top of page

“Oy vey, uff da.”

Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.

In the last year of my father’s life I had our DNA tests done. Sadly I did not think of doing it until after my mother had passed. Father was 82% Scandinavian, which anyone would know by looking at him. Mother was of European stock, which also was obvious. I am almost half Norwegian on my father’s side and more than half Celtic on my mother’s side, per a DNA test by Ancestry.com:


41% Scandinavia (test said “central Norwegian connection is likely”. My father’s grandmother came from a farm in Akershus, Norway, and my father’s father came from near Bodø, Nordland county, Norway. Bodø is north of the Arctic Circle, and when I visited there I was suitably thrilled).

35% Ireland (Celtic is nothing to complain about.)

21% Europe West (My maternal grandmother came from Germany.)

2% European Jewish “Oy vey, uff da.”* (same maternal grandmother)

<1% Great Britain


* Uff da is Scandinavian for "I am overwhelmed", somewhat similar to the Yiddish phrase oy vey.


I wondered what my eighty-seven year old father’s reaction would be when I gave him the paternity report showing that he was my father. My father’s reaction was massive, his face turned deep heart-attack purple, he dropped his head to his chest, and gasped out. Then he whispered, “Well, this is good news.” I said nothing because I had always known that he doubted my paternity, and I had no doubt that that was my mother’s doing. I remembered when he would roughly tell me not to call him “father”, but refused to tell me why. And, my siblings, even the entire extended family, had always treated me oddly, with disrespect even contempt. My higher education, any accomplishments I made were met with scorn. In retrospect, it was as if they believed I was the product of incest and had dog-piled all the shame, guilt, and blame belonging to my maternal grandfather onto me. My mother had complained of him to me, although I had never before connected his actions with my innocent life. After this, my father sought opportunities to speak kindly to me, to be with me. He often looked at me with tears in his eyes, so of course I completely forgave the sordid situation. My mother was long past. The rest of the family continued in their wayward ways, but my father made me his sole heir. He would hold and pat my hand, then say with a smile, “You will get all of my money.” When he passed I inherited only his entire nursing home debt of over one hundred-fifty thousand dollars. I settled it, then responded with a major lawsuit for his loss of leg due to the nursing home’s neglect, a matter which is still not concluded.


DNA Story For Annmarie Throckmorton by Ancestry.com.

Identigene Personal Paternity Analysis Report for Annmarie Throckmorton.

3 views
Featured Posts
Recent Posts
Archive
Search By Tags
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
  • Google+ Basic Square

© Sale of this content is prohibited and infringements will result in consequences.

Thanks! Message sent.

bottom of page