DNA testing may establish lineage going back more than 500 years

[geronimo3000]

1. Matilda - Y-DNA & M-DNA tests cost far less than you think + can be ordered in minutes

Just to correct you on your penultimate point. I'd like to DEMYSTIFY THIS.
For males: a basic Y-DNA self-test is around $156---eg: the YDNA-37 or 37 markers test. [No hidden charges or subscriptions]. Anybody can order them---& some MILLIONS of normal run-of-the-mill individuals already have --including me !--It's really easy + no rocket science is needed !!
The other Mt-DNA (maternal line) test for males or females can be ordered (also on-line) for slightly more.
Take a look at www.ftdna.com - which, in my view, is technically the best firm -(Don't use Ancestry.com as they are money-grabbers + unreliable; as also is Sorensen et al)...
For those who want to wait for something cutting edge--there is a new GENO 2.0 coming out end October, (around $220 I think) which is predicted to be a "wow" kind of next-generation of testing, but the present tests are often exciting. Depends if one has gentry or plebby ancestry (as ever!). As I have used vocabulary such as "one"---this is a subtle hint I might possess one or 2 gentry ancestries.
It is not just Monsieur Ibsen who is descended from the vast "Plantagenet" or Angevin genetic pond of Richard III - there are some millions of his relatives alive today...Seriously! They just don't know it --& never will!

Cheers!
Gerard (UK)