Before I mention the results, let me say I only did it on a lark to see if something really odd showed up. My mother's side of the family is French, through Quebecois Canada for a couple centuries at least. Her dad's side was from Southern France and her Mom's was Parisian (family lore). No formal genealogy, but I had great-Aunts who only spoke Canadian French, so that seems solid.
Dad's side of the family is claimed English and German. His dad's side supposedly was traced back to England in the 1600s (by last name only), but all I can find is back to the mid-1700s in the US. His moms's side was Pennsylvannia Dutch (German), records fading out in the mid 1800s (looking back though time). The family name seems to have come from a Norman word for "pantry server" (dispenser). That would have been a castle position of English kitchen-workers, possibly a high point in the lineage of general serfs. (I think that meant the equivalent of controlling the office supply cabinet).
Dad and then I did some research a decade ago, and all that seemed solid. So, I thought maybe some Canadian Indian (not all that uncommon in Canada, all those French Trappers wandering the wilds). And possibly Dad's English ancestors included some Norman French (Vikings who settled in NW France) and/or even direct Vikings who settled in England. It's not like my ancestors seemed to be world travelers. Indeed, our family history seemed to be a rather boring line of farmers and small-time merchants.
And I look so much like Dad that his friends used to wave at me as they drove by while I was mowing the lawn as a young adult, thinking I was him. And Dad was similarly like HIS dad. No concerns there.
I should also mention that I am self-taught knowledgeable in evolution and genetics. I know basically how DNA works. I also know that (like in cats and dogs) a variety of genetic mixing makes for a healthy individual. And I haven't caught the flu since I was 12, never catch a cold, and I am a cash cow to my health insurance company.
So I expected DNA ethnicity results something like 45%+ English, 45%+ French, and perhaps 1 or 2% of American Indian and/or Scandinavian. Guess what MyHeritage.com says I'm NOT? ENGLISH! Not a drop...
I had to laugh out loud! They say I am 43.2% French/German/Netherlands, 36.7% Irish/Scottish/Welsh, 13.5% Balkan, 5.0% Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese), and 1.6% Middle Eastern!
If I understand this correctly, it means my ancestry is 43% non-Norman French and German, 37% pre-Anglo-Saxon native groups (Celts), some wandering Balkan traders who inter-married in either France/Germany/England, some poor lost Spaniard, and maybe some Arab.
I see a family of Welsh or Scots (not Irish - no red hair in our family) living under Anglo-Saxon, then Norman viking rule in England, leaving Great Britain in the 1700s on paternal side. And some French moving to Canada in the 1700s on the maternal side and moving to the New England US to work in the textile mills around 1920. Somewhere around 1930, Dad's grandparents moved from Ohio to New Hampshire
I think this is GREAT! Maybe the most "interesting" $69 I ever spent. ASSUMING that the DNA tests are actually accurate... I may try to learn more about that.
I have to add a disclaimer though. Humans have about 30,000 genes and the ancestry tests choose which ones they think most useful in determining ethnicity. And I know from my own interest in the subject that some genes persist from VERY long times ago.
For example, I may have a gene string that randomly persisted from some Middle East ancestor 10,000 years ago. My ancestors may have lost some critical gene string that shows English ancestry.
But I'll bet not. It seems I'm not genetically English at all. WOW! I'm going to repeat the test with a different company and see if the results differ (after checking the internet to see if they do independent lab work.
Have any of you had this kind of test done? Did you think the results agreed with family history? Did you get surprises?
4 comments:
Yep, did mine last year through Ancestry.com
34% Western European
34% British
17% Eastern European
7% Scandinavian
3% Southern Euroope
3% Caucasus
2% Finland / NW Russia
Basically family was represented as German. So expected to be mostly Western Europe, not sure on the British part, but can only get 5 generations back on paternal side, so who knows. Mom's side I got back 12-15 generations, mostly SW Germany area.
I've not done one of these tests Mark as I'm not the slightest bit interested! I'm me - doesn't matter who 'they' were in the past or where they came from. I'm here, I'm now and I'm making the most of it.
I'll be interested to see the results if you have the test done again with a second company.
Megan
Sydney, Australia
My sister did it a couple years back. Of course now I can't remember it all but basically we are from very fair skinned people all the way. Scandinavian, Scottish, etc.
Interesting results. I have always wanted to do one of those too. I think you should do another company's test, I would love to know if you get similar results.
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