More DNA Results!

Last week my husband’s DNA test from Ancestry came in.  I was so excited, jumping up and down excited.  However, I was good.  I waited until he got home to open the email and see the results.  It was hard, very hard.  We got a bit of a shock to say the least.  He is 96% British Isles and 4% unknown.  Wow, and I thought I was pretty homogenous with my DNA results at European (British Isles, Central European, and Eastern European).

The genealogy I have found for my husband makes this result believable.  He has ancestors from all over those islands: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Jersey, and England.  However, he has 2 Germanic lines and I have a feeling are where the unknown bits come from.

Two of his 2^nd great-grandmothers on his father’s side were of Northern European decent.  Augusta Jahnke (last name of step-father) was born in New York City to German immigrants.  Her mother, Maria Meier, was from Munster but I have not located where her father, Augustus Heinritz, was from.   The other grandmother, Annie Munsmann, was born in Connecticut to Danish immigrants Henry Munsmann and Caroline Anderson.  These two women are the only non-English ancestors that I have found in 400 years of family.

This week I began reaching out to potential cousins that are likely to be related to him.  There are quite a few in the 4^th cousin range, but nothing closer than that.  One of these hints even had a tree match which makes things so much easier when corresponding with unknown people.    I am still slogging through the possible connections trying to identify other cousin matches that Ancestry may not know about.  His family had to be difficult with 2 name changes.  Sigh.

What are your thoughts?  Do you think that the 4% unknown could possibly be the genetic legacy of these two women?  Could it just be some “junk” DNA floating in there from an ancestor not identified?  Or am I completely off base here….