Charlie Whitener’s DNA Results
Charlie Whitener, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokees, shares his family’s heritage journey, initially believing in strong Cherokee roots alongside Northern European ancestry. His father lived in Murphy, NC, but DNA tests revealed a diverse background, including Southern and Southeastern European origins, North Africa, and possibly Jewish lineage, as indicated by his mother’s H7 mitochondrial DNA. The results from both National Geographic and Family Tree DNA tests showed notable similarities, reshaping their understanding of their ancestry.