by Tracing the Roots of an NFL Star: What We Know About Jason Kelce’s Ancestors
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Jason Kelce has made a name for himself as one of the best centers in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles star has been a key part of their offensive line since being drafted by the team in 2011. While Kelce is now very much in the spotlight, not as much is known about his family history and ancestors. Public information about Jason Kelce’s more distant relatives is limited. However, there are a few clues and resources that can help shed some light on tracing back his family tree.
Parents and Upbringing
Jason was born in 1987 in Cleveland, Ohio to parents Ed Kelce and Donna (Blalock) Kelce. Not much is known publicly about Ed Kelce’s background or ancestry. Donna, Jason’s mother, has shared more personal details over the years. She grew up in Cleveland and attended Cleveland State University, where she earned a degree in physical education. Donna met Ed while they were both students at Cleveland State.
After getting married, Ed and Donna settled down in the Cleveland area to start their family. Jason has one younger brother, Shane Kelce, who also went on to play football at the University of Cincinnati before having a brief stint in the Canadian Football League. Jason credits his parents for instilling in him and his brother a strong work ethic from a young age. Both boys were very active in sports growing up in Ohio, leading Jason to develop his skills as an offensive lineman.
While details about Ed Kelce’s ancestry remain unknown, Donna has revealed some information about her own family history. In interviews, she has discussed her grandparents and growing up in Cleveland. Her maiden name of Blalock suggests her mother’s side of the family had roots in the area for multiple generations. Tracing back Donna’s ancestry could provide clues about Jason’s maternal lineage.
Clues from Donna Kelce’s Genealogy Research
Being interested in her own family history, Donna Kelce has done some exploring into her ancestry using online genealogy databases and records. She maintains a profile on the popular site Ancestry.com where she has traced back her maternal and paternal lines. Some of Donna’s findings provide hints that could lead to discovering more about Jason Kelce’s ancestors.
On her mother’s side, Donna was able to trace back her Blalock line to her great-grandparents who lived in Ohio in the late 1800s. Her great-grandfather George Blalock was born in Pennsylvania in 1856 but spent most of his life in Cleveland raising a family. George’s parents were both born in Virginia, suggesting the Blalock family migrated west from the Virginia/Pennsylvania area to settle in Ohio in the mid-1800s. Donna traces this Blalock line back several more generations to the early 1700s in Virginia.
For her father’s side, Donna found that her grandfather James Arthur was born in Kentucky in the late 1890s and spent his adult life in Ohio. James’ parents were both born in Kentucky as well. This indicates the Arthur family likely moved from Kentucky to Ohio in the late 1800s/early 1900s generation. Donna traces the Arthur line back to the early 1800s in Kentucky.
While Donna’s research focused on her own direct maternal and paternal lines, the information she uncovered provides a framework for beginning to explore Jason Kelce’s ancestry on his mother’s side. Both the Blalock and Arthur families appear to have resided in Ohio for multiple generations by the early 20th century. With more in-depth research combining records and ancestry databases, it’s possible Jason’s maternal ancestry could be traced back prior to the 1800s migration patterns Donna discovered.
Genetic Genealogy Testing
A relatively new tool that has helped many uncover ancestral origins is genetic genealogy testing. Companies like AncestryDNA and 23andMe allow customers to send in a saliva sample to be tested for their DNA makeup. The results can provide estimated geographic ancestry percentages and potential DNA matches to distant cousins who have also been tested.
While Jason Kelce himself has not publicly discussed doing a genetic ancestry test, his mother Donna has taken an AncestryDNA test and seen the results. On her Ancestry profile, Donna’s DNA ancestry composition is available to view. The test estimates her ancestry as:
– 66% England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe
– 19% Ireland
– 9% Scandinavia
– 3% Italy
– 3% Germany
This breakdown provides additional context for Jason’s likely ancestral origins on his mother’s side. The strong English and Irish heritage fits with Donna tracing her maternal Blalock and paternal Arthur lines back to Virginia and Kentucky colonial roots. The small percentages of Scandinavian, Italian and German ancestry could represent more distant ancestral ties to those regions of Europe as well.
Donna has also discovered dozens of potential 3rd-5th cousin DNA matches through AncestryDNA that have helped expand her family tree. Some of these matches may even share ancestry with Jason Kelce as well on his mother’s lines. With permission, comparing Donna and Jason’s DNA could uncover new ancestral connections in Europe dating back multiple centuries. Genetic genealogy is a powerful supplement to traditional records research.
Possible Kelce Origins
Unfortunately, very little is known publicly about Jason Kelce’s paternal ancestry and the origins of his father Ed Kelce’s Kelce surname. Some unsourced online family trees suggest the Kelce name may have Scottish or Irish roots. However, without documentation or DNA evidence, the accuracy of these claims cannot be verified.
One potential clue is that in a 2012 interview, Jason mentioned having visited Ireland and really enjoying learning about his Irish heritage during the trip. This comment implies at least some of his ancestors may have had Irish ties. His mother Donna’s DNA results also found a 19% Irish ancestry component. It’s possible the Kelce name could trace back to Irish immigrants at some point, but the trail goes cold without more information about Ed Kelce’s ancestry.
Genetic genealogy may eventually provide answers about Jason’s paternal lines if Ed or other Kelce relatives were to test their DNA. AncestryDNA or 23andMe could reveal ancestral ties to locations in Ireland, Scotland, or elsewhere in Europe that may help solve the mystery of the Kelce family origins. Until then, the paternal side of Jason’s ancestry prior to his parents remains uncertain without access to historical records or DNA from that branch of the family.
Conclusion
While public information about NFL star Jason Kelce’s more distant ancestors is limited, clues from his mother Donna’s genealogy research and DNA testing have provided frameworks to begin exploring his maternal ancestry back several generations. Donna’s work tracing the Blalock and Arthur lines suggests roots in Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio dating to the 1700s-1800s at minimum. Genetic genealogy results indicate strong English and Irish heritage for Jason on his mother’s side.
The paternal Kelce line remains more of a mystery without documentation about Jason’s father Ed Kelce’s ancestry or a genetic genealogy profile. Hopefully more records or family participation in DNA testing in the future can help uncover where the Kelce surname may have originated. As genealogy databases and historical records continue to grow online, new details about Jason Kelce’s ancestors are possible to discover through ongoing research. Tracing both his maternal and paternal lineages back as far as documentation allows would give the NFL star a richer sense of understanding his family history and genetic ethnic origins.
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