16 great-great grandparents

Randy Seaver, from http://www.geneamusings.com/, gave his readers a Saturday Night Genealogy Fun task: determine our personal ethnicity through the ethnicity of our great, great grandparents.

I fudged abit because I don't know the names of all my great, great grandparents but I am pretty certain of their ethnicity so I included them anyways. Here's mine:

Daniel BLAKE: born Dec 1829 in Loughborough Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario; married abt 1855; died 5 Mar 1890 in Loughborough Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario. ENGLISH

Mary Jane MAVETY: born Feb 1831 in Ernestown, Ontario; died 16 Feb 1911 in Milburn, Frontenac County, Ontario. IRISH

Henry PIXLEY: born 1839/40 in Loughborough Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario; married 18 Apr 1862 in Wesleyan Church, Elgin Co., Ontario; died 12 Feb 1906 in Harrowsmith, Portland Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario. ENGLISH

Anna RUTLEDGE: born 19 Aug 1842 in Loughborough Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario; died 31 Aug 1883 in Harrowsmith, Portland Twp., Frontenac Co., Ontario. IRISH

Joseph ARMSTRONG: born abt 24 Oct 1828 in Clonkirk, Ireland; married 28 May 1861 in Ballyhobridge Presbyterian Church, Drummully, Clones, Fermanagh, Ireland. IRISH

Mary DIXON: born abt 1831 IRISH

BYERS. IRISH

Unknown . IRISH

William Henry HOWARD: born 25 Aug 1830 in London Twp., Middlesex Co., Ontario; married 31 Mar 1852; died 3 May 1900 in Alberta. IRISH


Anne HARDING: born 28 May 1829 in London, Ontario; died 27 Mar 1892 in Blanshard Twp., Perth Co., Ontario. IRISH

William HOWARD: born abt 1837 in Ontario; married abt 1857; died 9 Mar 1882 in London Twp., Middlesex Co., Ontario. IRISH

Anne : born abt 1839 in London Twp., Middlesex Co., Ontario; died 18 Nov 1888 in Blanshard Twp., Perth Co., Ontario. IRISH

George WARNER. ENGLISH


Emily . ENGLISH


John Alexander JACKSON: born 6 Aug 1850 in Medway, Rochester, Kent, England; married 2 Apr 1872 in Parish of Islington, Middlesex, England; died 8 Sep 1903 in Camberwell, County of London, England. ENGLISH


Mary Ann (Sophia) SMALL: born 2 Oct 1850 in Grays Inn Lane, St. Pancras, Middlesex Co., England; died 19 Nov 1889 in 42 Leo Street, Camberwell, Peckham, County of London, England. ENGLISH

Based on Seaver's calculation methods my ethnicity is 37.5% English and 62.5 Irish. Interesting stuff - Leo is 100% French, so I guess that mean Nicole and Yvette are 50% French, 31.25% Irish and 18.75% English.

Our new grandchild will have a even more diverse heritage with one paternal grandparent born in England and the other born to Italian immigrants. Hmm, it will take a while to figure out that one - maybe by the time the little tyke is born, I'll have it figured out.

I wonder though how it is that even if our family members have been in Canada (or the United States) for several generations, we still determine our ethnicity on the distant ancestors that first immigrated to our countries. It would seem to me that my ethnicity based on my 16 great, great grandparents is actually 50% Canadian, 25% Irish, and 25% English. And my husband is 100% Canadian! I am proud to have deep roots in Canada and I am proud to call myself a Canadian Canadian versus Irish Canadian or . . .