Have you ever wanted to know more about where you came from?
Where have your ancestors been in the past, and what are your roots?
Many of us already know where we’re from, as in where we were born and raised, but to know some of the deeper mysteries about our family histories, we sometimes need a little bit of extra help.
Through the years, DNA testing has become more and more popular. With this increased popularity, it also means that there are also more companies out there that are offering DNA testing kits. This can make it tricky to find one that will be a good fit for you.
If you are looking for a good DNA testing kit, whether to create a family tree, or to find out about your family records, Find My Past is a great DNA testing kit to do this with.
But what are the reasons to go with Find My Past DNA in comparison to other companies, what do they have to offer?
If you’re looking for information, read on to find out more.
Why Should You Get A DNA Testing Kit, Anyway?
If you’re still on the fence about getting a DNA testing kit anyway, you may be wondering what the big deal is. Well, there are actually a number of different reasons why you may wish to use a DNA testing kit.
To start with, DNA testing kits are important when it comes to resting disputes regarding lineage and inheritance. Sometimes people can claim they are an heir to a fortune of someone who has recently passed away and they may be someone that has had no prior experience with the family before. A DNA test will settle the dispute to discern someone’s parentage, and it helps to ensure that people are treated fairly.
Sometimes people also use DNA testing kits as a way to get in touch with biological parents if they are adopted. You can even use them to check your health history, such as if there are any illnesses that may be prevalent in your family history.
They may also wish to use a DNA testing kit to establish their ancestry. In some cases, a father may also wish to get a paternity test in the event that they are unsure about whether they are actually the father of a child in the event that the mother files a paternity case against him.
These are just some of the reasons as to why someone may wish to get a DNA testing kit.
How Do DNA Tests Work?
DNA Ancestry tests will essentially take your DNA and compare it against a reference database. This may be based on DNA provided by other people in the past.
When you are using Find My Past DNA, your sample will go into the Living DNA database and then it will be compared against millions of other samples. It will then use a complex algorithm to check it against certain ethnicities and regions in the world.
Find My Past DNA: Taking the Test
When you’re taking your Find My Past DNA testing kit, you don’t need to worry about anything like needles or other invasive procedures to find out more about your past. The whole process is pretty simple, and it consists of 4 simple steps.
First of all, visit findmypastdna.co.uk to purchase your DNA test online. You don’t just have to buy one for you, you can also buy one for your friends and family too!
Once you have done this, you will need to follow the instructions that are included with the kit in order to activate your DNA testing kit. You will need to enter a unique code to verify your purchase.
Your order should arrive within around 5 to 7 days in total. The time it takes to deliver is largely going to depend on the location and postal service though. It’s possible to order the test to the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Europe and New Zealand.
You will then need to send off your sample, which is arguably the most complex part of the whole procedure. When we say complex though, the truth is that it’s pretty simple, especially in comparison to a lot of other DNA testing kits.
You don’t need to hurt your finger for a blood sample and you don’t need to spit into a test tube. Simply use the cheek swab tool that’s included with the kit and then return it to the company’s lab using a pre paid envelope that will also come with the kit.
You are encouraged to activate the 14 day free trial immediately once you have received your kit, which many people may not be happy about.
Once you have sent your kit off to the Find My Past DNA team, you should be able to see your results within 6 to 8 weeks. Your DNA analysis will then be uploaded onto an online portal that only you can see.
Find My Past DNA: The Records
As with any other DNA Ancestry site, Find My Past DNA comes with a bunch of fantastic records that you can peruse to find out more about your origins and family lineage.
These records include:
- Billions of records from the British Isles
- They currently have more than 2 billion total records. They add more and more every week, making them a great choice for continuous perusal and providing great value for money for subscribers
- More irish records than any other ancestry site
- The site offers records that go back pretty far - some even going as far back as AD 850!
- Millions of different newspaper articles that date back as far as 1710. These can cover up to 21 different countries and every single state in the US. The records for England, Scotland and Wales are certainly the most extensive.
- Records for the US military that stretch as far back as the Revolutionary War and World War II. There are also US Census records dating from 1790 up until 1940.
- 40 million + Parish records spanning across Wales and England. These date as far back as the 1500s and include marriages, baptisms and deaths.
- Records from the Irish Courts
- Lots of extra records that would be more difficult to find, such as workhouse registers, school admissions and apprenticeship records.
Stand Out Features of the Find My Past DNA Testing Kit
So, is the Find My Past DNA testing kit just like any other DNA testing kit on the market?
Here are the key features that this particular kit has to offer.
Ability to View British and Irish Roots
Every single DNA ancestry kit will tell you where your DNA has been found most often, which is pretty cool when you’re introducing yourself at an event and you want to tell someone that you’re 7% Swedish.
But what if you could pin point where exactly in one region your DNA is most common?
The Find My Past DNA testing kit will estimate the information regarding your ethnicity across the glove, sure. But, what it also offers is results that will show you the specific regions within Britain and Ireland where your DNA frequents the most.
It covers 21 separate subregions, so you will be able to truly narrow down your origins even down to the exact county! Neat, huh?
Free Family Tree Builder and Genealogy Services
One particularly cool feature that Find My Past offer is that you don’t need to buy a subscription in order to create your family tree with the company.
It’s possible to search through hundreds of millions of records throughout the globe completely for free, including birth and death records, marriage records and more.
With that being said, purchasing a subscription does mean that you will be able to see even more data and additional features. One example of this is the ability to see ancestors that you share in common with certain people.
When you have started working on your tree, Find My Past will search their extensive database and collections and will provide you with extra hints to grow your tree. This may help you to be able to see records that you may not have known actually exist.
Not all of these hints are helpful though, as some may be based on superficial data such as your name. It’s important that you thoroughly assess each hint.
Another thing that you can do with the service is upload a GEDCOM file that you can download from another provider, which means that you don’t need to spend hours trying to put the information back into another site again.
Unfortunately, the site won’t check on your uploaded information for hints, only stuff that you have added yourself on their site.
1939 Register
Find My Past allows you to access the 1939 register, that will tell you the exact places where all 41 million people that were living in England and Wales at the time were living right before the Second World War commenced.
You can see all sorts of interesting data, including interactive neighborhood maps, handwritten registers, a list of household members.
You may even find out about some relatives that you didn’t even know existed!
2 Week Membership
If you aren’t currently subscribed to Find My Past, it’s not an issue.
If you are a new or returning member, you can access a 14 day membership when you buy a FInd My Past DNA kit.
This means that you will have a lot of time to look at your family tree, and you will be able to search any records for information that may help you to see even further back.
Secure Privacy
One of the key issues that many people have when it comes to DNA testing kits is the worry that the company will share your DNA with other third parties. This is something that you can rest easy about when it comes to Find My Past.
Any and all data that you provide to Find My Past will remain private unless you would like it to be shared, for example your DNA results and your family tree.
The data is stored and encrypted onto secure servers that can only be accessed by the company’s service providers, staff and the person who has requested the kit. They strictly adhere to the Data Protection Act of 2018.
Fast Response Times
If you have any queries for Find My Past, you will be pleased to know that complaints or any issues will be dealt with in a timely manner.
The company is able to give live chat and phone support in the working hours during the weekday. Their website also states that they will answer any emails in a 24 hour time frame so you won’t be kept waiting.
Another enjoyable thing about the service is that there’s an active Facebook community too, and this will keep you posted about any interesting updates or historical information that you may want to know.
They’re also available on Twitter and they have a bunch of blogs that will help you to understand more about the service.
You can also look on their YouTube account for hundreds of more videos, including instructional videos and historical information.
The Find My Past Subscription
So, what do you get with a Find My Past subscription?
If you are living in the UK, Australia, Ireland or New Zealand, it’s possible to purchase one of three different kinds of subscriptions.
To start with, you can have the Starter subscription. This subscription will provide you with access to the key records that you are going to need in order to set out your family tree on the Find My Past website.
If you want to spend a little bit more money to look even further into your family history, you can look at the Plus subscription. This will allow you to be able to access even more records on the website, some of which you may not be able to find anywhere else online.
Finally, you can opt for the Find My Past Pro Subscription. This will let you look at every area of the site - you can even look at their massive newspaper archive so you can dig deeper into your family’s unique stories.
If you are buying the kit in Canada and the US, you are able to purchase two other subscriptions.
The first subscription is the Essential British & Irish subscription. This will give you the main family records that you need if you’re looking to see when you’re trying to trace your British or Irish roots.
If you buy the Ultimate British and Irish subscription you can get even more information for your money. This subscription allows you to have access to the company’s whole collection of newspapers and records.
Can You Use Another DNA Test with Find My Past?
Yes!
If you’ve already done a DNA test with another provider, it is possible to upload your DNA results to Find My Past in order to access Family Networks.
They will accept any DNA tests from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA.
Pros
- High quality customer support services, including live chat and phone consultation during working hours in the week days
- Intuitive looks into family history, allowing you to pinpoint your British and Irish roots even as far back as to individual counties!
- Free family tree builder
- A company that rewards loyalty, regular updates to the service for long standing subscribers
- Non invasive testing - all you need to do is take a swab, and mail it back in the prepaid envelope provided to the company’s offices. Results are fairly quick too, as you’ll only need to wait around 6 to 8 weeks
- Fairly affordable test - even the upgrades won’t break the bank. The value for money is great too
Cons
- Perhaps the main problem with this service is that the only real thing you can do is track family history. You can’t do any extra health checks like you may be able to do with other service providers.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a decent DNA ancestry provider, Find My Past DNA is certainly a good option to consider. If you want to truly nail down your British and Irish roots, then this test really is a one of a kind option.
If you’re impatient like we are, you don’t need to worry about waiting months on end for your test results - at most, you’re looking at 2 months to wait.
This is a company that really cares about its consumers and providing you with the best possible knowledge about your family lineage. It’s an intuitive experience that you are sure to enjoy.
Of course, it’s difficult to ignore the things that this test cannot do, such as providing you with an extensive health background check, or providing you with paternity checks.
But, if you are looking just to find out more about your family history, you can’t go wrong with the Find My Past DNA testing kit.