Tag Archives: Family History

Examining my DNA – God Save the Queen!

Being a bit of a genealogy geek, it was only a matter of time before I found myself spitting into a tube in order to have my DNA tested by AncestryDNA. I know I wrote about my trepidation in this blog post, but I must admit, I was incredibly excited to see if it would prove or disprove my family history findings.

Ancestry says that it could take 4-6 weeks for the results to come in. I was pleasantly surprised to get an email 3 weeks later. It was in early?!? Fantastic news!

When the results are in, you need to log in to the website www.dna.ancestry.ca (if you are in Canada) or www.dna.ancestry.com if you are in the US. The top of the page shows who the test is for and then you are immediately met with two key areas:

  • Ethnicity Estimate
  • DNA Matches

DNA matches are broken down from people that have had their DNA tested and are possible matches for you. Due to privacy, I won’t get into too much detail on this section, but it can certainly help you expand your family tree as you will certainly find cousins you never knew you had.

Ethnicity Estimates
This is what everyone who does a DNA test is initially looking for. The DNA is examined for certain markers which help indicate where in the world your ancestors have come from. If you want to know more about the science of it all – click here.

AncestryDNA, Ethnicity Estimate, Pie Chart, Quirkycori
This pie chart shows the AncestryDNA Ethnicity Estimate for Corina Harris

Here is my AncestryDNA Ethnicity Estimate breakdown:

  • 87% from Great Britain
  • 6% from Ireland
  • 5% from Europe West.
  • (I have two trace regions as well but they are negligible)

Below the pie chart, I was able to open a link which went into greater detail about my full ethnicity estimate and everything shows that I am 100% European. This matches with my family history research thus far but the breakdown was a bit surprising.

By clicking on the first option “Great Britain” it is explained as the following:

Primarily located in: England, Scotland, Wales
Also found in: Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy

The AncestryDNA team has included quite a bit of information about how the DNA from Great Britain can be complicated. Yes it has been strongly influenced by the Romans, Anglo-Saxon, Vikings and Normans, however through testing and research original native populations were able to survive even with invaders joining their population.

And in my opinion this is where it gets interesting.

AncestryDNA, Great Britain, Corina Harris, quirkycori
How Corina Harris compares to the typical person native to the Great Britain region

I have 87% of the DNA markers they expect from someone from Great Britain. The average native only has 60%!

I know that my paternal grandfather’s family lived in the same tiny village for at least a few hundred years. My great-grandparents on my paternal grandmother’s side were also from a small remote village but in Scotland. Could my ancestors from my father’s side of the family be that closely related to the original people of Great Britain?

My mother’s side has a lot more history in North America – going back at least 250 years. This test proves the majority of them must have originally been from the British Isles as well. How incredilby unexpected in my family tree!

The AncestryDNA team has gone into great detail about Great Britain in the profile. It explains the history of the area, which other regions might be found in the DNA and even provides hints about why people may have emigrated away from the area. It’s all so fascinating to know that these are my ancestors!

I can’t believe I found all of this information just by looking at the top location in my ethnicity estimate and I can’t believe that I have more pure British blood than the average person from Great Britain. And so I say to my breathern, God Save the Queen!

AncestryDNA, Corina Harris, Map, Ethnicity Estimate
Ethnicity Estimate map for Corina Harris through AncestryDNA.

© Corina Harris 2016

Welcome Adelaide Elizabeth Harris to the Family Tree!

Corina and Adelaide Harris having a snuggle before bedtime in August 2015.
Corina and Adelaide Harris having a snuggle before bedtime in August 2015.

My life story has changed since my last post.

I became a mother.

Wow.

On July 31st I gave birth to a little girl named Adelaide Elizabeth Harris. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and has spikey blonde hair and blue eyes and I love her more than I ever imagined I could love another human being.

The story of her delivery in a nutshell: long, arduous and complicated. While pregnant my plan was always to have no birth plan. That worked out for the better after the 23 hours I was in labour! (I really do have something to hold over her head when she’s sassing me as a teenager!)

Adelaide Elizabeth Harris, cheeks
Adelaide’s cheeks just begging to be kissed

A bright light in my life has been seeing my husband with my daughter. From the minute she was born it has really reinforced how much I love this man. He is so gentle and caring with her and he has been taking such good care of both of us. I never honestly thought I could love him more than I already did but I truly do. (Mushy, I know.)

I am the only one in my family not born with blue eyes. My eyes are green on both sides, with one eye having a blue/grey half and the other having a brown half. Both eyes have a yellow ring around the pupil. My daughters eyes are a dark blue with a greyish hint but the grey is slowly going away as she gets older. My husband’s eyes are a hazel/green colour. She definitely does not have the same eye colour as either of us.

My daughter is pretty tall and everyone keeps marvelling at how long and skinny her legs are. She gets this feature from her father’s side of the family. She might outgrow me by the time she’s 8 years old at this rate!

Adelaide Elizabeth Harris, Harris Family, Hospital picture
Adelaide’s first smile, in the hospital the at less than 24 hours old

She has an adorable smile, which we have seen sporadically, mostly when she is milk drunk or sleeping. I can happily say that I have seen many more smiles than my husband as he tends to only get the angry getting dressed or diaper change faces.

Her nose appears to be like mine even though it might be too soon to tell and her lips are full like mine. Nearly all of her other features remind me of my husband and I love every one of them.

Every day that goes by I look at her and marvel at the fact that I made this wonderful being. She grew inside me, has been loved and nurtured by me and is such a huge part of who I am now. I am a mother. It’s an amazing thing.

Adelaide Elizabeth Harris, feet, baby toes, blue eyes, spiky hair, blonde, ears, fingers
A close up look at some of Adelaide’s features

While I was pregnant, I couldn’t focus on anything for very long. My family history work slowed down near to a halt. I couldn’t focus long enough to read a book let alone look through records. Now that she’s been born I have finished 4 paperback novels and have added a bunch of records to my family tree for my 4x great grandmother Elizabeth Eades. [Me > My dad > Albert Hill (Paternal grandfather) > Charles Hill (Great-Grandfather) > George Hill (2x Great-Grandfather) > Emma Harding (3x Great-Grandmother) > Elizabeth Eades (4x Great-Grandmother). ]

It seems that in all the times that my daughter is eating, my brain has woken up and I want to do things. Oh sure I sit and stare at all her gorgeous little features, but I also want to read books, learn things, write emails and have adult conversations. It’s amazing how that works.

Adelaide Elizabeth Harris, wide awake, blue eyes
Adelaide is awake and ready to play

I’m still in awe that I was able to bring a life into this world. And I know this post isn’t the most creative or inspiring but I really felt that I needed to share my daughter with the world and let my readers know what I’ve been up to.

This parenting thing is new and I hope I can be good at it. I’ve been blessed with a beautiful little girl who sleeps well and is growing day by day. She looks to me for comfort and yes, food. But I am her Mommy, her champion, her support. I really hope I don’t break her and that I can be half the Mom, my mother was when I was little. My mom was the best and my daughter deserves my best.

Welcome to the world Adelaide Elizabeth Harris!

Lots of Love from,

Your Mommy