PandaPirate Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 This summer as I was driving through OK. and KS. I was reminded of my Cherokee anscestry. I joined Ancestry.com to look further and possibly thought of doing DNA testing. The rough part about this identity crisis I'm having is that BOTH my mother and father were adopted. I only know of my Cherokee anscestry because my mother knows her real mother and she's given me some information. On my fathers side it gets weird. I'm doing research and come across gen.culpepper.com and find my name in the database. Apparently Culpepper's are descendants of Charlemagne (supposedly.) Not exactly a family tree I want to brag about unless someone somewhere owes me some money. These people were responsible for forcing Christianity onto a lot of peoples. So, since both my parents are adopted should I get a DNA test to find out who I REALLY am? How much do these things cost and how much can they tell you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I see nobody has responded yet. I really don't know anything about it. Might a medical doctor be able to provide some information on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysealclubber Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 23andMe offers DNA tests that can be used for heritage for $399. I've been eyeing getting one for myself for a while now. They may provide you with a lot more information than you are looking for though, and my give inconclusive results for your specific ancestry. Most genetic research is performed on people of european descent. Check it out though, it may be what you're looking for. Good luck! EDIT: Here's a link to their ancestry page https://www.23andme.com/ancestry/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShackledNoMore Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 It all depends on your curiosity and level of interest. Sounds like cool information to know about yourself which you have to balance with the cost. Thinking about it, it's interesting about the reliability of using records to trace your family tree even if you (or your parents, etc) are not adopted: I would think lineage could be traced a lot more accurately on your mother's side than your father's, since being pregnant and giving birth are a lot harder to hide than an illicit affair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. I don't need to do any geneaology for my father's side. His family tree is online and can be traced back to the year 700. He's adopted, however, so this information is useless. It's only who I am LEGALLY, not by blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted October 14, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2008 Who am I? I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted October 14, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2008 The wisdom of "I Am the Walrus." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 The wisdom of "I Am the Walrus." They're not all as old as you and I, C, I got the reference instantly. To the OP, you face a little more adversity finding your roots than most, but I agree it's an interesting pursuit and could benefit you in lots of ways, such as medical pre-disposition. I personally look like Conan O'Brian's mini-me, only whiter, but I'm 1/8 Cherokee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Well, I am almost all german, yet I have never been there, nor do I speak a word of it. So even though I am german, it kinda doesnt really matter since I cannot relate to germans in any way. To me this type of thing is not all that important, but if you got the 400 bucks to spare and your curious, have the test done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted October 14, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2008 The wisdom of "I Am the Walrus." They're not all as old as you and I, C, I got the reference instantly. Well I must be very "wise" too because I got it. I did notice on that How Old Are You poll awhile back, that there were only a dozen or so people older than me. And damn, wouldn't you know it..when I saw Religulous last week, they've upped the age for the cheap senior rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 Well, I am almost all german, yet I have never been there, nor do I speak a word of it. So even though I am german, it kinda doesnt really matter since I cannot relate to germans in any way. To me this type of thing is not all that important, but if you got the 400 bucks to spare and your curious, have the test done. Well, it's nice to see you SWIM. Thought you fell off the earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etchison Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I understand and relate to your curiosity. I spent hours and hours earlier this year doing my ancestry. It was an awe-inspiring experience and I recommend it for anyone. However, if you're unable to do it you can leap to the conclusion I came to. In the words of John Lennon: “I am me as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” The funny thing about a family tree is that it is as wide as it is deep. I found myself a descendant of English Royalty and, right after thinking I was special, did the math. King Edward I was exactly 23 generations ago. 2^23 = 8.3 million. That means that 8.3 million people contributed to my gene pool merely 23 generations ago. So about 1 in 3 people who claim European ancestry probably have royalty in their blood. But if you go back further, you'll find that you're not English after all. Their ancestors came from Norway, Finland, Tuscany, Rome. Eventually you start to figure out that you have no particular lineage whatsoever. I come from everywhere. And people from everywhere all come from Africa. So we're all African, and we're all related. (That's probably no help at all. I think you should do your lineage if you can!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 The fucked up thing about it is that I know that the Culpepper's I'm related to are from England and are snobs. Hell, my immediate relatives on my dad's side were all fucking stuck up snobs. These are the same bastards who came over here and killed my TRUE, blood ancestors, the Native Americans. Pisses me off. Damn Europeans ruined everything. I could be sitting in a wig wam by a campfire eating legal mushrooms. (Well, one could dream...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 But if you go back further, you'll find that you're not English after all. Their ancestors came from Norway, Finland, Tuscany, Rome. Eventually you start to figure out that you have no particular lineage whatsoever. I come from everywhere. And people from everywhere all come from Africa.Does that mean the Garden Of Eden is in Africa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 But if you go back further, you'll find that you're not English after all. Their ancestors came from Norway, Finland, Tuscany, Rome. Eventually you start to figure out that you have no particular lineage whatsoever. I come from everywhere. And people from everywhere all come from Africa.Does that mean the Garden Of Eden is in Africa? Probably. And Osama Bin Laden is hiding under it. Or, like I say, it's a metaphor for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGiant Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 A genetic test may be more valuable in screening for potential medical issues than anything else, imo, and in that context may be a good idea. As far as who one is, while I can understand the curiosity about where parents came from and how families got to where they are, the notion that genes determine even a large part of who we are is a bit off to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysealclubber Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 A genetic test may be more valuable in screening for potential medical issues than anything else, imo, and in that context may be a good idea. As far as who one is, while I can understand the curiosity about where parents came from and how families got to where they are, the notion that genes determine even a large part of who we are is a bit off to me. I can't speak for pandapirate obviously, but for me, it's just curiosity. Genetics is such an interesting subject. And yes, I do think that, to a certain extent at least, our genetics influence who we are. Notice I didn't use the word 'determine,' although in some cases our genes do determine traits. Panda, I was looking around, and this may be more what you are looking for. It's a little cheaper, is dedicated to genealogy, and even has a special test to distinguish between native american tribes. http://www.dnatribes.com/populations.html There are lots of services out there, but from what I've seen, the first company gives the most analysis for the buck. But I guess it all depends on what you're looking for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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