If my gg grandfather was from Azores, Portugal, why doesn't that show in my ancestry.com DNA results?

Question

My gg grandfather's only documental evidence of his origin says Portugal - he was a sailor and settled in Australia by mid 1850s.

I have many DNA matches with people who have ancestors from the Azores, with the name Bettencourt.

There are some family traits of short stature, dark hair, brown eyes and olive complexion.

Answer 1

Do you find Iberian Peninsula   in your ancestry locations?  This is what Google says:

ʻ The Iberian Peninsula is a mountainous region that's most associated with the countries of Spain and Portugal. Its history under Muslim and Christian rule is reflected in landmarks like the Alhambra, an ornate Moorish palace in Granada, Spain, and the Sagrada Família, architect Antoni Gaudí's fantastical church in Barcelona. The capital of Spain's Catalonia region, Barcelona is also famous for imaginative food. ― Google"

Answer 2

Because those DNA profiles for areas really are just estimates. With a scarcely populated area like the Azores, which are also only relatively recently inhabited, data is very scarce.

Note that Bettencourt is a very common name on the Acores.

Comments

Thanks Michel. The ethnicity does not include the Iberian Peninsula but does include north western Europe. I believe that the Azores were first inhabited by the French - de Bettencourt family so they show up as Europeans not Portuguese???

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Portuguese are Europeans, maybe Southern Europeans. DNA is not a country specific thing, but the commercial companies love to tell that story. Did they give you an error margin with this result?

I will not claim to be an expert on the name Bettencourt, I just know the name is very common there.

Answer 3

I don't know anything about AncestryDNA (an autosomal DNA test).  You can transfer your autosomal DNA test to FamilyTreeDNA for free (I think it is $19 to open your matches once the data is processed.) https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer I don't think it will give you anything more exact than western Europe, but it might.  

You can also consider a YDNA test for a Betancor male ancestor.  The YDNA test traces the male paternal genetic ancestry of the male test participant, so his father, his father, his father, etc. for millennia. To find a fairly definitive location of a modern ancestor, you would have to purchase a fairly high priced YDNA test, and even then, it might only point his YDNA as being from the Iberian Peninsula or Africa, but worth a try.  

I suggest you transfer your autosomal DNA test to FamilyTreeDNA.  Then join the Azores DNA Project: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/azores/dna-results project and the Bettencourt DNA Project:  https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/bettencourt/dna-results 

Comments

Hi Kitty

Thank you for some very useful ideas - I will follow them up.

Megan

Answer 4

It may be because you're a very distance relative. This doesn't mean there isn't a connection. Try GEDmatch