Are you curious to know more about what the Bengal DNA Ethnicity Region on Ancestry entails? In this post, discover this region and how you may have inherited it from your ancestors.
Individuals who can trace their roots back to Bengal can take comfort knowing that there are an estimated 12-13 million people worldwide with Bengal ancestry – one million of whom reside right here in America!
In this post, you will gain:
Where the Bengal DNA Ethnicity Region Can Be Found Which countries may contain Bengal DNA
How you could possibly Have Inherited Bengal Ancestors And Where They Might Live On
No matter if it comes as a shock or not, exploring your Ancestry DNA results is sure to reveal something about your family tree that could bring new discoveries about its makeup and history.
Where is the Bengal DNA Ethnicity Region Located?
The Bengal DNA ethnicity region can be found in Asia on the Bay of Bengal and surrounding India on all three sides, boasting an ancient and rich history dating back millennia.
Locationally, Bengal’s Bay of Bengal location facilitated maritime trade networks and political powers were able to exploit its strategic geographical position for economic and military gains.
Which countries can you find Bengal DNA?
Bangladesh is likely the best place for finding people whose DNA matches up with that found in Bengal DNA regions; however, people from neighboring areas such as India or Bhutan could share an ancestral link that links up genetically with Bengal DNA regions.
Which subregions fall within the Bengal DNA region on Ancestry? Unfortunately, only one subregion resides under this larger Bengal DNA region: Bangladesh.
If your ancestry hails from Bangladesh but does not match with any specific subregion, don’t panic; this is perfectly normal and perfectly valid to have main-region roots (such as Bengal) without matching to sub-regions exactly.
Sub-regions will continue to be added over time; if any new regions match your DNA and your results automatically update accordingly.
Ancestry DNA updates their results regularly, so check back frequently to see if any new regions appear for you.
How did You Acquire Bengal DNA? All individuals inherit 50% from both parents; thus the Bengal region DNA could have come from either. Many may know they have ancestral connections here in Asia; for others however it can come as quite a shock when an ethnicity estimate shows up this DNA match!
If your ancestry was from Bangladesh but does not match one subregion specifically, don’t be alarmed; this is quite common; your main region ancestry could simply not match up to one sub-region!
Over time, more sub-regions may be added and, should any new region exist that matches up with your DNA, it will appear automatically on your results.
Ancestry DNA provides regular updates of results, so be sure to return often to see if any new regions appear for you.
How Did You Acquire Bengal DNA? Every individual inherits 50% of both their mother and father’s DNA, meaning any genetic material related to Bengal may have come from either or both parents, meaning it could have come through either genetic inheritance, or through other means. Some may already know they have an ancestor in Bengal while for others this discovery comes as a surprise when taking an ethnicity estimate test.
Below I will outline several scenarios that could assist in your research of Bengal ancestry. These situations will prove especially helpful to those who weren’t expecting to discover Bengal DNA results in their DNA results.
Your Bengal DNA may come from a nearby region If any ancestor in your family tree hails from an area nearby or close to Bengal DNA region, chances are good they have provided you with DNA matching this region.
No matter where they lived, our distant ancestors did not have access to planes, cars, or trains – making travel much more difficult for them.
But that does not imply they did not migrate; humans have always moved from place to place – it’s simply something that we do!
Your DNA could have come directly or indirectly from Bengal through your ancestors who migrated out of Bengal region.
As mentioned at the outset of this article, there is a large diaspora from Bengal. Many families have relocated away from this region in North America, Europe and other parts of Asia.
If your Bengal ancestors immigrated out of the region generations ago, you may have inherited DNA matching the region through what’s referred to as a “third country.” For instance, someone leaving Bangladesh might establish family in England before taking an autosomal DNA test years later in America.
Records exist of migrants arriving to England (now United Kingdom) centuries ago from what we now refer to as Bangladesh. Many worked on ships and eventually settled in cities with large ports; many even began families by marrying women from local English communities.
How Can I Trace Ancestors in Bengal Region? To trace your Bengal ancestry, start with you, your parents, and grandparents as the starting points. Make an effort to learn as much about your immediate ancestors because this will reveal valuable clues about your more distant relatives during the process.
As you uncover more of your family history, be sure to record everything that is discovered by taking detailed genealogy notes and adding details to a family tree (you can create one free on Ancestry). At some point in time, it may become necessary for you to search online archives in search of records about their ancestors.
When searching for genealogy records in Bengal, such as vital records related to births, it is essential that these tips be remembered.
Birth registration records may be difficult to access In Bangladesh, registration of births became mandatory by 2006; therefore births occurring prior to this date may not have been recorded. Rural areas were less likely to register births so finding records for your ancestors who lived in smaller towns and villages may prove more challenging.
If your more recent Bengal ancestors lived in larger cities or a third-country with widespread birth registration records, such as Bangladesh or elsewhere, birth records might be available online or locally in each administrative district – please see my below discussion for more detail on how you can locate them.
Territories within Bangladesh, India and Bhutan have changed substantially over time.
As is well-known, the Bengal region (comprising Bangladesh as well as small sections of India and Bhutan) has undergone significant political shifts beginning with British Colonial rule. Most significantly for people of Bengal descent looking to trace their ancestry are changes that occurred since 1900.
Bangladesh was previously known as East Bengal and later East Pakistan within larger Pakistan. Following the establishment of People’s Republic of Bangladesh in 1971, many (but not all) records from East Pakistan were transferred to respective local authorities for safe keeping.
Follow these steps in order to learn as much as possible about your recent Bengal ancestors and then search for documents pertaining to them in Bengal. Ideally, this should enable you to determine where exactly your ancestors lived within Bengal – this information could lead to finding genealogy records related to them.
Conclusion
My hope is that this post has provided you with greater insight into your Bengal region ancestry, including how DNA may have come from this area and the possibilities for learning more about your ancestors who lived there.
If you have any queries or wish to add something new to the discussion, feel free to post your thoughts as comments below.
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