Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish Friends and Buddies.  According to the DNA testing company 23andMe my brother Stephen and I have a small Irish Ancestry Claim.

Please keep in mind that ancestry is only traced from your mother’s side as only Women carry Mitochondrial DNA which is passed from Mother to child.  In order for me to get information on my Dad’s side one of my paternal cousins would have to take the DNA test.

When I was younger and especially when I was a kid I would get stopped on the street all the time by total strangers asking me if I was Native American. Got the same question from a Korean Sister who was giving me a facial. Obviously the African and Native American genes stand out more than anything else. Or at least to friends and neighbors.

Here is the 411 on our family genetics:

My Maternal Grandmother Hattie Finney Banks

Above photos of my Mom Mable Elizabeth Palmer and my Grandmother Hattie Finney Banks. Below Me and Stephen.