America's Ancestry, Explained Through Maps

[@RubieRutledge2AUAR]

First of all, I want to say that I am not a native English speaker despite my mom being from Minneapolis. So, I'm sorry if my grammars are bad. In short, I grew up in Bali, Indonesia and my mom speaks Indonesian all the time with me but my family and I just moved here to Tampa, FL 2 years ago. The thing is that determining the US' diversity based on self-identified census is poor. Like, really. Because I read this thing where back in 2015 a genetic testing company named 23andMe conducted a genetic study and examining all samples they got from the volunteers. Based on the study, it showed that the average genes of the volunteers' samples of all races were being as low as 20% and as high as 55% "British & Irish". But also, the study revealed that the average genes of the volunteers' samples were being as low as 8% and as high as 16% "French & German". "British & Irish" genes are derived from the inhabitants of the British Isles, while "French & German" genes are derived from the inhabitants of the Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Austria. So not only from Germany and France despite of the name. Also the average African-American samples' genes showed that they were being as low as 16% and as high as 29% European, mostly from the British Isles where the genes are grouped as "British & Irish". It also highlighted that people from North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin had as low as 20% "British & Irish" genes in average, while people from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia had as high as 55% "British & Irish" genes on average. So, based on the study, the plurality of Americans' gene pools are derived from the British Isles, especially England despite receiving higher immigration from Ireland and Germany later on ago. So, the study really highlighted how those immigrants were well integrated into the predominantly British-descended American society and they often if not always, found themselves intermarrying local Americans whose ancestries were deep-rooted in the 13 Colonies. So, that's why their genes(I mean the genes of the volunteers) showed a plurality of British and Irish. Also, the I've read something on Wikipedia about the "British diaspora" article. It's actually interesting because, up to 33% of Americans(2019) were of British descent while 48% of Canadians(2016) are also of British descent. The difference is just 15% right? But if I would make an "educated" estimate, it is suffice to say that a plausible percentage of around 70% of Americans today have genes or DNAs from the British Isles(note that I say British Isles and not only England) ranging from as low as around 10% and as high as around 80%. And also, another "educated" estimate is that it's plausible that around 40% of Americans today have genes or DNAs from Western European countries including Germany. So, it is wrong that only 13% of Americans are of German descent because it can actually go up to 30%. German ancestry is also underreported but English and other British and Irish ancestries are more severely underreported. In fact, most if not all, Americans don't have a single ancestry and often have at least 6 ancestries in their bodies and that's including my mom. She said that she has Irish, Norwegian, Italian, German, Czech, Polish, Scottish and English......... that's heck of a lot actually. And my dad is a native Balinese. I haven't tested my DNA yet. I think it's really interesting to see how it goes though. Also, I want to add that it's very interesting that the average genes of the samples from Minnesota were being as high as 20% Scandinavian and as high as 16% "French & German". So based on the genetic study, it's suffice to say that the average Minnesotans(actually the average genes of the volunteers from Minnesota) had the lowest(20%) "British & Irish" genes but had the highest Scandinavian and "French & German" genes at 20% and 16%. Also, a recent genetic study done by Ancestry has shown that the average Americans carrying the surnames Smith and Miller(which are often thought to be the anglicized versions of Schmidt and Mueller) have around 50-55% "British & Irish" genes with only around 20-25% "French & German" genes. That's why genetic studies, genetic datas, genetic sources and other genetic-related stuff are a thousand times better choice rather than a self-identified census in observing the diversity that the US has. Because, the thing is that most people don't even report all of their ancestries that they have and many of them are biased too with a more "exotic" German or Italian rather than English which is seen as a "mainstream" ancestry that the majority of the population already have. Also the bedrock of Americans' ancestries are from the British and Irish stocks, whom that also founded the US early population. So, the foundation of the US' population is from those British and Irish. Also it's worth mentioning that the immigration per decade(like from 1880-1899, 1900-1909, 1910-1919, 1920-1929 and so on) only accounted around 10-15% of the total US' population and it never made up to 15%. It's a fact that the immigrants were relatively smaller compared to the locals by numbers and they often found themselves intermarrying the locals of British and Irish ancestries. So, it's fact that the foregin-borns from 1880-1899 and on and on were accounting less than 15% of the total US' population per decade and often found themselves intermarrying the locals. That's how immigration works because if they were to replace the English descendants in the US they had to at least account for 40% of the total US' population per decade. But unfortunately, the US overall, only had around 10-15% foreign-borns accounting for the total US' population per decade(like 1880-1899 and so on and on). So yeah, despite all the rambles, the conclusion is that genetically, white Americans are of plurality British and Irish ancestries but indeed with a significant Western European admixtures mixed in as well. Wikipedia also stated that "the most commonly found ancestry/DNA in white American genes is English" on the article about "White Americans". So, not only English but also German is underreported.

[@ORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR13]

Why don't write a book especially with that comment 😂😂

[@meflowers6633]

So, I just randomly found and was watching this video and at 13:22, you show a picture of a WWII ship. That ship was the USS Harry Taylor, and my dad served on that ship during WWII. I’ve studied that picture a lot, and found my dad among the many servicemen. The story of that ship was it had picked up thousands of soldiers from Europe and was going to take them to the Pacific arena via the Panama Canal to fight Japan. While still in the Atlantic, they received word that Japan surrendered, so they reversed course and headed to the NY harbor. It was the first ship to reach the harbor after VJ Day. Thanks for sharing, it brought back memories of my dad and his service!

[@melodycherry8870]

I wondered if anyone would reconize this ship or it's soldiers aboard. Thank you for sharing!

[@naynay3710]

Wow!! How exciting! I can only imagine the emotion you might have felt seeing that photo and finding your dad in it. Very cool story!

[@demarcomixon]

Great video. I’m an American descendant of slavery and you did a great job with speaking about our history and the Great Migration. My only complaint is that you lumped Black immigrants with Black Americans who are descendants of American Chattel Slavery. We are a separate ethnic group from Black immigrants that has been in America since the colonial era. We are quintessentially American. Additionally, Black Americans that are descendants of American Chattel Slavery are a mixed race group of people. We are an amalgamation of various African groups, mixed with various European groups primarily British, and many of us have Native American ancestry as well. I strongly believe that fact must be mentioned. You mentioned that Mexicans and Louisiana Creoles are an admixed people but failed to mention that about Black Americans. You would be extremely hard pressed to find a BlackAmerican who descends from American Chattel Slavery who does not have any European heritage.

[@al3xa723]

I would agree with you on most of that aside from being careful about claiming a significant amount of native heritage. Self identification on having "native blood" is incredibly higher all across the US than people that actually do. It is a very common family story, my mother had that story but I can assure you it's false. That is not to say that it didn't happen, but rather it's often blown up.

[@Dhi_Bee]

@@al3xa723Yeah, I see so many people find out they’re -982341760.5% “Cherokee” or whatever in online groups/forums/subreddits. The reality for many white Americans is that they instead find they’re either 100% European ancestry or have a tiny percentage of black ancestry their ancestors hid during the “white-passing” era for better opportunities/lives. And for black Americans it’s usually to hide that their female ancestor was a victim of ræpe during US slavery. It’s easier to say your 4th great grandma had a happy family with a Native man than her being assaulted & impregnated by an enslaver :-/ That’s why a lot of older generations are silent about their past. From holocaust victims to Rwandan genocide to African American enslavement.

[@Worldaffairslover]

You’re probably west African. A lot of black immigrants are from the same country that descendants of slaves were taken from

[@demarcomixon]

@@al3xa723 I completely understand, many people believe they have Native American ancestry but are mistaken. Black Americans who descend from American Chattel Slavery are actually more likely than White Americans to have Native American ancestry. I completed a DNA test as well as my mother and it confirmed that we do in fact have Native American heritage. My boyfriend completed a DNA test as well and discovered that he also has Native American heritage.

[@al3xa723]

@@demarcomixon Yes that is true, I wasn't denying that, rather the fact that half the people I meet claim native heritage and are just wrong. Or they say "0.1% Cherokee!!!" And go buck wild over what can be statistical error. I'm very sure you're legit, just saying many others aren't.

[@patrickdavenport6254]

As an African American, I find this so eye-opening. I identify as black, because that's how most of the world sees me and how I see myself. However, I have French, Irish, and Native American ancestry, as recently as my great grandparents, and probably other non-African ethnicities before that. I never think about their journeys or their lives here in a personal way, but more as some other group of people's history, even though the truth is that they are my people too. This video sparked a change in my way of thinking.

[@bgl9935]

I'm Japanese I love Black Americans in the South.

[@es4408]

This comment is definitely a tearjerker

[@two_squared]

@@es4408It’s a jerker of something else, too

[@pamm8608]

I just heard about a mixed nationality group called, Melungeon. Check it out.

[@Fristpeople]

When the Census ask you what you are and you check all the boxes they white people will only check white. It determines who gets money for their area. If you are A.A. then you will most likely have forced white people in your blood line but I can guarantee they are NOT claiming you as part of their ancestry unless there is a monetary gain from doing so. I have white people on both sides of my family tree great and great, great parents and we know who they are. Guess who is not claiming us on there family tree? 🙄 I have a brother in-law who's father is full blooded Native American which makes him half but he look black, guess who is not including him on the family tree? 🤔 Yeah A.A. are mixed and we include all our ancestry but for all practical purposes you are BLACK. Welcome to the cookout.

[@pathfinderstravelmagazine2903]

I really enjoyed this video. I especially liked your mention of the Gullah, Creole, and Cajun cultures. Well done.

[@andrewadcock6435]

As a Cajun, That was a pretty good analysis. I can’t speak French but my brother and grandmother can speak it and I’d like to learn one day as it feels important to me. Many people in Louisiana are very prideful in there heritage

[@bradjbourgeois73]

Most of my ancestry is Cajun French (St. James Parish) and German (St. John the Baptist Parish), but my Paw Paw's mom was English, coming through Virginia to Kentucky and finally to Louisiana. She died when my Paw Paw was four in 1918 at 35 years old from the flu epidemic. And my maternal Maw Maw's family came from the Thibodaux area.

[@stoveboltlvr3798]

As close to French as I'll ever get is fries and toast!

[@louisinese]

I'm Cajun Creole with Evangeline parish and SE Louisiana heritage. I want to learn Kouri-Vini, I only know a few words do to it skipping a generation but mostly dedicate my time to Spanish.

[@BenitoCBlanco]

From Louisiana as well jefferson parish

[@bretcantwell4921]

I have no Cajun, but my dad's recent family is from Houston and I've always felt an appreciation for Cajun culture. Used to watch Justin Wilson on PBS when I was young and love Cajun food. In 1990, my brother and I were driving to FL for spring break and I was thrilled to find a Zydeco radio station where the DJs spoke French.

[@Marylandbrony]

My dad’s family is from the first wave of colonists to Maryland who are Catholics and more or less stayed in Southern Maryland around Potomac river until my grandfather moved north to Baltimore as a part of the post-war migration from rural areas to city’s/suburbs. I think the post-war migration of people away from rural areas would be an interesting topic. America was still a rural nation until basically the 1920s and only after WW2 did America really became a urban country.

[@evolve991]

Hi former neighbor! My Catholic side of the family, my mothers side were Italian and Irish and lived along the Susquehanna. I have not had much luck in tracing that side of my families. Surprisingly I have found my fathers side have been here since the late 1600s, settling in the York and Lancaster county areas,being Penn Dutch.

[@christineperez7562]

It wasn't until 1900s that anyone came over to the US on their own freewill. European countries used America as a jail to house mentality ill, or their poor.

[@willowtdog6449]

I graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland, so I'm somewhat familiar with that history. I think this is all fascinating, and I really appreciated the sociological framework of this video that helped add so much context!

[@KarlieSolomon]

You need not even mention your catholic, most people know when you say MARY LAND, WE KNOW YOU ARE CATHOLIC, AND WHY IT WAS NAME THAT AND BY WHO

[@jfredq]

I trace my Irish ancestry to 1790s North Carolina, but I think that the family must have moved there from Maryland's Eastern Shore during the Revolution. It's a rare Irish name that shows up in Colonial land deeds around Dorchester MD. They had been landed Irish gentry until Cromwell seized their lands. I assume that they left for Colonial Maryland to start over.

[@g0d5m15t4k3]

Great job discussing the specific locations immigrants came from and went to. I like that you were more specific than just "from this country to USA". Including what part of the originating country, why they were leaving, what state they landed in, and why they chose that location, is amazingly detailed. Very well done. I also appreciate you actually trying to pronounce names correctly. Lots of videos brush it off like "I am no good at pronunciation" then don't even try. You gave no excuses and gave a firm attempt. I didn't notice any mispronunciations. But I'm sure someone super keen probably noticed something.

[@lynnhettrick7588]

I agree! I was very interested in learning the different points of entry for different immigrant groups. Then tying that in to where they settled. I was also impressed at the educated attempt to pronounce the names correctly. I don't know if there were many mistakes or not, but the effort was noticed.

[@christineperez7562]

Mexicans are not immigrants they are Native to this land. Just because states don't belong to Mexico anymore doesn't make them not Natives. They speak Spanish because of Spain.

[@andeeq666]

@@christineperez7562 Spain? Exactly. Spain is in Europe = Spanish immigrants. If Mexicans are “native,” most are only partially “native.”

[@arthurlara4282]

​@@christineperez7562he covered this, separating Mexican-Americans from more recent Mexican migrations. Was glad he pointed this out, being from ancestry that was already here before it was part of the United States

[@Sienna-s5p]

The Aztecs that invaded for Decades are not Native American.

[@lynnealuebben1967]

This was so well done. I am utlizing this for our migration lessons. Thank you so much for posting. Your research and care of detail, and diversity were really well appreciated. As an educator the amount of research you did is priceless.

[@christineperez7562]

There are many mistakes.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

I have a considerable interest in US History... and genealogy, and have spent 30+ years researching the latter... The basis of this video relies EXTREMELY heavily on what people know about their ancestry when they report it to/on the Census... ONE of the problems with that, is that people/families often leave out the more common types of ancestry, to focus on the more unique, "interesting", ancestry... and thus, the more common (less interesting) branches become forgotten/lost.

[@SweetBluebonnet]

I'm only 15 minutes in and there are several glaring falsehoods. You should find another profession.

[@diane9247]

@SweetBluebonnet Then why don't you share with us what some of those were. It's kind of unfair to make that claim with nothing to back it up.

[@BigFunAgency]

@@diane9247It requires no back up. As soon as he says this is all based on self-reported data, it’s obvious that none of this is accurate.

[@larsedik]

I didn't know I had English ancestors until I discovered online some research that cousins of mine had done. As it turned out, our English ancestors arrived in Rhode Island (primarily) and a few in Massachusetts in the 1630s, but none later than 1650. Eventually they made their way through Virginia, South Carolina, and Louisiana to Texas and left all memories of England behind, but they were always fairly large landowners and were always wealthy. According to 23&Me, I am 25% English and 50% German. My German ancestors immigrated to Texas in the 19th Century and are easily traceable back to Europe. Some of these were also large landowners (on my father's side), but on my mother's side, they were poor farmers or tradespeople. The other 25% of me is French, Scandinavian, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and Irish, but I cannot trace any of their heritage back to Europe. However, my cousins did trace some of our English heritage back to Scandinavia.

[@kevinkelly1586]

I can understand tracing English ancestry to Scandinavia, since the English (and Welsh, Scots , and Irish) are partly descended from Vikings, as well as the Normans.

[@JesusGonzalezzz]

It must have been hard for you to discover you have English ancestors since you look super African 🙄

[@BillGreenAZ]

You and I are a lot alike in our ancestor makeup. The only difference is that I have Swiss ancestry but not Dutch. My English ancestors arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s and moved to Rhode Island with Roger Williams. Were your ancestors a part of that group also?

[@lindasmith9834]

My DNA revealed 12% Scotish, 4% Wales, 14% Irish, 5% Swedish/Danish, 1% Norway, and Ivory Coast of Africa, including Ghana, Congo, Nigeria, Mali, etc. My great grandparents on dad's side are descendants from early African slaves in Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, who were sold in Port of New Orleans to plantation owners in Alabama, Western Mississippi, Central and South Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas. My Maternal side revealed descendants in Nova Scotia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and moved/sold in port of New Orleans to plantations in Alabama, western Mississippi, eastern Louisiana, and Texas. My grandparents and great grandparents were traced to Louisiana. Maternal 4th great grandmother was found on a ship manifest to America from Wales. ​@@kevinkelly1586

[@BillGreenAZ]

@AemondBlackKiller the country started out that way but now German-Americans are the biggest group by ancestry.

[@Elyfairy]

As a native New Jersey resident, I am English irish French German Italian Danish and polish. But I grew up dominated by the Italian-Irish Catholic culture. Almost everyone was either Italian/Irish Catholic or Jewish. I was surrounded by Irish pubs and Italian restaurants and Jewish bakeries.

[@marcsamuelson1011]

New Jersey has a relatively small but still substantial population of people who are of colonial English & Dutch decent. It is more present once you are away from the counties that immediately ring NYC. New Jersey had a population that was slightly under 2 million people around 1900. When the 2000 census was taken, New Jersey had 8.5 million people. Much of that growth was due to immigration and suburbanization. Many of those who immigrated into NJ/moved to the suburbs of NJ were Italian, Jewish, or Irish (including me). Of course, anyone who lives in NJ knows that just about every ethnic group imaginable has representation somewhere in NJ. Although those who trace their roots back to colonial times are a minority in the state, they still quietly have plenty of power. The colonial roots of Tom Kean and Christie Todd Whitman was no impediment to their being elected governor, long after the English became a minority in NJ.

[@David-mz8xk]

Yeah this guy robbed us italian americans.

[@colinchampollion4420]

!​@@marcsamuelson1011

[@grovermartin6874]

​@@marcsamuelson1011Yes, and I tead somewhere that there were more people of Japanese ancestry in Ft. Lee and environs than anywhere else in the US. I think there are more of Japanese ancestry there than anywhere outside of Japan.

[@azjersee]

Me too, Irish Italian

[@Noel_13]

Great job Carter! I think a lot of people from the Americas (myself included) have this hunger for knowing our heritage. It's a time consuming and beautiful task to revive our ancestors' stories and their journeys. Anyway, I'll keep posted for the next video! 🔔

[@ENSerenova]

Ancestry can be complex in the U.S. I'm 12-13 generations removed from the earliest immigration to U.S. in my family (Mayflower,1620 and Griffin 1633) with most recent occurring mid-1800s. The combination of time and cultural intermixing means connection to ancestral groups has largely been lost and claiming any one heritage is problematic. For example just on one side of my family -- My great-great-grandfather, a descendent of early English colonists ran away with the family's housemaid, a second-generation immigrant from Prussia (region now western Germany), their son (great-grandfather) married a woman who was the daughter of immigrants from Norway, and their daughter (grandmother) married a man whose father's heritage is thought to be Scots-Irish and whose mother was daughter of immigrants from Switzerland. While this length of ancestry may lead to feeling settled for some or distinctly American, my own ancestors as seen above often intermarried with other immigrant groups, rebelled against cultural convention - so often joining new religious, political, and economic movements and jumped on/were forced on migration waves such that even going back to 1630s we haven't lived in one place for more than a generation. It's fun to learn the history, geography, and socio-politic-religious movements that led to my ancestors immigrating here, the variety of home towns and occupations they held, and their subsequent journeys around this country, but can also feel a little rootless at times.

[@edwardbishop3150]

My first patrilineal American ancestor also came over on the Griffin! (and many generations later a descendant married a Mayflower descendant, so I also have those as well), though my maternal line is native Cherokee (which married into a german line at some point from Saxony, and as well as an Irish line later)

[@andeeq666]

Sounds like the ancestral lines of millions of us.

[@bluekatgal7300]

We have English German French Native American and a smidge of Spanish as far as I have found. My dad often jokingly called us Heinz 57 variety 😅. On moms side it was Oklahoma destination from immigration to America’s English Colonies and westward migration through Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kansas. From Dad’s side, German migration in 1860s to Missouri via Docking in New Orleans (GGGrandfather and GGGrandmother).Their son married a French lady whose family was in this country from before American Revolution. Seems immigration and migration have been a way of American life from the very beginning. Currently living in Southwest where there are large populations of Native Americans and age old Hispanic populations.

[@geoffreyshubert2263]

The British: English/ Scots/Irish/Welsh are descended in part from Norway and Germany anyway (Anglo Saxons and Vikings) and the Celts travelled through Switzerland and Spain to get to the British Isles and from there to Ireland and Scotland and Wales. They melded with the other groups to form a UK identity. Your DNA is basically Western European and mostly Celtic (although the word Celt is somewhat of a misnomer) no matter how you cut it.

[@jeannemasters3986]

My mom’s side-Scotch, Irish, and Norwegian. (Mostly Scotch) Dad’s side-German, English, and a small amount of Swiss. Came to the US in the 1600’s.

[@dontknowdontcare182]

I think a lot of people aren’t aware of the large Italian-American population in the Detroit area. There aren’t many in the city proper now, but the suburbs (especially Macomb County) has tons of Italian-Americans (myself included, I’m about half Sicilian/Italian) And you’re right about English ancestry being under reported. So many people just have no clue. I’ve done extensive family tree research. A lot of my ancestry on my non-Italian side of the family is English, descended from colonial New England settlers who moved westward as well as some who immigrated directly from England to Ontario and then later moved on to Michigan.

[@ElTigre12024]

Yeah. I'm from the Detroit area myself too and my grandpa is Italian (though admittedly I don't consider myself Italian). A lot of people of English ancestry either identify with an American nationality or pick a more spicy option.

[@Lcngopher]

I have an uncle who is half italian and half polish. I believe he grew up in dearborn but im not too sure

[@marifromky]

there's quite many Italian and Chinese in southeastern Kentucky and far western Virginia.

[@corinneskitchen]

Well of course...that's how we have Detroit style pizza.

[@dannydaw59]

Our clerk Forlini is Italian I assume. Maybe Lucido too.

[@jenniferburns2530]

I am best described as of mixed European ancestry, descended from people from every region of Europe (Eastern, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, UK, Germanic, and more) and sadly have almost no ties to any of these cultures or languages. Whenever I see groups retaining language and traditions, I am happy for them. I live in a city with a significant number of people from a single community in Italy, a thriving Mexican community, and enjoy all the ethnic festivals every summer. Thanks for giving me a better appreciation of the many ways people became part of the US.

[@aksez2u]

Me too, Jennifer. I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for those of us with mixed European ancestry, but it is kind of sad to feel like you don't really have a heritage to identify with. It reminds me of a video I watched once with an American archeologist (of apparently European descent) working on ancient sites in the UK. She got flack in the comments with people saying things like "Go dig up your own people". Like who, exactly?

[@dianemitchell1717]

My Felland relatives came from a valley in Norway south of Oslo. Each year Felland relatives for decades have visited this valley and knocked on the door of long lost relatives to their dismay and wonderment. There is one distant relative left and they are getting tired of it according to my cousin. Lol Still this valley draws my extended family back to see their family beginnings.

[@Otters_Must_Otter]

racially speaking, the overwhelming majority of white americans would be ethnically germanic (including those descended from anglo saxons) so it is pretty retarded to say that, considering that wouldve probably been her own people@@aksez2u

[@enjoystraveling]

Why don’t you pick one or two of your ethnic groups of Europe and then celebrate them with your family. I’m not Japanese or Chinese nor Mexican but I sometimes go to those festivals within other cities such as there’s a big Japanese festival in San Francisco and I happily go to it and did some of the crafts even though I’m not a bit Japanese we truly enjoyed it and the foods !!

[@rudolfkraffzick642]

Just pick out the country or region you like most. Then visit the annual ethnic festival and start to learn some basic words, sentences and songs.

[@jijitters]

Amazing video! As a Norwegian+Finnish-American in Minnesota, I never had any idea that was rare until I got older. A lot of my classmates had Swedish names too. I almost thought we were going to be skipped entirely, so this was an interesting lesson in how small that ethnic population is in the country overall, compared to my state specifically.

[@chrisS19019]

Yep, same with growing up in Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin area I thought Danish Swedish etc was pretty common throughout the states. Pretty cool. More German here than anything though

[@joesmith9216]

@@chrisS19019 Yeah, GERMANIC, learn the tribe. NORDIC IS GERMANIC.

[@chrisS19019]

@@joesmith9216 You okay? You seem extremely on edge. Im talking about people from specific countries. People from Germany, people from Denmark and people from Sweden. It might seem weird but those are actually different countries

[@joesmith9216]

@@chrisS19019 Yeah, I am aware those are different countries, not different race though. Wisconsin is like 90 percent Germanic race it seems.

[@djjohntab]

@@joesmith9216 there is no "germanic race". And many Scandinavians were victims of Nazi Germany (Norway and Denmark in particular). They see the terms "germanic race" and want nothing to do with that racist nonsense, in fact becoming the least religious, most educated and most progressive nations on this planet.

[@Semper_]

French is dying, much of the older population just didn't pass it on and after they die, the language in the family dies too. (Especially the ones who emigrated to others states like Texas. Like my ancestors did) but you can't blame em when they lived in a time where they weren't allowed to speak French at school and were discriminated against by Anglos. They just didn't want their children to have to go through the same so you'll only really find it in very isolated rural areas in Acadiana and the city of Lafayette. A lotta people know many French n' Native words and interchange em with English words, but don't speak the full language though

[@YukonGhibli]

French is growing fairly quickly in South Louisiana. The government of France even gives good amounts of money to subsidize it. French immersion schools have quintupled in the last 20 years and keep growing (both public and private). The French radio Acadie has expanded and the local public broadcaster does a daily show in French along with specials. Fluent speakers have grown to well over 200,000 in LA with targets of up to 350k by ~2027. I cannot speak to the pop in Northern Maine and how they are doing.

[@Semper_]

@@YukonGhibli That's amazing! I didn't even know. I just know it died in my family

[@YukonGhibli]

@@Semper_ It was really dying, you are spot on. The push to grow it again started getting steam about 25 years ago, but started in earnest 18-20 years ago when the legislature started giving more funding and getting the money from France too. It is not what it was but is making a comeback. Acadiana area, of course, is the biggest area but even New Orleans and Baton Rouge have some of the new immersion schools.

[@MultiKswift]

Unfortunately, my family has firsthand experience with the anti-German sentiment following World War II. My maternal grandmother’s grandparents were all from Germany. Her grandparents and parents all spoke German, but absolutely refused to speak it around the kids/grandkids. They got harassed a lot, so much so that even today my mother refuses to tell people that she has German ancestry. Even I have gotten some negative reactions, although not many. Edit: If you look at some of the replies, you'll see what I meant when I saw that many of us get negative reactions about our German ancestry.

[@ndie8075]

Not in this days....anti german sentiments are long time over....the opposite..

[@libertybell7145]

My experience too. I never say what the background is. People generally guess Italian, Greek, or Jewish.

[@geoffreyshubert2263]

Much of the Germanic emigration to the US seems to be those who were known as the Pennsylvanian Dutch. A very religious group with Celtic roots (similar to the Irish and Welsh and some Scots) who came from the area around the Rhineland and were very hard working, but who fled because of religious persecution or war. Yes, they are German in the sense of a specific geographical area we now know as Germany, but Germany was not a unified country until fairly recently, but rather a collection of different states. They share similar traits to the Scots Irish because of their ethnicity and devout protestant beliefs. So I think the word "German" is a very broad term in some senses (much like American is) when talking about ethnicity.

[@marchauchler1622]

​@geoffreyshubert2263 most Germans have partially Celtic roots together with Slavic (approx. 25%) and of course Germanic

[@katesleuth1156]

@@marchauchler1622 skavic or Slavic?

[@juliemarkham4332]

Very interesting video. Appreciate re-learning that Mexicans were in the southwest first before English settlers, and that French and Spanish colonists were southern settlers too.

[@MariaLopez-tb4fp]

Así es la prueba está en los nombres en español que están ahí.por eso no hay razón alguna cuando algunos estadounidenses desprecian a quien hable español

[@michelewood925]

Some were but also many left as well. Many of the Mexican people here now are descendants of more recent immigrants.

[@arthurlara4282]

I also appreciated him making this point. Growing up I was often told to go back to Mexico, when this was my family's home before it was their family's home. I didn't even grow up with Spanish language, besides the older generations speaking it to each other. Gotta love small towns

[@bigtex4864]

​@MariaLopez-tb4fp Texas is my land and not Mexico anymore. We are Anglo and speak English now, so we don't want that to change.

[@Therockfan30]

@@bigtex4864Nah, y’all Angelo immigrants to Texas. The real tejanos still exist. New Mexico is also majority descend of Spaniard colonialist and native Americans from New Mexico and Colorado. Very native to their lands.

[@NuNugirl]

My Great Grandfather left NYC for a job opportunity in San Francisco. It was very bad timing. He was staying in a boarding house and died during the Earthquake. Other then him, everyone stayed where they got off the ships. The German/Austrian/Hungarian neighborhood in NYC is called Yorkville or “German Town”. It’s on the Upper Eastside from 79th-96th. It is between 3rd Ave & The East River. That’s where my family on both sides coincidentally started out.

[@c.f.okonta8815]

Is your family still in New York

[@NuNugirl]

@@c.f.okonta8815 One of my Brothers will never leave and two of my Sons came back to NY. Everyone else moved out of NYS. I left last year, even though I have a Grandchild living there. We are scattered in NH,CA,TX,VA,FL,CO & CT.

[@hankhillsnrrwurethra]

The Irish identifying as American reminds me of Tolkien, "They have been there so long they have forgotten where they came from". Also, they probably forgot those horrible circumstances on purpose. I have Irish ancestors who settled in Wisconsin. How did they get there? Nobody knows, but they probably arrived as indentured miners and promptly never said another word about it. By the time family history starts, they're typical Irish civil servants.

[@derlingerardclair6252]

Civil Servants such as Pollicemen,and Firemen.

[@hankhillsnrrwurethra]

and postal and military, yes@@derlingerardclair6252

[@billnye7323]

Most of the people identifying as "American" are in the South. A lot of those people are of mainly British Colonial stock background (English and Scottish ancestry).

[@hankhillsnrrwurethra]

@@billnye7323 they were Scots-Irish, Presbyterian Protestants in the upland South. British stock was in the lowlands. The slavers.

[@McNastyxx95]

To be fair, Americans who claim to be anything other than American get knots laughed at. Like Irish Americans and African Americans. German American. An American saying they’re German or English or French is stupid to those in Germany and England and France. Because we’re not, We’re AMERICAN. Even many native Americans find it weird how we call them native Americans because they say we are all Native Americans. They prefer a different name.

[@Ember-Rodriguez]

Minor thing but Tucson's name origin isn't Spanish but O'odham. Phonetically the same since pre European times with spelling having changed frequently.

[@Ember-Rodriguez]

Think the current spelling is an anglicized version of a Spanish writing of an o'odham word, but I hear conflicting reports there.

[@agbook2007]

Here’s the background on the name of “Tucson”: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_San_Agustín_del_Tucsón

[@saucytony4609]

5th generation chicano frm Tucson💪🏽🇲🇽🇺🇸rAZa let them know about my native T.O. And yaqui brown brothers

[@ruthhartgers2688]

I have been working on my family history for 30+ years. Recently, I have been researching history in the areas my ancestors lived. Thank you for making history so simple to understand! I am glad I found your channel. History makes more sense to me now.🙂🙂

[@Pfuhler455]

Thank you this is so fascinating. Im an American from Appalachia and most of my ancestors have been here for centuries. Im from Southeastern ohio and my last name is German. They came here in 1820 only 17 years after our state was created, My great grandpas ancestors stayed in Germany for centuries in one town. Other side is Italian and Nordic, along with Scot-Irish and Polish/Ukrainian. Americans find this fascinating because like i said, doing my family tree in Germany and Italy they stayed in one town for centuries. They knew their history and ancestry but we're all descendants of the adventurous who came here and you can still see the effect of all our ancestors culture they brought here 100s of years later. Also im learning German because im going to be going there and love the language and culture. Didnt know only 1% here spoke it, thats so low. Wonderful video.

[@marifromky]

howdy!

[@davidjnichisti1108]

Wow, you have put together such a comprehensive package of nationalities. I am Italian and Polish American, all of my grandparents came over in 1900-1920 from Italy and Lithuania.

[@grouchygeek4176]

This year i dug into my familys ancestry and found out we mostly descended from both Ireland and England. I was so fascinated and i just love learning more about my ancestry whenever possible. Nice vid!

[@ProudAngloIrishScotWelshUlster]

Butcher of natives 😢

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@ProudAngloIrishScotWelshUlster The Romans, Vikings, Normans etc butchered the British.

[@starkusmc1981]

My family immigrated from Prussia into the Wisconsin area and later moved into the NE Nebraska area. After the great depression, they settled in Omaha, Ne. My Great-Grandfather was a master carpenter and helped with the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters in Omaha.

[@elliephil]

I was able to trace my ancestry back to the Palatinate (Pfalz Germany). My ancestors settled in Johnstown, New York (that little strip of orange 6:39) before the revolutionary war. Interestingly, they took the side of the British and sent their families to go live in Cornwall, Upper Canada. I wish more Canadians would look into their ancestry because it's most likely that if your grandparents were born in Canada, their grandparents may have came through America at some point!

[@birbluv9595]

My aunt did an intensive geneological investigation of our family. Her mother, 100% English, immigrated to Canada on the Empress of Ireland in about 1915 and married a Canadian of mostly English heritage, with a touch of Dutch. His family had gone back and forth across the St. Lawrence River for generations. During the American Revolution, a bunch of them in central New York were Loyalists and moved to Canada after the American victory. Through her research linking her to a Loyalist fighter, she was inducted into into a Canadian society of Loyalists, and i guess i could be too, since she was my father’s sister.

[@elliephil]

@@birbluv9595 One of my cousins runs a chapter for the Loyalists in London, Ontario!

[@birbluv9595]

@@elliephil wow, cool! I’m not sure where my aunt was inducted, but it was in Ontario near the shore, maybe London!

[@adeleennis2255]

My ancestors settled both New Amsterdam and Plymouth (Yes, we were on the Mayflower). I have Dutch, Irish, English, Welsh, Scots, French, Scandinavian, and Iberian ancestry. Interestingly enough, even though most of my “American” lineage has been in the US since the 1600s, my paternal grandfather was from The Netherlands. My Danish ancestors took the long way to the colonies. They first went to England, then Ireland, and, finally, New Sweden, which was Delaware tribal territory prior to European invasion.

[@patbrewer4205]

My Fathers paternal side also came here in the 1640’s and were Dutch and as yours helped settle anew Netherlands and New Amsterdam

[@shaunalea823]

Your ancestry sounds very similar to mine. I am also descended from Mayflower passengers 4 to be exact Brewster and his wife, Bradford, and Warren.

[@EvelynElaineSmith]

When I asked where my ancestors were from when I was a child, I remember that my paternal grandmother asked very succinctly, "Heinz 57", & yes, upon researching my family tree, I discovered she was right.

[@Koivisto147]

Here's some info about me if anyone is interested in a case study on Ancestry from the southern New England region. I was born and raised in Putnam, CT and my entire family is from Northeast CT, central MA, Northern RI, and Cape Cod - at least within the last 100 years or about 4-5 generations for those areas. Here's my ancestry break down calculated by referencing a combination of recorded family history and 23andMe DNA testing: 19% English 19% French 19% Polish 14% Irish 14% Sicilian/Italian 6% Scottish 6% Scandinavian 3% Swiss German My paternal grandfather's parents were Polish and Scandinavian but emigrated from Finland to Troy NY in 1909 and ultimately Northeast CT by the 1960s. Not sure what the story is behind the fact that they were Polish living in Finland, and had a Finish surname, Koivisto. Could be a lot of different reasons but I don't have any official records clearing that up. My paternal grandmother's father was Irish and possibly a little bit Italian, and was from Providence RI - not much is known about him. Her mother's side was entirely French Canadian and lived in Northeast CT for many generations. They came to the new world all the way back in the 1620s, settling along the St. Lawrence river. Some moved to Northern ME, and others to VT, in early the 1800s, and met in Northeast CT by the late 1800s. My maternal grandfather's mother was 100% English. Her family lived in Cape Cod since the very first waves of English colonists, with some of the line being traced all the way back to the Mayflower. His father was descended from a 100% Scottish Woman (whose family came to Nova Scotia from Northern Scotland in the early 1800s, and then to Worcester MA by 1907), and a man who was half Swiss German and half French from Alsace, France. He moved to Worcester MA in 1892. My maternal grandmother's mother was was born to two Sicilian immigrants who emigrated to Worcester MA by 1913. Her father was French Canadian, English, and a little Irish, with the French Canadian side coming to the St. Lawrence river area in the early 1600s, and then to VT in the early 1800s, and to Worcester MA by the 1890s, and the Irish side came to Worcester by 1890. A pretty stereotypical ancestry from someone in the region, as far as pasty white dudes go.

[@OnusofStrife]

I wonder if your Polish ancestors ended up in Finland when both were part of the Russian empire? Poland didn't exist in those times being partitioned between Germany, Austria-Hungry, and Russia.

[@Koivisto147]

​@@OnusofStrife The region that my Polish genetics originate from is Transcarpathia, close to the modern Ukrainian and Slovak border. It looks like that region was controlled by Austria-Hungary for a fairly long time. The passenger manifest from my great grandfather's trip to the US from Southampton, England lists his place of birth and previous residence of himself and his mother as Alavus, Finland. I just find it strange that they would take a Finnish surname, and that everyone on that side of the family has Finnish first names as well. And they identify purely as Finnish with no one thinking they're even a little bit Polish (I was told all throughout my childhood that we were Finnish). Yet, two DNA tests show that I have 0% Finnish genetics. So, they moved to Finland and never married into Finnish families but renounced their Polish-ness and became culturally Finnish? It doesn't make sense to me. The other possibility that I see is that someone recent in my paternal line is actually not the biological father to their child.

[@capnstewy55]

My father learned "German" growing up, then tried to take the standardized NY state test and had no idea what was going on.

[@kathrynkildow3743]

As you probably know, he didn't learn High German, called Hochdeutsch.

[@vespista1971]

@@kathrynkildow3743 Right, there were so many dialects in what we now call Germany… I’m a member of cultural club in my city whose oldest members speak Schwäbisch amongst themselves. I thought I’d be able to understand them, having studied (standard) German, but it’s definitely not easy lol

[@nosferatusbride8724]

@@vespista1971 In today´s Germany the dialect of Schwäbisch is largely unintelligible to other native speakers. While there is Hochdeutsch regional dialects are still widely spoken and vary immensely.

[@Kiwi_TaylorsVersion]

​@@vespista1971 I'm German and even I myself have a hard time understanding Schwäbisch. It's not as bad as bavarian or east German dialects but it's a difficult one for sure. I think it's really fun that you're in this club!

[@ProudAngloIrishScotWelshUlster]

You all took over America it’s sad. It’s actually sad.

[@daveh893]

Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to make such an informative video.

[@scygnius]

Fun coincidence I see you post this today, as I made some major discoveries about my family ancestry in the Tidewater. Always glad to see another one of your videos show up on my feed.

[@JXY2019]

One thing to remember is ancestry is self reported and most people are incredibly ignorant. So many people are German or Irish or Cherokee until they take a dna test and find out they are 75 % English

[@marcsamuelson1011]

I agree, if your family traces their roots in America back to the colonial period, it is almost certain they have some degree of British ancestry.

[@Claude_van]

I‘m from Germany and all my ancestors for centuries were German. But even my DNA Ancestry test says 50% English 👍 OK, the Angles and Saxons settled in Germany, too.

[@impalaman9707]

@@Claude_van Yes, the Saxons were/are a German tribe, so that makes perfect sense to find that in your DNA

[@pedrocardiel1026]

​@impalaman9707 been simp to the queen and king pretty bitch made😂

[@Claude_van]

@@impalaman9707 Yes, and part of the Angles also settled in the Middle of Germany, in Thuringia. At the same time half of Germany originally was Celtic and even Roman like England. And because of the Hanseatic League, Danish border and Swedish occupation Scandinavian influx in the north like in Western England. Must be difficult to genetically distinguish.

[@jorgiebdeandrade]

Hey man i one of 8 kids from boston Massachusetts. I have the most mixed family ever, my mom is irish,scottish an welsh my father is from cape verde. My father is creole- portoguese an Senegalese african, my ancestors were slaves. An slavers. I have 2 sisters who are half dominican. Another sister who is half african american. 1 more sister an 3 brothers who are half Puerto rican. I have 23 nieces an nephews, all our kids even more mixed. We all have the same mother are all different shades of color. My family is america, you did this video justice. Love how you didnt gloss over slavey an discrimination too,thank you!

[@alwas8916]

Its' funny you mention all those ethnicities, family came to MA in 1920's during the Bolshevik Revolution and DNA tells me I am EU/Russian /Baltic, as well as my kids, yet my grandkids have picked up other regions from the maternal side that I do not have nor my daughter.????????? How accurate is DNA really?

[@saundrajohnson1571]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Wow. Bravo! Not only did I find your video interesting, but so informative. You have done an amazing amount of research. Then to put it all together in some way that made sense, was equally impressive. Well done, sir!

[@weston.weston]

Thanks for this great presentation, Carter!

[@gaspikefan]

Hey, Carter! I always enjoy your videos.... Very well researched presentations. One thing to mention... Scots-Irish are actually much more genetically Scottish than Irish. The transplanted Scots tended to stick together more often than marry Irish when they were moved to N. Ireland (though there are obviously exceptions). My ancestry on my father's side is pretty solidly English with some Scots-Irish, while my mother's is Scots-Irish. My DNA results show 43% Scottish, 36% English, with Welsh and Scandinavian in small percents, and only 4% Irish (a couple of exceptions back in the day, I suspect). Anyway, I just wanted to mention because of the comment about Scots-Irish being considered Irish. Not so much, really.

[@marifromky]

can confirm. which is why the group is largely academically considered Ulster-Scots, even though the people call themselves Scots-Irish.

[@Helgi105]

@@marifromky Ulster-Scots is the British name for them, Scots-Irish - American.

[@chrisjezovnik3308]

But weren't the Scots primarily descended from the Irish to begin with? The Irish migrated to Scotland in the 400's as part of a kingdom called Dál Riata that straddled the Irish Sea between northern Ireland and western Scotland. I think that's why Scots Gallic and Irish (Gaeilge) are sister languages.

[@gaspikefan]

@@chrisjezovnik3308, I don't know anything about that, one way or the other. I =do= know that those considered Scots-Irish were Scottish transplants to the Ulster area of Ireland (Northern Ireland today), and I know that my own DNA from my half Scots-Irish heritage registers specifically as Scottish (43%), with barely any Irish (4%) in the mix. Even if they originate from the same people long ago, which makes sense, the differentiation between the two happened long enough beforehand not to confuse the issue as far as where the Scots-Irish came from.

[@mikesaunders4775]

Most of the 'Scots' in Scots-Irish came from the lowlands. An area once part of the English kingdom of Northumbria. They are largely of Anglo-Saxon origin ,not Gaelic.

[@Osapatali]

Even if I had critiques... it would be MOOT. Fantastic presentation young man! Thank you for the work and due diligence; even more for sharing!.. Yakoke for Aiokoa!!

[@juliakaislo1007]

Yes, this is interesting! Considering time constraints, you managed an admirably deep dive into the subject. A good overview, thoughtful and provoked my interest in the regional videos.

[@conan007gd6]

Awesome video. The part about the number of English-Americans being undercounted is pretty interesting, my paternal grandfather's side immigrated from Germany in the early 1900s, so I have a German surname and my grandfather especially still identifies with his German heritage since he knew his grandparents on both sides who were the ones who immigrated. But my paternal grandmothers side and maternal grandmothers side both had English surnames (and had family who presumably had been the US since very early on), while my maternal grandfather had a Scottish surname name (no idea if he was of Scottish or Scotch-Irish descent). But when people ask "what kind of white" I am, I always just say German since my grandfather talks about it while none of my other grandparents strongly identify with their English/Scottish/Scotch-Irish ancestry. Genetically spoeaking though I'm more English than German. Edit: but as you mentioned, surname alone isn't the best metric to determine if one is of English descent or not. I'm actually currently waiting for 23andme results to see what I am lol.

[@L-Anded]

I think you did a pretty good job describing 400 years of change in the Americas in 45 minutes. Some generalizations were made due to time restriction. I am an oddball Amercan because my ethnic heritage is 100% nordic. Not too many of us around anymore. Please note that Finnish peoples are not Scandinavian. This misnomer came from Sweden having 300 years of control over them. Most Finns did not travel back and forth from other countries and the population was quite ethnically homogeneous for a very long time.

[@suzanneparker1799]

Thanks for pointing this out. I’m of Finnish heritage too with only one grandparent being a non Finn.

[@MarvelousMarvin-nd4sr]

Am 74% Norwegian

[@andeeq666]

Being “nordic” makes you an oddball American? I didn’t know such oddball rules existed here.

[@L-Anded]

@@andeeq666100%. Most people have mixed ancestry.

[@suzanneparker1799]

I think he said he was an oddball for being 100% of a certain area (Nordic in this case).

[@Yallquietendown]

Many who identify as Irish in the south are Scotch Irish from Ulster. Still Irish but a specific subset. Many of us don’t know much about our history. Most southern whites have a mix of English and scotch Irish

[@hectorsmommy1717]

I self identify as a "Wisconsin Hybrid" which is a mix of all kinds of things as long as there is some German mixed in. My ancestors were all in Wisconsin before 1870 (the first arrived in 1833). They were Yankees from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. They also were direct immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, England, and Germany. Within the bunch I have 5 of the founders of Hartford, CT in 1650, the niece of John Winthrop (the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony), and early Dutch Settlers of the Hudson River in the 1600's. As a history teacher (retired) I found it fascinating to trace my family history and see how it mirrors so many larger historical events. Irish Potato Famine, Highland Clearances, Palatine Immigration, etc. as well as smaller events. My first Wisconsin settler came here from Ohio as part of the US Army fighting the Black Hawk War. When Chief Black Hawk surrendered on the banks of the Mississippi in Wisconsin, my ancestor was there. He saw how beautiful the river valley was and stayed. So many stories like that.

[@harisz7]

Really appreciate the effort you put in your videos! Informative and well-explained!

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Hi. It would be an interesting video to show the present-day reservations, and why/how they were where they were. Many rezzes are not on traditional lands, many have several nations (aka 'tribes') occupying the same rez, etc. Some fell prey to the Termination Act, and fought hard for ANY land base. Perhaps do by region.

[@douglasemerson9017]

This is the best ancestry video I have ever seen. Well done.

[@johnlafontaine4003]

Great job. Maybe too small to be included: The NY/VT/Quebec border region is quite french, for obvious reasons.

[@DehydratedHumor]

Something to keep in mind about Mexican americans in states that border Mexico is that not all of them immigrated to the US by leaving their home country. A lot of border states were part of Mexico at some point in their history and the natives living there just didn't leave when the state joined the US.

[@leslilane4685]

OMG I loved this. I let my inner dork fly and learned sooooo much. I have been working on my lineage for the last four years and compiling a book going back to the 400's! Its crazy and yet I can't stop learning about civilizations and history now. I subscribed and going to binge watch.

[@sensibilities1]

Same! I love it

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Thank you for this great video. And this also may be my favorite comment section ever.

[@flyingsquirrelproductions2373]

27:30 if you look carefully you'll see the unique Bristol county listed as Portuguese. Home to Fall River and New Bedford, The most and 2nd most Portuguese American cities in the US. Portuguese is common enough you often hear it in common vernacular in the area.

[@Ned88Man]

yes, also many parts of providence county RI

[@jeffhampton2767]

I lived in United States for 63 years and only ever met one person who said they were Portuguese

[@Ned88Man]

@@jeffhampton2767 well, you obviously don't live in New England. Every 4 people around here are portuguese.

[@jeffhampton2767]

@@Ned88Man I live in Pennsylvania where there is like no Portuguese. Most people here are German, polish, Irish or Italian

[@Ned88Man]

yes, I've always thought PA was very German as well, of course, lots of Old Stock English and Scots Irish@@jeffhampton2767

[@trillz31]

Having German ancestry myself and not knowing exactly why they came over but it was in the mid 1800s during the political strife that happened in Europe. So I wouldn't be surprised if it was for that reason that they came to the US for a new life.

[@Lcngopher]

My church actually held services in german until the 1920s. Of course they were using english for most services by the time they stopped offering them in german

[@ltldxy71]

Really informative. I like how you pulled from various sources, that’s important. As an amateur genealogist that’s been tracing my family for about 2 decades, I love to see this type of information about the immigration to the US over time. I really love how it’s broken down over decades and into finer detail like counties within states. This is important as allied families often migrated from other countries or across the country together. I actually have some examples of this in my tree. So, you will see bubbles of populations with similar ancestry settling together. Plus, folks that spoke the same language would settle together, like Germans and Swiss people. Again, I have this in my tree where my Swiss ancestors settled in the Gasconade and Osage Co. areas of Missouri which had a very high percentage of German speaking families. Thank you for sharing this and keep it up! 😊😊😊

[@jjbud3124]

People around the world who claim the people of the US are all the same should watch this video. I've tried to explain to a couple of people how culturally different the areas of the US are, but they will not believe it. It seems they believe that one country equals sameness from border to border.

[@ArturoStojanoff]

This video was great. I'd love it if you'd also do this for other countries in the Americas, or in other countries whose populations aren't just the people that have lived there for thousands of years, like most of (but not all!) Afro-Eurasia. I'm from Argentina, for example, and as far as I know, my paternal grandfather was a Bulgarian man from Sofia, my maternal grandfather was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, my paternal grandmother was born in a German speaking community in Paraguay and had a Swiss father and an Austrian mother, and my maternal grandmother had a Sicilian father and a mother whose ancestry went all the way back to Spanish colonization (I know she had Basque and Catalan ancestry, and that she was related to one of the founding fathers).

[@miaperezarroyo1939]

Exceptionally well researched, analyzed, and presented. 👏🏽

[@wildemthefem5773]

I’ve never heard Kentucky described as being in the north lol. There are, however, a lot of Germans here. My family is German (Bohemian) and catholic. I was shocked when I moved to Louisville and found that group makes up the bulk of the population.

[@douglasemerson9017]

Also lots of Germans in Cincinnati.

[@enjoystraveling]

@@douglasemerson9017 Me too

[@enjoystraveling]

Bohemian is really the western part of Czech Republic although, possibly some German speaking, people live there also. One of my grandmothers mothers was from Bohemia and her mother was czech speaking.

[@danashaffner2913]

It's the Ohio Valley communities. Outside of Louisville and Covington, Kentuckians are English/Welsh and Scot Irish. I'm from Louisville and am descended from German immigrants from the 1840s and Virginians from old colonial stock.

[@zackbrand9311]

@@enjoystravelingBohemia (Sudetenland) had a very large German population and were the majority in many areas before ww2.

[@meredithinserra4670]

I really enjoyed this! I am curious why you lumped the Irish and Scottish together. Not all Scots were "Scots-Irish" going to Ireland before moving to the US. I have several Scottish ancestors that came directly from Scotland and were known to have disembarked in Wilmington, NC. You did show one map that noted a pocket of Scots about 150 miles west of Wilmington, NC around the NC-SC border. My Scottish ancestors are buried in cemetaries in that geographic area. One of my great grand aunts told me that one only spoke Scottish Gaelic all his life. In fact, there is a county in NC, bordering SC, called "Scotland County."

[@donnaclemmons3721]

I m from Wilmington NC and my heritage is scot Irish and English Cherokee.

[@bmeiji]

Isn’t true that Scottish Gaelic originated from the Irish language?

[@bmeiji]

I’ve noticed that most southern states, such as Alabama have a very strong Scottish influence. Also, aren’t the Scottish an offshoot of Irish or very closely related? If I remember correctly, there’s a lot of Welsh and Cornish folks that settled down south, too.

[@michelewood925]

@@bmeiji most Scottish people here liked isolation and settled into Appalachia. Mine settled into Kentucky and Tennessee.

[@meredithinserra4670]

@@bmeiji both are Celtic languages originating from the early languages of the Celts who lived all over that geographic area since pre-Roman times.

[@jakmak1345]

This was really informational and fascinating to watch. Thank you for the hard work you put into this

[@WretchedHobbit]

Fascinating topic. Thank you!

[@robertshelton9881]

Thanks for the video. I traced my roots back to the generations that crossed the Atlantic, which turned out to be a mighty long time ago. The most recent arrival was an Irish ditchdigger from Dublin in about 1820 who had the good sense to marry a prosperous widow. Others arrived much earlier. When you go back that many generations, your family tree has a lot of branches: English, Germans, French Huguenots, Welsh, Scots. in my case.

[@mikemeal]

My great-great-grandfather left for Michigan from Finland in the (I think early?) 1800s. He settled into Houghton, in the Upper Peninsula. The town still has a significant Finnish population. He worked in logging and mining, doing all kinds of odd jobs. He actually married an American wife and had three kids. In his older age he came back to Finland with the family, and told my grandfather, who then was a boy, some great stories about his adventures on the "other side of the sea". Of course I have heard these stories as well, but I take them with a little grain of salt. My dream for long now has been to visit Houghton and visit the places he has mentioned, even if there is nothing standing anymore.

[@alexwest2573]

Houghton is still there

[@mikemeal]

Yeah I know, I meant the mines and logging sites and stuff haha@@alexwest2573

[@chiefofk2]

houghton is beautiful, definitely one of the bigger towns in the UP

[@jamesgeorge4874]

All of Michigan is worth seeing, the UP is special though.

[@alexwest2573]

@@jamesgeorge4874 Michigan is a beautiful state, every time I’m there I wish Illinois looked more like Michigan

[@lisad56]

I’m 67% Native American (indigenous) from Texas and 25% Spanish/Basque. I was shocked. I thought everyone from Mexico were Aztec’s, but it’s not true. Both my parents are from the same region in Mexico close to Texas. My ancestors dated back in the 1500s , current Texas. Also, some of my ancestors were born in Texas, when it became part of the US. Also, some of the bands in Texas became the Mission Indians. I’m proud of being indigenous!

[@kirbykirb3660]

Looks like someone didn’t pay attention in history class

[@louisinese]

@@kirbykirb3660 😄

[@Planet_Perfume]

​@@kirbykirb3660bruh we all went to different schools with different amounts of funding going into them. I remember my teacher deadass just taught us the Aztecs disappeared. They didn't even explain that the Spanish population mixed together with the Natives, they didn't even mention the other natives that lived in the region.

[@stevenaguirre9326]

@@Planet_Perfumethe US agenda is for Mexicans to be seen as foreigners and to deny their Native American racial identity

[@PNC713]

I thought Aztec was South America..

[@jacksorlie5460]

This shit gas. Good job on the really high quality vids

[@jeffherringa4709]

My mom's side of the family is mainly Bohemian Czech Germans who ended up in Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac County, WI). They are devout Catholics (most of them). My father's side of the family is mainly Friesian Dutch from the Netherlands who became farmers in Friesland (Columbia County, WI). The Friesians were mainly Dutch Protestants. Both families came to the U.S. between 1870-1930 approximately. Leitner is a German name which means "Leader of the Light". Herringa (Heeringa) can have several meanings in Dutch which include Farmer, Horse Farmer (They love their horses), and Soldier. Many members of both families served in the U.S. Military.

[@UpperDeckerCards]

NORWEGIAN AMERICANS STAND UP! Minnesota Nice

[@edw8889]

❤

[@juliannaboldt7152]

I’m fascinated by the Anglicized surnames you mentioned a few times in the video and would like more information on that in a future video!

[@Steveofthejungle8]

*sees that as interesting uploaded* *sets aside all responsibilities for 45 minutes*

[@hand-jobs]

*that is interesting

[@Steveofthejungle8]

@@hand-jobshaha oops fixed it

[@ForeverFalling153]

I'm a carded Native American and I too appreciated how you presented this information. I'm now a fan! Thanks!

[@GreoGreo]

You don't look like a Natvie American tho

[@emerald523]

First time finding your channel. Absolutely fascinating. Awesome job!

[@dylanfox4239]

I’m of mostly English Ancestry, with a little German ancestry on my dad’s side. I think English is a very underreporting ancestry, because people think it is somehow less interesting than Irish, German, Polish, etc., and also because half of the people with English ancestry claim to be of “American” ancestry, which is fair since their families have been here 300+ years

[@Norm-ih2rq]

Why is that.. I had a GF who was mostly north-western European but said she identified with her Italian ancestry instead. I think this is due to an anti-English/anti-European/anti-Nordic ethos adopted by the west - at least in western circles.

[@cvry2813]

It’s because you all revolted against them that’s why you don’t wanna be one of them. But don’t forget what your ancestors did to the Native Americans.

[@j.gretchenkennington]

I am happy to see people trying to understand how, where, and why people emigrated. I am a grandaughter of people who primarily served others for their living, and sometimes I can feel my Scandinavian grandmother's legacy. I am proud to be "working" class" - because I worked for my living.

[@spacecardinal]

Very well done. Thank you. Maps are wonderful!

[@moniqueprem]

Thanks for this! I’m from the Midwest and my ancestry is Norwegian, Arabic and Polish. Watching this explained soooo much about my great grandparents lives in Michigan and Missouri. More than I could understand before. ❤

[@Composedblackness]

FYI: Creole essentially people who were in Louisiana before it became part of the United States Creole isn’t limited to AAs.

[@bethanyjohnson5598]

I grew up in south Louisiana. I was taught that the Creole people were a combination of Spanish, French, and African American. Cajuns were French from Acadian.

[@marthaanderson2656]

really quite excellent. Several HUH! moments that taught me something new. I have subscribed and look forward to making my way through the state by state series.

[@KenzLaw]

My English ancestors came to Maryland and made their way through VA, WV, and PA and ended up in OH 👍 ~66% English with all of UK being ~81% . Family came as early as the 1600s to the most recent being the late 1800s

[@cvry2813]

They probably mistreated native Americans

[@diane9247]

Bravo, sir! This was a fantastic presentation, thank you for all the wonderful research. My Dad's English family was here in Revolutionary War days, having arrived in early Colonial times. Gen. Israel Putnam was an an ancestor (1718-1790). Mom's ancestors were English, Scots and later Irish. Her English ones also arrived in Colonial times. Because they were all here so early, I don't think we have ever had a fervent feeling of identification with any of those groups. We're among those, I think, who are "just American." I've often wished we were a little spicier - Italian, for instance.😃

[@aintnolittlegirl9322]

Fascinating video! I'm a mix of colonists (Dutch and English) and later immigrants (English, Scots, and Germans).

[@kaymelton8894]

Outstanding video ! Very informative and well researched ! I will definitely be following you!

[@tumbleweedfarm]

This is well done. Going forward, you might consider recording your voice over in a sound-isolated area with a good microphone. This doesn't have to be expensive- a few moving blankets from Harbor Freight will remedy the room noise. Keep up the good work!

[@MartyxWL]

This is amazing! Well researched and executed. Thank you

[@heidimeigs5192]

Native Southerner..DNA predominantly English/Scottish/Irish with small percentages of Nordic and Western Europe. I think I might be the only person down here that doesn’t have a Cherokee princess great grandmother…..😄😄. I don’t consider myself to be anything but American, although I primarily identify as a Southerner. I am a huge history buff..amateur…and knowledge of my ancestors is interesting to me because of this. I am interested in genealogy but have not done any serious searches. I have absolutely no knowledge of any possible relatives alive today in the UK or Europe. My primary interest in my families’ history is more centered on how people lived in past centuries. I have zero knowledge of any monied or titled ancestors, so I read a lot about how lower class people lived their everyday lives. I am devoutly thankful that I am American, and that my people got here and had at least the opportunity to better their circumstances. I may not know their names but I carry their genes as my sons do.

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

I despise that Cherokee princess grandmother crap. I'm *just* European descended. My ancestors are English and I'm proud of that. Not some raped native grandmother who gets sick to every disease ever do to weak native American immune system.

[@marenclair]

Very interesting is correct ! My fathers people were all from Norway and yes immigrated to Minnesota and South Dakota but all of their exit off the ships was in Milwaukee, Lake Michigan.. I am looking forward to further investigation from all that you have provided. Much Thanks, Maren Halvorson

[@marciafyfe9058]

Well-presented and enjoyable history lesson. Thank you.

[@steve19811]

English is the founding stock of this country and many people who think they have german ancestry are somewhat english too.

[@scottanno8861]

Especially in states like Colorado or Idaho.

[@billnye7323]

A lot of the South is mainly English as well.

[@coralovesnature]

Probably, also depends where you are from. I live in Wisconsin, which has a lot of more “recent” immigrants (1800’s), when a large amount of Germans came. On both my mom and my dad’s side my parents know by name their first ancestors who came here from Germany in the late 1800’s. My dad’s dad still had a broken German accent even though he never visited Germany in his life. Yes, there were also a few “miscellaneous” ancestors somewhere in the line who were most likely of some combination of English/ UK decent, so I’m not saying there is no English in there, but it’s also pretty irrelevant. To the extent that I recognize or “claim” European origins, it would be German, but even that has had almost no impact on my life. Culturally, I am American. I don’t celebrate any German (or English, for that matter) traditions or have German or English cultural practices. Yes, I know that we speak the English language , the original government was designed similarly to English government, blah blah, but we broke off from them for a reason.

[@scottanno8861]

@@billnye7323 I always find it funny how English ancestry in the south always counts themselves as "American" ethnicity in the censuses lol

[@anitapeludat256]

I have to strongly disagree. Do simple exploration before the first most taught history of pilgrims and puritans arriving in what is Cape Cod then crossed the bay to what is named Plymouth. Hundreds of Indigenous nations were across the land of what is now called North America, which, of course includes Canada above the United States, the Republic of Mexico, Central America and South America. Many other travelers were here long before the English, French explorers before the English and at the same time. The Dutch had lived in what is now New York and East through Connecticut and Rhode Island. Before all of this the basis of our languages is indigenous nations. Then interpreted by the French and remains to this day or the French interpretation was then translated to the British English at the time. There wasn't only British folks on the Mayflower, it also included some Dutch and Germans. The British may have colonized some of the colonies of that era, but only for a time. British was never the official language here, although we are criticized by some as we should only speak that version. The gentry Brits way of living made its way to our deep south by way of the plantation life across the southern Atlantic. The gentleman farmers, with house servants and black and brown slaves was the British plantation owners way. My French ancestors were gifted land by King Louis the 14th in What would become Detroit around Ft Detroit at that time and settled into their own plantations with house servants and (sickeningly), black and Indigenous natives as slaves. The Chene family. That way of living was forced out eventually, though they kept the land . My father raised in Alabama, dirt poor, of Scottish ancestry eventually moved to Detroit post WWII after years in recovery from injuries. Connecticut where I live now has relied on it's native history for all of our roads, which were all native trails. And gifted lands by the Mashantucket Pequots. The violence of the many wars, even if you only go back to the 1300's over what is now, Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada, Ohio, Indiana and East has direct implications to 1776, with many, many wars prior and after including the War of 1812. I'm not even including what was happening on our Western shores, Mexican wars, the Louisiana region and the purchase, the The Trail of Tears and so on. We all had a hand in stealing land from Indigenous tribes.

[@Jliske2]

thank you. yeah, like many an American mine has a vast mix of stories; although half were Volga German and another quarter were Scots-Irish, meanwhile my great grandmother was a descendant of slavery.

[@philpaine3068]

I remember, many years ago, visiting a fairly large town in Kansas. I was from Toronto, a Canadian city where Italians were a major component of the city (as were the Portuguese). I looked around for spaghetti in a local supermarket. When I couldn't find it, the cashier told me it was in the "ethnic food section"! In 1918, the American critic, humorist and all-round cynic H.L. Mencken published a book called "The American Language; A Preliminary Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States." The last portion of the book described most of the languages spoken in the U.S. at the time, giving a pretty good idea of where they were spoken, their publishing scenes, and how they had influenced American speech and customs. He was particular keen on identifying loan words from other languages that had become American slang It's no surprise that Yiddish was the richest source of loan words. But he carefully sussed out the influences of Arabic [in Toledo] and Armenian [in California]. Mencken, now largely forgotten, was very well known in his day, admired by some but disliked by the many people that he didn't hesitate to offend. He was the guy whose most famous quotation was "If you heave a brick out of a Pullman railway car anywhere in Kansas, it will hit a fundamentalist."

[@devwatts9280]

Sadly the Welsh ancestry group almost always gets totally forgotten, primarily because Wales was completely ruled by England for centuries and so many migrants would have been just classified as English. Williams, Davies, Owens, Peters, and Jones are some of the most common surnames in the English-speaking world and they are all Welsh surnames!

[@hornet6969]

Very well researched. Some comments complain about what you left out, but as you explain, you could not have prepared a video 8 hours long.

[@lde-m8688]

You said you got this from self-reported info? I am from WV and though there is a good bit but more recent groups of Germans, especially in the northern part of the state, we are largely Scots-Irish and English. While your video does a great job discussing the history of why these people came to the U.S., I am not sure self reports are as reliable as could be. Now in Neighboring PA there is a much higher portion of Germans. I'm skeptical of WV being predominately German ancestry

[@kevinbyrne4538]

According to Thomas Sowell's book "Conquests and Cultures", England itself was a product of immigration (from Continental Europe): Italians from northern Italy brought knowledge of finance, Belgians brought knowledge of weaving, Germans brought knowledge of mining, French Huguenots were skilled artisans, etc.

[@jimgorycki4013]

Interesting you mentioned the Palatinate region of Germany. Now it is popular with wineries. My Paternal Grandmother's Maiden name Schaaf. I can trace her family tree back to 1620 Gieselberg. Her father, brother, and grandfather moved to New York late 19th Century. Also, looking at map of where there is a large concentration of Mexican immigrants, look at Southwest and Central Florida. That's where sugar cane, oranges, strawberries and other produces are grown. When I used to visit my mother, driving US 27 you see the sugar trucks and the oranges trucks.

[@Kiwi_TaylorsVersion]

I actually live right at the foot of a vineyard in this region and it is indeed beautiful here. Your grandmother had a lovely hometown

[@pastyman001]

It is often not appreciated as to how many people left Britain and other countries for North America, only to return. I had a grandfather and great Uncle who left Industrial Lancashire NWEngland to do light engineering jobs in East coast USA, mainly around Boston and within New England in the late 20's and 30's, with the idea of getting established there and then bring families over. But the depression started to hit, they kept moving for work, until it dried up altogether, when they were told they needed to keep what work there was for Americans.

[@hummingbirdofgumption3263]

I have come to believe English ancestry is EXTREMELY underrepresented, not slightly underrepresented. I think a lot of it is because Americans think of English ancestry as generic. While some people anglicized their names, it's greatly overexaggerated. Most of the names changed from German to English-sounding occurred in the 1700s whereas those name from the 1800s were largely kept intact because they had translators at Castle Gardens & Ellis Island. Thus, those English names we see are mostly from English ancestors. I'm in several Scots-Irish chat groups including those on Facebook, since I'm part Scots -Irish. However, by and large most of the people in the group are significantly English and are always shocked that the people with English names came from Surrey or Dorset, etc England, not Derry. I'm not, because even though a few of my ancestors came from Ulster, many of those people were originally English.

[@victoriasmith815]

Great research , nice work ! Bit loooong (skipped around to deter a nap) thank you for posting :)

[@lisarakic9285]

I have 3rd cousins 4-6 times removed who came over from England and traveled to Utah as Mormons. I have a lot of German, English and Irish ancestry and many branches of my family have been in the US for more than 200 years. What you describe sounds pretty accurate from what I've learned about my own family history.