A Scientist I Am Not

Back in my school days my strengths were English and History.  I had no use for math -- odd I would enjoy quilting with all the geometry involved -- and science -----well, I learned I was allergic to formaldehyde in high school biology so there you go.  It makes sense, then, that I would marry a microbiologist who never met a math problem he didn't like, right?

Anyway.

I have several hobbies, not the least of which is researching my family tree.  It doesn't take but two generations of searching to get me across the great pond and that makes the searching a bit dicier.  Enter Ancestry DNA testing.

Yes, I did.  I took the test.  I wasn't surprised at the results they showed, I was surprised at what they didn't show but that is another conversation.  Then I downloaded my results to Gedmatch.com and found another whole slew of "matches" -- some I recognized, some not so much.

Facebook groups on family history have begun to immerge and I joined one dealing with Wales and Welsh DNA.  People are putting their kit numbers up there for comparison.  I have done the same and never come up with any matches which is disturbing considering my great-grandparentage.

So, yesterday I was contacted by a person who showed how we were a match and how if you use a certain search criteria you might find more matches.  I tried and I did, only to be told that I might come up with some false positives.  Sounds like medical testing.

I spent last evening putting in kit numbers and doing comparisons and have come up with three people that I truly think might be related.  I don't know how or where -- well, somewhere in Wales I would suspect.

I can honestly say this is the most confusing thing I have ever seen.  I know nothing about DNA and at this point I am pretty sure I am incapable of learning.  I guess I will just have to rely on the knowledge and wisdom of others.

So confused.