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Well, I couldn't choose just one. That's my point. And my husband, whose ancestors hail from Louisiana, is such a mixed bag of DNA there is no way he could choose just one or even just two "types" of ancestry.
Besides that, both of our families have been in the southern US for several hundred years so the whole "what ancestry are you" question is sort of moot. Most people don't really know their ancestry back more than three or four generations even if they are claiming to be of, for example, Italian or Scottish or whatever ancestry.
You know what we are? Louisianian and Texan and if you want to go WAY back, we are Virginian and South Carolinian.
You do realize the Census is "check all that apply" for ancestry right?
I can see how or why many people would simply put "American."
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Some people identify their ancestry as American. This could be because their ancestors have been in United States for so long or they have such mixed backgrounds that they do not identify with any particular group. Some foreign born or children of the foreign born may report American to show that they are part of American society. There are many reasons people may report their ancestors as American, and the growth in this response has been substantial.
In the autobiography of Andrew Davis, a Methodist preacher born in Jonesborough, TX in 1827, died in Corsicana, TX in 1906, Mr Davis states that his family are Scotch-Irish. That struck me when I read it because pretty much nobody in Texas would say or even know that nowadays. But apparently there was a time when Southerners knew their heritage to a greater degree—back when they were maybe 2-3 generations removed from at least some immigrant ancestors. Too much time has passed now, though, and too much mixing. Basically all most Southerners can do these days is look at their ancestors’ family names and guess mostly British, with maybe some admixture. There are parts of Texas settled by Germans and Czechs in the 1800’s, where most people know their ancestry to a greater extent, and of course recent immigrants and their children and grandchildren know theirs, but this is not usually the case, especially in rural areas settled multiple generations ago.
In the autobiography of Andrew Davis, a Methodist preacher born in Jonesborough, TX in 1827, died in Corsicana, TX in 1906, Mr Davis states that his family are Scotch-Irish. That struck me when I read it because pretty much nobody in Texas would say or even know that nowadays. But apparently there was a time when Southerners knew their heritage to a greater degree—back when they were maybe 2-3 generations removed from at least some immigrant ancestors. Too much time has passed now, though, and too much mixing. Basically all most Southerners can do these days is look at their ancestors’ family names and guess mostly British, with maybe some admixture. There are parts of Texas settled by Germans and Czechs in the 1800’s, where most people know their ancestry to a greater extent, and of course recent immigrants and their children and grandchildren know theirs, but this is not usually the case, especially in rural areas settled multiple generations ago.
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Rarely coming or settling in groups, 100-proof Scot-Texans have begun to celebrate their ethnic heritage only in the last part of the 20th century with annual "highland games" and festivals in various parts of the state.
The Scottish festivals involve not only athletic competition but also feature music, especially piping and drumming, as well as dance and food.
The longest running and probably best-known include the Scottish Games in Salado. The annual fete, sponsored by the Central Texas Area Museum, is held in November.
The Texas Scottish Festival and Highland Games at the University of Texas in Arlington are held each year in early June.
The Mo-Ranch Day of the Scots in Hunt is in September.
The state's largest city, Houston, holds its annual British Sports Festival and Scottish Highland Games annually in the spring.
The Institute of Texan Cultures' annual Folklife Festival in San Antonio includes the Scottish legacy in its August celebrations.
However, per capita, this is only about 1 percent of the population. The states that lead in percentage of folks claiming to be of Scots-Irish ancestry are:
North Carolina (2.9%)
South Carolina, Tennessee (2.4%)
West Virginia (2.1%)
Montana, Virginia (1.8%)
Maine (1.7%)
Alabama, Mississippi (1.6%)
Kentucky, Oregon, Wyoming (1.5%) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch...s#cite_note-72
It's probably due to a lack of information; either they don't know their genealogy, or they don't realize that a preceding nationality is being asked for. Most assume that living in the US automatically makes "American" their ancestry.
However, per capita, this is only about 1 percent of the population. The states that lead in percentage of folks claiming to be of Scots-Irish ancestry are:
North Carolina (2.9%)
South Carolina, Tennessee (2.4%)
West Virginia (2.1%)
Montana, Virginia (1.8%)
Maine (1.7%)
Alabama, Mississippi (1.6%)
Kentucky, Oregon, Wyoming (1.5%) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch...s#cite_note-72
Very interesting! I reckon that these people probably know of only one or a few ancestors who professed to being Scotch-Irish/Scots-Irish/Ulster Scots. If “British” or “mixed British,” with “British” including Irish, was a category on the census forms, then “American” would probably be a less popular selection.
When American is an option, that's the one I will select. This choice has nothing to do with patriotism, but it's simply a matter of fact. I am a native of this country and I am descended from people who are natives as well.
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