My big toe is shorter than the next one. Most in my family have a big toe that is either the same size or smaller than the toe next to it. I always knew that it was a hereditary thing but didn't dream it had anything to do with Celtic genes. What about yours and how can this help in our search for our beginnings? I am forwarding this from another mailing list I belong to. Lilly Excerpts from an article by Raymond E. Hunter, In this article he discussed the fact that in Celtic people the big toe is the same length as the next toe. He stated:other nationalities the big toe was much longer than the nest toe. They have used this to tract Celtic migration from the central Atlantic down through the Carolinas and into Georgia in the 1700. Seems that the Dutch Boers have this gene from the Celtic Dutch from two thousand years ago. Beginning in the 800s BC and lasting through the end of the millennium, a remarkable people spread from the region of southeastern Germany, part of Austria, and part of Hungary throughout most of central and Western Europe. Known simply as Celts when the expansion began, they differentiated into sub-groups as they settled in present-day Spain, Portugal, France, the British Isles, northern Italy, southern Germany, parts of Scandinavia, and even parts of western Russia.. The Celtic people were great warriors and great artisans; most of the bronze found across the Mediterranean countries came from Celtic mines and smelters. They provided many of the fine stonemasons who built impressive edifices in the Greek and Roman Empires. The Celtic people who settled in today's France became known as Gauls. When the Romans invaded Gaul in the first century BC, there ensued a titanic struggle, with the Gauls led by Vercingetorix. The fierce independence of the Celtic people worked to the disadvantage of Vercingetorix, as he had to rely on voluntary support from the independent tribes within Gaul - who were as likely to fight each other as they were to fight the common enemy. Many of the Gauls fled the region rather than submit to foreign rule; they traveled completely across Europe to settle in what is today central Turkey. The region became known as Galatia. It was in the British Isles that the Celts left their biggest mark. The first wave of Celts, in the period of about 600 - 400 BC, spread across the islands and became known as Gaels. In about 150 BC, a second wave, known as Brythons, spread across southern England. It is from the word "Brython" that we get the names "Briton," for the people in southern and central England, and "Breton," for those who fled the Romans and Anglo-Saxons and settled in northern France. After nearly a hundred years, the Romans reached the neck of the island, where Hadrian built the wall known by his name, across approximately the boundary between present-day Scotland and England. That wall was built as protection against the Scots (and/or Picts, as the eastern Scots were sometimes known). But the Romans could not hold the country against the Scots, the frequently rebellious Britons, and the Gaels in the western regions, known as Welsh, especially with the new problems of Angles and Saxons raiding the southeastern coastline. In 410 AD, the Romans left for good, telling the Britons to "see to their own defenses." In subsequent years, the increasing pressure of Anglo-Saxons invasions from regions of present-day Germany pushed the Britons into present-day Wales, southern Scotland, and the Bretonic region of northern France. One feature already mentioned that is strongly associated with Celtic blood lines is red hair; a great majority of people in the world who have red hair will be found to have a Celtic ancestor. But that feature is not uniquely associated with the Celts, so the spread of Celtic people in such areas as present-day Germany and Scandinavia has not been accepted by all authorities. During World War II, a discovery was made that only recently has received meticulous research. A couple of doctors in medical centers in England noticed that there was a feature of Scots and Welsh soldiers wounded in battle that was not present with English, Germans, and other nationalities. The former frequently had a big toe (or great toe) that was the same length as the next toe; all others had great toes markedly longer. They found that there were burial sites across Britain where the skeletons were completely of one ethnic group, such as Celtic burial sites on islands along the Scottish northwest coast, and pre-Celtic burial sites in southern England. Results from studies of those burial sites showed that to a 95 probability Celtic remains had a big toe the same length as, or shorter than, the next toe. The Celtic toe has been found in abundance in southern and central Germany and across western and central Scandinavia. It has been found in present-day descendants of the Dutch Boers who settled in South Africa over a hundred years ago; the only source of that gene is from the Celtic Dutch of two thousand years ago. It could be used to map the Scottish migration route from the central Atlantic down through the Carolinas and into Georgia in the 1700s. None of which can detract from the growing appreciation of a people who had an enormous influence on European history, and whose traits of fierce independence, unparalleled military prowess and courage, and love of education, science, and the arts continue to wield a powerful influence on present-day world civilization. Raymond Hunter 2739 Freeman Road Royston, GA 30662 Oe to a toe: If yo feets is all misshapen don't despair fo it can be taken that youse from a different race even tho you can' t see it in yo face Don't give yoself some extra welts yo may be descended from those fightin Celts!! _______________________________________________________ Diana Keener Fort Worth, TX Researching GASKO/WUNSCHEL Diana and Ginger (canine in charge) ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com