What I’m Made Of [pt.1]
A few years ago, I swabbed my spit and sent it in to see what I was made of. Unsurprisingly, I am 14% Northwestern Germany, 14% Southeastern England & Northwestern Europe, 12% Central Scotland & Northern Ireland, 10% Northern Wales & North West England, 10% East Midlands. There are some smaller percentages in Wales, the Netherlands, other parts of Ireland, and Denmark.
Being Appalachian this wasn’t entirely surprising. I’ve been told my whole life that we have German ancestry. But what’s fun about DNA is that it is tested against living “relatives” if you will. So really my DNA just matches people in those areas. Over time it will change, and honestly it already has since I first took it. My Scotch/Irish percent used to be upwards of 25% but has since been decreased. I think, because more people are taking the tests, it is now fleshing out in more of the smaller percentages and becoming more specific instead of the broader strokes I was first given. It seems now that my German ancestry is floating to the top now, which I find interesting.
A snapshot of my genetic make-up as of this posting, November 8, 2025.
I also have a hankering of making a family tree, outside of just DNA. I did some old-fashioned genealogy work yesterday and I have a fleshed out branch going back three generations. I would love to go back even farther, maybe even trace an ancestor that came over and settled in America.
When filling out my grandparents and great-grandparents I noticed that there were a lot of recurring dates. The weirdest correlation was that my paternal great-grandparents, Harlan and Millie both were the same ages as my paternal grandparents, Leon and Evelyn. And both Millie and Evelyn were not blood-related! Harlan and Leon both were also born on the same day, February 12, and were both 83 when they died. Millie and Evelyn were both 71, Evelyn’s birth date was the same as Millie’s death date, May 25.
I noticed that on my dad’s branch both the men and the women lived on average longer than the ancestors on my mom’s branch. Both of my maternal grandpa and great-grandpa died young, 46 and 64.
Now on my mom’s branch, even though the men have died young, the women lived much longer, often into their 80s. I know statistically women tend to live longer than men, but it is the exact opposite on my dad’s branch, with the men outliving the women by decades. The majority of my ancestors on both sides worked as farmhands. I had a few family members enlist in the military. Both of my maternal grandpas enlisted in WWII, and my paternal grandpa enlisted in Korea. I am curious to see what the trends will be the farther back I go.
It has been speculated, as I am sure every family in Appalachia has speculated, that there is some Native American ancestor in there. I also thought maybe there could be some Melungeon as well. I know in the DNA it doesn’t say that, but you never know who you’ll find amongst the many leaves on your branches!
I think my favorite find, as morbid as this is, is that my great-grandma Mary Riddell died on her birthday, she was 78. When I was a little kid I always thought that would be the ideal date, a life book-ended if you will. Then again, I’ve always been a little macabre and weird!
I once told my mom that I have had the notion, since I was a very little girl, that I wouldn’t live for very long. I don’t know exactly why I have always felt that way, I just have. What’s spooky is she said my dad has said the same thing.
Isn’t ancestry, and genetic make-up weird!
I can’t wait to do some more digging, and once I get names I want to do further research into who these people were. What did they do for a living, where did they live. I so wish I had pictures. I’m sure someone in my family somewhere has them, it’s just a matter of finding out who that person could be, and if they have been stored well enough to enjoy.
Every name I uncover feels like lighting a candle for someone who made me possible. I can’t wait to keep tracing the roots that shaped me. Until I do more research, that’s all I have for you today. Enjoy your Monday!
