Table of Contents
How far back can you track your ancestors?
While hints take you back generations, AncestryDNA looks even deeper into your past—up to 1,000 years—and shows you where your ancestors likely came from, uncovering your ethnic origins.
Who can trace their family back the furthest?
Confucius
Confucius Confucius is often claimed to have the longest-running documented family tree. The record of his lineage was in fact updated for the fifth time just two years ago, in a staggering 43,000-page set of books, detailing 83 generations.
How far back can you go back in time for ancestry?
The general answer is between 200 and 300 years. If your ancestors were Church of England, Catholic (Roman or Eastern), Lutheran, Calvinist, Quaker, Heugernot, ir a few ither Protestant Christian religions, then you can probably go back another 100 to 200 years.
How many generations back can you get DNA from African ancestors?
In the case you present of DNA from African ancestors in (I’m assuming) a person of primarily European descent, it can a surprising number of generations. This is because back to about 5 generations back, we generally have some DNA from all of our ancestors in that generation.
How far back can you trace your family tree?
This means that some people might be able to trace some aspects of their tree back to as far as about 1400, which would be considered unusual. Most serious genealogists would view a tree that goes back to the year 1400 with a large dose of skepticism. There are some exceptions to this generalization, however.
Why does the amount of African ancestry vary so much?
If detectable, the amount will vary, because of the random nature of inheritance. If you have multiple blocks of DNA that correlate to African ancestry, you should also consider the possibility you have more than one African ancestor, with more distant ancestors you haven’t discovered besides the ancestor you have identified.