This is the portion of the DNA results that supposedly tell you where your ancient ancestry is from. My genealogy on paper, is 50% Swedish (my Dad's family) and 50% Norwegian (my Mom's family). A little naive I guess but I fully expected my outcome to be just that. Half Norwegian and Half Swedish. Well it turns out that 23 AND ME, (the company that I tested with) only goes as far as saying "Scandinavian" which I guess is fair. After all, if Swedes and Norwegians share a similar Germanic language root and Norway was actually part of Sweden for much of its history, in spite of all the mountains separating the two countries it seems most logical that Norwegians and Swedes also share much of the same DNA. So, am I 100% Scandinavian? Of course I say absolutely yes!
...But...23 and me says this is me▼
**click on document to enlarge for easier reading**
Hummmmmmmmm just 63,1% Scandinavian. This was a surprise to me, mainly because my genealogical research showed me that on both my Norwegian and Swedish sides my family did not live on the coast, they were mainly farm people and for generation upon generation never moved more than 20 miles or so from the spot my grandparents came from in the early 20th century. There were also a few cases of cousins marrying cousins or remote cousins. Science says that because of the way we pass DNA on to our descendants (a random half of our genome goes into our egg or sperm) it is quite possible that just by chance I have NO DNA material from 1 of my great grandparents. But I guess by the same lottery I could have bits of DNA from many many many generations back. So here are my thoughts on the breakdown.
"99.9% European"
Okay since at one time during the last ice age all the Northern Europeans retreated to Southern Europe it makes sense that all Europeans have a similar genetic makeup. One of my early Norwegian Ole's could have warmed himself in the ice age with an early Spanish Juanita. When the ice age abated and they traveled up the Atlantic coast to Scandinavia they no doubt took a few interesting women with them. I guess that is also why "26.5%" is "broadly Northwestern European". All of we Europeans share a good part of each other.
"0.1% East Asian"
I think it is possible that is where the Saami blood my Norwegian grandmother spoke of came in. Those reindeer herders passed up by the Arctic circle and across Russia and shared DNA with those that ultimately traveled across the Bering straits to North and South America.
"0.9% Finnish"
Same as above since the Finns are related to the Russians, Estonians etc. I blame the Saami connection for this also.
"0.8% French/German"
My documented ninth great grandmother was Maria Lukretia von Boeselager, A minor German noblewoman who summered in southern Norway and married a Norwegian official after she was widowed the first time. Cool! A bit of Maria lives on in me!
"8.4%" British/Irish
I'm thinking I'll blame the Vikings on this one. They say that Dublin was founded by Vikings and those in Northern Ireland share most of their genome with Scandinavians as opposed to ancient Celts or Anglo-Saxons. Those Vikings stayed there and those particular bits of DNA reproduced more in Britain and Ireland than Scandinavia. But my flaming (well used to be anyway I am 63 now you know) red hair? I read that was a mutation that originated in Scotland and Scotland has the greatest percentage of redheads followed by Ireland. Does the British designation include Scotland and Wales? I don't know who, but I want to blame someone.
The point is I was so so very proud of being this "pure" Scandinavian. Well, more than proud. Kind of superior. It goes to show that we all are related aren't we? We are all just "pure" humans, no more, no less. Anthropologists speculate that everyone in the whole world is no further than 40th cousins.
I'm working on it but none the less it will be awhile before I find and document ALL of my cousins in my online family tree.
I'll keep you posted.
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