Robert's updated Ancestry.com DNA results

 

Ancestry recently updated its DNA results. I don't completely agree with the current results. The last results showed that I had about 50% Iberian Peninsula results. The current results show that I only have about 38%. I do like the Native American breakdown - it's more specific, and similar to what I had before - around 25%. The other European results confuse me though (not shown in the picture above, click on the link below.) There's a lot of Great Britain percentages: Southeastern England & Northeastern Europe, East Midlands, Northern Wales, and Central Scotland & Northern Ireland. There are also results in Denmark, Southern Germanic Europe, and Sicily. There is even some French Canada: Quebec and Acadia. There is also two separate Sephardic, and one Ashkenazi Jewish results that add up to a total of 6%.

What I know about my ancestry is that I have Spanish and Mexican ancestry. Basically, Iberian Peninsula/ Native America admixture. I also have two great-grandfathers who were from Germany and Switzerland, separately - which should be around 6% of my DNA for each of those ancestors. 

With my Iberian ancestry, there is no doubt some Jewish mixture, and possible mixture from other nearby European countries. For instance, the Pino family which is in my bloodline were from Italy. My German ancestor, Philip Bourguignon, may have also been part French, based on his surname. However, he himself identified as German and was from the Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. 

One last possibility: my Y-DNA results from FamilyTreeDNA are often seen as a Celtic variation. It was once known as R1b1b2 but is now known as R-M269. The Celtiberians were an ethnic group in early Iberia. I do have a few matches in my Y-DNA of people with Irish ancestry.

See my full ancestry results in the link below:

Robert's Ancesty.com DNA results

The Socorro Genealogist YouTube Channel

Last year I launched my new YouTube Channel "The Socorro Genealogist". The purpose of this video blog is to teach genealogical research methods and give tips, as well as present some of my family tree research.

My most recent video is titled "New Mexican Genetic Genealogy, Part I: How I found my parents in my own DNA". In that video, I use a new feature from Ancestry.com that splits a person's DNA so that they can see how they inherited their genes seperately from each of their parents. I compare my DNA with that of my relatives in order to identify which side belongs to which parent. The feature is not able to identify which parent you inherit specific genes from; it just divides the genes into two parts, representing both parents.

I will be exploring DNA again in future videos as well looking at other types of genealogical research.

Please visit my video blog series at this link. When you are there, please subscribe and "like" my videos. I will be posting more video blogs in the weeks and months to come.

Bacas, Garcia Jurados and a few Torreses and Montoyas for good measure

I've  become a fan of genetic genealogy. I don't believe it can replace conventional genealogy, but it sure can help clarify questions and find distant relatives.

Regarding the latter - I bought the Family Finder test last year, and I've found a few hundred relatives. A few of these relatives have posted their genealogies on the FamilyTreeDNA website. I've noticed a few trends in their genealogies.

First, I have a number of relatives who are related to me through my 4th great-grandparents Dionosio Antonio Baca and Ana Maria Sanchez. My closest relative on the site is Mr. F.M. who shares my 2nd great-grandparents Ramon Baca and Anastasia Padilla (making us 3rd cousins.) Ramon Baca is the the grandson of the aforementioned Dionosio Antonio and Ana Maria. Mr. R.M. is the fourth great-grandson of Dionosio Antonio and Ana Maria - making him my 5th cousin. Mrs. L.V.J.E. and Mrs. D.W are also my 5th cousins through this relationship. Mrs. L.T.A. has them as her 3rd great-grandparents, which makes her my mother's 4th cousin and my 4th cousin, once removed.

Dionosio Antonio Baca is the great-grandson of Ramon Garcia Jurado and his first wife Juana Antonia de Espindola y de las Heras. A number of my relatives are descendants of Ramon Garcia Jurado and his second wife Bernadino Hurtado. This latter couple are my 7th great-grandparents. Mr. F.T., Jr.; Mr. L.C.; Mr. G.G.R.; Mr. N.C.G.; Mr. B.M.; Mr. K.G.S and Mrs. N.C.P. are all descendants of this couple.

Other relatives are related to me through Diego de Torres, one of the founders of Belen, and various Montoya families. Two of my relatives, Mrs. H.M.C. and Mr. M.M., are descendants of Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca, my 4th great-grandfather. H.M.C. is descended from Luis Maria's first wife; both M.M. and I are descended from Luis Maria's 2nd wife.

I have personally contacted only a few of these people. A few of them are friends and genealogical colleagues of mine. One, who is a 5th cousin of mine, is the president of one of the leading genealogy societies in town. Many have roots either in Socorro, Belen or Pena Blanca.

I am still waiting to find a Zimmerly or Bourguignon family member to take a Family Finder test. I would also like to find a closer Torres family (one from Socorro, rather than Belen) on the site.

Looking for my ancestry through DNA

Recently, I paid for the Family Finder DNA analysis. On August 30th, I received my results.

According to FamilyTreeDNA.com, I am 43.15% European (+/- 13.31%); 19.04% Native American (+/- 0.96%); and 37.81% Middle Eastern (+/- 12.37%.) The European is identified as defined as Finnish/Russian, the Native American (Central American) as Mayan and the Middle Eastern as Jewish.

Now, knowing about my ancestry, the thing that was most confusing was the Russian/Finnish connection. I know that I'm 1/16th Swiss and 1/16th German/French. But Russian/Finnish doesn't fit. Also the fact that I have such a high Middle Eastern percentage seemed a bit much. As far as the latter, a high Middle Eastern percentage might mean that I have "recent" Middle Eastern ancestors (within hundred of years), but might also mean that I have Irish - or more accurately, Celtic ancestors. (Click on this link for more information.) Having Celtic ancestors makes sense. There were many Celts in Spain.

So, in order to find out more information about my DNA, I had an expert Dr. J. Douglas McDonald analyze my raw data. This is what he found:

" the automatic fit is saying you are Finnish, which is very rare in Latin Americans of any sort. So I did a more reliable custom fit (including it) and get 

       Irish 0.3337        Spain 0.2426     Moroccan 0.0925     Georgian 0.1367         Maya 0.1945 or

     English 0.5068        Spain 0.0475     Moroccan 0.1118     Georgian 0.1389         Maya 0.1950 or

     English 0.5447    Sephardic 0.0052     Moroccan 0.1166     Georgian 0.1393         Maya 0.1942 or

     English 0.5461     Moroccan 0.1174     Georgian 0.1378     Armenian 0.0045         Maya 0.1942 or

     English 0.5439      Italian 0.0035     Moroccan 0.1176     Georgian 0.1408         Maya 0.1942 or

     English 0.5465       Jewish 0.0002     Moroccan 0.1179     Georgian 0.1412         Maya 0.1942 or

       Irish 0.3845      Italian 0.1964     Moroccan 0.1053     Georgian 0.1205         Maya 0.1932 or

       Spain 0.4676      Finland 0.1570     Moroccan 0.0616     Georgian 0.1205         Maya 0.1933 or

       Irish 0.2570       French 0.3053     Moroccan 0.1109     Georgian 0.1338         Maya 0.1931

which is much more reasonable. The Caucusus is a bit odd: it could be real or just representing something Italian/Mediterranean/Balkan/Ukrainian. "

 

Having ancestry from the Caucuses seems a little odd to me, too. Could it be the fact that I have a 2nd great grandfather who was Swiss and another who was either German or French? Maybe. Maybe I have a few ancestors coming in through (Russian) Georgia and Armenia who made their home in the German states.

The English and Irish I assume has to do with my Celtic ancestry. The Moroccan could be from Moors who came into Spain. And, of course, I have some Sephardic Jewish blood.

The Mayan just means that I have Native American ancestry from North of Panama. This, of course makes a lot of sense. When Spaniards came to the New World, they didn't bring many women. Therefore, they mated with Native women.

I still have a lot of questions about my ancestry, but much of this makes sense.