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.

This is a good article by Henry Louis Gates Jr: http://www.theroot.com/articles/history/2014/12/why_most_black_people_aren_t_part_indian/

Article from Ebony: http://www.ebony.com/life/5-things-to-know-about-blacks-and-native-americans-119#axzz4VUFEwgUQ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_among_Native_Americans_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_freedmen_controversy

It's all a Commie plot.

Well i have majority of the results back via FamilyTree DNA. It states:
84% African: 80% from the Nigeria/Cameroon, 2% from the South Africa region

10% European : 5% British Isles & 5% in the West Central Europe, Mainly Switzerland

6% Trace results: Mixed possibilities of Lao,Jordan,Poland,Ukraine, & Columbia.

Im still going to look into 23&Me as well later.

BF,

congrats. How does it feel...knowing? Are you listening to more songs from Wale now?

Next time you watch Trading Places, pay attention to Eddie Murphy's line in the train scene.

I'll holla.......or better yet I will yodel at you........

Sephardi Jews originated in the Middle East and North Africa. They came to the Iberian Peninsula with the Moors.

Gets,

It feels unique even if it's a rough estimate. The Lao,Poland,Ukraine & Columbia bit Im find somewhat strange.

I remember to watch it and yeah Yodel later LoL.

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.

Thanks for letting me share.


TIS

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).

BF,

This video is for you.




TIS,

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.

Oli,

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.

TIS

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.

Gets,

Funny Gets. Real funny. Im just intrigue at this thin percentage of being Laotian & Columbian. But to say im Nigerian-Cameroonian is more unique.

Dixie,

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

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.



TIS

[video:youtube]http://youtu.be/8NzLfw93xeQ[/video]

Right back at cha mi friend.

BF,

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.

Gets,

Indeed. Which one will you use?

BF,

in the next 3 years, gonna take the test.....between now and then...just gonna read feedback from people who have done it.

One thing for sure, not gonna take the test that Larry David took.

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.

full episodes up on channel website

episode 1

http://www.history.com/shows/america-promised-land/season-1/episode-1


episode 2

http://www.history.com/shows/america-promised-land/season-1/episode-2

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

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.

Oh well, you had a nice run TIS.

I don't think I can watch any documentaries on The History Channel unless this guy is in it:

TIS,

congrats.


F1,

I've seen that meme for a long time, just looked up who he is.For the longest time,I thought he was part of an SNL skit.

Who is it? It does look like Rob Schnieder to me.