The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #45951   Message #680103
Posted By: Jeri
31-Mar-02 - 09:47 AM
Thread Name: American ancestry
Subject: RE: American ancestry
Got red hair. Got light skin and freckles. Got no Irish ancestors as far as I know. My Mom traced her side of the family back to the 1400s with some lines - most only back to 1600s, and most were English. I have a Scots great grandmother on my mom's side, and I wish I knew more about her.

A guy wrote a book on my Dad's side (from whence the complexion comes). The author believed that the line originated with the Helvitii. This would have put them in Switzerland. He says my surname has Celtic origins, and the first version of was found in Oise, France. Some ended up in England after the crusades. The name was anglicised, and they became establised there. There's a bit of evidence that some ended up in Ireland, but it doesn't look like any of my own ancestors were among them. The first one documented in the colonies was in 1620.

So there's some chance I have a Celtic ancestry, as in the tribe, not the language group, and no Irish or Scots (or any other national origin currently described as Celtic) ancestors on my Dad's side. Mainly Swiss, French, English and American - all in the same genetic line.