One of the most striking aspects of DNA tests from my mother's side of the family is the number of matches we have with persons who have connections with Newfoundland, a land I had never heard mentioned in the few family tales from my mother's side. This work has been helped by the DNA tests I have access to; from Heather Burry, Tim Reid and Andrew Davy. As an example I have 33 shared matches with Heather Burry; 53 with her sister Verna. For the other 2 the number of matches is much smaller.
It is clear that a number of ancestral families have been involved in the Newfoundland trade which was based on fishing for cod; processing them and then shipping them to southern European markets, Portugal and Spain. The early settlement of Newfoundland was by persons going out to fish and then setting up processing facilities in various bays and harbours before sailing back to Poole and other ports on the Dorset and Hampshire coasts. As the territory was disputed between the British and French some of these settlements were destroyed or damaged. This history is covered by the Wikipedia article which opens in a new window.
Being written; August 2026.