Post from 12/1/2013 (Lisa's Family Pages)
I recently received my mtDNA results from Family Tree DNA. I purchased an HVR1 kit, so the detailed information was limited but I was able to see information about my maternal ancient ancestor’s migration routes.
My mtDNA Haplogroup is “U2”. This is a very old line, and it is believed to be a branch off of “Super-Haplogroup U” going back about 50,000 years (or more). Most of my ancient ancestors settled around the “Near East” and Europe. It is very sparse and doesn't show up in large numbers around the world. Click here for an image of human migration routes.
My maternal grandmother is from the Netherlands. She came to Canada as a War Bride after WWII. She was born and raised in Amsterdam but her ancestors are from Friesland. Friesland is in North Holland. A few of my “U2” haplogroup matches were people that lived in and around that part of Europe in Denmark, Norway, and England. The largest percentage of people that matched my results have ancestors from Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Given that DNA for Genealogy is still rather new to the general public I only have about 100 matches so far. Over time people may start taking these DNA tests and the results will vary and provide more insight to my ancient ancestors.
After going through my results I decided to revisit my Dutch roots. With the help of Google translator, I was able to go through some Dutch genealogy sites and emails with ease.
I used the free trial at Wie Was Wie which allows you to create a tree online as well as research. It is a subscription site with the option to purchase images. Some of the information that showed up in results was also from Alle Friezen. There are other genealogy sites as well for the Netherlands, but those are the two that I have used so far.
With these sites, I was able to confirm previous data on my maternal line. I am able to trace back to my maternal ancestor Gretje Thomas born in 1775. I now know that “Thomas” is not her family name, but a “Patronym”. She did not have a family name recorded, as is the case with most Dutch ancestors before the 1800’s. She married “Tjalling Joukes Hoekstra” and died at Manaldumadeel (Leeuwarden), Friesland in 1847. Her death record calls her “Grietje Thomas Zondervan”, perhaps a family name was established during the years prior or she remarried, I am not sure.
I have an answer for my maternal line, perhaps in the future, I will find a “U2” match that shares an ancestor and can help me find out more about my Dutch roots. In the meantime, I’m happy with what I know and can share with my family.
No comments