Genealogy and DNA

After watching Who Do You Think You Are? and Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots series, I thought it might be fun to have my DNA analyzed for ethnic background. I wasn't expecting much, and that's what I got, but I'm dying to have my SO's done, as I suspect Jewish Converso on one or both sides of his family. A lot of Spanish Jews fled to the New World with the Inquisition hot on their heels and then had to go underground once they arrived. There are lots of "crypto-Jews" among Mexican-Americans living in New Mexico who are just now discovering their heritage. http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs...0/12/ferry.htm

I will say I was puzzled to find myself more Scandinavian http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/rpg/dwarf.gif than Western European and with nary a sign of the UK strain my family tree clearly shows. Perhaps as more people are tested, that will fill in the 5% "unknown." Or perhaps "unknown" is my Neanderthal strain...

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

After watching Who Do You Think You Are? and Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots series, I thought it might be fun to have my DNA analyzed for ethnic background

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How does one go about getting their DNA analyzed for ethnic background? There is a lot unknown about my ancestry (in fact you can't find it, poor immigrants from nowhere, it's nearly impossible to trace their ancestry). I suspect some black Irish at least and who knows what else! I also have weird theories about my dad being adopted just because the age of his mom of his date of birth is pushing the upper limits of possible fertility - mid 40s, then again the track they kept of ages may not have been very good back then.

Ancestry.com offered a $99 deal. 23 and Me is another resource, but not the only one.

For someone who--all their life--has been mistaken for Middle Eastern (Jewish), Middle Eastern (generic), Italian, Native American...anything but Western European, it was a real letdown to find that I was WASPier even than I suspected from my genealogical investigations. I guess I was hoping to find Genghis Khan in there somewhere...

I knew you could do this for your dog--never knew there were commercial places to get your own DNA tested.

If you were going to do this for practical reasons, I've wondered about the possible health consequences of straying far from "home." I remember talking to a woman, clearly Celtic with blond hair, blue eyes, very fair skin who had lived her life in Dallas. She had just gotten her second skin cancer diagnosis, and she said that she and her friends sit around and talk about the first time they were diagnosed, almost as if it's a rite of passage among Anglos who live in the South. It's one of the many reasons I would never consider retiring to the Sun Belt

I'm pretty certain my DNA is up in that area--Scotland, England, Ireland, maybe some French, and I know some Jewish because that's where my ancestry goes back as far as I can tell. I'd be curious to find out

And I'm pretty certain my dog is part border collie, part Lab and part terrier ;)

A friend of mine had her dog tested. He was, indeed, a melange--but most notably Catahoula.

My great hobby is genealogy. I think that the DNA tests can be rather generalised but I must admit I need to look into it in more detail.

I was interested in your Scandinavian finds JaneV2.0 My DH in very British but comes from a German/French/Irish/Welsh mix. He developed a condition known as Dupritrens (sp) Contractions where the fingers turn into the palm of the hand. When he went for surgery the surgeon told him that he had a great interest in the condition as it is used as a DNA marker showing up only in people of Viking and Northern European decent. He says that he is awaiting the day when someone of Asian descent turns up with it and blows all the theories out of the water!

Also a great deal of research has been done into the worldwide distribution of blood groups. For example mine is AB and it was always quite unusual here in the UK. However it is widespread in Asia and Eastern Europe and as more folk move to the UK from those areas the distribution of the AB blood group has become more widespread .

I'm not surprised that someone of UK descent would have some Scandinavian DNA.

England and Ireland were invaded by Scandinavians multiple times from 500 to around 1066.

England was invaded by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The Angles and Saxons were Germanic peoples; the Jutes came from southern Scandinavia.

Ireland was invaded by the Vikings and the Vikings had several strongholds in Ireland for decades.

And the Normans who invaded England in 1066, conquering the Saxons, were of partly Scandinavian descent, as well.

I've read that the stereotypical red hair of the Irish and Scottish is from the Vikings. The original Celtic peoples were mostly dark-haired, i.e. the black Irish.

23 and Me makes DNA-related medical conditions part of their research, according to their site. (And it will disclose Neanderthal genes, if any.)

I had run across Norse names in some unverified family trees that connected with mine way back in time, but it never occurred to me I'd end up with such a high percentage. It's a mystery to me, as I have a strong aversion to seafood and Ingmar Bergman films and I'm anything but a tall blonde...

I love this stuff--my tree, your tree, whatever. All fascinating.

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If you were going to do this for practical reasons, I've wondered about the possible health consequences of straying far from "home." I remember talking to a woman, clearly Celtic with blond hair, blue eyes, very fair skin who had lived her life in Dallas. She had just gotten her second skin cancer diagnosis, and she said that she and her friends sit around and talk about the first time they were diagnosed, almost as if it's a rite of passage among Anglos who live in the South. It's one of the many reasons I would never consider retiring to the Sun Belt

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I love being outside but don't fully have the skin for it, mind you I will tan and have turned a nice tan color every summer since I was a kid (it's the real WASPy types that won't even tan - I'm darker). Still the sun here is brutal. I realized a few days ago when I read about a bunch of farmers in the pacific northwest, it was like duh that's what I need to do! Become a farmer in the pacific northwest :) Then I can fulfill my dream of working outside and not become a total raisin in the sun! :)

My dad's side of the family, the surname namesake, has been in a DNA database for that name for years now and while there has been some near matches and lots of analysis and speculation, in the end, there's been no real match of relatives. That part of the DNA game is a little heavy on hype. But as the database grows we may find a match, or so they say.

I haven't had my own DNA analyzed because it won't be interesting. It will be the typical Western European background I'm sure.

DH has his mother's dark coloring (northen European mountain people who are close to the sun) and he is tan by March 15 every year. All of those little mountain people in Appenzell,, Switzerland, look alike: small, dark, with big brown eyes and full heads of beautiful white hair when they are old. At a pub filled with townsfolk, it's like being in an episode of Snow White and the Dwarves 'though Snow White is missing and all of the Dwarves are snowy white.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

23 and Me makes DNA-related medical conditions part of their research, according to their site. (And it will disclose Neanderthal genes, if any.)

I had run across Norse names in some unverified family trees that connected with mine way back in time, but it never occurred to me I'd end up with such a high percentage. It's a mystery to me, as I have a strong aversion to seafood and Ingmar Bergman films and I'm anything but a tall blonde...

I love this stuff--my tree, your tree, whatever. All fascinating.

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funny! I am just embarking on a Bergman fest after having seen After the Wedding which is a Danish, Bergman-like contemporary film. Every Scandinavian film I've seen this year has been wonderful, that's why I decided to go through the Bergman canon, the better ones anyway. But that doesn't make me think that I am Scandinavian in any major way though some may be thrown in there since I am from the upper midwest where lots of Scandinavian farmers settled.

Perhaps the Stuarts/Stewarts were Vikings after all. And here I am in Seattle with my Norse cousins. There are no coincidences. http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/rpg/paladin.gif

(I didn't think I had more than a drop or two of Scandinavian blood, either. Surprise, surprise.)

The Stewarts came from Brittany but no doubt they married some of those norsemen from across the sea.

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Originally Posted by Iris lily

The Stewarts came from Brittany but no doubt they married some of those norsemen from across the sea.

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That's right; I had forgotten. The rest of me is from that general area (west central Europe); mystery solved.

My brother has a great interest in geneaology and has done both sides of our family tree as far back as he can go. DNA I guess would be the next step. One side is Norwegian where church records have been found in Skien (wherever that is), Norway. The other side is the usual Irish-English. Lots of Costellos and Adams. I love reading about my ancestors and am so grateful my brother took that on. DH's family have German-Polish roots but something else must be mixed in there as he is dark haired and complected. Poor DD - she really is a mutt! I often wonder if our temperaments are genetic too.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

Perhaps the Stuarts/Stewarts were Vikings after all. And here I am in Seattle with my Norse cousins. There are no coincidences.

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Hey, my DH is of the Scottish Stewart clan. Maybe we're related--or maybe you're related to him!

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Originally Posted by catherine

Hey, my DH is of the Scottish Stewart clan. Maybe we're related--or maybe you're related to him!

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Well Jane and I are Stuarts so welcome, catherine, by marrying into the family!

When I had mine tested, two nice men in black suits showed up to discuss the results with me, but I can't seem to remember what they told me.

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Originally Posted by bae

When I had mine tested, two nice men in black suits showed up to discuss the results with me, but I can't seem to remember what they told me.

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Hahaha! I think that's my "five percent unknown"--space alien--Nanu nanu!

And yes--I'm convinced that personality, talents, quirks, and practically everything else is contained in DNA.

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Originally Posted by Iris lily

My dad's side of the family, the surname namesake, has been in a DNA database for that name for years now and while there has been some near matches and lots of analysis and speculation, in the end, there's been no real match of relatives. That part of the DNA game is a little heavy on hype. But as the database grows we may find a match, or so they say. ...

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The only reason I'm sure I didn't get someone else's results by accident is that I was matched with someone related to my paternal line. There are a couple of other surnames among the matches that I'd love to be able to trace further, so I remain hopeful.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

Hahaha! I think that's my "five percent unknown"--space alien--Nanu nanu!

And yes--I'm convinced that personality, talents, quirks, and practically everything else is contained in DNA.

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Me too, I'm much more on the side of nature not nurture. That's not been popular for a while, but perhaps the pendulum is swinging back.

I'd always heard that the expression "Black Irish" referred to those who had come to Ireland from Spain and then intermarried with the fair-skinned Irish, producing those with the dark hair and more swarthy complexion. For you genealogical researchers, is this true?

The black Irish I've known had dark hair and eyes, but pale skin and apple red cheeks. Really handsome people.

I wondered if (black) Irish Moores came from Spanish Moors, but I've read that isn't the case.

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Originally Posted by Iris lily

My dad's side of the family, the surname namesake, has been in a DNA database for that name for years now and while there has been some near matches and lots of analysis and speculation, in the end, there's been no real match of relatives. That part of the DNA game is a little heavy on hype. But as the database grows we may find a match, or so they say.

I haven't had my own DNA analyzed because it won't be interesting. It will be the typical Western European background I'm sure.

DH has his mother's dark coloring (northen European mountain people who are close to the sun) and he is tan by March 15 every year. All of those little mountain people in Appenzell,, Switzerland, look alike: small, dark, with big brown eyes and full heads of beautiful white hair when they are old. At a pub filled with townsfolk, it's like being in an episode of Snow White and the Dwarves 'though Snow White is missing and all of the Dwarves are snowy white.

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I have Dupuytren's contracture on my left ring finger. My dad had the same thing on one of his fingers--it apparently runs in my family.

I also tan easily, but get a sunburn if I stay out too long.

My dad had black hair and blue eyes--a very handsome man. My mother had hazel eyes and mousy light brown hair.

I had blonde hair until I was 29 years old--now it's almost completely grey, which I like to keep cut very short and easy to take care of.

My father was a mix of French, Irish and English, mother was English.

it sounds like you're describing my parents, Lizii.