I've been thinking about trying Ancestry DNA kit for awhile but it's rather a hefty price. I was wondering have any fellow BB members or their friends tried this out? Is it legit or should I look into a different site?
GETS, my good friend was born in Sicily and raised in the Bronx and he took that test and it came back that he was Jewish. I just don't see how they can differentiate if you're Irish, English or European. Maybe it's me, but I am more worried as to wether the government is storing your DNA.
"Omar" from the Wire discover his roots on his mother's side.
There's a site that did his and other celeb dna tests. Didn't post the name because I can't vouch for that or any of the dna sites.
How close/far is your family from the Delta area? Reason why I ask is, whenever they do documentaries about Jazz they always find instruments, words in dialect, etc from parts of Miss. that come DIRECTLY from specific people in West Africa.
GETS, my good friend was born in Sicily and raised in the Bronx and he took that test and it came back that he was Jewish. I just don't see how they can differentiate if you're Irish, English or European. Maybe it's me, but I am more worried as to wether the government is storing your DNA.
Bean,
Interesting point about the govt. Never thought about that.
To me Sicily is sort of special case because of the history that it's had....I think it's very culturally rich with all those influences and I'm sure the bloodline(s) reflect that.
Hey, wait a minute...Pizza is a Bronx Italian who has love for Jewish culture& people, is your good friend ,Pizzaboy?
PBS did a series of documentaries about Blues music and Martin Scorsese directed a great one called "Feel Like Going Home" I posted an extended trailer.
Gets, as your post seems to indicate, you recognize that race and ethnicity are functions of DNA; place of birth or upbringing are irrelevant. Also, your reference to Sicily is a good illustration since it has experienced its share of invasions by the French and Muslims (just to cite a couple) and the Muslims could have originated in Egypt, Arabia, Persia, or what was generally described as Mesopotamia and subsumed any number of ethnicities.
Also, Jewish is not a race or ethnicity. Some who adhere culturally or religiously to Judaism can trace their ancestral origins to the Hebrews or Aramaics, but it's a long shot.
paid 100.00 for my dna kit... conclusion was I'm german well 50%- my grandparents on my fathers side were born in Germany, my mothers side scotch, irish, English, welsh, for 100.00 I'm like well tell me something I don't know.... if you are European your name can tell you as much as your dna test.
gets.... what % of black people have now or had slave names? dna testing for those who had their names taken away, should be the way to go, to find their roots. worse thing the slaveholders ever did was taking away the slaves real names,
gets.... what % of black people have now or had slave names? dna testing for those who had their names taken away, should be the way to go, to find their roots. worse thing the slaveholders ever did was taking away the slaves real names,
Binnie,
I'd say 100% of us who are descended from enslaved Africans do not have last names that reflect our heritage. Some people legally change their last names because of that. There are people who randomly adopted names of ethnic African or Arabic origin, and now with this dna testing people can attach themselves to something a bit closer to who they are.
If you meet Black person without a European last name, usually it's a continental African.
I'm not 100% convinced about these tests, but I think it's a good look to try to find out.
Gets, as your post seems to indicate, you recognize that race and ethnicity are functions of DNA; place of birth or upbringing are irrelevant. Also, your reference to Sicily is a good illustration since it has experienced its share of invasions by the French and Muslims (just to cite a couple) and the Muslims could have originated in Egypt, Arabia, Persia, or what was generally described as Mesopotamia and subsumed any number of ethnicities.
Also, Jewish is not a race or ethnicity. Some who adhere culturally or religiously to Judaism can trace their ancestral origins to the Hebrews or Aramaics, but it's a long shot.
Thanks,Oli.
I thought that Sephardi Jews are a distinct ethnic group.
GETS, my good friend was born in Sicily and raised in the Bronx and he took that test and it came back that he was Jewish. I just don't see how they can differentiate if you're Irish, English or European. Maybe it's me, but I am more worried as to wether the government is storing your DNA.
Bean,
Interesting point about the govt. Never thought about that.
To me Sicily is sort of special case because of the history that it's had....I think it's very culturally rich with all those influences and I'm sure the bloodline(s) reflect that.
Hey, wait a minute...Pizza is a Bronx Italian who has love for Jewish culture& people, is your good friend ,Pizzaboy?
This Ancestry DNA thing seems to be getting popular.
I sent mines in a few weeks back. Still waiting for my results. They had a 30% off discount before the holidays. So I bought the kit.
I was on YouTube watching people with Mexican ancestry read their results. Always found it interesting to see what percentages we get European vs Native. Only thing that sucks is ancestry testing isn't able to tell you exactly where your Native American ancestors are from. Natives in Canada, US, Mexico, and all South America all show as "Native American" but still pretty interesting.
I'm expecting a pretty high percentage of Iberian peninsula/ Spanish ancestry in my results, with some native DNA because the brown skin came from somewhere.
gets.... what % of black people have now or had slave names? dna testing for those who had their names taken away, should be the way to go, to find their roots. worse thing the slaveholders ever did was taking away the slaves real names,
Binnie,
I'd say 100% of us who are descended from enslaved Africans do not have last names that reflect our heritage. Some people legally change their last names because of that. There are people who randomly adopted names of ethnic African or Arabic origin, and now with this dna testing people can attach themselves to something a bit closer to who they are.
If you meet Black person without a European last name, usually it's a continental African.
I'm not 100% convinced about these tests, but I think it's a good look to try to find out.
Correct me if I am wrong but isn't it true that the hertiage of most American blacks isn't %100 African?
Ditto the same is probably true for alot of white people as well.
As most black people I know say they often have European ancestors i.e. they have British hertiage somewhere. Or in one of my friend's case a great grandfather or other releative who immigrated to this country from say Ireland or Italy in the early 1900's etc.
23andMe gives the most detailed ancestral testing. Ancestry.com is more popular, but 23andMe is more accurate. There's also a site where you can upload your results to connect and compare with others.
Some things to consider: a Y DNA test will give your father's line (your father, his father, his father, etc) and M DNA for your mother's. The general test that they use covers all lines, but is only accurate for about 5 generations. That can be useful but not as valuable. So for genealogical purposes I would get the Y DNA test.
I'm not an expert or anything, but I think most Blacks from English/Dutch former slave colonies have mostly African blood. Negligible amounts of Euro or Indigenous blood here or there , but 95% or higher from the various African tribes from West Africa.
Blacks from Spanish/Brazilian colonies will tend to have more "mixed" blood because race mixing was the rule rather than the exception in those places.Applies to some of the French former colonies also(which includes Louisiana) Haiti is the exception, there is a minority of mixed race people but majority of island is mostly African.
Now, I've joked on here with some buddies, and ANY Black person living in America enjoys good laughs from the Black people who will.....without being asked....tell you about this or that White or Native American branch of family tree. Like it's a badge of honor. Almost without exception, these are the same people who will RUN from any connection with Africa. Will brag about a famous plantation owner who violated their great grandmother, but punch you in the face if you mention the word Africa.
But seriously, most of the race mixing that's occurred in this country has happened over the past 50 years..As it was against the law to be an inter-racial married couple in parts of America until then. There are trace amounts of White and Native blood overall, you can see it in some of the physical features of Black folks here, but mostly African blood.
Delta is Northwest region of the state, all the counties between the Mississippi & Yazoo River. My kinfolks from the opposite side of the Delta in the Northeast. My grandfathers are from Alabama though.
Don't mind me and my partial rant. Just a pet peeve of mine. A few years ago, one of the Native American tribes closed ranks and kicked out a lot of Blacks from their rolls and I got a big kick out of the story. Think it was the Cherokee.
Actually I'm thinking about it. My cousin did it last year thru Ancestry. I think there are 2 packages you can buy. She sent me what was a pie chart with percentages of backgrounds. She was 77% Italian and small percentages of Black, small percentage European (?) and another 2 or 3% undetermined. It is interesting. Also, if they discover any relative of yours with the same dna they'll notify you.
I know my family history for the most part thru Great-Great grandparents on both sides. Always say I'm full Italian (all grandparents born there as well as my father). However, there's likely some other heritage down the line.
My intention was to get a DNA kit sometime this year. I still may, but seems like other expenses always comes up
^ I like the one with Snoop Dogg vs Charles Barkley to see who was more African. Lol. Supposedly Snoop turned out to be like 23% native American and was less African than Barkley.
Anyone else think that a few Italian-Americans could pass for black?
I used to watch wrestling as a kid and always thought Perry Saturn and Tazz were black.
And I thought Sephardi Jews were ones who came from African or Mediterranean countries.
There are a lot of dark sciclians. I had an accintance his nick name was blackie because of his dark skin. He was arrested for killing a cop coming out 0of a hotel because the cop bumped into him. His girl friend in my Grammer school like to walk her around with no panties. I fucked her right in St.Anns stairwells once. I even still remember her name I just can't think of her how she would look now about 76 if she was still alive or I would throw up.
I don't know why people are thinking about doing that shit. I already live in the past far too much better to stay in the now.
I know you don't call a nationality a Jew. But we called my father a Jew. I wish I could forget about him. The father of a friend of mine who was an Italian said Daddio was the only Jew he liked. That only because he didn't know him liked a knew him.
I do know my father's father's first name was Adolf. That tells you a lot about Daddio.
^ I like the one with Snoop Dogg vs Charles Barkley to see who was more African. Lol. Supposedly Snoop turned out to be like 23% native American and was less African than Barkley.
For a black American, to be that much native American is normal.
Footreads, I love reading your flight of ideas. Writing here must be very therapeutic.
BlackFamily, it turns out that most Black Americans have no Native ancestry (or an amount that falls within statistical error). There's a small subset of descendants from Seminoles that took in runaway slaves and there was some intermarriage within that group, but most of the claims from the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctow, etc) come from the fact that they have Black slaves -- and they maintained slavery for a year AFTER the United States ended slavery. Cherokee Freedman until recently were considered part of the tribe, and the current status is up in the air.
A tad off topic, but about 15 yrs ago I was playing around on the internet and discovered the ellisIsland.org site. It was new to me. I put in my father's name (he came as a little boy from Sicily with my grandparents). I was surprised at how many people with that name came up. I was fortunate to have approximate dates of arrivals and narrowed it down and found my dad's ship record, along with both sets of grandparents record. I was just so excited.
Anyway, I ended up finding (took a while) their ship manifest. They came on a ship called "Regina Italia" in 1921 AND the manifest had section asking "How much money this person, my grandfather, had in their possession. It said $25.. Also noted where they were going and had my great grandparents address in MI, so I knew it was the right one.
I made up a little scrapbook of sorts for Christmas that year and gave it to my parents. I purchased picture of the ship, and the manifest and included other "Italian" tidbits, including a map of Italy, where you put in your last name and shows what areas of Italy/Sicily have people of that last name. My dad was really touched and couldn't believe those records from so long ago.
On a side note, every time I see the Godfather II scene with young Vito on the ship going to Ellis Island, and all the faces of the immigrants, I always think that my grandparents must have been scared, excited and oh so brave to come to a NEW land. AND with the powerful Immigrant song playing in the background, gives me the chills.
TIS, I've researched my family's origins also. I haven't been able to find the detail you found, but there's enough there. I too am surprised at the number of people with my last name across the country. My grandparents Americanized it, but I changed it back to its original Italian (my kids and wife didn't want to change).
That's a great story and a PRICELESS present you gave to your parents.
Oli,
Good for you.What you mentioned follows some of the things I've read about immigrants and their successive generations. First generation is going to tend to assimilate and later generations are going to tend to want to embrace their origins.
I was kind of fortunate cause so many Italians arrived via Ellis Island and I think it's probably the most popular. Although wasn't Boston another popular port of arrival for immigrants? Also, my older brother wrote down, kept track of a lot of info my grandmothers gave to him which helped, having exact years and names, etc.
Btw, regarding those manifests, SOME are hand written which makes it even more authentic. Also, FYI, for some reason both my grandmothers were listed under their maiden name.
Thanks Getts, both my parents since are deceased and I now have the memory book I gave them. I treasure it.
Supposedly our last name was changed once we came across as well.
BF, I plan on doing the same through Ancestry as well this month as I'm doing it for my birthday. Most of my grandparent lines are searched out as I do ancestry stuff, but I'm vague on "where we came from" before we got off the boat in Virginia. Does the Ancestry DNA also tell you surnames you are kin to as well?
I think using one DNA service for a few extra bucks you can upload something into the other program so you can use both. I forget which way it is so I would look into it real good first before doing 23andme. I've heard it's better of course, but I would want to do the Ancestry one first too.
Ancestry research proved that hot piece of ass Reese Witherspoon is 63% Irish as opposed to Welsh or Scottish as she originally thought.
I also remember Larry David finding out he was part Native American on a talk show.
I wonder how many people just make it up as they go along or pretend they are majority something American when they are really just 5% something American.
I think there's a feature like that but i was focus on the Origins. I went with FamilyTree DNA but im also going to see can the results be pass along to 23andme as well for more accuracy too.
I took the National Geographic test. Still waiting on results, which I hope will provide haplogroup information. I have a theory that I am Norman on the Y-chromosome, or at least a Norman matronymic (independent of Y chromosome, but presumably Normans married Normans first few generations in Calabria). Haplogroup I is clear-cut Norman. However, if I am J2, then this would suggest Greek ancestry from Magna Graecia. Other haplogroups more difficult to assess.
Referring to post way upthread, the Italian who Ancestry.com identified as Jewish, the current prevailing view is that most Askenazi Jews are descendants of Southern Italian women. That is, after destruction of Temple circa 60 AD, many Jews were enslaved or iotherwise dispersed, with male Jews going to Rome and Southern Italy, where they married indigenous Italian women converted to Judaism (yes, way back in time, Jews converted goyim to Judaism).
This Italo-Jewish population was later driven north out of Italy, above the Alps, to the Rhineland, and then driven later still to the East, to Poland, Ukraine, etc
But after the initial phase of inter-breeding with Italian women, the Askenazi Jews became highly endogamous and did not mix with outsiders. Today most Ashkenazi are at most 4th or 5th cousins of one another.
And because 2000 years is a very short time-frame genetically speaking, DNA tests can mistake Italians with no Jewish ancestry for actual Jews because the Ashkenazi are descended from Italian women. In terms of genetics, the two groups are very close
I think there's a feature like that but i was focus on the Origins. I went with FamilyTree DNA but im also going to see can the results be pass along to 23andme as well for more accuracy too.
Please let me know if 23andme lets you do that. I've heard 23andme and can really break things down but I really want to use both without dropping a ton of money.
I've been wanting to try one of these for a while. I've been into genealogy for years. I've mapped out my family history pretty well so I really doubt that I'd get any surprises. But you never know. I do question the accuracy of these though. Honestly, the only thing stopping me is the price.
A few years ago, I joined a site called "My Heritage" https://about.myheritage.com/. I started a family tree listing birthdates, marriages, anniversaries etc. I sort of slacked off entering info. I get e-mails from time to time about people with same last name as anyone on my tree, that made the news. From what I gather tho, you get so much info and then I'm sure your charged for it.
Anyway, they too offer DNA testing. I think it cost $79.00.
I'm STILL contemplating but I think I'll eventually do it.
Haitian Wil is funny and cwazy.....not crazy but cwazy.
May take a dna test in the future, because I want to get down to the "prime number(s)" so to speak. Haitian is a nationality...there is a culture and an identity, but it's a combination of West African cultures and ethnicities. Hopefully the test can help me narrow down those tribes.
There's a two part documentary on the History Channel (part 2 aired tonight) called America:Promised Land.
Caught the end of part 1 and beginning of part 2, very interesting. It's the History channel so, you can expect them take liberties with history and fudge a few things but from what I saw it was good. Saw segments about Chinese immigrant railroad workers and Scandinavian immigrant loggers. Later in the show..they cover an earthquake in Italy that spurred migration to the US....and the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the rest of the country.
trailer here
I put the story and vid here because the show is sponsored/underwritten by some DNA testing company because those ads air at every commercial break.
I've been waiting to get my results from Ancestry before I posted. Here are my results:
72% Italy/Greece with "Sicilian Connection Very Likely" (that didn't surprise me since I know my ancestors are from Siciy
10% what they call Caucasus (Middle East)
7% Irish (who knew? LOL) I'll have to drink me some green beer The rest are called "trace regions" with small low confidence percentages
I also have 58 pages of ancestry dna matches. They go from confidence levels of "extremely high, high, good, moderate."
I see about a page of many "Extremly High" matches that I recognize as a 1/2nd cousin and likely some are my cousins kids
Many do not have full names, some just last names. I see some famous LAST names like: Sinatra, DiMaggio, Falco, Tarentino, Bonnano, Scalia. BUT turns out I may just have a GODFATHER CONNECTION. The name Coppola appears at least two times as a match, without a first name.
Well I came across a "moderate" match from "Westin Coppola-Cage. I googled the name and it's Nicholas Cage's son, who is FFC nephew. Ha ha ha ha!! How cool is that?
I'm still browsing around but I've been having fun
TIS, you do realize that all of that DNA stuff is sent to the NSA along with the Doo Wop groups you like and concerts you attended so that they can determine if you like subversive singing groups.
Almost without exception, these are the same people who will RUN from any connection with Africa. Will brag about a famous plantation owner who violated their great grandmother, but punch you in the face if you mention the word Africa.
The rest are called "trace regions" with small low confidence percentages