How many generations on for a descendant to carry less than 2% ethnicity?

[melba_schmelba]

I'm pretty sure that it's actually Ashkenazi Jewish, melba_scheming.

Living DNA doesn't test for that ethnicity, but I have 7% on Ancestry.

Romilly.

Melba scheming , autocomplete hiccup . Yes most likely Living DNA are mistaking the Red Sea / ancient semitic DNA as recent Arab when it is a component of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. As a matter of interest, do you know how far back your Jewish ancestor was?

[Romilly]

Unfortunately it's from my Brickwall Paternal side:-(

I can't get beyond my Grandfather William James Wilson (1860 - 1937) on that side. However, I'm guessing that it must come from one of his Grandparents...?

It's amazing the number of DNA Matches I have from this small amount of Ashkenazi DNA!

Romilly.

[melba_schmelba]

Unfortunately it's from my Brickwall Paternal side:-(

I can't get beyond my Grandfather William James Wilson (1860 - 1937) on that side. However, I'm guessing that it must come from one of his Grandparents...?

It's amazing the number of DNA Matches I have from this small amount of Ashkenazi DNA!

Romilly.

Ah, was William adopted, or illegitimate? It could even be one of his parents, even in theory on average a great grandparent will be about 12.5%, it can be more or less. Yes Jewish people (specifically Ashkenazi) do tend to have many more matches than usual due to endogamy due to the fact they are descended from a very limited number of ancestors who intermarried a lot. In theory Ancestry's Timber algorithm tried to fix this, but I don't think it entirely corrects for the effect (nor would you want it to).

[Romilly]

I have no problem locating him after he married my Grandmother Margaret Rees in Swansea in 1893.

However, he's impossible to find anywhere before then...

I can only assume that he wasn't born or baptized under the name he used for his Marriage?

Of my sister and Paternal 1st cousins who have also tested, - percentages vary from 12%, 10%, 7% and 5%. And my daughter, one generation on, has 2%.

Romilly.

[melba_schmelba]

I have no problem locating him after he married my Grandmother Margaret Rees in Swansea in 1893.

However, he's impossible to find anywhere before then...

I can only assume that he wasn't born or baptized under the name he used for his Marriage?

Of my sister and Paternal 1st cousins who have also tested, - percentages vary from 12%, 10%, 7% and 5%. And my daughter, one generation on, has 2%.

Romilly.

I suppose if he was born with a Jewish name, that might have been a reason to change it due to the discrimination that used to occur. From the %s in the same generation of your relatives it does look like one of his parents might have been wholly of Ashkenazi ancestry. Is there any pattern you can discern from the closest Jewish matches? Where did William say he was born on the censuses, did he list a father's name at marriage?

[Romilly]

On his Marriage Cert, in 1893, William James Wilson gives his Father as: 'William Wilson, (Deceased) Occupation: Mason'.

On the 1901 and 1911 Censuses, he gives his place of Birth as, 'Manchester, Lancs'.

Something's not right, - because I've never been able to find him anywhere before 1893.

Romilly.

[melba_schmelba]

On his Marriage Cert, in 1893, William James Wilson gives his Father as: 'William Wilson, (Deceased) Occupation: Mason'.

On the 1901 and 1911 Censuses, he gives his place of Birth as, 'Manchester, Lancs'.

Something's not right, - because I've never been able to find him anywhere before 1893.

Romilly.

Aha, I think was thinking Manchester, that is probably the second highest place of Jewish settlement in the UK after London. Do any of the Jewish matches have Manchester links?

[Romilly]

Yes, - Manchester and Leeds.

The name Michaels/Michaelis comes up a lot...

Romilly.

[Ruskie]

Yes, - Manchester and Leeds.

The name Michaels/Michaelis comes up a lot...

Romilly.

Sounds Greek perhaps?

For interest, my Jewish of 6% on FTDNA and 9.6% on My Heritage comes from a 2 x great grandmother. You may need to look back a generation or two from your known Wilsons.

Regarding the original query about less than 2% - I thought such a small amount was negligible and possibly just down to "noise".