I’ve noted before my DNA results. Twice now, I’ve gotten messages that read: “The next time you look at your AncestryDNA® results, you’re going to see some significant changes that might surprise you.”
Here’s iteration #3:
Version #1, from March 2018, had me 14% from Ireland/Scotland/Wales. The second take, from September 2018, showed me 19% Irish/Scottish. “Your DNA hasn’t changed, of course, but the science behind determining your ethnicity is constantly evolving.
“In this update, we’ve more than doubled the size of our reference panel, including more people from different parts of the world, which has helped us to refine your ethnicity estimates. We’ve split some regions and adjusted the borders of others for better precision.”
Now, as you can see, I might be fully 1/3 Scotch/Irish, and most likely from Munster, Ireland. Conversely, England/Wales plummeted from 20% to 2%. Cameroon fell from 26% to 15%, but Nigeria jumped from 1% to 28%. Mali stayed about the same, 6% to 7%.
I find this all quite mysterious. If I dig under the numbers, my ethnicity estimate for Scotch/Irish is 33%, but it can range from 15—33%.
Cousins
These are, of course, imperfect tools. 23andME has me pegged as 25% English and Irish. Since Ancestry now has had me at 2% English, I feel entitled to drink green beer. That is, if I drank beer at all.
And while my relationships to my second and third cousins are getting clearer, my fourth cousins are generally not so easy. For one thing, there are scads of them. And for another, I haven’t yet been able to identify all my third-great-grandparents (yet), so I can’t figure out HOW I’m related to many of these people.
Specifically, I don’t know which of my ancestors came from County Cork. However, I can tell that there’s at least one cousin, initials MM, who is STILL in County Cork, Ireland, where Munster is located. I figure I ought to fly over and say howdy. Well, if one could still do such things.
My ancestry is predominantly Irish; my dad’s ancestry was essentially half-Irish, his “people” coming from the Limerick area (the old family home is still standing, sort of: I have seen pictures of it, my dad’s brother has been over there and even met some fifth cousins of ours).
I have a little Irish on my mom’s side, too: apparently one great-grandmother was “Full red-head Irish” and I believe she’s also the one that used to say “If the water not boiling be/filling the teapot spoils the tea” which got passed down through the tea-drinkers in my family. (The Irish are stereotyped as being beer drinkers but I have also read that at least until very recently, they had the highest per-capita black tea consumption of anywhere in the world)
both my mom’s parents came to usa 1930 from Germany – I know her mother’s parents were German born. not sure where grandpa Bauer originated.
My dad is half Irish half scotch. my mom did genealogy on his side back to prince Edward island Canada, then back to Greenland, then back to Scotland. no idea when my Irish grandmas family came over; the potato famine?
loved this post.
Me, I got the flu a few days after Alan the Hahn came to visit 10 days ago. it’s not been real bad but came on wickedly fast. very difficult to get a test. the CDC says you have to have whatever # flu Sx plus exposure to a foreign traveler or a pos case (right! if we limit the criteria there aren’t any pos cases) but, I knew from reading that my hx of breast CA (2008) qualified me. they did a reg flu test 1st & a CORONA! was there 3 hours. only took 4-5 phone calls to find a place that would consider me. Fukk the numbers ! it is all over for me was a little worse than reg flu but haven’t had flu in years, I’m no antivaxer I get my shot.
will know in 2 days or so. hope its pos so in 2 was I can help all over w/o masks available w no fear.
Alan just said a LI MD was quoted as saying takes 4-5 days there for results owing to lab backups…. here we go.
most babies kids teens 20s wint even notice Sx and thankfully have same fatality risk as for reg flu. the rates creep up till >10% fatalities in >7o yr olds & 19% in >80 yrs olds.
the closures to contain are not gonna work w/o unrestricted testing to know where to contain & test more. the economic costs of containment make it a limited tactic only to slow down the rapidity so hospitals are not in same shape as Italy. meaning: we’re all gonna get it before any vaccine (or at least till we pick up some herd immunity). it’s not so bad but in 63 and healthy.
blessing to all. take care of each other where you are.