Genealogical Discoveries from Actual Ancestral Records Shake My World!

Celtic cross from the isle of Iona, Scotland

Wow! I've been thrown a real curve ball in my search for my spiritual ancestral heritage, my Western cultural heritage with which I seek to frame my Orthodox Christian practice as Greeks, Russians, and Serbs can frame theirs. While I was in Alabama visiting my immediate family, I saw our family tree: actual records of our ancestors. Much to my surprise and, to a large extent, dismay, I have found that I am NOT Irish! I am only Irish insofar as the Hosey family name is the name of a Norman line, also called Hussey or de Houssaye, which settled in Ireland during the 1200's. I knew that I was Norman-Irish, if anything. But what I didn't know is that there appears to be no pure Irish blood in me whatsoever! So far, I haven't traced but one ancestor back to Ireland and he was Scottish; his father moved to Dublin in the late 1600's. Having actually done genealogical research and traced several ancestral lines back, this is what I have discovered: some Welsh blood, a lot of English blood with Anglo-Saxon roots and Norman roots, a bit of Scottish, a bit of Dutch, and a bit of German. Here's some information on my ancestral heritage according to residence of documented ancestors.

Welsh St. David's Cross, Pembrokeshire

THE NAME HOSEY: Here is a link all about the Hosey surname, both in Ireland and in England. The Hosey surname, also spelled Hussey, de Houssaye and Hosea, is a Norman name. Hoseys settled in County Meath, Ireland, during the 1100's and 1200's. Others in the family, however, stayed in Kent, England. They came to Kent from Normandy, of course, after 1066 A.D., the Norman conquest of England.

https://www.houseofnames.com/hosey-family-crest/Irish -- Irish settlement of Hoseys

https://www.houseofnames.com/Hosey-family-crest -- English settlement of Hoseys

The Irish version of our surname, Ó hEódhusa, is one that I've clung to all these years. But I can't find proof that I belong to the line that settled in Ireland because I can't trace my Hosey ancestors prior to 1675 in Norfolk, Virginia, colonial British America.

WELSH & A TINY BIT OF SCOTTISH ON MY FATHER'S SIDE

My father's line of Hosey, thus far, can only be traced back as far as a John Davidson Hosea who died in Norfolk, VA in 1675. There's a Welsh side of the Hosey family from my paternal grandmother's line, the Logans. Logan is originally a Norman name, de Logan, but my grandmother's line actually is traced back to Pennard, Wales in 1557 through an ancestor named Silas George. There's a matrilineal line in the George ancestry that has the name Powell and goes back to Lydbury North, Shropshire, England, in the year 1515. On the Logan side, there is also a John Logan (1689-1777), who was born in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland and died in Washington, Litchfield, Connecticut. His father, John Logan, Sr., was born in Scotland in 1647.

Dutch Delft tile of the Crucifixion from 18th-century Rotterdam

DUTCH AND BELGIAN ON MY FATHER'S SIDE:

The Dutch line of the Hosey family begins with Alida Lydia Pruyn from Albany, NY (1707-1788). She married Andrew Lendrick Logan (1705-1788) from Albany, NY. He is the great-great-great-great grandfather of my dad James Hosey on his grandmother's side, the Logans.

Alida Pruyn's family descends from Johannes Pruyn of Albany, 1667-1749. He was the son of Frans Janse Pruyn, born in Holland, Reusel-de-Mierden, Noordbrabant, Netherlands in 1638 and died in Albany, NY, British Colonial America, in 1712.

His father, Johannes Pruyn (1617-1712) was born in Gelderland, Netherlands and died in Albany, NY, Colonial America. HIS father was Johannes Pruyn from Antwerp, Belgium, born there in 1585, date and location of death unknown.

German Hezilo cross, before 1079 A.D.

GERMAN ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE FROM THE HEADLEY FAMILY: Mom's maiden name was Scott. Her mother's maiden name was Headley, Simmie Headley. Simmie's mother was Ada Ware Headley.

Ada Roselyn Ware married Albert Clayton Headley (1873-1940). She was my great-grandmother on my mom's side. The German side of Ada Ware's family can be traced from Ada's mother, Catherine Ophelia Click (1850-1940) all the way back to Peter Vankleek, who was born in Germany in 1678 and died in 1794, location of death unlisted. His son was Baltas Click (also listed Kleek). from Alsace-Lorraine, and Baltas died on the ship to Philadelphia on September 26, 1732.

More German ancestry comes through the Culp line from the Headley family, starting with James Thomas Headley (1846-1921), who married Elizabeth Tirsie Culp (1842-1894). James Thomas Headley's descendants were Albert Clayton Headley (1873-1940), married to Ada Roselyn Ware (born 1876, death date not listed). (Again, Albert and Ada were Simmie Headley Scott's parents).

So, through Simmie, there's a long German line going all the way back to Bayern, Germany in the 1500's. That Bavarian ancestor's name is Martin Heinrich Kolb (1560-1620). His grandfather was Hans Dieter Kolb (1522-1601), from Ludwigshafen, Rheinland-Pfatz. Germany.

Hans Dieter's grandfather was Heinz der Jung Kolb, 1460-1538, from Unterwaiz, Oberfranken, Bayern Lande, Deutschland. His grandfather was Hans Kolb, from the same place, living from 1382-1440. Hans Kolb's father was Fritz Kolb, from the same place, 1350-1404.

One of the Headley ancestors was a bishop of some sort, but it's not clear whether Protestant or Catholic. My guess would be Protestant. His name is listed on the familysearch.org website as "Reverand, Bishop Peter Schumacher Kolb." (Yes, that's how 'reverend' is spelled; it must be 18th-century English spelling). He was born in 1671, in Wolfsheim, Mainz-Bingen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died in 1727 in Pennsylvania, on September 5. I wonder if he was Amish?

So, on the patrilineal side, the Headley German line goes back from Simmie's grandmother, Elizabeth Tirsie Culp (1842-1894) to Fritz Kolb in 14th-century Germany!

SCOTTISH ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE:

There's a line on the Scott side, my maternal grandfather's side, that can be traced back to 17th-century Scotland (i.e., the 1600's).

Anglo-Saxon reliquary cross, 11th century

THE POPWELLS ON MY FATHER'S SIDE: ANGLO-SAXONS!

First of all, Popwell is an Anglo-Saxon name, derived from "popel" which means "pebble" in Anglo-Saxon, and "weilas," which is Saxon for "well." Together, those two Saxon words are "popel-weilas," which means "Pebble-well."

So far, I've traced the Popwells back to England. According to Irish surname lists, however, both Popwells and Hoseys are listed as families that settled in Ireland at some point.

DNA: The DNA Hapla groups of all these European, Welsh, English and Scottish ancestors is the same, according to current scientific research, as that of the Irish. The exception is that there are some variances in some Irish DNA caused by the presence of Basque heritage.

CONCLUSION: I can only consider myself as belonging to Celtic heritage insofar as the Welsh and Scottish roots go, from what I've found thus far in actual genealogical records, and insofar as Irish monks travelled to many of the areas in question--Wales, Germany, England--to spread the word of God. But I can not really call myself Irish, in the pure sense of the word. And with the Norman side of Hosey and Logan, which cannot be substantiated completely unless I can trace those lines back to before the 16th century, I could have a teeny bit of Norse heritage. My eldest sister Carol Hosey Spencer had a teeny bit of Swedish in her DNA, but mostly English. My eldest brother Mike Hosey had almost all English DNA.

Anyway, what a blow! I've grown up keeping Irish traditions, singing songs in Irish, and pursuing a Celtic flavour of my Orthodox Christianity according to that supposed heritage. I feel pretty adrift now, and it's not a good feeling to have, after I've clung to things Irish all these years. But I will continue my quest, and I won't give things Celtic. It's just that I can't claim Irish Celtic roots by blood, though by DNA it apparently makes no difference because of the matching Hapla groups. Also, my Western heritage is open to all sorts of things now, with that Germanic/Anglo-Saxon side and that Dutch/Flemish strain. I guess I just have to describe myself now as Northern European.

It is interesting that in the past year, I've developed an interest in the Anglo-Saxon Sanctorale and saints, as well as an interest in learning Anglo-Saxon and Dutch. I wondered why I, who was supposed to be Irish, was interested in such things.

St. Patrick wasn't Irish. A lot of people say he was Welsh. Anyway, who am I? Not who I thought I was, at least not ancestrally.

Why does all this matter? Why not just cling to Christ and forget all this stuff about heritage? Well, in the end, Christ is all that matters. However, Christ also made us who we are in terms of blood and ancestry, and who we are as people is sacred because God made us that way. So, knowing who we are as we walk with Christ is important. He doesn't ask us to give up who we are to follow Him. He asks us to surrender who we are to be transformed and transfigured by His grace, but He doesn't ask us to completely obliterate all sense of self and our uniqueness as individuals.

Grimbald Gospel evangelist portrait, Anglo-Saxon

French or Flemish pendant from circa 1400

German medieval processional cross

Dutch altar crucifix, 19th century