California Unearthed: Using DNA Kits to find your genealogical past.

DNA Genetic Testing has become a world wide sensation in the last few years with millions upon millions of people ordering home DNA Genetic testing kits and sending back their spit in a vile to find out where in the world they come from and to make connections with lost or unknown family.

There are a few different companies who provide DNA Genetic home testing kits: They are all about the same but have a few differences in each:

1. Ancestry.com Click link to purchase

The most popular and widely uses company
Ancestry.com has the largest database with over 8 million people already tested.
Percentage break down to show about how much of a certain ethnic group you fall under.
Regional mapping to show what areas you are from.
DNA Matching to other members on Ancestry who have taken the test.
DNA Circles to show who else share the same ancestors in their tree with you.

2. 23 and Me Click link to purchase

Link to the 23 and Me Health and Ancestry Kit

Second largest database.
Regional Mapping to show what area you come from
DNA Matching to other members on 23 and Me
For an extra fee 23 and Me will test your Health + Ancestry Personal Genetics - Gives you more than 85 DNA-based online reports on Genetic Health Risks, Carrier Status, Wellness & Traits with.
DNA Matching to other members on 23 and Me who have taken the test.

3. My Heritage Click link to purchase

Regional Mapping to show what area you come from
DNA Matching to other members on My Heritage
DNA Matching to other members on My Heritage who have taken the test.

4. National Geographic DNA Kit Click link to purchase

Newer and less popular test
A breakdown of your regional ancestry by percentage, going as far back as 500,000 years.
Learn about your ancestral makeup, discover which historical geniuses you could be related.

I choose to go with Ancestry.com because I already had a tree started with Ancestry and I liked the fact they had the largest database to pull from. I also liked the idea that I could find lost or unknown relatives to add to my tree or confirm info I had on my tree with others. My use for Ancestry and the DNA test was to find family mainly on my dad's side sense no one had a lot of history or information on the family. I did not know my father, but I did find him after 35 years, but that was before the DNA kits became available for home use. That is a whole other blog for a later date.
I know of two family members who have found their fathers though DNA kits, who have never known their father. One family member who is married into the family found that the man he called dad was not his dad and now he knows who his real father is and is in contact with a whole new side of the family. Sadly his father passed before he found this information out.
The other is a family member who took the DNA test to see if they could find their father and they did find him through a first cousin who showed up on their list of DNA matches. Again they now have a whole other side of the family to get to know and in this case their father is still alive. Both of these family member used Ancestry.com's test kit.

Here is what the page looks like when you get your test back:

Your regional results on the left. Your DNA Family matches in the center and your DNA Circles on the right and bottom. Your DNA circles may take some time to come up and you do need a tree created to have the circles show up.

If you click on the Regional section it will look like this:

List of areas you are from on the rights with percentages of ethic group. Color coded circles showing the region on the map.

At the bottom of the page it will show you dates from 1700 to 1925 and where and when your ancestries moved around. Look at the following photos to see my family moment.