In spite of the title, this isn't going to be a morbid point of view. Rather it's an observation and a recent surprise.
Growing up I attended wakes of family friends. Back then, you paid your respects to the family before you sat quietly in the funeral parlor. When you spoke, it was in whispers and mostly in reference to the dearly departed.
Now things and attitudes have greatly changed. You still pay your respects to the family, but the gathering is more a celebration of life. You get reacquainted with family and friends you haven't seen in years. You learn of marriages, how the next generation is all grown up and there are new grandkids. (That can make you feel old.) You share 'Remember when' moments and recall other family members who are gone. There were two passings in my family in two weeks' time. The second passing brought together cousins and other relatives we hadn't seen since we were children.
As it turns out, one of those cousins has an interest in geneology and enough curiosity to do a bit of a search on the female side of the family. Armed with a swab for DNA this cousin found out some interesting facts about our ancestry.
We always knew our family came from Azorean background but I always wondered if maybe there was something more. The writer in me imagined there was. Usually, you discover this sort of thing while you're still young but sometimes you don't know where the information can be found when your sources no longer exist. (At least, that's the understanding.) Every kid is curious about their family. When I was quite young, people used to ask if I was Mexican. No, I assured them I was strictly of Portuguese descent. Imagine my surprise when I found out differently.
From what this cousin discovered, our mothers' (sisters) lines carry genetics of English, Irish, and a bit of Hungarian. There's also some pirate ancesters which could explain the Algerian blood in the family. I'd love to know if any of those pirates were famous. How neat would that be? With more background information, I could have a field day with story creation.
I've written medieval romance set in England but have never written anything about Irish. Maybe it's time to change that. As fascinating and informative as this revelation has been, I have one thing more to say about it...
What! No Scots?
