The "I Just Mailed My Spit!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my daughter-in-law Barbara's mother Etta.  Etta found in the past few years that she has ancestors who came to the New World on the Mayflower.  I recently framed a certificate for her that she received from the Mayflower Society which was organized in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1897.  The Mayflower arrived at Plymouth in 1620.  And...one of those that stepped ashore was related to Etta.  Wow!  Since my conversation with Etta, I often wonder what and whom my relatives might have been and from where they traveled to arrive in the United States.  

The kit inside this box.

Seems that there is no cure for genealogy fever and the only way I could treat my curiosity was by doing some research.  As I began researching I found that tens of millions of Americans have at least one ancestor who was among this group of early settlers who arrived on the Mayflower.  Could I also be one of them?  On Christmas morning, one of my gifts I from my wife was an AncestryDNA kit that can be used to determine your ancestry.  

Step one is to register online.

Wonder who might have mentioned they might like one for Christmas.  The Ancestry- DNA kit allows you to give a sample of your DNA and mail it to Sandy, Utah for analysis and then get you on your way to determining your heritage.  The kit came in a small cardboard box that included an instruction folder, telling you exactly what to do with the kit.  

The plastic tube is shown here.  It is about 5 inches high.

In the kit was a plastic tube with a funnel attached to it, a special cap filled with a blue liquid, a plastic pouch and a small cardboard box with a mailing label on it.  First step told you how to register the kit online which was very easy to do.  Next step was to fill the plastic tube with saliva to the line printed on the tube.  

The final step is to remove the funnel top and place a
screw top on.  That tip contains a blue liquid that will
stabilize the saliva so it can be analyzed. 

I found that when I spit saliva into the tube, there were many bubbles.  I had to spit a few times in order to get enough liquid into the tube.  The bubbles seemed to disappear quickly.  Next I removed the funnel top and replaced it with the screw top with the blue liquid.  The top screwed on easily, but I did have to apply quite a bit of pressure to turn it hard enough until the blue stabilizer liquid ran into the saliva.  A few quick shakes and the saliva was blue also.  Made sure the top was on tight and placed the tube in the plastic envelope.  Sealed the envelope and placed it in the small box.  Ready to be mailed.  After they receive my bottle of saliva and test it, they will send an email to me based on my activation information.  Then I can go back online to find the results.  Sound easy?  It really was.  

Saliva ready for mailing.

I now have to wait to see what they find.  After receiving my results I will have to decide if I want to continue a more intense search into my heritage as Etta did.  I did begin to set up my family tree on the AncestryDNA site, but have to work more on that.  I also opted to sign up with AncestryDNA to allow them to use my results in a scientific research project they are developing.  I was told that if they find out more about my heritage, they would share it with me.  I feel as if I have just begun the journey to find where my family first began in history.  Exciting, so it is.  I will post the results I receive.  Until then, I will wonder if I too might have been related to someone who landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Place the tube in the plastic collection bag.

Place in mailbox.