Evolving Ancestry

In August, when I received my DNA makeup from Ancestry, I had learned that I had no Scottish blood in me, a fact that disappointed me because my mother had once told me that I have a trace of Scots in me and I had grown to love the country through my fictional character, Roland Axam, and my visits to that beautiful country.

With the initial DNA results, I was told that I had Irish blood in me, which I had never suspected, plus a lot of Scandinavian blood, which surprised me. The rest of me—English, Welsh, and French—was of no surprise to me.

One of the things with Ancestry is that the more data and more connections with relatives you make, the more your genetic makeup changes. And last week, I learned that my makeup has changed quite a bit.

I'm still mostly made of English and Northwestern European blood, I've found out that I have more French blood in me than the earlier results showed. I've gained Germanic roots but I've lost most of that Scandinavian connection.

I'm not the Viking I was led to believe I was.

Here's my new bloodline breakdown:

• 52 percent England and Northwestern Europe
• 23 percent  France
• 15 percent  Scotland
• 3 percent  Germanic Europe
• 3 percent  Ireland
• 2 percent  Denmark
• 2 percent  Wales

So I do have Scottish blood in me, after all. I thought so, as I was led to believe that both of my grandmothers had Welsh and Scottish ancestry. My dad's dad was English and my mom's dad was French.

It looks like the map has placed my French ancestry more to the central and northern France regions, where it used to show central and southern regions, before.

There's now only 2 percent  of my origins in Scandinavia, where initially I had 9 percent . I've retained some Danish roots but I've lost Norway and Sweden.

Oh well, I still want to travel around Iceland someday soon.

I'm sure the numbers will change again. I wouldn't be surprised if my Welsh ties will increase.

As I said the last time, time will tell.