Sunday, March 12, 2017

Happy St. Patrick's Day by Cindy Flores Martinez




The other day, I checked my mom’s account at 23andMe, which is a popular DNA genealogy company that says they can discover your ancestry through your DNA.

Here’s what I found on her results page:




Apparently, she has a full British & Irish ancestor who was born between 1710 and 1800. They say she also has other ancestries, like Native American and Iberian, which is no surprise because her ancestors are described as “mestizo” in records.

But the British & Irish ancestry is a mystery! I first discovered that she had Irish ancestry through a different DNA genealogy company, but finding out that her ancestor lived so recently was surprising.

According to the website, the people of Great Britain and Ireland were once joined to one another, and today, they're descendants of the Celtics, Saxons, and Vikings.




Thankfully, my mom’s DNA cousin, an Irish and British man named Ian, has a detailed family tree, and I can assume that one of his ancestors is also mine.

My mom’s other DNA cousin has Niall of the Nine Hostages (Irish king) DNA. How exciting!

I still don't know the full details of my British & Irish ancestor, but I can say without a doubt that I plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.

Have a great one!


Cindy Flores Martinez is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes sweet, Christian and Spanish romance. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world. You can learn more about her at www.cindyfloresmartinez.com





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7 comments:

  1. Victoria PinderMarch 12, 2017 at 3:28 AM

    Welcome to the clan Cindy... just saying Irish people are renowned for being writers so you might just have the gene from that ancestor. You never know.

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    1. Cindy Flores MartinezMarch 12, 2017 at 12:48 PM

      Thank you. I never knew that about writers. That might actually help me find my Irish ancestor. My mom's father had green eyes and his side of the family likes to write.

      Delete
  2. JosieMarch 12, 2017 at 6:04 AM

    So fun, Cindy. My daughter is currently in Ireland studying for her Master's degree, so my husband and I have had the opportunity to visit Ireland many times. Beautiful country!

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    1. Cindy Flores MartinezMarch 12, 2017 at 12:52 PM

      How fortunate! I actually studied the history of Ireland in college back when I wanted to be a college history instructor. I took all sorts of classes on it. I find it so ironic that it might be my own family history.

      Delete
  3. Jennifer HibdonMarch 12, 2017 at 6:19 AM

    Love playing with the dead relatives!!!! You never know who you will discover next!!!!! We haven't done DNA testing yet, but have done family research since the early 70's.

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    1. Cindy Flores MartinezMarch 12, 2017 at 12:54 PM

      That's so true! It can change everything you thought about yourself your whole life.

      Delete
  4. MerrilleeMarch 12, 2017 at 10:11 PM

    I have some Irish ancestry, and my hubby is half Irish. His mom was Irish on both sides of her family tree. She loved everything Irish.

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