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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

Yalobusha County	12,630	743	33	3	12	138	0	0	29	3,003	837	816
Mississippi (in 000's)	2,976	220	14	1	16	60	16	5	8	736	171	161
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Lafayette County	60,938	3,058	57	21	359	1,434	9	312	74	9,495	1,887	1,821
Panola County	33,268	1,354	57	5	92	445	4	0	127	10,565	2,645	2,631
Grenada County	21,201	1,133	35	2	0	142	0	0	48	6,266	1,483	1,468
Calhoun County	13,010	1,988	12	0	78	589	53	15	23	2,310	636	632
Tallahatchie County	11,461	285	4	3	154	26	25	11	38	4,492	1,219	1,189

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Yalobusha County	16.21	5.88	0.26	0.02	0.10	1.09	0.00	0.00	0.23	23.78	6.63	6.46
Mississippi	13.85	7.39	0.47	0.04	0.55	2.03	0.54	0.18	0.28	24.71	5.76	5.40
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Lafayette County	14.40	5.02	0.09	0.03	0.59	2.35	0.01	0.51	0.12	15.58	3.10	2.99
Panola County	17.78	4.07	0.17	0.02	0.28	1.34	0.01	0.00	0.38	31.76	7.95	7.91
Grenada County	17.96	5.34	0.17	0.01	0.00	0.67	0.00	0.00	0.23	29.56	6.99	6.92
Calhoun County	14.16	15.28	0.09	0.00	0.60	4.53	0.41	0.12	0.18	17.76	4.89	4.86
Tallahatchie County	21.82	2.49	0.03	0.03	1.34	0.23	0.22	0.10	0.33	39.19	10.64	10.37

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		79.63	55.93	66.57	17.30	53.93	0.00	0.00	80.83	96.20	115.15	119.58
Mississippi		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		54.78	138.02	511.41	601.03	559.03	333.79	772.44	378.09	30.52	39.75	38.68
Lafayette County		67.93	20.02	96.58	107.30	116.14	2.74	292.31	42.75	63.04	53.81	55.31
Panola County		55.09	36.68	42.12	50.37	66.02	2.23	0.00	134.38	128.49	138.15	146.37
Grenada County		72.34	35.34	26.44	0.00	33.06	0.00	0.00	79.70	119.58	121.54	128.15
Calhoun County		206.85	19.74	0.00	109.20	223.45	75.51	65.83	62.23	71.84	84.94	89.91
Tallahatchie County		33.66	7.47	73.36	244.73	11.20	40.43	54.80	116.71	158.58	184.81	192.01

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		145.37	40.52	13.02	2.88	9.65	0.00	0.00	21.38	315.19	289.70	309.12
Mississippi		182.55	72.45	19.55	16.64	17.89	29.96	12.95	26.45	327.63	251.59	258.51
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Lafayette County		124.01	14.51	18.88	17.85	20.78	0.82	37.84	11.31	206.55	135.37	142.97
Panola County		100.58	26.57	8.24	8.38	11.81	0.67	0.00	35.54	420.98	347.56	378.38
Grenada County		132.06	25.60	5.17	0.00	5.91	0.00	0.00	21.08	391.79	305.79	331.29
Calhoun County		377.61	14.30	0.00	18.17	39.97	22.62	8.52	16.46	235.37	213.70	232.42
Tallahatchie County		61.45	5.41	14.34	40.72	2.00	12.11	7.09	30.87	519.57	464.96	496.36

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

Yalobusha County	12,630	8	467	28	43	345	35	4	5	753	4	21
Mississippi (in 000's)	2,976	5	165	6	30	73	26	6	11	156	5	31
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Lafayette County	60,938	24	4,672	129	408	2,059	747	142	391	4,120	110	653
Panola County	33,268	27	1,998	47	133	567	384	12	28	1,063	82	61
Grenada County	21,201	6	802	68	50	214	140	10	30	852	0	116
Calhoun County	13,010	9	883	34	20	152	24	4	22	474	0	48
Tallahatchie County	11,461	3	672	17	7	103	2	0	13	286	0	22

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Yalobusha County	16.21	0.06	3.70	0.22	0.34	2.73	0.28	0.03	0.04	5.96	0.03	0.17
Mississippi	13.85	0.17	5.56	0.20	1.02	2.45	0.88	0.19	0.36	5.24	0.17	1.03
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Lafayette County	14.40	0.04	7.67	0.21	0.67	3.38	1.23	0.23	0.64	6.76	0.18	1.07
Panola County	17.78	0.08	6.01	0.14	0.40	1.70	1.15	0.04	0.08	3.20	0.25	0.18
Grenada County	17.96	0.03	3.78	0.32	0.24	1.01	0.66	0.05	0.14	4.02	0.00	0.55
Calhoun County	14.16	0.07	6.79	0.26	0.15	1.17	0.18	0.03	0.17	3.64	0.00	0.37
Tallahatchie County	21.82	0.03	5.86	0.15	0.06	0.90	0.02	0.00	0.11	2.50	0.00	0.19

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		37.91	66.54	111.40	33.40	111.68	31.60	16.91	11.02	113.68	18.42	16.10
Mississippi		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		235.41	94.73	267.60	104.09	294.30	299.85	726.09	484.03	114.57	193.18	269.73
Lafayette County		23.57	137.98	106.37	65.69	138.14	139.76	124.45	178.61	128.91	104.97	103.74
Panola County		48.57	108.08	70.99	39.22	69.68	131.60	19.26	23.43	60.92	143.34	17.75
Grenada County		16.94	68.08	161.17	23.14	41.27	75.29	25.19	39.39	76.62	0.00	52.97
Calhoun County		41.40	122.14	131.32	15.08	47.77	21.03	16.42	47.07	69.47	0.00	35.72
Tallahatchie County		15.67	105.52	74.53	5.99	36.74	1.99	0.00	31.57	47.58	0.00	18.58

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		16.10	70.24	41.63	32.09	37.95	10.54	2.33	2.28	99.22	9.53	5.97
Mississippi		42.48	105.56	37.37	96.07	33.98	33.35	13.77	20.66	87.28	51.77	37.07
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Lafayette County		10.01	145.64	39.75	63.11	46.94	46.61	17.14	36.90	112.52	54.34	38.46
Panola County		20.63	114.09	26.53	37.68	23.68	43.89	2.65	4.84	53.18	74.20	6.58
Grenada County		7.19	71.86	60.23	22.23	14.02	25.11	3.47	8.14	66.88	0.00	19.64
Calhoun County		17.59	128.93	49.07	14.49	16.23	7.01	2.26	9.72	60.64	0.00	13.24
Tallahatchie County		6.65	111.39	27.85	5.76	12.48	0.66	0.00	6.52	41.53	0.00	6.89

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

Yalobusha County	12,630	0	0	2	3	5	0	0	9	0	2,778	2,506
Mississippi (in 000's)	2,976	5	4	1	1	7	7	3	3	5	501	517
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Lafayette County	60,938	341	60	167	24	243	567	72	149	309	10,696	16,328
Panola County	33,268	4	62	0	0	0	22	3	6	22	6,985	3,837
Grenada County	21,201	4	0	2	0	0	3	5	40	1	3,977	4,304
Calhoun County	13,010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	2,527	2,470
Tallahatchie County	11,461	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	2,065	819

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Yalobusha County	16.21	0.00	0.00	0.02	0.02	0.04	0.00	0.00	0.07	0.00	22.00	19.84
Mississippi	13.85	0.17	0.14	0.04	0.04	0.24	0.25	0.09	0.09	0.15	16.84	17.36
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Lafayette County	14.40	0.56	0.10	0.27	0.04	0.40	0.93	0.12	0.24	0.51	17.55	26.79
Panola County	17.78	0.01	0.19	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.07	0.01	0.02	0.07	21.00	11.53
Grenada County	17.96	0.02	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.02	0.19	0.00	18.76	20.30
Calhoun County	14.16	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.05	0.00	19.42	18.99
Tallahatchie County	21.82	0.03	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.02	0.00	18.02	7.15

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		0.00	0.00	44.93	53.39	16.41	0.00	0.00	76.93	0.00	130.63	114.32
Mississippi		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		762.78	647.05	655.35	1,009.42	231.04	648.27	528.97	386.65	369.54	81.88	85.60
Lafayette County		328.43	72.64	777.54	88.53	165.32	379.77	130.58	263.95	333.15	104.24	154.37
Panola County		7.06	137.50	0.00	0.00	0.00	26.99	9.97	19.47	43.45	124.70	66.45
Grenada County		11.07	0.00	26.76	0.00	0.00	5.78	26.06	203.67	3.10	111.41	116.96
Calhoun County		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	58.08	0.00	115.36	109.38
Tallahatchie County		15.36	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.56	0.00	18.84	0.00	107.01	41.17

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Yalobusha County		0.00	0.00	6.86	5.29	7.10	0.00	0.00	19.90	0.00	159.54	133.54
Mississippi		13.11	15.45	15.26	9.91	43.28	15.43	18.90	25.86	27.06	122.13	116.82
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Lafayette County		43.06	11.23	118.64	8.77	71.56	58.58	24.69	68.27	90.15	127.32	180.34
Panola County		0.93	21.25	0.00	0.00	0.00	4.16	1.88	5.04	11.76	152.30	77.63
Grenada County		1.45	0.00	4.08	0.00	0.00	0.89	4.93	52.68	0.84	136.07	136.63
Calhoun County		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	15.02	0.00	140.89	127.78
Tallahatchie County		2.01	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.55	0.00	4.87	0.00	130.69	48.10

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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