Wrong Again: Or How I Learned to Love my Family Roots

Looking back on my life, I see a vast collection of things I got wrong, some big, some small. I recently added to that collection when I got the results of my Ancestry.com DNA test.

For the past few years, I’ve operated under the idea that I had Welsh blood. I knew my family name originated in Devon County, in western England, just miles south of Wales. For the past few years I’ve done Welsh lessons on DuoLingo, and last year Robin and I took a long trip to northern Wales. We even stayed next door to Castell Conwy. I scattered some of my parent’s ashes in the Fairy Glen, I bought a hat and scarf made from Welsh wool at Castell Caernarfon, and traveled the Druid’s Isle. I came back from that trip after making a deep, emotional attachment to Wales.

Robin told me, on several occasions, that I should do a DNA test. In January, Ancestry.com held a sale, and I bought a kit. It arrived, I collected some spit and sent it in. A few weeks ago, the results came in. I found that I was 64% English and western Europe. That was no surprise. I am neon-white. I sunburn at postcards with a picture of the sun on them. I thrive better in cooler climates, and I can’t dance, so that tracks.

I was surprised to see that I was 27% Scottish. Yes, I like bagpipe music, haggis, and kilts, but I couldn’t recall anyone in my family with Scottish names. Add to that, I was 3% Irish. Excellent, I can now tell Robin, “Kiss me I’m Irish!” everyday, not just on St. Patrick’s Day. I can do that while wearing a kilt, playing “The Flower of Scotland” on the bagpipes. That leaves 6%. Surely some of that is Welsh? I hit all the other parts of the United Kingdom.

The results allowed me to compare my results with other family members that were tested. I selected a distant cousin and hit ‘enter’. The comparison specifically listed Welsh and Cornish DNA. The results? 0%. I apparently don’t have a lick of Welsh, or Cornish, blood in me. Damn.

I took some time to think on the ramifications of that. I realized that those results did not alter my emotional connection to Wales. The Legend of King Arthur is intertwined with Wales, a land of poets and warriors. I really enjoy the Arthurian legends, in its many iterations. I will always have a red dragon in my heart, and I still have hiraeth.

I decided to look through my family tree, to find my Scottish connections. The first name that popped was Nellie Caldwell, my great grandmother on my father’s side. Using the Interwebs, I found that Clan Caldwell is listed in the Clans of Scotland, as is Clan Baxter. Maggie Baxter was Nellie’s mother thus my great, great grandmother. I’ve been able to trace my family back to the late 1400’s, when Caldwells from France made it over to Scotland. I now have to admit, in abject shame, that I was wrong when I said there was no quit in me.

Clan Caldwell and Clan Baxter are not major clans, but it’s interesting to see the history of the family names, and see the area of Scotland in which my ancestors lived. I have purchased a chanter, which is the practice pipe used to learn how to play the bagpipes. I can begin that while I recover from my surgery. I’ve also done some research on the crests and tartans of both clans. I see a kilt in my future.

I have traced the Satterly name back to the late 1400s as well, through 17 generations. We’ve been on this continent since the late 1600s. My ancestor Samuel Satterly served in the American Revolution, and I had quite a few ancestors serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. I was able to sit down with Roman and Stevie, the Devilish Duo, and impress them with how many generations their family goes back. My next project will be to work on their dad’s family tree, so they can explore their Hispanic roots.

I learned I am distantly related to the Emperor Charlemagne, to a former Chancellor of Scotland, to the Plantagenet royal line, and the South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun (The ‘C’ stands for Caldwell.). John C. Calhoun defended slavery, but you can’t pick your family. There have been sea captains, army officers, and privates. Two ships in World War II were named the USS Satterlee. The first was sunk in the North Atlantic on convoy duty, the other suppressed German forces at the summit of Pointe du Hoc, allowing US Army Rangers to scale the cliffs on D-Day.

Family is very important. It is the foundation of civilization, the core of society. Like history, knowing what went on before can help guide you to the future.

It’s OK to be wrong if you’re open to being right.