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If you used this ancestry site, remove your data now
Kim Komando ^ | August 7, 2020 | JAMES GELINAS

Posted on 08/08/2020 4:16:13 AM PDT by gattaca

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To: gattaca
I joined Ancestry.com last June, and have finished my family tree. I'm in the process of transferring biographical text that I personally added to all the individual records, and putting it into my MacFamily Tree program on the new laptop I bought in March.

I took the DNA test last summer as well. I discovered things I never knew. I knew I had Dutch and English ancestors because my father was born in Holland, and my mother was born in Canada. My DNA test showed I am 59% England, Wales and Northwestern Europe. What I didn't know was that I am 35% Germanic Empire, 2% Sweden, 2% Norway, and 2% Ireland and Scotland.

My family tree had some very interesting hits as well. I never knew that there was Dutch on my mother's side. They settled in New Amsterdam, although that was far earlier than when my father came here in 1912 with his parents and two brothers. And although you can't verify connections once the DNA line ends, I've found a direct line to a Mayflower passenger and signed of the Mayflower Compact. And I've found connections to British aristocracy and royalty, as well as German, Polish and Czech aristocracy connections. I'm still shocked by some of the connections that were made. My father's tree is very short because they were farmers and laborers. My mother's tree is extensive, and the one where all the connections are from. Neither of my parents knew anything about their ancestors. I was born in 1947, and both sets of grandparents were dead by then. My family tree research started back in 1991 after my mother died. I traveled to Canada to try to track down info, and discovered a family history on one line of her family that gave me info on a DAR Patriot, and the British connection. I also hired a genealogist in Holland to try to fine info on my father's side. When I joined Ancestry.com, all the family lines he gave me connected correctly.

21 posted on 08/08/2020 5:18:08 AM PDT by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne)
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To: gattaca

Used Ancestry. We discovered my sisters are half-sisters to my older brother and I. Mom started cheating after I was born. A real eye-opener. But I am glad we found out. She has been dead for many years now. Before you do this, ask yourself if you want to know.
I’m glad we did. Answers a lot of questions from when I was a kid in the 50’s and 60’s. When my oldest younger sister found out she was 1/2, my youngest sister did her test.


22 posted on 08/08/2020 5:20:17 AM PDT by TStro (Better to die on your feet than live on your knees)
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To: WildHighlander57
Including mother’s maiden name.

Banks still use that as one of the security layers, when establishing an account.

Having that info up on a genealogy site invites trouble from identity thieves.

So is Blackstone in the identity theft business? Lots of money to be made there. For a fee we will happily ‘protect’ your identity. I always thought companies like ‘Lifelock’ seemed more like extortion rackets than helping you!

23 posted on 08/08/2020 5:28:45 AM PDT by Envisioning (Carry safe, always carry, everyday, everywhere.)
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To: hardspunned
I’m <1% sub Saharan African.

Sounds like you are in the 1%. You know how these Marxists feel about 1-percenters. Any way you can change that to 2%? It's all about belonging to the correct oppressed groups.

24 posted on 08/08/2020 5:31:21 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA ("War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." - George Orwell, 1984)
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To: gattaca
...the DNA data it manages is highly valuable to anyone who would be interested in selling it to, say, pharmaceutical companies or medical data firms

Seems to me that there are substantial HIPAA issues with selling DNA data. However, using deidentified data might be acceptable if the use is carefully reviewed by an IRB to ensure it does not violate anyone's rights.

I'm leaving my DNA data up at Ancestry.com. It's very useful for learning about my ancestry.

25 posted on 08/08/2020 5:32:22 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org)
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To: hardspunned

Hmm, we could be related.

My results show 1-2% Bantu, of southern Africa. So do the results of everyone who is descended from my great-grandmother’s family. My great-grandmother used to pass herself off as half Cherokee, which turned out not to be the case. I suspect she used that story because there was less stigma associated with being half Cherokee than with being a mulatto.


26 posted on 08/08/2020 5:34:47 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org)
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To: gattaca

Whenever I hear the phrase “your information will be kept confidential “ I literally laugh out loud. If it’s not sold or shared, it will be stolen or hacked. I don’t bank or pay bills online and I will never willingly give up my DNA. George Orwell said we would be enslaved by political thought; Huxley said it would be technology. They were both right.


27 posted on 08/08/2020 5:34:57 AM PDT by Spok (All free men are equal only in their freedom; everything else is up to them.)
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To: gattaca

She’s got a horrible radio show that I had to suffer through on a car ride once.


28 posted on 08/08/2020 5:35:54 AM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: TStro

A lot of family secrets are coming to light, and most people have no idea how emotional that rollercoaster ride is.


29 posted on 08/08/2020 5:40:45 AM PDT by shatcher (Judges 17:6b Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.)
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To: moovova
And, when BLM does a search and discovers your great-great uncle, twice-removed on your father’s side, owned a slave...you’re done for.

I am descended from both slaves and slave holders.

As far as I'm concerned, it's time to stop the obsession with race and instead focus on the individuals. Your distant ancestors don't have any impact on who you are, but your daily decisions make a big difference in the kind of person you are.

30 posted on 08/08/2020 5:41:25 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org)
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To: WildHighlander57

The other website is surely gedmatch.com.


31 posted on 08/08/2020 5:41:34 AM PDT by shatcher (Judges 17:6b Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.)
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To: gattaca

The word I think is paranoia.

James apparently suffers from acute paranoia


32 posted on 08/08/2020 5:43:43 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
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To: gattaca

“”My son and daughter used Ancestry.com. “”

That means your DNA is now out there.

My sister used Ancestry and about 4 months later she get’s a call from an investigator, one month later I get a call from an investigator. Seems my grand father on my mothers side did a little more than just fighting during WWI. Our DNA matched with an individual in Austria and he and I are about the same age.


33 posted on 08/08/2020 5:53:35 AM PDT by Dusty Road (")
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To: Dusty Road

Allot of folks have found out things they never wanted to know through DNA. How does 15 years of back child support sound!


34 posted on 08/08/2020 5:59:49 AM PDT by Dusty Road (")
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To: gattaca
I have been using Ancestry for years. As an adoptee, it was invaluable in my search for my birth family and its rich history. While it may not be for everyone (if you’re just looking for “what” you are) it’s not that accurate but if you’re an adoptee, it is a must.
35 posted on 08/08/2020 6:06:28 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: stuck_in_new_orleans
TTIUWP. Kim is easy on the eyes if not the ears. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
36 posted on 08/08/2020 6:09:47 AM PDT by Laslo Fripp (The Sybil of Free Republic)
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To: gattaca

We ran into some folks who found out that their Mom and/or Dad were really not their Mom and/or Dad; as well as those who had no DNA match with their supposed family tree! Also helped several adopted folks find their biological parents.


37 posted on 08/08/2020 6:12:43 AM PDT by Swirl
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To: gattaca

Attempting to track ancestry through DNA is a fool’s game, and I feel sorry for people who sucker into advice from supposed experts to get DNA tested to see how they fit into their heritage. Unrecorded adoptions of children whose parents died at young ages used to be as much the rule as the exception. Illegitimacy rates were almost as high as they are today.

And intrinsically, who do we inherit heritage from anyway? .....From DNA contributors or from the people who fashioned a chain of love and stability?

DNA evidence is not nearly as well received in official ancestry data records as it may seem. The people who push the idea that it is are the people trying to sell the service.


38 posted on 08/08/2020 6:13:58 AM PDT by nagant
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To: Dusty Road
BOL! I had to read this a couple of times to catch your dad's DNA discoveries.

"Seems my grandfather on my mother's side did a little more than just fighting during WWI."

So he gave his best for his country?

39 posted on 08/08/2020 6:15:39 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Does anyone know of any Democrat, who does the right thing for America/Americans today?)
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To: gattaca

As far as identification is concerned, there is already enough DNA out there to identify at least 1/2 the population, if not directly then indirectly, by identifying distant relatives and then employing a forensic genealogist. That cat is already out of the bag. I suppose my data could be mined for insurance reasons, but since I am 64 now I am not too worried about that anymore.


40 posted on 08/08/2020 6:16:01 AM PDT by beef (Use a VPN, use Tor, and get a shortwave radio. Oh, and ACAB- All Commies Are Bastards)
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