DNA: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

 My family ancestry map from LivingDNA

My LivingDNA results were not what I expected. There was the predominantly British Isles and Scandinavian mix I expected. That jibed with prior DNA test results. It was the further breakdown that had me scratching my head. Documentary evidence showed links to 19 different English counties and I had hoped the test would narrow them down to the most likely counties of origin. It expanded them! Not only that, but I thought that my Scots ancestry was firmly rooted in the Western Isles. Why was all of Scotland coloured in on my map? Also confusing,  the bit of Ireland that was shaded in. Was that just a carry over from my Western Isles ancestry, the links between the north of Ireland and the west of Scotland are well known, or was that my elusive Irish link for the Cavanagh line?

This is typical of DNA testing, in my estimation. I was looking for simple explanations of my ancestral origins but things kept getting more and more complicated. Isn't that always the way? Every chance I get, I go looking for more information. In April my local genealogy society, the BC Genealogy Society (BCGS), brought in Mary Kathryn Kozy for a day long seminar about genetic DNA. The presentation was really informative and I have lots of notes and links to follow up on. (Honestly, I can see how this can become and huge time sink!) There was one part of the lecture that stuck with me, the part about endogamy.

Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a limited group which is the case among some cultures, like Jewish populations or other religious congregations, particularly among the early North American colonists. It was a case of cousins marrying cousins for generations. I was wondering why my sole colonial line of Tripps kept coming up with DNA matches even though it seemed so far back in time. Endogamy might be the explanation. The presenter at the April event, Mary, also has a colonial line. When she showed her LivingDNA family ancestry map it showed clear links back to one county in England. I was jealous!

Strangely enough, there were not very many DNA presentations on offer at the 2018 OGS Conference. I didn't attend any of them. DNA testing companies had a large presence at the conference marketplace, however. As I wanted to know more about LivingDNA's current work on pinpointing Irish origins, I stopped by their booth. Apparently, their results on Irish origins will not be available until the end of 2018 and, when I asked whether my Irish roots would be limited to the part in the north of Ireland that was already showing, I was told I might have results in the rest of Ireland as well. Looks like I have time to find out more about genetic DNA while I am waiting.