Lisa Day

Ancestors

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Biography

I hold a PhD in American and Multi-Ethnic Literature from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and teach at the university level. I'm hoping to find out as much information about my ancestry as possible and to share it with my interested family members.

Based on my work at Ancestry.com, I have strong roots in Scotland, Ireland, England, and Germany; according to my DNA results, I have genetic ties in these areas: British & Irish (59.9%); French & German (19.4%); Scandinavian (2.4%); Broadly Northwestern European (16.0%); Southern European (0.6%); and Spanish & Portuguese (0.6%). I have "trace results" from Broadly Sub-Saharan African, 0.1%; Broadly East Asian & Native American, 0.1%; and Senegambian & Guinean, 0.1%. Having heard all of my life--like most Kentuckians--that a grandmother somewhere down the line was "full-blooded Cherokee," I was surprised and amused when I realized I'd fallen for the myth of the Cherokee Princess in my own family. I'm still hoping to find the specific details of my non-Northwestern European ancestry.

Fun facts:

• Several of my lines pass through Salem during the witch trials
• Revolutionary War patriot-spy Nathan Hale shows up in my lineage

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Lisa Day at registration.