DNA

Now, I knew from my family tree research that I am descended from Scot/Irish and German stock. But being the curious sort, I did the Ancestry.com DNA test. Just got the results back.
36% British and Irish
21% Scandinavian
23% Western Europe

No real surprises here. There are a number of small percentages from other countries. But, with my line being in this wonderful melting pot of a country since the late 1700's, that is very common.
All things considered, this was a worthwhile thing to do. And, I got people who are close matches to my DNA to contact going forward.
Because I really had so little to start with in my research, this was a great way to validate my research. Even though I was certain that I was correct in the line of decent, there is ALWAYS that tiny doubt, that feeling you got it wrong or missed something. Now I know. And, that's priceless!