Ancestor fibbed on where they were from?

[Blueline72]

I feel like there's some information missing here. How did the DNA test link your ancestor to Yorkshire?

The DNA was done first. Then found out about the yorkshire ancestor later through online research.

[Micrographia]

There is a lot going on here! First off, Scots move around a lot for any number of reasons and always have done. Someone could have been born in Scotland then moved to England, or have been born of Scottish parentage there, or lived there for a while but moved back and forward for work, and still define themselves as Scottish. Me, for example. I'm a Morrison, my grandfather was from Wester Ross, my father from Angus and like your ancestor I'm now in North Yorkshire . My father in law is from Moray, my wife with his very Scottish surname is from the deep south west of England, we met when we both lived in Wales and of course she is now in Yorkshire as well. It's a small island really.

Second - you're talking about the Morrisons. A very long-standing mythology has grown up about Vikings and Lewis etc and anyone who is a Morrison is obviously going to want to buy into that romantic origin story - possibly including some of your ancestors who could then have passed it down to you as family lore. In reality the present-day Morrison "clan" is a recently invented catch-all for everyone who has that surname. It includes the Islanders but also people who clearly originated from other areas of the UK and Ireland.

So unless and until you are able to follow up your detailed genealogy by visiting the UK, I wouldn't worry about it. If you have written proof your ancestor was a Morrison and a Scot, take it at face value.

Regards, EEM.

[MikePotts]

Ancestors 'get things wrong' all the time....we inherited a venerated table that family lore for the past 3 generations claimed was brought over on the boat from the 'old country'. A brief examination would have revealed the Sears label underneath