As a truck driver, I’m used to the truck needing repairs. This time, the clutch decided to die while my husband and I were in Florida. When the tow truck came to take us to the shop, the driver only had to say one sentence before we knew he wasn’t from Florida…he had a New England accent. Turns out he is from Salem, Massachusetts and I instantly felt at home talking to a fellow New Englander.
My husband always has a fun time telling me that since I’m not a native Mainer that I am “from away.” So I started thinking…aren’t we all from away, ancestor-wise?
Here’s a look at my ethnicity from Ancestry.com:
So far I have found an ancestor from all these regions except Northern Italy. I still have no idea who that could be. But that’s the beauty of the hunt, right?
If you haven’t visited the Ancestry DNA Ethnicity section lately, go back in and look. They now have the ability to tell you which parent gave you DNA from each region. That Italy ancestor apparently is on my maternal side (pink), so I’ll have to dig a little deeper into my mom’s side of the family.
So if you’re starting out on your DNA journey, this could help you determine who some of your matches are. It’s a clue at least.
My results for the DNA communities section are good for my mom’s side, but totally missed the mark for my dad’s ancestors.
His were from Pennsylvania and Maryland and they don’t include that region at all. Perhaps as they improve the algorithm that produces these charts, it will eventually be included.
Take another look at your DNA ethnicity. Ancestry is constantly updating and you may discover something new. Maybe you’ll find a love of being “from away” too!
As a side note to being in Florida for the weekend…we are staying with family who lives nearby and whom we don’t see that often. And the Red Sox are playing in Tampa starting Monday. Looks like we will check #16 off our list of MLB stadiums visited. Until next week…
Genealogy tip: The ethnicity section of Ancestry is always the first thing people go to after they take a DNA test. But don’t leave it at that. There is so much more to learn, so dig into the records yourself or hire someone to help you.