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Three confirmed royal lines. A documented genetic haplogroup connecting to the High Kings of Ireland. A convergence of Celtic, Plantagenet, Norman-French, Cherokee, and Scandinavian ancestry in one living individual.
The definitive genetic marker of the Insular Celtic peoples. Carried by ~56% of Irish men. Directly connected by 23andMe to the Uí Néill dynasty — the royal house of Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Ireland, c. 405 AD.
Confirmed Norwegian ancestry through the Tucker maternal line. The ancient Norse seafarers who shaped the Atlantic world and whose blood runs through the Celtic-Norse interface of the British Isles.
Native American ancestry confirmed through 23andMe genetic testing. The Aniyvwiya — the Principal People — whose homeland was the American Southeast and whose blood D'Colin carries through the maternal line.
Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Ireland, c. 358–405 AD
Niall of the Nine Hostages was the most powerful High King of Ireland — a warrior-king whose sons founded the great kingdoms of Ulster, Connacht, and Meath. His Y-chromosome is carried today by an estimated 3 million men worldwide, making him one of the most prolific patrilineal ancestors in human history. The Uí Néill dynasty he founded ruled Ireland for over four centuries, producing the O'Neills, the O'Donnells, the O'Briens, and dozens of other royal houses.
D'Colin's confirmed paternal haplogroup R-L21 (R-FGC15565) is the definitive genetic marker of this population. His 23andMe report explicitly connects this haplogroup to the Uí Néill dynasty. The documented paternal chain runs eight generations from D'Colin back to Samuel Lee Priest (born 1752, York, Pennsylvania) — a Revolutionary War veteran — and continues through colonial Pennsylvania to England and the Celtic world.
Edward III of England, 1312–1377 · Through the Burleson Family
Through the Burleson family — the family of D'Colin's 4× great-grandmother Mary Ann "Polly" Burleson Priest (1798–1876) — D'Colin carries a connection to the Plantagenet royal line. The Burleson family of Rutherford County, North Carolina, trace their lineage through the colonial Virginia gentry to the Burleston family of Dorset, England, and from there to the Plantagenet royal house.
Edward III of England is the mathematical common ancestor of virtually all Americans of English colonial descent who can trace their lineage to the 17th century. Genealogist Gary Boyd Roberts of the New England Historic Genealogical Society has documented that Edward III is an ancestor of every U.S. President of English descent. D'Colin's documented colonial Virginia ancestry places him squarely within this population.
Willis Delacey Gokey (1872–1945) · Through the Maternal Line
D'Colin's maternal great-grandfather, Willis Delacey Gokey (1872–1945), carried the Gokey surname — an Americanized form of the French-Canadian surname Gauthier, meaning rule + army in Old French. The Gauthier family of Quebec traces its origins to the Norman-French settlers of New France, who were themselves descendants of the Norman aristocracy that accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066.
The earliest confirmed Gokey ancestor, Michael Gokey (born c. 1805, Bedford, Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec), represents the French-Canadian branch of a lineage that connects, through the Norman aristocracy, to William the Conqueror himself — the same man whose descendants currently sit on the English throne. The Windsors and D'Colin share a common Norman ancestor. The difference is that D'Colin also carries the blood of the people William conquered.
| Generation | Ancestor | Born | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self | D'Colin Priest | Oct 20 | California, USA |
| Father | Harry Lee Priest | c. 1945 | Madera/Fresno, CA |
| Grandfather | Fred Kay Priest | 3 Nov 1896 | San Antonio, TX |
| Great-Grandfather | Skelton Teague Priest | 23 Mar 1866 | Matamoros, Mexico |
| 2× Great-Grandfather | William Richard Priest Sr. | 3 May 1840 | Biloxi, Mississippi |
| 3× Great-Grandfather | Joseph H. Priest | 11 Dec 1818 | Moulton, Alabama |
| 4× Great-Grandfather | Richard Lee Priest | 15 Oct 1792 | Russell County, Virginia |
| 5× Great-Grandfather | Samuel Lee 'Sam' Priest | 5 Apr 1752 | York, Pennsylvania |
| 6× Great-Grandfather | William Priest | c. 1720 | Pennsylvania / England |
Samuel Lee Priest (1752) was a confirmed American Revolutionary War veteran — a man who took up arms against the English Crown in 1776.
Celtic-Irish → Colonial Pennsylvania → American South
Samuel Lee Priest (1752, York PA) — Revolutionary War veteran. R-L21 haplogroup. Connection to Uí Néill dynasty.
Norman-French → Quebec → American Midwest
Willis Delacey Gokey (1872). Gauthier/Norman-French origin. Connection to William the Conqueror's Norman aristocracy.
Scots-Irish → Colonial America
Scots-Irish Presbyterian settlers. Part of the great Atlantic Celtic diaspora that shaped the American frontier.
Norwegian → American South
Confirmed Norwegian ancestry through 23andMe. The Norse seafaring heritage that connects to the Scandinavian world.