How Recent?

[darkerhorse]

How recent does a specific ethnicity have to be in your family tree in order to be detected in your DNA?

[MarcuccioV]

How recent does a specific ethnicity have to be in your family tree in order to be detected in your DNA?

Nearly impossible to determine due to random replication. In some cases many generations, in others, only a few. Average I'd guess is 5 or 6 generations, but could be more or less.

Unfortunately, there isn't a distinct number, and it would be different with every individual...

[darkerhorse]

I think I heard four generations back once.

I suppose it's possible to be "Italian" by paper trail but not by DNA, and vice versa.

[MarcuccioV]

I think I heard four generations back once.

I suppose it's possible to be "Italian" by paper trail but not by DNA, and vice versa.

And to create further confusion, Sicily was an even bigger melting pot. Greeks, Arabs, Balkans, Spanish, North Africans, Anatolians, even Celts, Romani and Vikings. Of course, Europe is somewhat of a melting pot in general. There have been so many migrations of different tribes over the centuries that I think in the big picture it's mostly a wild guess at best...