My Dual Family

Ethnicity

According to a DNA test that I took through ancestry.com, my ethnicity breaks down as 50% Japanese, 20% Germanic, 20% English/Welsh, and 10% Scottish/Irish. My 50% comes from my mother’s side which is Japanese and has always lived  on the island until my mother immigrated to America. The 20% Germanic portion of my background comes from my paternal grandmother who is Pennsylvania Dutch and whose family dates back to some of the first American settlers from Germany. My English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish DNA comes from my paternal grandfather whose mother’s side (my great-grandmother) was Scottish, Welsh, English, and Quaker dating back to the first American settlers. My paternal grandfather's father (my great-grandfather) was a mix of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish. This coincides with what I was told by family and what I already knew about my ethnicity before I began my research Many traditions had been passed down from generation to generation, making it very easy to see where my origins lay. My paternal great-grandmother was an observant Quaker. My paternal grandmother's family were all Pennsylvania Dutch with my great-grandfather being the last in the family to speak German or at least a Pennsylvania German. My paternal grandfather’s side was known to be Irish, and a mix of Scottish and English and Welsh but it was the only part of the family my relatives were unsure of. My mother’s side of the family was no surprise to me considering Japan's isolationist past and my maternal family's deep roots in Japanese society and culture.