Too Much Knowledge Disruptive To My Stereotypes

[sathor]

I can't. Wish I could. Funny thing that, though. If ancestry.com is accurate, which sort of a dna test, I am happy enough with it. It takes me to Adam's brother. Well, I think his father was also an Adam, but the famous one is not my line.

You are lucky if you can trace your family right back to Adam - I come from a long line of spinsters, as far as I can tell.

[Tony]

Riverkilt,
Look on the bright side.....


Tartan Berets!

[GreenDragon]

[Not sure if this is proper placement, move if needed please.]

I was raised to believe I was of Scottish heritage - particularly by both grandfathers. I was taken to Highland Games and given books of tartans to browse and read.

Then I caught the genealogy bug and found out there were English and Irish and Welsh and Dutch and Palatine Germans lurking in my family tree. Okay, I can deal with that. None were particularly thick lines.

Then my cousin Bob does the DNA thing and finds we're Scandanavian. Okay I can deal with that too...Sons of Somerled/Clan Donald...we knew that. We just didn't think about it.

Then yesterday I get a packet of information from my little sister who's been up in Cuba/Rushford, New York exploring a hot bed of our Gordon line. The information begins with a reminder that the Gordons are probably of French origin. That triggered my memory of a strong family English line, the Brett/Britt line which is also probably of French Origin.

So, with increasing knowledge I've gone from believing my family is Scottish to now believing we're French-Scandanavian....

More tartans to buy now....

Ron

Ron,

Don't feel bad, man. I'm Scottish, Irish, English, Welsh, German, Native American (though you couldn't tell by looking at me) and a final nationality that i have yet to verify.

I'm sticking to General tartans - Irish National, Black Watch, etc.

[Carolina Kiltman]

Let's face it. The idea of "purity of race" was proposed IMHO as an excuse to subjugate others not of that obvious strain. Two recent examples were Hitler's Aryan Ubermensche(sp) and the Jim Crow Laws that grew up in the former Confederate States after the Civil War. 1/16 made you of African Descent.

That being said, where there are any reachable land masses, the populations will migrate and will mix. Originally distances were the determining factor, but now it ought be obvious that if we were all dogs, we would be a single breed (I'll go for the Retrievers)

Obviously we are all one species, as when the races interbreed, viable, fertile offspring result. (I was given this as one of the tests of genetics, long before we were able to read DNA)

I must also admit, tracing one's family is a lot of fun! Did one of my many times great grandfathers ever get into a fist fight as a kid with Stephen Decateur? fun speculation.

[Arlen]

Ron, I can sympathise. I went my whole live believing we were Scottish with a wee bit of Irish on my Mum's side to finding out I was also descended from Russian Jewish Immigrants on my Mum's side!
At least my Dad's side is nice and calm and solid. I am the first male in my line since the mid 1700's to be called anything but James, William or Andrew!

[WARPIPER]

A DNA with Scandanavian roots is not uncommon in Scottish Backgrounds. One thing to keep in mind is that there are very few Scots that came from the original Picts. Even the the Irish Scots who are the ones that gave Scotland its name were mixed with Scandanavian ancestors.

[Riverkilt]

Crack me up Todd...

So it all goes back to Scandanavian....Viking Scot, Viking Noman....where's that horned helmet???

Ron

[macwilkin]

Crack me up Todd...

So it all goes back to Scandanavian....Viking Scot, Viking Noman....where's that horned helmet???

Ron

Ya sure, youbetcha Ron -- how do you feel about Lutefisk?

Todd

[Phil]

I doubt if anyone could claim a pure-blooded succession as the whole history of the human race has been founded upon migration and conquest and subsequent colonisation and America is just one of the most recent examples of that (along with Australia and Africa). Scotland itself has experienced similar events with the Picts being usurped by the Scots (from Ireland) at the same time as the Norsemen (Vikings) followed by the Normans (yet more Vikings). Recent migrations have been less intrusive, perhaps because the climate is inimical to people from the Caribbean, Asia and Africa but anyone claiming to be a pure-blooded Scot is probably deluding themselves. Scots over the past few hundred years have settled and inter-married in all parts of the world and brought their own particular values and ideas with them. It was Scots who valued and fostered education for all above all else, who decried the class system so beloved of the English ("The man's a man for a that") and these are sentiments ingrained into the Scottish psyche. If you too espouse these values then who is to say you don't have Scottish blood somewhere in your veins.

[unaspenser]

Ron, I know how you feel! I went to live in Scotland as an American SURE I had no Scottish heritage, my family is mostly Danish and English. I was determined not to be one of those idiots who comes over, says "this is my land and I'm Scottish," and gets herself killed. Anyway, come to find out with a little digging in my family tree that I had great-grandparents from Scotland after all! Whoops! I always chalked the red hair, pale skin, and freckles up to my Danish roots, but I guess there's a mix.

My family can trace its heritage back to the Roman Empire though, and when you get back that far we're from everywhere, not that it matters... *shrugs*