autosomal test for mixed race?

[katiecarol]

I am new to DNA genealogy.

I am a south african coloured [meaning unknown mixed race],in Australia this term isn't used,so I would like to know what I am.

I am considering an admixture/autosomal test.I have heard they are not accurate?

I did my father's genealogy and have a long paper trail to refer to,but only know the 'race' of two of his ancestors
a g.g.g grandfather john o'reilly [irish] who married a woman[no name] from Zanzibar I was told.
And my grandmother's father [english-welsh] whose family history/tree I was given.


Whilst I collected the records/death notices/surnames etc for all my father's other ancestors I have to assume that they were mixed race as apartheid was not in and they were not classified as anything it simply says 'union national' they could have been irish-angolans for all I know[!]


I was told some of the lines were swedish,french,irish,japanese by a great uncle but no trace I can connect,african side is unknown johnson mother unknown etc.

My mum who I have'nt traced looks indonesian maybe also indian to me,dad looks white.

I was told asian and african for my mother's line and probably native khoisan,she would have slave ancestry and her mother's surname was german.


I am refered to as looking Mediterian/arab/asian/.


Should I test my father,myself,and my mother? Would doing the Y or Mtdna tests help?

will it break down all those different 'races' into percentages?

I am convinced I have indian [as in from india] ancestry what group would that fall under in the results?

[Jim Honeychuck]

katiecarol,

Hi. Let me just start with your autosomal question. The DNA Tribes autosomal test does not yet have reference populations for Irish, Welsh, or French, so save your money.

Your father's Y-DNA might be interesting, but you have a paper trail, so I suppose you don't need that.

Your mtDNA would probably be the most informative. Of course it will only point to a distant ancestor on your maternal line, no one else.

Hopefully someone else will comment on DNA Print. I didn't take that one. Not sure I recognize those percentages as being a valid measure of anything.

Good luck in your research!

Jim

[vineviz]

If you want to know roughly "how much" African, Asian, and European ancestry you have then an autosomal test like the one offered by AncestrybyDNA can probably tell you with vague certainty.

On the other hand, the DNA Tribes will tell you where people with similar genes to you live, also with vague certainty. It seems to me, based on what you say, that it will point to Europe and/or sub-Saharan

AncestrybyDNA tests are typically pretty accurate, but not very precise.

Y-DNA testing, on the other hand, can be VERY precise. It might help you identify exactly which O'Reilly clan your ancestor belonged to. But it can only pinpoint one of thousands of lines of ancestry, thus being a less accurate description of your genetic makeup.

[tomcat]

GET A SAMPLE from EVERY ELDER in your family NOW!

You can test them all cheaply through the Genographic Project and then migrate to FTDNA, and their new partner DNA-Fingerprint, for deeper testing. NOTHING, NOTHING! can replace the DNA samples available to you at this moment.

Recording "family lore" from all elders is also irreplaceable!

Tom

[katiecarol]

Yes I read about the Genographic Project I think i'm going to do exactly that, my grandmother is living,my grandfather's brother is living,and many others as i'm only in my 20's.I have not heard of the The DNA Tribes autosomal test but will research this.Thanks everyone for your assistance.

[katiecarol]

katiecarol,

Your father's Y-DNA might be interesting, but you have a paper trail, so I suppose you don't need that.

Your mtDNA would probably be the most informative. Of course it will only point to a distant ancestor on your maternal line, no one else.
Jim

Good point,I have my grandmother's father's genealogy until the 16th century so no need there.But I dont know about her mother's ancestry at all but she looks mulatto.Testing my grandmother or aunts Mtdna may certify if she or her mother,mother's mother,etc were african.

[Jim Honeychuck]

Good point,I have my grandmother's father's genealogy until the 16th century so no need there.But I dont know about her mother's ancestry at all but she looks mulatto.Testing my grandmother or aunts Mtdna may certify if she or her mother,mother's mother,etc were african.

You sound open minded, but don't test if you would be heartbroken to find your maternal line is not African.

Jim