For the past few years I’ve been dabbling in some genealogy research. Here’s what I know on paper.

My mom’s side:

She’s English and Welsh.  On both sides of her family she traces back to noble English families.  Two of these families tried to overthrow the King (different times) and failed miserably.  So, disgraced families → descending from daughters married off not so well → diminished circumstances → Hey, I heard that they found this place across the ocean → showing up in America in the 1600s → being hillbillies in western PA.  

My dad’s side:

His father is English but not from fancy families like my mother.  They also came here in the 1600s.  My grandmother’s parents came from Poland.

I took the ancestry.com DNA test.  I didn’t expect to find anything new out.  I was hoping to match with relatives to try to find out more about the Polish side of the family.

My results (and fighting words)

So imagine my shock when I opened the results page and saw this blasphemy.

 

I’m not Irish. I was actually really mad. It was like there was latent British snobbery that I didn’t know I had that rose up in my soul at the very idea.

This explained it a little more. I think what they may mean by Irish is Celtic and that would be the Welsh part of my DNA. Then I amused myself by imagining what a real Scottish person would think if they got DNA results that said Irish.

The DNA results nailed the 25% Eastern European since I have 1 Polish grandparent.

The Europe West may be my mother’s side again.  Her families are French if you go back far enough.  There is also some more Celtic DNA in this explanation.

Scandinavia – possibly the Vikings in England? To the best of my knowledge I don’t have any wandering Swedes in my history.

I was surprised with a long family history in England that I’m only considered 4% Great Britain.

This is what I’m really proud of though.

 

What the …? How does that show up? I’d say that is in everyone but it didn’t show up in the husband’s test.

So far the only close relative I’ve matched up with is my half-cousin.  It pegged us as cousins.  We have one grandfather in common.

Has anyone else taken a DNA test?