Janet L Forwood

[Janet Forwood]

I am also curious about a Spanish English War. I am 39% English and look up 90% Spanish. People are telling me there was no such thing as an Irish / Spanish War but I know there was an English /Spanish War. Is it not possible that there is some Spanish in me do to the Spaniards coming ashore in England? Thank you very much for your help.

[emeltee]

There were a lot of Spanish ships wrecked around the shores of Britain after the failure of the Spanish Armada. It's highly possible that many of the wrecked sailors stayed on.

Emeltee

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum, Janet.
Don't forget that people travelled for reasons other than war, especially merchants, ship crews, etc. Also, that the "Spanish look" is actually the "Mediterranean look".

People do claim that a lot of Spanish crewmen came ashore when the Armada was swept around the British Isles, but that story is one of those that people seem to enjoy playing the "oh not they didn't, oh yes they did" game with... If you want to go far enough back, the Romans brought Spanish regiments over.

You would really be better off following the conventional route by building a solid paper trail of BMD registrations, census returns, passenger lists, etc. Then you would be certain it's all yours.
Why don't you choose a suitable forum and tell us about the ancestors you are most certain of - maybe your grandparents or great grandparents (there's a post HERE that reviews the sort of information that it would be helpful to include. We have some very helpful and expert members who enjoy a challenge.

[Pam Downes]

Hi Janet,

Although you're in the US you don't say which generation of US-born you are (i.e. were you and your parents born there, or are you the first person to go to the US). As Lesley says, you need to follow the usual route of tracing your ancestors before you can start to think of 'reasons why'.
I have a friend who looks permanently suntanned, but so far (back to about 1832) there's not a sign of anyone other than 'English ag lab' in her ancestors, so where her darker colouring comes from is anyone's guess.

Pam

[Sandyhall]

Hi Janet,

Although you're in the US you don't say which generation of US-born you are (i.e. were you and your parents born there, or are you the first person to go to the US). As Lesley says, you need to follow the usual route of tracing your ancestors before you can start to think of 'reasons why'.
I have a friend who looks permanently suntanned, but so far (back to about 1832) there's not a sign of anyone other than 'English ag lab' in her ancestors, so where her darker colouring comes from is anyone's guess.

Pam

My sister was the same very dark coloring from the rest of us, but I haven't found any ancestors from abroad. When she was born the midwife left the house in disgust as she said mum had laid with a black man as the baby was black although baby was 3 weeks over due and that's why she was so dark.