My DNA Changes Again!! 0_0 ... :P, just another Ancestry Update

Another Ancestry Update = Another Existential Crises. :P

Heh, no, it's all good and funny. I got more Scottish! Up from like 19% or so, can't remember. My English was around 30% last time, and now it's split with Germany. And I've still got 2% Welsh.

 

I'm pretty much dominant Celtic. I really need to watch documentaries on the Celtics. Watched one once, and all I gathered from it was how obsessed Celts were with black magic. Is that the reason I'm so spiritually sensitive and attacked?

 

(Actually, I have a really weird story. In my mid 20's I went to the temple to do baptisms. In my room there was a small table, and when I came home the glass top from this table was on the floor. On top of this table I displayed four fairy figures, but now these figures were spread around my room, one against a wall with another under a bookshelf, the others spread in between.  So many things on these fragile figures could have broke, but the only thing that broke, on all the figures, were the wings. No one in my family did it, and I trust them. My Dad is a miracle worker with super glue and fixed them. This experience always freaked me out, but I put it in the back of my mind... until doing research on Celtic Fairy tales for the podcast last year, and after listening to a book on the subject, and realizing how connected those old Celt beliefs were tied to black magic, I thought of my broken fairies, and how only the wings broke, scattered beyond physics from one end of my room to another. Something out there was mad at me for going to the temple and wanted to scare me. I'm stronger than that. I got rid of that table many years later when, late at night, a crystal was knocked off. I heard shuffling around my room, which stopped when I turned on the light and picked up the crystal. I wasn't paralyzed, so it wasn't sleep paralysis.  Yup... fun stuff. Is it any wonder I sleep with a night light!!?)

Back to DNA! 

This update seems more trustworthy than the last. My Mom got her Scottish back! A whole 9%. She's 7% Welsh, and now has German at 10%, which is completely new. Her English went down.

It seems that some of the previous English percentages contained German, that are now easier to detect.

 

A newer feature is the parental breakdown of inherited DNA. In the pie chart it says Parent 1 and Parent 2, but since my parents DNA has been done I can figure who each parent is, and assigned them as such.

 

My Dad is 56% English, which was a huge surprise.

 

Anywho, I'm still going through all the results.

Fun stuff. :D

 

 

 Sarah

The Latest Ancestry DNA Update is Weird

Ancestry DNA recently updated their results, predictions, etc, which means I'm a new breed of something or other that I wasn't yesterday.

First of all I lost the small bit of German DNA that I have, my last name being of Rhineland Prussia roots, Americanized around the Revolutionary War. I've gone from 1% to 2% Welsh. And I've gone up quite a bit in Scottish DNA, nearly balancing England, Ireland, and Scotland.

But This is what's weird, and why I'm not so trusting of this latest calculation: My Grandparents results vs my Mom and Aunt.

My Grandpa R is 4% Welsh and my Grandma A is 2% Welsh. My Mom's results were 10% Welsh whereas my Aunt is 4% Welsh.

My Grandpa R is 3% Scottish whereas my Grandma A is 8% Scottish. My Mom's results were 0% Scottish (nothing!) whereas my Aunt is 16% Scottish.  

My Mom's not happy that for the first time Scotland isn't showing up at all with her results, and I think there's a mistake there.  My Dad is 38% Scottish.

Further proving what an imperfect science all this DNA region testing is.  The app has taken away the ability to see percentage ranges for each ethnicity.

It's all fun, and there's some truth in the data, but it's not to be taken quite literally.

A map of my heritage and the second is my communities, though I also belong to "Munster Ireland" and "Arkansas, Oklahoma & Texas Settles", which are not pictured.

Capturing Moments in Time

 

This picture is of the last trip my Grandma and Grandpa took to California a couple years ago.  It was spontaneous.  Unplanned, and with the way my Grandpa's health was deteriorating we knew it was his last chance.  He passed away last year.  My Grandma is my last grandparent still alive, and I make sure to visit her a minimum of once a week.

My Grandpa left my Grandma when my Mom was 13, so after his second wife, my Grandma R, died and Grandpa moved up here to Utah to live with us, it was interesting watching my Grandma and Grandpa interact.  My Grandma is a prime example of forgiveness and service. Everyday she drove here and took him out to lunch, something most people would never do, and yet she did.

These last few weeks I've been buried, literally, in memories.  Going through pictures. Organizing them. Searching old hard drives and computers. It's been a monumental task I'm only halfway through.

And while searching I stumbled upon a gem: a short little audio clip of my Grandma and Grandpa talking while I sat in the front of the car, waiting for my Mom who ran into a store, sharing an experience they had before they were married.

Grandma: One Sunday afternoon Grandpa had just baled the hay on our farm, and so I went out to drive the truck and Paul climbed up on the hay, or on the truck, and there was a bale loader on the side of the truck where you'd pick up the hay bale, and the bale of hay would go up the loader, and then the guy on the truck would take them off and stack them on the truck.  Well, I think it got up a couple/three bales high, and the bale of hay, I don't know what happened, but the bale of hay was going up the loader, and all of a sudden this little guy... *laughs*

Me: Grandpa?

Grandma: Grandpa, Grandpa Paul fell off the top of the truck, hit the bale of hay, and bounced onto the ground. The hay broke his fall. And Dad, Grandpa E, come running over to the truck, and ran up to where Paul was, and when he saw that Paul was okay he started to laugh.

Me: How far did Grandpa fall?

Grandma: Off the top of the hay...

Grandpa: I was up about four or five tiers.

Grandma: No, we never filled it that, I don't think it was ever, made the bale, I don't know.

Grandpa: I was stacking the hay and the truck bumps.

Grandma: Anyway, He got up and he says, "I'm going to go into the house and get a drink of water."

Grandpa: And you never saw me again.

Me: That was his excuse to get out of it?

Grandpa: *laughing* Never saw him again! I think that was the last time, and he accused me of making him fall, but I think he just lost his footing.

Grandpa: She went over a rock, see...

Grandma: No, I didn't.

Grandpa: And the truck went Wuwuwuwu and around bang bang bang!

Grandpa: No I didn't. It only went Wuwuwuwu when you fell off. *laughs*

Me: Was this in Riverside?

Grandma: Yeah, it was Arlington then, but then they incorporated it into Riverside.  That was our little farm that we had there.

Me: Was this when you were just married?

Grandma: No, it was before we were married.

Me: Before you were married.

Grandma: Yeah, he used to come out all the time.  If he wasn't on the base doing something, he was on the farm. And he and your Uncle Harry, or your Mom's uncle Harry, your uncle Harry too, he used to sit out on the bales of hay with Harry's pellet gun and shoot the roosters in the behind.

Grandpa: We did not.

Grandma: Yes, you did.  Because one Sunday Mom decided to kill the big ol' rooster and have him for Sunday dinner.

Grandpa: Full of bullets. *laughs* Full of pellets.

Grandpa: *laughing* it was full of pellets, the rear end. It was full of pellets!

(Then Grandpa's cell rang, and my Mom got back into the car.)

A moment captured! And listening to it brings all the feels.

A while back I thought I lost a bunch of audio files I'd recorded, other interviews and my Grandma Stuff's funeral, other stories, etc, and I was heartbroken over it.  Felt it for days. But then a couple weeks ago I found the files in a place it shouldn't have been, that I swear I checked a few times.

Getting all this stuff sorted, combed through, saved, etc, is going to take a bit of time.  I'm the family historian!  Self appointed title, really.  I guess being single with no family of my own allows me the time, but it's sad, too, recording other peoples stories with their family (technically my family, too), feeling like I'm losing time.  Well, it is what it is, and I'm glad I'm able to do it, and had the foresight to record what I've recorded.  Just wish I'd done more!!  I've got a lot of work with this. I want to put a book together for my family with stories and pictures. I need to interview my Grandma more, get more stories. And I need to start recording my parents as well.  My nieces and nephew are interested in family history, and they love the photo books I put together.  They fall asleep reading them some nights!  I know they'll appreciate all this work one day. I'm doing it for them.

Until next time, don't put off talking to a loved one. And if someone in your family shares a story, write it down!  One day you'll be glad you did.

Honoring My Ancestor Ensign Brintnel Robbins this Independence Day

The interesting thing about doing family history is realizing one of the greatest resources for gathering stories and linking families: Pension war testimonies.  War is sad, but historically the records kept during each American war are of great worth.  And when an ancestor does give testimony, either for himself or another, there are true gems to be found.  Gallant stories.  Acts of heroism.  Bringing to life a name on a family chart that would have otherwise blended in.

Ensign Brintnel Robbins is my 5th great-grandfather, born 1756 in Connecticut and died July 25, 1836, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  He fought every chance he could during the revolutionary war, and when he wasn't marching/fighting he was making saltpeter.

On his gravestone it lists his battles of engagements as Concord, New London, White Plains, Rhode Island, Monmouth, Trenton, Valley Forge, etc.  Each time Brintnel enlisted he was in his brother Captain Samuel Robbins company

His grave mentions Concord, but in his pension he talks about fighting in Lexington.  Battles is plural, so I suppose he was at Lexington and Concord:

"I was engaged in the battles of Lexington, we had a good deal of Sharp Shooting we had to retreat at the first onset but we soon got more help, and the British Soldiers had to fly in turn, we had an old cannon - we put it on a waggon, we loaded it with broken metal pots, which the women carried us, then we got log chains and loaded it with them, we shot at the Soldiers from behind fences, and walls and every place where we could protect ourselves from their fire."

Then he talks about marching from New London to New York where the waited for General Washington to retreat from New York Island to White Plains.

"I was engages in the battle of the White Plains.  The British were within a short distance of us, and were marching and maneuvering within sight of us all morning, and the American army were mostly entrenched and on high or elevated ground not far from White Plains, the firing commenced about 3 O'clock in the afternoon, there were a good many killed on both sides, during the engagement three musket balls passed through my hat, but I received no wound . . . After the battle we were marched to North Castle where we lay for some time, and General Washington crossed the North River with part of the army and marched to a place called Fort Lee, which the British soon afterwards captured, they also captured Fort Washington about the same time, the company that I belonged to was dismissed at North Castle."

And later, with another enlistment:

"I was marched to Rhode Island and was engaged in the battle that was fought about 2 miles from the city of New Port, in or about the last of August of that year, General Sulivan was our commanding officer & General Tyler was there also.  We got defeated and had to retreat by the north end of the Island.  The enemy pursued us close and we had to face about and try them another spell, and we soon had hot work of it, we were constantly under arms for three days and three nights in succession, we got off the island in the night in boats and every way we could.  General Lafayette was at this place, but not in the battle, we crossed Kings Bridge and the British did not pursue us any further."

There's some more, but these were the more exciting parts.  At the end of the testimony he declares he was never wounded, despite "4 hard fought battles and a number of skirmishes," which is amazing.

One of the reasons I love studying family history is because it brings history alive and makes it personal, giving a different perspective than what is presented in history books.  History is exciting!  Tragic.  Crazy.  But none of us would be here now if these things didn't happen, and it's good to be aware.

Someday I hope to visit the east coast, so the places by ancestors lived and even fought, as I have several ancestors in the Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War, Gettysburg included.

Study your family history.  You never know what tales you may unfold.

 

Seeing My Grandpa's Updated AncestryDNA Region Results Has Me Dreaming of Ireland

(Last September in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland)

A few months ago there was an update to AncestryDNA results.  They always send the message that our DNA doesn't change, but their information, samples, algorithms, etc, get better.  My percentages changed: 55% Ireland & Scotland, 37% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, 4% Sweden, 2% Norway, 2% Germanic Europe.  So I think this means I'm 55% Celtic and 37% Anglo Saxon.  Could be wrong.

I was excited to see what my maternal Grandparent results had changed to, did it better match what I know from research?  My Grandma A: 50% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, 31% Germanic Europe, 15% Ireland & Scotland, 4% Norway.  All her Iberian Peninsula, which was about 14%, gone.  My Grandpa R: 90% Ireland & Scotland, 8% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, and 2% Norway.  His 90% Ireland and Scotland are no surprise.

Then yesterday I got an email that said AncestryDNA has 150 new regions, 92 regions in Ireland.

I had to see what Irish regions my family taps into.

 

I personally only tap into one: East Cork & Waterford.  I might have to collect more crystal. :0)

 

My Mom taps into four: South West Munster, East Cork & Waterford, East Cork, and Iveragh Peninsula.  My Aunt Tam taps into those four plus North Munster.

 Then I looked up my Grandpa.  9 whole regions, all in the South of Ireland: South West Munster, Iveragh Peninsula, Beara Peninsula, East Cork & Waterford, North Munster, East Cork, West Cork, Killarney, and East Beara Peninsula.  The Mahoney's, in which I'm connected, originate in the south of Ireland, so these results match that.  My Mahoney line dead ends in Newfoundland, so having this regional confirmation is nice.  My O'Neil line dead ends in Maine, USA, though the clan history is more north Ireland.  The other Irish family names in my line aren't prominent enough to have a coat of arms or clan history.

 This is exciting, because the two times I've visited Ireland it was this region, and it felt like home.  It was wonderful.  Beautiful landscapes and very nice people.  Now I want to return and see so many places, mainly the Ring of Kerry, but traveling up the coast from Cork to Waterford would be fun as well.

Okay, I just want to go back to Ireland.

Going Offline while Visiting England, Scotland, and Ireland: Getting in Touch with my Roots

 I'm back!

While I was taking a break from being online I was with my Mom touring England, Scotland, and Ireland, fulfilling both our dreams in visiting the land of our ancestors.  We went with a tour so everything was mapped out for us, didn't have to worry about driving, and met many new friends.

It was so beautiful!

On September 22 we flew out of Salt Lake and landed in London on the 23rd, spending a couple days there.  Then we inched up to Scotland visiting Oxford, Bampton, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stratford-Upon-Avon for the night, Audlem, Chester, York, Lake District, Edinburgh, Glamis Castle, St. Andrews, then over to Dublin, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, Avoca, Rock of Cashel, Blarney and its stone (Yes, I kissed it), Killarney, Inch beach, Wild Atlantic Way, Dingle, Ross Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle, and then finished by staying at Dromoland Castle.

Epic!!

Needless to say I wanted to be completely in the moment.  With the international cell phone plan I was on I was limited to 800 mb in data and wanted to dedicate that to texting, google maps, and the (okay, I'm admitting it) occasional popping onto Pokemon Go to catch international Pokemon.

Got Mr. Mime.

A couple times I hopped onto Facebook out of habit and quickly got off, though one of the times I read something my sister-in-law wrote about one of my nieces, so I don't regret that because it was quite funny.  But beyond that I really avoided Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, and it was a strange, but nice experience.  I also completely disconnected myself from the news.

I was so disconnected that I thought LDS General Conference was a week later then it was, so when I was at Dromoland castle using their really good wifi, I was really confused when I found all the talks already on the gospel library app.  I NEVER forget general conference, so that proved how out of touch I was to not even be aware.

I'm really excited to be blogging about the stuff I learned and all the fun adventures in coming months.  I took 4,215 pictures, and my Mom took just over 8,000 pictures.  A lot to download and go through! 0_0  But I'm already ready to relive it all.

Before going on the trip I wondered what place I would feel "at home" in.  For instance, I loved visiting France last year, but it didn't feel like home, just a fun place I visited and would like to travel to again.  Tokyo, on the other hand, felt like home.  I left a part of my heart there.  Between England, Scotland, and Ireland I found my heart in Ireland.  I loved all three places, would love to spend a week in the Lake District being by the water and explore other places more thoroughly, but Ireland felt like home.  If I was ever able to return, positive thinking, I would like to visit Wales as well, as I have genealogical roots there as well.

Maybe I feel connected to Ireland because I'm studying Gaeilge.

In terms of inherited DNA I'm 23% Ireland and 70% Great Britain, so more G.B.  (Fun fact, I stated inherited because the genes we get vs our ancestral tree is not the same.  My Grandma is 5% Western European, her brother, my great uncle, is 62% Western European.  I'm less than 1%.  My maternal great-grandparents must have had a lot of Western European, and in just 4 generations I won't pass any of that along.  But I've still got my Celtic roots!)

 (Grandma vs Great Uncle Allen DNA results)

(Why it's good for siblings to get tested, because we all inherit different things, and then pass on different things.  Doesn't fully represent our roots, just what's been inherited.

Man, wish I could have seen what my Granny and Gramps results would have been!!)

In terms of feeling a connection to Ireland, maybe a part of that is because our trip up through the U.K. felt more rushed, like a highlight trip, whereas by the time we got to Ireland the jet lag wasn't so bad and we had more time to explore certain places.

But I also feel really connected to my Mahoney line, out of all my lines, though I also feel really connected to my emigrant Robertson ancestor.

James Bell Robertson, who came over just before the Civil War, fought for the Union, and was at Gettysburg.

(In the coat of arms Blue represents loyalty and truth, Red is the "Martyr's color" signifying military fortitude and magnanimity, yellow represents generosity, chevron repents protection, Lion = deathless courage, and snake = wisdom.  From Irish Surnames.)

But the Mahoney (O'Mahony) coat of arms is the best!  Ah man, I love it.  I wish my Mahoney line didn't dead-end in Newfoundland.  A fire destroyed important key documents.  But according to this document the O'Mahony's is apart of a royal Celtic dynasty who built 14 defense castles in the Southern part of Cork next to the sea.  How cool is that!!??  It would be neat to be descended from Celtic royalty.  Maybe that's why I'm feeling drawn to the Irish Gaelic language?  I also have O'Niel (O'Niell), which I guess goes back to the High King of Ireland in the 5th century.  Cool stuff!

So a trip of a lifetime, and I enjoyed every moment.

And the weather was surprisingly amazing!!!

Remembering My Grandma Stuff: 1934-June 15, 2017

My Grandmother passed away yesterday.  Ravenna Stufflebeam, 1934 to 2017.

I haven't seen her in awhile.  Her dementia got really bad and I stopped visiting as often, which I regret.

My Dad just had surgery, which he's recovering really well from, and as he left the hospital Wednesday he learned Grandma Stuff took a turn for the worst.  We were planning on visiting her yesterday, but learned she passed away that morning.

(Somewhere in the Wasatch Mountains)

Yesterday I was filled with many emotions, some unexpected.  Happy she's passed, because of all the pain she's been in.  She's with my Grandfather now, who passed several years ago.  I have zero doubt of an afterlife, and I know she's at peace.  How wonderful it must be.  How beautiful.  Surrounded by her family and friends, getting ready to do whatever work she and my Grandpa are called to perform.  Heaven's a busy place.

What surprised me was the anger and pain I felt.  Long story, but growing up in Porterville I was persecuted for being LDS.  When we moved to Utah to get to know my Dad's side of the family I was so excited to get to know them, to finally be accepted for who I am.  But then some of my extended family persecuted me for being a shy introverted bookworm.  Family get-togethers became unbearable.  I thought I had forgiven my Grandparents for the role they played, but my feelings came back with a vengeance.  Before going to bed I prayed for help to let go and forgive, and all last night I tossed and turned until 4am, when suddenly all the angst and frustration left my body and I felt peace.  And I know my Grandma's really sorry.  And I'm sorry, too.

So I'm going to remember the good times!

(My two Grandma's)

Sadly I wasn't as close to my Grandma Stuff as I am with my Grandma A and Grandpa R, who I grew up with.  but here and there I have scattered memories.

I remember visiting once when they lived in Reno and visiting Circus Circus.  At some point we visited my Grandparents when they lived in Salt Lake.  It snowed!  And I thought that was the grandest thing!!  Of course now I'm overwhelmingly cynical towards snow, but we went sledding, and that was a lot of fun.

 (Mayon Volcano, Philippines, 1995)

I remember all the family gathering right before my Grandparents left to serve a mission in the Philippines and having a large meal at a restaurant.  Driving home to California was scary as we drove through a legit blizzard.  I still have visuals of cars sliding off the I-15, very limited visibility.

When they got back they didn't really share many stories.  There was one event that my Grandma told over and over.  In once place they stayed there was a pig that ran around quite merrily.  When my Grandparents were about to transfer to another area my Grandma noticed the pig was no longer anywhere to be seen.  The family who served them their farewell dinner served pork, and when my Grandma realized the pork was the cute little pig she couldn't eat it.

My Dad all spiffed up for his performance in Carmen, which was done in English.  He was a smuggler.

Right before my Grandpa died they went to many events and shows and had a booth.  They sold swords, and when Grandpa passed and bought a few.  They also got into jewelry making.  The two wire work pieces my Grandpa did.  The red jasper piece, I think that's the stone, my Grandma made in a class.  I don't think she liked going to the shows.  When I went to my Uncle and Aunts home where she was staying to get a couple pieces after my Grandfather passed we talked, and that's probably the closest I really felt to her.  She softened a lot after he passed.

After that my Dad would regularly pick her up, and I tagged along now and then, taking her to the movies, out to eat, up into the mountains, or anything else we felt like doing.

I'm very thankful that I got to spend those moments with her.

Exploring AncestryDNA Genetic Communities; Comparing Different Family Members

 (All photos are screen shots from the Ancestry.com mobile app)

Last week Ancestry.com gave us a brand new update to AncestryDNA called AncestryDNA Genetic Communities.  I'm still learning about it, so this blog post is about my casual observations comparing myself with my parents, siblings, aunt, and maternal grandparents.

When you take a DNA test through Ancestry there are 26 Ethnicity's that can appear in your results, taking the last 1000 years or so into account.  There are over 300 DNA Communities which shows what is happening in your linage in the last few hundred years, showing migrations.

There's a considerable amount of communities all over the world and in the United States.  There's five Genetic Communities in "Settlers of Colonial New England" alone.

I love this new update because my ethnicity DNA doesn't get into my American Heritage, showing I'm mainly Great Britain (Scots and Welsh included), Irish, and Scandinavia.  And even though this is cool, showing what regional DNA I've inherited, it doesn't get into my deep American roots, which I'm also interested in learning.

When you sign into DNA and get into the communities there's a video you can watch, which is also found on Youtube: Introducing AncestryDNA Genetic Communities.  It's only a couple minutes. There's another helpful video from AncestryUK called Understanding Your Genetic Communities, which is around six minutes.

My Communities:

I'm only in two genetic communities: Settlers of the Missouri Ozarks & East Tennessee; Early Settlers of Eastern Kentucky & Northeast Tennessee.

Am I in total shock?  Nope.  This is all on my Dad's side of the family.

Just look at the Hugh Patrick genetic circle I belong to.  Crazy strong.

 

 He was born in Virginia and migrated to Kentucky with his family.

I am interested in knowing more about my Missouri roots, but there's a major brick wall with my paternal great-great grandfather.  My great grandfather Norman Rhoades was born in Bolivar, Poke, Missouri in 1909, but here's the kicker, Rhoades is his mother's maiden name. She died never telling my great grandfather who his biological father was.  Lula Rhoades married Harvey Kelley, and they later moved to Ventura CA.  My only clue over Norman's father is, according to my Dad, Lula worked as a maid for some major family in Missouri, and something might have happened then.  Who knows?  It just might remain a permanent mystery.  But it appears I do have some deep Missouri roots.

What I like about these communities is that there's historical information by date, events that may have affected ancestors and caused them to move or whatnot.

 

Click on a time period and all this cool information pops up.  The map changes while showing different information as you change from one historical event to another.

Before I get into more detail, it was interesting comparing what communities I was in verses other members of my family.  There were a few different communities.

Steven and Robbie's Community:

Sadly my brothers Steven and Robbie are only in one community, and it's the very same community: Settlers of the Missouri Ozarks & East Tennessee.

Michael's Community:

 My brother Michael got a community no one else in my family got:

Settlers of Western Ohio, Indiana, Illinois & Southern Iowa.

This is the only community he got.

Here's what's funny, Michael was called to serve a mission in the South Chicago mission, which also included parts of Illinois and Indiana.

We have super strong Iowa roots.

And apparently there's a small museum in Toledo Iowa that has a good amount of information about my Emerson ancestors.

Man I would love to visit.

My Dad's Communities:

My Dad belongs to three communities:

 Early Settlers of the Lower Midwest & Virginia; Early Settlers of Eastern Kentucky & Northeast Tennessee; Settlers of Southwest Virginia & Eastern Kentucky.

 My Mom's Communities:

My Mom belongs to three: Irish in Kerry, English Newfoundlanders, and Settlers of Rhode Island & Southeastern Massachusetts.

 It's interesting that on my Mom's map, even though she's only apart of the Irish in Kerry, it also brings up Munster Irish.  The Kerry ancestors, I believe, are from my Grandpa's side, whereas I found an ancestor on my Grandma's side born in Dublin.

We're just very southern Irish.

My Aunt's (Mom's Sister) Communities:

She actually belongs to a total of four communities: Irish in Kerry; English Newfoundlanders; Settlers of New England & the Eastern Great Lakes; Settlers of Colonial New England.

My Maternal Grandpa's Communities:

My maternal Grandfathers communities: English Newfloundlanders and Irish in Kerry.

It's been this huge mystery tracing back my Grandfather's Grandmother's roots, Mary Hallisey.  There's two Mary Hallisey's with parents named John and Ellen born around the same time, one in Kerry and one in Cork.  When I ask my Grandpa where Ma immigrated from he says Kerry, so this gives some validation.

My Maternal Grandma's Community:

And my Grandma's community: Settlers of Rhode Island & Southeastern Massachusetts.

 The "very likely" shows how confident Ancestry is in my Grandmother belonging to this community, whereas my Mom is only Possible, and it doesn't show up in my communities at all.  It's all in the name of inherited DNA.  Amazing how much can disappear in just three generations. 

 As you click through the history in each community it will bring up your ancestors that were in the area during the time mentioned.

 And a lot of cool graphics on the map pops up.

Giant dots represents those in the community.

Little pointers with numbers are ancestors in your tree.

(See how important it is to add a family tree with your DNA?)

 And with David Davis Eby we're also apart of his DNA circle.

Genetic Communities are very interesting, and I like the path of migration and historical information provided.  Of course, the accuracy of this information also depends on the accuracy of family trees along with records and so forth.  There's a lot of inaccurate genealogy research, which is frustrating, and I'm guilty.  Still, this is a cool update in which I still have a lot to explore.

So in total my family belongs to:

Settlers of the Missouri Ozarks & East Tennessee

Early Settlers of Eastern Kentucky & Northeast Tennessee

Settlers of Western Ohio, Indiana, Illinois & Southern Iowa

Early Settlers of the Lower Midwest & Virginia

Settlers of Southwest Virginia & Eastern Kentucky

 Irish in Kerry

English Newfoundlanders

Settlers of Rhode Island & Southeastern Massachusetts

Settlers of New England & the Eastern Great Lakes

Settlers of Colonial New England

So even though I belong to two, there are a total of 10 my family belongs to.