Why I like family history

My grandparents as young couples. On the left is my dad's parents,
Willis and Dorothy Cleaver, and on the right is my mom's parents, Jim and Louise Wright. 

My love for family history began in a little room at my Grandma Cleaver's house, where she had taped pedigree sheets to the wall. They covered two sections of the room, almost from the floor to the ceiling and were aged yellow from time and sun exposure.

Once I could read, I was fascinated with puzzling out the names and dates on each line. I have always felt a strong affinity towards my family, and this extended to those names hanging on the wall. 

The most recent name, where the giant family tree ended, was a woman born in the 1500s. I can't remember who she was now, but I do remember the ancestors jutting off from her came from all over Europe: France, Norway, Prussia, Germany, England, Scotland, etc. It was amazing. 

My grandmother was also a great story teller and would entertain me with all her stories of past family whom she knew before I was born. She planted the seed for me to love learning about my family history. 

So when Scott surprised me with a DNA test for Christmas, he really deserves props for knowing me so well. I mailed the requisite amount of spit to the lab and impatiently waited for the results. 

Last week, I finally heard back from them. I knew my lineage would be mostly European, and they were, but I was surprised to see a small (minuscule) percentage from North Africa and the Middle East. 

The report breaks down the European percentage into specific countries/regions to give you a more accurate pictures. I am 41.4 percent British and Irish, 21 percent French and German, 6.9 percent Scandinavian, 27.7 percent broadly Northwestern European (they couldn't pinpoint it), 1.6 percent broadly Southern European, 1.3 percent broadly European, and 0.1 percent broadly Middle Eastern and North African. There is also a 0.1 percent that is unassigned. 

This has rekindled my love for learning about my ancestors. My mind is longing for all those stories of relatives long dead, who passed so much on to me and my children.