Per DNA results, I am 50% Scandinavian (from my mothers side) and not more than 16% English from the Shurtleff side – oddly enough). However, my wife is 90% Scandinavian as both sides of her family are from Sweden / Norway respectively. So I was curious, how close was our families back in the day…

As part of my search in Ancestry.com in bringing in hints for the #Shurtleff / #Shirecliffe etc. line as far back as it goes, I also did the same for my mother’s name – #Soderstrom as well as my wife’s name #Holmquist and her mother’s name #Durene. The below is what I found…

Shurtleff:
William Shurtleff (1st Shurtleff in American) was born 1619 – 1624 (thereabouts) in Ecclesfield, #England (a suburb of #Sheffield in the county of South Yorkshire).

Soderstrom:
John E Soderstrom (1st Soderstrom in America – my mother’s father) was born in 1867 in Gotland, Sweden.

Swanson:
Carl M Swanson (1st Swanson in American – my mother’s great grandfather on her grandmother’s side) was born in 1827 in #Hjärtlanda Parish, Jönköping, Sweden.

Danielson:
Swen Danielson (1st Danielson in America – my mother’s great great grandfather on her mother’s side) was born in 1846 in Hemmesjö (Växjö) med Tegnaby Parish, Kronoberg, Sweden.

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Holmquist:
Martin Olaf Holmquist (1st Holmquist in American – my wife’s great grandfather – on her father’s side) was born in 1867 in Ramsåsa, Skane, Sweden.

Pettit:
Dora Pettit (my wife’s grandmother on her father’s side – Dora’s grandparents and great grandparents spend a generation or two in Canada, but as far back as we can find, resided in NE United States.

Durene:
Rune A Durene (1st Durene in America – my wife’s grandfather – on her mother’s side) was born in 1908 in Sweden. Rune’s father – August R Karlsson was born in 1877 in Bällefors, Skaraborg, Sweden.

Rune’s wife – Menda C Johnson – her father Andrew I Johnson – was born in 1864 in Germany (his parents – Johan Christenson & Ane Bjerrum were born in Bække, Denmark), but Andrew’s wife Sarah Ann Johnson was born in Norway in 1867, as was her parents (Hedalen, Sor-Aurdal, Oppland, Norway).

What are the odds members of the family ran into each other back in the day…