The AncestryDNA Journey Begins...

I walked in the house this evening, and what did I see waiting for me?

Three AncestryDNA test kits, ready to be opened up so a little spit can help polish up the genealogical research.

You've probably seen the ads. There's the one with Kyle, who grew up with the understanding his family was ethnically German. Turned out, the ad claims, he wasn't German at all, but 52% Scottish & Irish. "So, I traded in my lederhosen for a kilt," he quips at the end of the commercial.

Based on the genealogical record, I'm not expecting this sort of complete curveball that I'm not primarily Irish in ethnicity. There is enough data to track the Moriarty family back to County Kerry, Ireland, and a few family members have even had the privilege of traveling back to the Emerald Isle; some even visiting the old Moriarty homestead, then in the hands of a since deceased second cousin, Jerry Gallivan. My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Hurley, while my maternal grandfather's surname was Mahoney. I think we've got the Irish piece locked down, so I'd be quite surprised to have the sort of experience of Kyle, the German-turned-Scotsman.

Kyle Merker not only learned he was Scottish rather than German, but, according to Ancestry.com, also found familial connections on both sides of the American Revolutionary War, and that his 15th great-grandfather was King James IV or Scotland.

My purpose in this test is the hopes of being able to dig up the sort of information that helped Kyle find ancestors from the Revolution, and I'd love to be able to find records and evidence that takes me back several centuries.

The AncestryDNA test, the company asserts, uses the latest autosomal testing technology to map your heritage, and also compare to other members and data. It tests on all 23 chromosomes, which allows it to explore both the X and Y chromosomes rather than simply going through the paternal line only.

I'll share my finds and discoveries as the process unfolds, wherever it may take me. Stay tuned.