In April 2017 I took my very first DNA test. I was attending ‘Who Do You Think You Are? Live’ at the NEC and saw several DNA companies offering tests at a bargain show price.
I’d always been intrigued by testing because we had a major brick wall in our tree: my paternal grandfather was illegitimate. The only way to find his father was DNA testing.
I walked up to the FamilyTreeDNA stall, and they swabbed my cheek. Little did I know the adventure I was about to embark on!
Approximately four weeks later my results arrived and…I was disappointed.
Where were all the family surnames of my direct ancestors? Why did none of my matches have trees with anyone I knew? Why did lots of my matches have no trees at all? How could most of my matches be from North America? Where was the big ‘X marks the spot’ which pointed to grandad Upton’s biological father? The first month or so I would look at the test and feel I’d wasted my money but slowly and surely the fog began to lift.
Here’s what I wished I known before I took the test and what to do when my results arrived.
Before taking a test
If you are thinking of taking a DNA test it is a good idea to decide what you are hoping to get from it.
Karen Evans is the DNA News Anchor at DNA Club, which meets online on the third Wednesday of the month, 12.301.30pm UK time.
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