Lots of distractions for this week. More to come on that, but the high point thus far was that I have human DNA!
My wife got the whole family those Ancestry DNA kits for Christmas as a fun family activity.
Personally, I've had it pretty easy with the genealogical path. My grandparents were pretty pureblood by all accounts, and my Dad's side of the family was always considered full Swedish up until his generation. I figured I would be 50% Swedish, 25% Irish, and 25% Slovak, or some variation thereof.
Then I got my results this week:
Norway? England? Germanic Europe?
Obviously a popular commercial product might not be a be all/end all answer, but the grand map of overlaps helps explain it.
My Swedish ancestors come from square in the middle of the big overlap of Norway and Sweden. Some of the distant ancestors are starting to pull more Danish/Germanic surnames/patronyms, and I'm assuming a few English/Welsh and Scots started canoodling with the Irish ancestors.
I may have also uncovered an extension on my paternal Grandmother's side of the family. Marriage records and such always mentioned my great-great grand parents, but the trail seemed to go cold. Once a few of those DNA matches came up for other members, I pulled one that had the same surname in the same small mining town of my ancestors. Reviewing records I realized that those folks were my grandmother's grandparents who lived a five doors down from her.... and who always were on the previous page of the census records.
For me, the best part was my wife's horror that discovering her half-Welsh, half-German heritage was a mismash of cultures, no "pure" Germanic (only the England and Northwest Europe, which does cover Baden), and somehow she's 7% Norwegian as well.
Even better? The kids are more diluted Swedish, my little Millie ended up a full quarter Norwegian.
Explains everything.
My wife got the whole family those Ancestry DNA kits for Christmas as a fun family activity.
Personally, I've had it pretty easy with the genealogical path. My grandparents were pretty pureblood by all accounts, and my Dad's side of the family was always considered full Swedish up until his generation. I figured I would be 50% Swedish, 25% Irish, and 25% Slovak, or some variation thereof.
Then I got my results this week:
Obviously a popular commercial product might not be a be all/end all answer, but the grand map of overlaps helps explain it.
 |
| I'm not exactly sure what strange DNA those people in Denmark have that have eluded all my overlapping genetics. |
I may have also uncovered an extension on my paternal Grandmother's side of the family. Marriage records and such always mentioned my great-great grand parents, but the trail seemed to go cold. Once a few of those DNA matches came up for other members, I pulled one that had the same surname in the same small mining town of my ancestors. Reviewing records I realized that those folks were my grandmother's grandparents who lived a five doors down from her.... and who always were on the previous page of the census records.
For me, the best part was my wife's horror that discovering her half-Welsh, half-German heritage was a mismash of cultures, no "pure" Germanic (only the England and Northwest Europe, which does cover Baden), and somehow she's 7% Norwegian as well.
Even better? The kids are more diluted Swedish, my little Millie ended up a full quarter Norwegian.
Explains everything.
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