Today (April 6, 2021) I had a distant cousin from Nigeria reached out to me on Ancestry-dot-com -- a young man aged 18-29 who lives in Dublin Ireland. His dna summary is 90% Nigeria and 10% Benin & Togo. His message was simply "Hey cousin" but that message and his reaching out has me beaming! I HAVE PEOPLE ON THE CONTINENT!!!
We are 5th-8th Cousins
Shared DNA: 8cM across 1 segment
His family tree, so far, includes the surnames:
Ogunyemi (paternal grandfather, born in Lagos, Nigeria and paternal great-grandfather, born in Abeokuta, Ogun, Nigeria)
Iyamabo (maternal grandfather, born in Nigeria and great-grandfather born in Nigeria )
Omiyi (maternal grandfather born in Nigeria)
To date my Ethnicity Estimate from Ancestry-dot-com is:
WEST AFRICA
Benin is west of Nigeria, and west of Benin is Togo. Benin has more ethnic ties to Nigeria while Togo has more ties to Ghana. These ethnic ties are based in long-standing kingdoms that existed before European colonists created new borders.
The official name of Benin is Republique du Benin (Republic of Benin). It is the present day site of the Dahomey Kingdom (1600-1900). The territory became a French colony in 1872, retaining the name Dahomey. In 1990 it changed its name to Republique du Benin in honor of the Ancient Kingdom Benin of Nigeria. The country gained its independence on August 1, 1960.
The official name of Togo is Republique Togolaise (Republic of Togo). Under the League of Nations the area was split between the British and French after World War I. The British portion incorporated into Ghana. The French portion became Togo and declared its independence on April 27, 1960.
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| Current map of West Africa (2021) |
Resources on Benin, Togo:
Encyclopedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com
InfoPlease Countries of the World
https://www.infoplease.com/world/countries
One World - Nations Online
https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/africa.htm
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