Ancestry

[scumdevils86]

Wish I knew why my family couldn't have just stayed in Sweden in the 1850s or England in the 1630s -_-

[Chicat]

Italy changed their citizenship laws this year, I was about midway through the process of getting my sister and I our citizenship paying a good deal of lawyer fees but as of a month ago we are no longer eligible.

Same here. Had just started the process and now no dice.

[azgreg]

They don't want you filthy Americans.

[UAEebs86]

I looked into Germany's requirements when we traveled there last year but it looked very difficult. (6 of my 8 great grandparents came from Germany).

The other two were from Austria so maybe I'll check into that, but no Jewish ancestors that I'm aware of, so probably a no go.

[Merkin]

I looked into moving to Germany many years ago, and like has been said it was a lot easier back then. Think now you can't skip generations, where if your grandparents were German and your parents are not, then you do not qualify if they went through voluntary emigration. Descendants of Nazi persecution like Ari's family exempted of course. They don't have to be Jewish. The Nazis also targeted Roma (gypsies), political prisoners, homosexuals, priests and so on. Being that homosexuals and priests probably do not have a lot of descendants, and the Roma really didn't have any record keeping it will be tough.

My ancestry is Schlesien, which was part of Prussia but now part of Poland. Schlesien was a mixed area of Germans, Poles and Silesians. From what I have read, Schlesien Germans felt like outsiders to other Germans from Germany proper. I had a distant relative who served in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. He was captured by the Soviets, and when he was released from the POW camp, he had 24 hours to leave his home in Schlesien. The USSR took over the eastern portion of Poland, and to make up for it, the Allies gave Schlesien to Poland. He ended up in Hamburg. I actually have a canteen cup that was dug a few years back with my last name on it which I purchased on eBay. Was it my relatives? I have no idea, but I have a rare name, even in Germany. And just to state, my relative was not SS. The Soviets normally did not take SS prisoners, and if they did very few survived the POW camps.

Follow up-

It's been a pain the ass to get this paperwork done in the US. So my wife decided to reach out directly to the Austrian Consulate in Vienna. We now have someone in the Austrian Consulate's office emailing us almost every day to help us out... plus... he is coming to our hotel in Vienna next month when we are there to make this happen.

He basically told us he is going to get us our Citizenship that we are owed and that the County of Austria wants us to have.

And the cherry on the top... he is trying to go through old records to see if he can find anything on my grandparents. (Apartments they lived at, employment, other family records we don't know about)

I can't wait for this trip.

Holy smokes! What great news! So happy for you and your family Ari.

[Merkin]

Wish I knew why my family couldn't have just stayed in Sweden in the 1850s or England in the 1630s -_-

Too dang cold!

My paternal German ancestor served in the Prussian Army during the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 and emigrated to the US so his sons would not have to serve. Prussia was a very militaristic society.

My maternal ancestors came from Ireland in the 1700s. I assume due to poverty being Catholic. Although my DNA has very little Irish, that side is mostly Scottish. My mother's maiden name starts with McM so makes sense I guess.

[pc in NM]

Three of my grandparents were born in Ireland, and both my parents were born in Wales. I was born in US. Consequently I'm eligible for Irish citizenship. I have all the necessary documentation (Thanks Ancestry.com!)

I chose not to seek it in 2011 - wannted to claim my VAT tax refund!!

I had plans to move to Canada in 1969 (draft resister), but won my appeal of my 1A classification, so I stayed. (That's another story!)

At my age now, not sure about the timing...

... Looks like I'm headed for the resistance.

So cool that many of you are exploring options, and some already succeeding!

[WildcatStunner]

I finally got around to doing a genetic test after explaining to people my composition. The results were actually a little surprising in a good way. I always just assumed I was Indian and Mexican mixed. But the genetic test really made me feel like I am a world citizen

https://imgur.com/a/LxCmFTz

[Chicat]

Good on your ancestors for being not at all picky about who they banged.

[Alieberman]

.02 Ashkenazi Jew… Mazel Tov!!!!

[Merkin]

I finally got around to doing a genetic test after explaining to people my composition. The results were actually a little surprising in a good way. I always just assumed I was Indian and Mexican mixed. But the genetic test really made me feel like I am a world citizen

https://imgur.com/a/LxCmFTz

Sorry WS, you have to have some neanderthal to be part of the cool kids ancestry groups. Go sit at the other table.

Your 20% Indigenous American ancestry may get you some benefits if you register with your tribe, although I think you need 50% to get heath care and casino profits sharing.

You can start calling me Wonder Bread now. About as white and squishy as they come.

My French ancestry is only 5%, no idea where it came from. Must be the cheese eating surrender monkey in me. 45% Germanic, 38% Dutch.

[azgreg]

I finally got around to doing a genetic test after explaining to people my composition. The results were actually a little surprising in a good way. I always just assumed I was Indian and Mexican mixed. But the genetic test really made me feel like I am a world citizen

https://imgur.com/a/LxCmFTz

What service did you use?

[WildcatStunner]

I finally got around to doing a genetic test after explaining to people my composition. The results were actually a little surprising in a good way. I always just assumed I was Indian and Mexican mixed. But the genetic test really made me feel like I am a world citizen

https://imgur.com/a/LxCmFTz

What service did you use?

23&Me

[pc in NM]

FYI. I've deleted my account.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... -bankrupt/

23andMe Just Filed for Bankruptcy. You Should Delete Your Data Now.

Updated March 25, 2025

23andMe, maker of popular DNA test kits, announced Sunday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is looking for a buyer. Although the company has promised to continue protecting customer data amidst a possible sale, California’s attorney general has advised 23andMe users to consider deleting their information.

The company’s decision to declare bankruptcy was not a surprising one. After a 2023 data breach in which attackers gained access to information from close to 7 million customer profiles, 23andMe’s stock price plummeted, and the company settled a class-action lawsuit for $30 million. Co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki on social media announced that she is stepping down in order to make a bid for the company, and thanked 23andMe’s 15 million customers.

Those customers should delete their information before it’s sold.

Why you should delete your 23andMe data

Users of the 23andMe test send the company samples of their saliva to learn about their ancestry and possible health risks. Wojcicki said that 85% of the company’s customers also consent to their genetic data being used to research diseases. Unlike with other forms of medical data, few guardrails protect genetic data stored by companies like 23andMe. According to Wirecutter’s guide to home DNA kits, “the vast majority of these companies are not subject to the HIPAA laws governing the privacy of your health and medical records.”

It’s unclear what would happen to that genetic data if 23andMe finds a buyer. Board chair Mark Jensen issued a company statement saying that 23andMe is “committed to continuing to safeguard customer data and being transparent about the management of user data going forward, and data privacy will be an important consideration in any potential transaction.”

But we think you should delete your data now. California attorney general Rob Bonta issued an urgent consumer alert to remind consumers to consider requesting 23andMe delete their data, revoke access for future testing, and request that their genetic samples be destroyed.

Wirecutter has similarly updated its advice to 23andMe customers: “If you’ve been a customer of 23andMe and are worried, we recommend taking action to protect your genetic data.”

How to delete your data

First, log in to your account and select Settings.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and select 23andMe data, then View. From there, you can download a copy of your genetic information.

Select Delete Data and then Permanently Delete Data.

In Settings, you can also opt to have your genetic material destroyed.

Navigate to the Research and Product Consents section and revoke permission to allow your genetic material to be used in research projects. Doing so revokes that permission only for future research.

23andMe notes that you have to provide additional verification before your data-deletion request can be processed, and that you must follow instructions detailed in a 23andMe confirmation email for your request to be processed. The company recommends emailing customercare@23andme.com if you have issues submitting the data-deletion request.

The company also says that some “limited information” about customers, including their request to delete their data, will remain stored even after an account is deleted.

Why your privacy is at risk even if you never used 23andMe

“Genetic data is immutable and can reveal very personal details about you and your family members,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation cautioned in a blog post about 23andMe’s potential sale last year. If your relatives have used 23andMe in the past, your data is also at risk.

Because some DNA is passed on from parent to child, there’s a strong correlation between the genetic material of people within the same family. If anyone in your family has provided a genetic sample to 23andMe (or another DNA test kit maker), the company already knows something about you—even if you’ve never personally given them your data. If you know that a relative has used 23andMe, consider reaching out to ask them to delete their data.

The privacy concerns of giving a company your genetic information are not theoretical and are not exclusive to 23andMe. Law enforcement officers have used genetic profiles from home DNA kit companies in the past. In a 2018 case, law enforcement used a combination of genetic profiles from GEDmatch along with carefully constructed family trees to identify a murderer after 40 years.

Both Wirecutter and the EFF noted that 23andMe does not voluntarily share data with law enforcement and requires a warrant before providing any data on its customers.

Many of 23andMe’s customers have used the service to discover long-lost relatives or piece together family history that might have otherwise remained unknown. It’s unfortunate that the company’s data-security practices and now-uncertain future may undermine those discoveries.

[cpt]

Always heard my father's side was Welsh/English and mother's side was German. After doing the Ancestry DNA it confirmed somewhat: 76% Wales/NW England/Scotland/Ireland, 23% German and 1% Scandinavian (because, who isn't?).

Cool part: I assumed my German side got here late - in the late 1800s when most Germans got here. Nope. Actually, came around 1730 and had an ancestor fight in the American Revolution.

[Merkin]

and had an ancestor fight in the American Revolution.

Which side? Not being facetious, just recall reading about the Hessian mercenaries fighting for the Brits.

My paternal Prussian ancestor didn't come over until 1881 like you mentioned, but my maternal Irish side did come over in the 1700s and at least one served on the Union side.

Shot in the foot at Cold Harbor, and took forever to get his disability payments, but still one of the lucky ones.

Part of the 55th Pennsylvania.

[cpt]

and had an ancestor fight in the American Revolution.

Which side? Not being facetious, just recall reading about the Hessian mercenaries fighting for the Brits.

My paternal Prussian ancestor didn't come over until 1881 like you mentioned, but my maternal Irish side did come over in the 1700s and at least one served on the Union side.

Shot in the foot at Cold Harbor, and took forever to get his disability payments, but still one of the lucky ones.

Part of the 55th Pennsylvania.

Continental Army. My 5th Great Grandfather. 2nd Pennsylvania regiment.