Unravelling the Genetic Tapestry: My Unexpected Etruscan Lineage Discovered through iGENEA DNA Test
Family name Hagan
My recent iGENEA DNA test, undertaken to uncover my lineage, led me to the unexpected discovery of roots in ancient Etruscan society outside the expected Irish and British ancestry linked with my Hagan surname. This revelation triggered an adventure into family history, unravelling a unique narrative of migration, marriage and heritage entangled in the threads of my DNA.
I took a leap of faith and ordered a DNA test from iGENEA, drawn in by the prospect of learning more about my heritage and family's history. After an anxious period of waiting, the results arrived and brought with them a wave of surprising revelations which triggered a cascade of emotions.
Expectedly, the bulk of my genetic makeup was linked to Irish and British ancestry, due to the Hagan surname. Hagan being an Irish surname, I anticipated this connection. The Hagan family history is traced back to County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. But the surprises were yet to unfold.
Beyond the dominant Western European genetic framing, there lay a shocking surprise. Apparently, 10% of my genes were traced back to the Etruscans, an ancient civilisation that flourished in Italy before the establishment of the Roman Empire. I had always assumed I was entirely Irish with minor British lineages. However, this new information created a gap in my understanding of my ancestry. How did an Italian Etruscan fit into the Hagan lineage? It was a question that triggered an extensive, engrossing investigation into my familial history.
One unexpected twist came from my maternal lineage, a segment of DNA passed down from mother to child relatively unchanged. This significant amount of Etruscan genetic material prompted a deep dive into family records, with elderly relatives providing valuable insight. It appears, a great-great-grandmother on my mother's side was from Northern Italy, possibly of Etruscan origin. A marriage into the Hagan clan introduced this fascinating genetic strand into the family's bloodline, which managed to persist over generations to me.
The unveiling of this unexpected lineage has transformed my perspective on my family’s history. It serves as a reminder that our ancestry is an intricate web of stories, shaped not just by the generations directly before us, but by thousands of years of human history.
F. Hagan