AncestryDNA Giveaway on Olive Tree Genealogy Blog!

Olive Tree Genealogy is excited to announce a Giveaway from Ancestry.ca!

If you live in Canada you can enter for a chance to win a free AncestryDNA kit! This kit giveaway is only available through Olive Tree Genealogy.

What does an AncestryDNA kit do?

AncestryDNA lets you pique family members or friend’s curiosity about their heritage and family history by taking them on a journey with AncestryDNA that can:

• Provide an ethnicity estimate from more than 500 regions around the world going back up to thousands of years;
• Reveal the migration journeys of their ancestors, showing the places and paths that are part of their family story;
• Offer the potential to connect with family members that they never knew about or lost touch with through the ‘DNA Matches’ feature;
• Help fill in gaps in their family history based on their results 

Contest Rules:

1. You must be a resident of Canada to enter
2. No purchase necessary.
3. Winner will be chosen at random from entries received. See details below for entry requirements
4. One winner will be chosen by a random draw on November 22, 2019.
5. Giveaway starts immediately and ends at midnight EDT on November 21, 2019
6. You are responsible for anything in regards to the legality of entering a contest in the area in which you live.
7. The winner will be notified via Facebook or Twitter and must contact me at OliveTreeGenealogy@gmail.com to arrange having the AncestryDNA kit sent to you.

How to enter for a chance to win:

1. Share this blog post on Facebook OR Twitter. Be sure to tag Olive Tree Genealogy (see instructions for tagging below). If you don't tag me correctly I won't know you shared the post and your name will not be entered in the giveaway.

2. If you share this blog post on both Facebook AND Twitter and tag me on both your name will be entered twice. 

How to Tag Olive Tree Genealogy: 

On Twitter, follow me at https://twitter.com/LorineMS and then tag me with @LorineMS when you share the post on your Twitter Feed

On Facebook, join my Olive Tree Genealogy page at https://www.facebook.com/OliveTreeGenealogyPage/

Share this post on your Facebook personal page and tag me with @OliveTreeGenealogy when you share the post on your personal Facebook page or in an appropriate group.

Now's Your Chance! AncestryDNA Sale Starts Today

Holiday Sale:

This sale will start at 9:00pm PST on Thursday, October 31st and will end at 9:00pm PST on Wednesday, November 27th - the day before Thanksgiving.

• AncestryDNA® will be on sale for $59 

Ancestry® Family Gift Subscriptions will be 20% off

St Patricks Day AncestryDNA sale!

Great news! If you live in America it's time to order your DNA kit. Ancestry is having one of their biggest sales ever.

St. Patrick's Day Sale: AncestryDNA only $59 Ancestry DNA sale ends at 11:59pm EST on Monday, March 18th. Don't delay - stock up on a few kits at this price, then send to your relatives for testing.

AncestryDNA Sale!

What a deal! Time to stock up on DNA kits for your relatives. AncestryDNA is on sale in the US for $59

The sale starts at 6pm EST on Monday, February 11, and end at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 14. Use this sale link for your kits




 

When the Dead Come Back to Life

Sylvia Kewer from Viriginia, grew up as an only child, adopted by a loving couple. At 66 she learned she actually had 5 other siblings, all of whom thought she had died as a child.

Her discovery was the result of DNA testing on Ancestry.com.This is where DNA gets so exciting - imagine finding long lost siblings. Imagine those siblings thinking a sister was dead, actually meeting her for the first time since she was a toddler.

Read the rest of this amazing story at Adopted woman whose birth family thought she had died finally meets them at 66 years old

Familial DNA Testing Used to Solve Cold Cases

Genealogists love DNA. Many, if not most, of us have tested with more than one DNA company. Why? Because DNA not only allows us to learn about our early ethnic origins, it also allows us to match with other genealogists who share a common ancestor. Like crowdsourcing, this permits us to help each other, to share information that may help us in our ancestral quest.

Familial DNA is now being used by police to hopefully solve cold cases. Familial DNA  is defined as

"A familial DNA search is a search by law enforcement in DNA databases for genetic information indicating a relative of a person they seek to identify."

Rockne Harmon, a forensic cold case specialist, defines familial DNA as "a two-phase process to develop investigative leads to potentially identify close biological relatives of the source of a DNA sample that carries an unknown forensic profile."

Familial DNA is being used in UK and some states in the USA, and Harmon hopes to apply familial DNA to solve some Canadian cold cases. There are legal obstacles regarding current laws governing Canada’s DNA databank which would have to be studied first.



The Ottawa Citizen has the full story at  Familial DNA searches could help crack Canadian cold cases

Image: http://www.slideshare.net/ThermoFisher/familial-dna-searching-technology-to-provide-investigative-leads-51740417 

Relative Race: Amazing Race Meets Who Do You Think You Are

Olive Tree Genealogy received the following announcement about a brand new TV show, an original family history-based competition reality show titled Relative Race, that has been described as Amazing Race meets Who Do You Think You Are.
 

Premiering on Sunday, February 28 at 8pm ET/6pm MT/5pm PT on BYUtv, Relative Race features four married couples as they travel across the US in search of long lost relatives, armed with only paper maps, a rental car, a $25 per diem and a flip phone. 

Using the science and technology provided by Ancestry DNA, the couples embark on a journey that starts in San Francisco, ends in New York City and leads them to unknown relatives along the way. Cameras follow all four teams as they drive across the country -more than 4500 miles- in just ten days, stopping each day to complete a challenge and find (and stay with) their newly discovered relatives in a different city. At the end of each day, the team that finishes last receives a strike; after three strikes, teams are eliminated and the remaining teams travel to NYC for the grand finale where there is a $25k grand prize for the winning couple.

Image from relativerace.com

A Genealogy Christmas Wish List: 5 Items You Can't Live Without

Believe it or not, Christmas is only 25 days away! That's right. It's time to not only start buying that perfect gift for loved ones but also make your own wish list of genealogy items you'd like to have. Olive Tree Genealogy has created a nice start to a list of 5 items you know you can't live without. 

1. DNA KITS - what's not to love about being able to find cousin connections and learn about your far-back ancestry?

IN AMERICA
30% off AncestryDNA in America AncestryDNA is on sale in the USA at the lowest price of the year, for $69 - a 30% discount! The offer will be live from November 26 9pm PST to November 30 9pm PST.

IN CANADA
Canadians must purchase their kits from Ancestry.ca. $30 OFF AncestryDNA in Canada
AncestryDNA in Canada is on sale at the lowest price of the year. Normally $149 the sale is for $119 - a $30 discount! The offer will be live from November 26 9pm PST to November 30 9pm PST.

IN UNITED KINGDOM
Buy your AncestryDNA kit at the lowest price of the year in the UK: £69 with a 30% discount! The offer will be live from 27 November 12:01am GMT to 30 November 11:59pm GMT.30% off AncestryDNA in the UK

2. PORTABLE SCANNER

Personally I love my Flip-Pal Scanner.  But there are other options!

* TaoTronics® Handheld Mobile Portable Document scanner
* Avision IS15+ Portable Scanner for Photos & Cards 

3. DOCUMENT FEEDER SCANNER 

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner for PC and Mac   my personal favorite! I use mine daily. It makes life so much easier - it's fast and reliable and scans to email, Dropbox, Evernote, your computer.... whatever you choose. You can scan in jpg or pdf. 

4. GENEALOGY BOOKS. We all love genealogy books so why not put a few on your Christmas list? I recommend you pop over to Amazon and check out the books by the following authors:
* Books by Lorine McGinnis Schulze


* Books by Thomas MacEntee

5. SUBSCRIPTION TO GENEALOGY WEBSITE

There are many great genealogy sites you can subscribe to. My favorite is Ancestry.com as it has allowed me to dig back many generations on my ancestors in America, Canada and England.

Is Every Stranger Your Cousin?

According to a demographic analysis by genealogy site AncestryDNA , the average Brit has 193,000 living cousins - enough to fill Wembley Stadium twice. (Source: There’s A One-In-300 Chance That Every Stranger You See Is Your Cousin)

This makes perfect sense to me. The world was a sparsely populated planet thousands of years ago so eventually we should all connect. We may connect thousands of years back or only hundreds. 

In my case, when I first moved almost 40 years ago to the town I currently live in, I met a woman who became one of my best friends. Years later she asked me to help her with her genealogy. To our great surprise and delight I found she was related to me along several ancestral lines! And the common ancestors were in the mid-1800s which is not that far back in the space of time.

Just this past year I was doing research for a client and to my surprise I found he and I are 4th. cousins. 

And of course you are almost certain to discover at some point in your family tree that you are actually a cousin to your father or mother. In fact I have a cousin relationship to both my parents. My father, for example is my 8th cousin once removed, my 9th cousin once removed, my 11th cousin once removed, my 10th cousin twice removed and the husband of my 5th cousin once removed (aka my mother!)

I wrote about how this happens in an ancestral tree in I May Be My Own Grandma.....

Have you discovered a cousin relationship to a friend, parent or spouse? 

What Family Secrets Will Your DNA Reveal?

Great news! Ancestry DNA test kits are now available to Canadians. If you've been waiting for the chance to order a kit to Canada, now's the time.

I've had my DNA (and my brothers, and my husband's, and my sons and my in-laws..) DNA tested at other companies and now is my chance to do the same with Ancestry DNA in Canada  

The more places you test, the better so I'm really excited about this! So far, with our DNA tests we've learned many new things - not just our ethnic background but family secrets. That's right.

We learned, for example, that the family rumours were true and that hubs' grandfather's father was not the man married to his mother. Nope, the rumour that Great-Grandma had been messing around with the hired man named Cooper turned out to be true! DNA connected my husband and his mother with first cousins through the Cooper family. 

We also were able to verify our paper research showing my Native American heritage, and my husband's black ancestry. 

One more secret recently came to light, and this was something no one had any inkling of. Not a whisper, not a rumour, nothing - so it was a real bombshell. We had a first cousin match to one of my sons. A first cousin we'd never heard of. No one in the family knew of this person. I'm sure my genealogist readers can figure out pretty quickly that a first cousin match meant that a sibling to my son's father (or to me) had a child no one knew about.

I can't reveal more (yet) as I don't have this person's permission but if/when I do have it, I'll tell the whole story here. It's mind-blowing! And it's been wonderful to learn. Because of DNA this amazing person is now in our lives and attends our family functions. It was a win-win situation except for one tiny blimp on our delight at finding this match.  I promise I'll share all this in a future blog post once I have the thumbs up to do so.

Meantime, why not find out what secrets lie in your family tree? Take the Ancestry DNA now.

Don't Miss the Independence Day Special on DNA Kits!

AncestryDNA is celebrating Independence Day by offering a 20% discount on AncestryDNA. Don't miss this special offer. 

If you haven't tested your DNA yet, or Grandma's or Auntie Helen, now's your chance!

What can DNA tell you? You can learn your ethnicity. It can connect you to cousins you never knew about. Family secrets are often revealed as they were for my husband's and my families. 

My husband discovered that his great grandfather was not really his great grandfather! Instead it was another man. DNA confirmed family rumours on that one. You can read all about that shocker at DNA Gave My Husband a Completely Different Great Grandfather and DNA Results Leave us Gob-Smacked! 

What did I learn? That one of my sons had a first cousin no one ever knew about. I haven't blogged about that as I have not asked permission of the new cousin yet. But in any case, run, do not walk to AncestryDNA to order your kit! The discount will run from July 2-July 6. 

Please celebrate by spreading the word!

Father's Day Sale on AncestryDNA Kits!

Great news! AncestryDNA is now on sale on Ancestry.com, so grab a kit or two while this deal is in effect.

I've tested my DNA and my brother's and my son's and have had amazing results. I've found new cousins and revealed family secrets. I've added DNA evidence to the paper trail to my Native American lineage.

It's a win-win situation with this special deal good until June 21st. 

 

Ancestry DNA Now Available in Canada!

Two pieces of great news! AncestryDNA is now on sale on Ancestry.com, so grab your kit while this deal is in effect.

Second piece of good news is that AncestryDNA is now available in Canada. At last, we Canadians can buy a DNA kit and discover new cousins. 

I've tested with other DNA companies and have had amazing results. I've found new cousins and revealed family secrets. I've added DNA evidence to the paper trail to my Native American lineage.

The more companies you test with, the better, and now I can test with AncestryDNA. 

6 Generations of Mothers and a Matrilineal DNA Line

 

Here are 6 direct line females, mother to daughter - my matrilineal MtDNA line. From left to right:

My 2nd great grandmother, Sarah (Elvery) Stead

Sarah Stead's daughter, my great grandmother Sarah (Stead) Simpson

Sarah Simpson's daughter my grandmother Ruth (Simpson) Bates

Ruth Bates' daughter, my mother Joan McGinnis

Your truly

My daughter Judy

Have you ordered your Ancestry DNA Kit yet? Why not get one today on Mother's Day!

AncestryDNA Soon Available in Canada!

Great news! AncestryDNA will soon be available for Canadians. 

You can sign up for the invite list on Ancestry.ca to be notified as soon as it is available. 

I just signed up today and am eager to get my DNA kit to complete my testing.

DNA Day Sale!

AncestryDNA is celebrating their annual DNA Day this April by offering a 20% discount on AncestryDNA. The special will run from April 23-April 27, 2015. Happy DNA Day! 

This link takes you to their offer DNA Day 20% off AncestryDNA 

If you don't have your DNA kit yet, maybe it's time. Don't miss out!

AncestryDNA Launches New Ancestor Discoveries

Ancestry DNA the leader in DNA testing for family history,  has launched a significant technological advancement that makes discovering one's family history faster and easier than ever. Now with the easy-to-use AncestryDNA test, customers will have the unique ability to find their ancestors, who lived hundreds of years ago, using just their DNA.

Only possible through the groundbreaking work of the AncestryDNA science team, New Ancestor Discoveries is a technical innovation that combines the latest in genetic science, new patent-pending algorithms, and access to AncestryDNA's extensive database to push the boundaries of human genetics, and help people find ancestors from their past using just a DNA test, no genealogy research required.

One example of New Ancestor Discoveries is that DNA Circles will now include anyone in your tree not only direct ancestral lines. For example, if you are genetically related to members of your 3^rd great-granduncle’s DNA Circle and you have him in your tree we will now include you into that DNA Circle.

You can read the full description online. You can order your here and it can be sent to USA, England or Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day Special on AncestryDNA Kits

Still haven't tested your DNA? Need more kits for family members? Great news! Ancestry is having a St. Patrick's Day special on DNA testing! 

(Not yet available for Canadians)

AncestryDNA Available in United Kingdom and Ireland

Great news for our friends in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.  Ancestry DNA is now available to purchase in the United Kingdom and Ireland!

Ancestry.com sold their first DNA kit in the U.S. in 2012, and since then, more than 700,000 people have used AncestryDNA to discover more about their family history. 

Wonderful news for the U.K. and Ireland but when is it Canada's turn?

Free DNA Kit Offer from Ancestry

Good news! If you were thinking of subscribing to Ancestry.com, they are offering a Free DNA kit with 6-month subscription during the Who Do You Think You Are? broadcasts.

This is a $99 value. The genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? airs every Wednesday at 9/8c on TLC and with Ancestry.com as a sponsor.