I was born with 12 fingers - 6 on each hand. I was told that this was a family gene, and that somewhere in Germany there is a village where many of the people have six fingers. The gene seems to come from my Houck ancestors. I am looking for anyone who might share this genetic trait, or someone who might know of this village in Germany.
Would appreciate serious comments.
Betty
I have a grandmothers cousin who has split thumbs & big toes.
I don't know if she is german or not.
Does this help?
God Bless,
Katie
bettyhartman@comcast.net wrote:
Katie,
I am not sure just what you mean by "split" thumbs and big toes, but I
don't
think it would be the same thing as mine. Mine were tied off and eventually
fell
off, making them almost invisible. The spot where they were is very tender
and
sensitive to cold.
Betty
Here is a paragraph about polydachtylism (more than 5 fingers or toes)
The founder effect, or founder principal occurs when allele frequencies in a
group of migrating individuals are, by chance, significantly different than
that of their population of origin. If these individuals settle in an
isolated area, it is possible that their progeny might develop distinctly
different characteristics than the original population from which they came.
For example, one of the founding member of the small group of Germans that
began the Amish community in Pennsylvania possessed an allele for
polydactylism (more than five fingers or toes on a limb). After two hundred
years of reproductive isolation, the number of cases of this trait among the
Amish population exceeds the number of cases occurring in the entire
population of the rest of the world. The founder effect is also one reason
that species in neighboring islands, such as those in the Hawaiian
archipelago, are often more heterogeneous than species in comparable
continental areas adjacent to one another. (from URL
http://library.thinkquest.org/19926/text/tour/09.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0513)
And some interesting notes on how common this really is: Polydactylism, or
having one or more extra fingers or toes, is probably the most common
abnormality of development found at birth. Polydactylism is reported in
about 2 per 1000 children. (from URL
Polydactylism<!-- --> | DrGreene)
I am RH negative with an O blood type. That is considered rare and a
universal donor. My ancestry is a mix of Scottish, German from Baden, Elsas
(Alsace in French), and Hannover that I know of. When I was researching
about the RH factor I found this interesting site
http://www.lexiline.com/lexiline/lexi166.htm and this one
http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/vary_3.htm
and finally this one Racial and Ethnic Distribution of ABO Blood Types - BloodBook.com, Blood Information for Life
Hope you found this of some interest!
Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
>
I have a grandmothers cousin who has split thumbs & big toes.
I don't know if she is german or not.
Does this help?
God Bless,
Katie> I was born with 12 fingers - 6 on each hand. I was told that this was a family gene, and that somewhere in Germany there is a village where many of the people have six fingers. The gene seems to come from my Houck ancestors. I am looking for anyone who might share this genetic trait, or someone who might know of this village in Germany.
>
> Would appreciate serious comments.
>
> Betty
>
> _______________________________________________
> Hannover-L mailing list
> Hannover-L@genealogy.net
> hannover-l - genealogy.net_______________________________________________
Hannover-L mailing list
Hannover-L@genealogy.net
hannover-l - genealogy.net
Thanks, our gene seems to be limited to fingers.
Betty
Ron,
Yours has been a very interesting reply. Thank you so much for taking
the
time to be so informative. It was interesting to hear that you were also RH
Negative.
I am Negative, but type A. This was a real trial through 5 pregnancies - 3
neg. and 2 pos.
children. I believe my ancestors came from the eastern Pennsylvania area
and migrated south,
(eastern NC) and definitely Scottish, and German.
Thanks again,
Betty
You are welcome. I live in St Louis, Missouri. My relatives hit a lot of
states on their way here! Wonder how frequent that Scot/German mix is?
I have two sons both are O positive as is my husband. My Mom is O negative
and my Dad is O positive. My grandmother was also O negative and she had a
"blue baby" as they were called in the mid 1900's.
Take care!
By the way, this is Laura Bozzay. I use my husband's e-mail because I am
too lazy to set one up for myself. Besides, he likes reading a lot of this
stuff too!
Thanks Laura. A couple of years ago, I visited the Historical Society in
your area - Old Town St. Charles. I was searching for Houcks and found a
few. Interesting place and so full of history.
Betty