See Comment #212 for more details. The most interesting thing I have is a German language genealogy dating back to the 1700s. This is from my maternal grandmother’s side. Some day I hope to get it translated. I am told that some ancestors were robber barrons. I know that my great grandfather lost the 1000 acres they owned in East Prussia (currently Kaliningrad) during the Franco Prussian War, 1870s. They had potato contracts with the army. There was a blight and they sold land to buy potatoes to meet the contract. They finished with 20 acres and the buildings. My great grandfather dropped von (sir) from his last name and went to work as a court secretary. His daughter married my grandfather who was a marine engineer. He didn’t like the way Bismark’s navy was headed and brought his wife to America. There is probably some Asiatic tartar way back there. I read that 1/20th of humans have DNA from Gengis kahn (sp?), who conquered as far west as East Prussia. Even though my husband had light blue (highly recessive color) and I have hazel eyes (moderately recessive), both sons have very dark brown eyes, although one has light brown hair. So I suspect it is a fairly strongly recessive Asian dark brown eye color, weaker than my main color but stronger than my husbands pale blue. The idea that we most might have blood of conquerors in our veins does not surprise me. Remember the law of Primogeniture? The custom that the lord had first rights to the new bride of a serf.
and don’t forget Niall of the Nine Hostages. Also Edward III (r. 1327-1377) and Richard II (r. 1377-1399) who have millions of descendants in the US, and King John “Lackland” who is forefather to all of the US presidents except for Martin Van Buren (Dutch roots), and a great many of us besides.
Genghis Khan: Father To Millions
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1158027/posts