Mexico
It’s been a while. The onset of winter and my new studies have taken over for some weeks.
Since I’ve had a surge of new visits, an update seems to be in order. I’m studying history and of course, I’m looking into the areas my ancestors came from. Our introductory unit has covered many parts of the world with a global perspective. It’s been a very good overview and I understand the world of my ancestors all the more.
The ethnic breakdown which comes with a DNA test is still a work in progress, but a very interesting facet. My father’s side of the family includes 17% Southern Europe and 12% Scandinavian. On that side of the family, we are finding many distant cousins with completely Norwegian family trees, so perhaps the Scandinavian is correct. The only Southern European matches so far are from Jamaica and Trinidad, seemingly of Spanish descent.
This led me to undertake an assignment on the settlement of South America by Spain in the 16th century and onwards. I’m having fun. As part of my studies, I’m reading the diaries of several buccaneers who roamed the South American coast. William Dampier and Basil Ringrose are two of these, both Englishmen.
From a DNA perspective, I can see how the bloodlines became very very mixed. The buccaneer fleet involved captains from many countries who banded together in a multi-national group, including some Indian captains. They mingled with the locals, they had a wife in every port. They lived a truly fascinating life.
This is not a proper blog entry, simply a notification that I am still around and will be returning to this blog in a few weeks when my exams are over. Hopefully as my studies progress, I’ll contribute with greater expertise to my own research and make some interesting discoveries.
I do, however, have some interesting DNA developments to write about when I am back …
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