no such luck lol x

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  3. This is so interesting, I would love to find out more about my family history. I know a little, but I think there is a lot to learn!

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  4. I'd love to do that. My dad keeps telling me that his grandparents said there's a french connection somewhere ... but we're all blonde with blue eyes so have always considered myself more viking than anything lol!

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    1. My dad kept saying he had a Spanish connection, I think he was winding me up lol x

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  5. I would love to find out about my ancestors as well and glad that these tests are now available to us who want to know more.

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    1. They are great at finding out more about your ancestors x

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  6. Ooh I really want to try this! My family history is all a bit of a mystery!

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    1. They are really good at helping you find out about your past, there is lots of information and breakdowns to explore x

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  7. This is so cool. I had mine done as well and the results were amazing.

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  8. This sounds super interesting Lindsay - I *think* my ancestors originate from Scandinavia but I have no idea if I've just made that up ;-)

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    1. It really was interesting, you can find out more with your results too and it is a great way to explore your family tree. xx

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  9. I have always wanted to do this, I know my great great grandmother was French

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    1. They are great for finding out where your ancestors came from and it breaks down everything x

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  10. This is so interesting! I would love to do one of these and find out more! Love all the graphs they do to pictorial show you too!

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    1. They have so many graphs and information if you delve into your results x

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  11. Wow this sounds amazing and so much detail as well, very interesting ! I really want to get my background done

    Laura x

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    1. It really is interesting, worth a go if you ever get the chance x

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