[NotGolfer]

Our kids got me an Ancestry kit for either a birthday or another occasion, a couple or so years ago. My curiousity was piqued so I purchased one from MyHeritage as I wanted to compare. I got the next step from MyHeritage because I wanted information on both grandmother's and whatever else info I could get. My family was traced back to the 1600's which was fascinating. I didn't re-new and now wish I had as they've improved some things. There are links that show documents, photos in some cases and more. I found distant cousins in my grandmother's native country, through one of them I reconnected with 1st cousins in the U.S. It's fascinating as a hobby for sure.

[birdawg]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

My wife found her half sister that had been given up for adoption shortly after birth. They met for the first time after almost 70 years. The half sister now has a whole family she never knew about! So we are believers. Now for the security aspect, there have been several stories about the sharing of DNA data, and I have many concerns about this, so i have chosen to not participate. While we have actually experienced the good/great side of the DNA testing, there are many other aspects are very troubling. For example, could insurance companies get your data and change or cancel your coverage based on test results, could your data be sold for targeted advertising for certain drugs, could you be held liable for incidentally giving out relatives info because you gave your DNA? This was done without their consent. lots of things to think about.....

Nice.

[Number 10 GI]

I'm not concerned that the government might be able to obtain my DNA. I spent 21 years in the Army and held a Top Secret clearance for years and after I retired from the military I was investigated again for a Top Secret clearance in my civilian job. The government knows more about me than I do. I've had two colonoscopies so far and figure the government has that information also so they know everything about me.
I joined Ancentry.com a couple years ago and have discovered family that I had no idea existed, especially after I did the DNA sample. It showed pretty much what I expected, western European, England and Ireland, petty much pure bred white boy. No American Indian, no relation to royalty and so far no famous or infamous people, and no rich people either unfortunately.

I did have one surprise, a woman sent me a message saying "Hi cousin, lets talk". I went to her family tree and she had a thumbnail picture of herself posted and because the picture was so small it was hard to see it well. She has a dark complexion and I thought she was possibly a cousin I know of that is part Panamanian. I checked out her family tree and she is African American. We talked on the phone and tried to figure out where the family connection was but couldn't figure it out. A couple weeks later another cousin had gotten her DNA results back and she turned out to be the common link for the two of us. It is through my mother's side of the family and we believe one of her male ancestors apparently had a child or children with a black woman or the other way around. The African American cousin is from South Carolina and my mother's family ancestors also lived in that area for some years before moving to the Midwest.

The DNA test also turned up a cousin in Minnesota. I made contact with her and her great, great grandfather was a great, great uncle to me. Her great, great grandfather had left the Midwest and moved to California where he started his branch of the family. She retired from teaching and moved back to the Midwest. I went to Minnesota and had a nice visit with her and her mother. I also want to travel to South Carolina to visit the black cousin and meet her family. I am enjoying contacting family members as I was gone so long from home while in the Army and had no contact with them.

Ancestry also links your family tree that you build to other family trees that are related to you. Its really been interesting, unless you are fugitive from the law. If that's the case don't join.