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‘How a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Ireland transformed my understanding of who I am’

'It was a fascinating journey'

Olivia Petter
Friday 20 April 2018 19:47 BST
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California resident Vicki Stuber had been investigating her family history for some time - when she suddenly reached a dead end.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, the 59-year-old's father passed away when she was very young and had shared very few details about the family’s lineage, so Stuber set out to make these discoveries herself.

After compiling an extensive family tree, she uncovered origins in Ireland, though she was unsure as to how these links tied in with the research she’d already acquired herself.

Stuber with Joanna Fennell, her AncestryProGenealogists guide

Hence, why she sought the help of genealogists at Ancestry, who were able to provide Stuber with crucial DNA details regarding her family's history that ultimately led to a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to Ireland.

By sending her DNA to Ancestry, who boast the world's largest consumer DNA database with more than seven million people, Stuber was able to confirm Irish roots and also disprove some of the findings she had made that had led to a dead end in her research.

All she needed to do was send a saliva sample by post in order for Ancestry to analyse her DNA to compare her to 350+ regions.

The results revealed that, contrary to Stuber’s belief, her family had no native American origins.

“My mum was from Tennessee and her father had dark skin so we’d always been told we had native American ties, but after conducting DNA tests on me, my brother and my cousin, Ancestry revealed that there were none!”

In fact, an AncestryDNA test revealed deeper Irish roots in Stuber's family than she had originally thought, revealing that they weren't just on her father’s side but on her mother’s side too.

“They did a shadow tree and also told me that the information I had about my great grandmother coming to the US from Northern Ireland was actually wrong, so that was very useful to know,” she told The Independent.

“I had found it so confusing before seeking Ancestry's help, particularly because everyone in my Irish family had similar names like Mary, John and Joseph.”

When Stuber found out that Ancestry was planning a genealogy tour to Ireland in October 2017, she and her cousin signed up immediately, eager to learn more about their family’s Irish roots.

The 11-day tour began with two nights in Dublin, after which 22 travellers made their way down to County Cork before continuing onto County Kerry and Galway.

During the tour, the group visited numerous historic sites, such as Kilkenny Castle and a historic whisky distillery where they learned more about Irish culture and how their ancestors would’ve emigrated.

Stuber pictured with Peader Considine, her 3rd cousin once removed, who now lives on the farm where their mutual ancestor grew up

“It was really cool to see my family surname, ‘Considine’, splashed across local hair salons and bakeries,” she said.

However, it was in the small village of Cree in County Clare that Stuber made some of the most unexpected of discoveries.

“The Irish are so welcoming, everyone loves to talk about families and their heritage,” she said.

“On one occasion we were looking over some of my ancestor’s documents in a pub with a group of locals when one man said ‘that’s my name!’ pointing to a legal document showing that my great great grandfather had sued his neighbour, claiming that his donkeys had destroyed his garden."

It transpired that the gentleman who had been sued was a relative of the young man in the pub, leaving Stuber completely stunned at the coincidence.

“It just shows you how small the area is,” she said, “I figured he was kidding, it was so funny, everyone got a big laugh out of it.”

Stuber’s tour continued with a trip to the farm where her great grandmother grew up, which she found as a result of having conversations with village residents and simply asking if they’d heard of the name ‘Considine’.

Stuber and her 3rd cousin, Peggy Doherty, pictured in Galway. They discovered they were related through an AncestryDNA test and met at Stuber's hotel

After knocking on the door, Stuber was astounded to find that Considines still lived in the house, which had been built above the ruins of her great grandmother Mary’s house.

“We had such a nice evening together, sharing family pictures and anecdotes. It turned out that the man living there was my third cousin once removed.”

Eager to uncover more about her rich family heritage, Stuber has already planned another trip to Ireland with Ancestry in August, where she hopes to focus on her mother’s side of the family.

“I couldn't have accessed all of this information without Ancestry,” she said.

“There’s no way I would’ve been able to access all of this information and I’m not stopping anytime soon, It’s a fascinating journey!”

Where in the world will your DNA take you? Click here to buy AncestryDNA

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