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Question: Is it common for recessive genes to still pop up after about 400 years!?
My family (both sides) are Welsh, Irish, and English!. The latest an ancestor came over was in the year 1700!.

On both sides, the eye color is either green or green-blue!. Hair colors are either dark brown or blond!.

However, every now and then--and I'm not really sure if you'd call this a recessive gene--an expression of red pops up!. No one is really a full-fledged red-head!. But, my little sister was strawberry blond before her hair darkened to brown!. I have natural red highlights in my hair!. And, my uncle, who is brown-haired, grows a bright red beard!.

I'm assuming these are genes from ancestors--a long, long time ago--who were red-heads, and continues to be carried even though it's recessive!. However, is it common for a recessive gene to survive for this long without ever resulting in a full-fledged red-head!? or is it common for it to even survive this long, period!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Its quite possible!. My dad's side is scottish!. And he and his brothers all had brown hair and red beards!. while none of his parents had red hair however their grandparents did!.!. I got the red hair with blue/gray eyes!. My son is blonde hair /brown eyes!.!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Red hair does skip generations and then reappear!. In my family (Irish heritage) neither of my parents had red hair and I'm the only one of my siblings with red hair - however, my older brother had a red beard!. In my children, my son has brown hair, a red beard and a million freckles; my daughter has reddish blonde hair and no freckles!. My grandson has blonde hair!.

Go to the following website and it explains the genetics of redheads!.

http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Red_hairWww@QuestionHome@Com

Certain genes will show up off and on for many generations!. I have a left foot anomaly!. I have unusually high arches and in my left foot I have an extra bone but little bone support at the arch!.

I got it from my maternal grandfather!. My sister's granddaughter had the same in her right foot until surgery!. It went from my maternal grandfather which was her great great grandfather!. My mother didn't have the problem and my sister and my nephew were born with flat feet like my father!. Don't know how many years the gene has been passed down recessively!.

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