Poll:Immigrant: experience or heredity?

[grasshopper]

One set of GP's immigrated from Sweden. GD was hired in Sweden to design and build ships here in the US. The other GP's were both born in the states GD traced his relatives to pre revolutionary times, GM was from a dairy family with long German roots to upper NY, GD also shared a German heritage.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

My bloodline [through my maternal grandparents] goes back to the founding governor of the Plymouth Colony settlement. They migrated to this continent onboard the MayFlower in 1620.

Through my paternal grandparents the lineage gets lost at a fur-trapper who settled in Missouri in the 1760s. We have no idea where he came from before he arrived in Missouri, and in 1760s there would not have been very many white men in that area.

[Niuatoputapu]

Am about 10th (average) generation "American", but am first generation US citizen as both parents immigrated to US. Trace ancestry back to a tiny part Native, to the Mayflower (1620), many in the Winthrop Fleet (1630), some Huguenots (1690), and many in the first major refugee resettlement (Palatine refugees of 1709) to the New World. However, most ancestors chose the losing side in the War for Independence and were chased into Canada thereafter (1790s). It's nice to be back.

[HadEnuff]

on my Dad's side, all 4 of his grandparents immigrated to Buffalo, NY, in the late 1800s.

My Mom was a native Italian (half Tuscan, half Sardegnan), who married my Dad while he was in Italy in the Army, in 1946.

[Oz investor]

i don't live in the US haven't visited the US , and have no intention of visiting the US

( and neither of my parents ever visited the US )

if i ever migrated ( a tiny chance now )

my choices are

1. NZ (somewhere between sensible politicians and realistic dreams )

2 . Switzerland ( hopefully the political system doesn't implode before i got there )

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

All four grandparents were Friese. Before that, neanderthal.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[gerntz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsmeow I am actually surprised that the percentage of 100% Native American is so high in the poll. Native Americans are only about 2% of the population and I would guess that many are not 100% Native American. So that 3.4% for 100% Native American seems high.

Given on her own efforts, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren might be able to direct you on how to investigate this subject if you contact her.

[gerntz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsmeow I am not Native American. I am actually surprised that the percentage of 100% Native American is so high in the poll. Native Americans are only about 2% of the population and I would guess that many are not 100% Native American. So that 3.4% for 100% Native American seems high.

Your definition of Native Am. & poll respondents' definition might be different. I.e., anyone born here might consider themselves NA. How many generations back do you need to go to be considered NA?

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko Other: Mom's side immigrated on the Mayflower. (actually 398 years ago today) Dad's side came to Canada from France in 1596, moved to US in 1740.

Similar. Mom’s side a Mayflower immigrant; on Dad’s side, my 10th great grandfather, Roger Williams, came over in the 1600s and founded Providence, RI.

Pocahontas is in there somewhere.

Various other long-ago immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, and Switzerland.

[savory]

Eastern Europe for all 4 grand parents. My maternal grandmother would tell me she lived in Russia or Poland depending on who seem to win the skirmish the night before. She did speak Russian.

Parents were born in Canada. I was born in USA after parents came to the States.

I am not sure how my last name was changed from my paternal roots but I was told it was different. I expect an immigration officer created it. It started with the same letter.
On my maternal side, I am guessing the name was changed slightly to an easier pronunciation.

[Katsmeow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerntz Your definition of Native Am. & poll respondents' definition might be different. I.e., anyone born here might consider themselves NA. How many generations back do you need to go to be considered NA?

Oh, I hadn't thought of that. The question didn't ask if someone was native born American. The term Native American (capitalized like that) I just assumed would refer to Native Americans, not simply those of us born in the US without immigrant parents or grandparents... But, you could definitely be right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerntz Given on her own efforts, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren might be able to direct you on how to investigate this subject if you contact her.

I actually know quite a lot about DNA testing as I've tested and helped several other people with trying to figure out their matches. Talking to Elizabeth Warren wouldn't be helpful to the question I posed as the poll question refers to 100% Native American ancestry. Her ancestry is not 100% so doesn't seem relevant to the question. Many, many, many people in the US have small amounts of Native American ancestry. They would not, however, be fairly described as 100% Native American.

Many people misunderstand ethnicity testing. They think that if, for example, someone tests and gets back a result of no Native American then that means the person doesn't have Native American ancestry. This is a misunderstanding when talking about several generations back. After several generations, for example, it is possible that one is descended from a particular ancestor but has not received any DNA from that ancestor. So, you may be able to say that someone has Native American ancestry to some degree but it is not so simply to say that someone does not (for close relations, yes, it would show up but not more distant ancestors). For example, there is about a 10% chance that one will not share any DNA at all with a proven third cousin. I have a third cousin who also tested as did his mother and his siblings. I share DNA with his mother and siblings. He shares DNA with his mother and siblings. However, he and I fall within that 10% of third cousins that don't share DNA.

Anyway -- I suspect you are right and some poll respondents are interpreting the question differently than I am given the relatively high percentage of people answering 100% Native American...

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsmeow I am actually surprised that the percentage of 100% Native American is so high in the poll. Native Americans are only about 2% of the population and I would guess that many are not 100% Native American. So that 3.4% for 100% Native American seems high.

Sampling error. You have to have a large enough number of respondents.

But interpretation is another thing. What did the op mean exactly? I interpreted it as you did.

And then there’s just internet orneriness.

[neihn]

Immigrant with refugee status, naturalized citizen.

[Fleur58]

Me and my parents and all 4 grandparents and their grandparents are Canadian born in Canada. I am a Legal immigrant (now dual citizen) in the US. I am also Black, which throws people off track as they didn't think there were native born Black people in Canada.

[kcowan]

Father came from Glasgow in steerage as a young child. Mother escaped London when her father, a German officer, was killed in the war. Her mother felt that the parents would come after her for their three grandchildren. (They were Schiefers.) Changed her last name and also came in steerage.

[EastWest Gal]

Maternal grandmother immigrated from Russia-actually What is now Georgia in mid-1900s due to religious persecution. She had 10 siblings-a couple stayed behind, one died along the way. Maternal grandfather was born in Siberia and immigrated near the end of WWI. Same religious sect, settled in SF. On dad’s side, before revolutionary war, from Germany and England. We’re all immigrants, but second generation on mom’s side.

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fleur58 Me and my parents and all 4 grandparents and their grandparents are Canadian born in Canada. I am a Legal immigrant (now dual citizen) in the US. I am also Black, which throws people off track as they didn't think there were native born Black people in Canada.

This reminded me of a story my Dad use to tell. My parents were also Canadian but moved to the States after WWII. Like you, I also have dual citizenship.

Dad's high school's b-ball team had two people of color. Until I looked at the team picture a few minutes ago, I thought there was only one person. The team made it to the playoffs in Toronto sometime in the mid/late 30s. The coach hesitantly approached him and asked if he would share a room with his black teammate as they would need to spend the night. Growing up with 9 siblings and not much money, he had no problem sharing. He did not hesitate to agree. It wasn't until he grew a little older that he learned about how many people would have expected him to respond to the request. Having said that, I know he would have made the same decision. He was friends with Doc (I think his teammate went on to become a doctor) but I really do not know the rest of the story and now no one to ask.

[Fleur58]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davef This reminded me of a story my Dad use to tell. My parents were also Canadian but moved to the States after WWII. Like you, I also have dual citizenship. Dad's high school's b-ball team had two people of color. Until I looked at the team picture a few minutes ago, I thought there was only one person. The team made it to the playoffs in Toronto sometime in the mid/late 30s. The coach hesitantly approached him and asked if he would share a room with his black teammate as they would need to spend the night. Growing up with 9 siblings and not much money, he had no problem sharing. He did not hesitate to agree. It wasn't until he grew a little older that he learned about how many people would have expected him to respond to the request. Having said that, I know he would have made the same decision. He was friends with Doc (I think his teammate went on to become a doctor) but I really do not know the rest of the story and now no one to ask.

Canadian Blacks native to Canada are a hidden group to this day. Most blacks you meet in Canada now adays are children of West Indian and African immigrants. If someone Black from Canada tells you they come from or their relatives are from Nova Scotia or New Brunswick--9/10 they are originally Canadian for many generations. I had an ancestor that escaped from the US in the 1700s; and some ancestors were from the UK where my last name is a common Midlands last name.

My father left Nova Scotia and moved to Western Canada in 1950. I grew up amongst all White people. Dad moved there to get a job on the railroad as a sleeping car porter. I know what its like to be ostrasized and singled out as "different".

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fleur58 Canadian Blacks native to Canada are a hidden group to this day. Most blacks you meet in Canada now adays are children of West Indian and African immigrants. If someone Black from Canada tells you they come from or their relatives are from Nova Scotia or New Brunswick--9/10 they are originally Canadian for many generations. I had an ancestor that escaped from the US in the 1700s; and some ancestors were from the UK where my last name is a common Midlands last name. My father left Nova Scotia and moved to Western Canada in 1950. I grew up amongst all White people. Dad moved there to get a job on the railroad as a sleeping car porter. I know what its like to be ostrasized and singled out as "different".

Funny, my Dad was born in Sydney and lived in the area for part of his youth. They left Nova Scotia for Ontario given bad economic times . Mom was born in Ontario.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Sampling error.

And then there also was that friendly postman....
[emoji1]