Recently in Ancestry Category

Linda Passarella, this months guest blogger, has contributed the following.  Linda is a local New Jersey resident with a keen interest in all things fossil, ancient and unidentified.  Linda is passionate about identifying these items and continues to spend her personal time and money on gaining concrete answers to her findings.

“YES” TERRESTRIALS, INDIANS AND COWBOYS “WERE” NEIGHBORS. THE “LENAPE RED RECORDS” THEY ARE  “NOT A HOAX” PICTOGRAPHS PICS FOUND IN NEW JERSEY

             The DaVinci code is practically cracked.  Knowing and telling the truth is the American way and should never be put to a vote; it should be a natural reaction for any intelligent species. My name is Linda Passarella and  I am a “studying”  New Jersey's Geologist, Paleontologist, Archeologist and I am a Peacemaker.  I have been told by the State, as an American, that I am allowed to believe in what I wish to believe about this subject.  I respect them highly for this freedom.

         With great respect, honesty, and dignity I would like to announce that I have found over 5000 Dinosaur claws  with hair, and teeth intact preserved in clay.  In addition to Lenape Indian artifacts over 4 years ago with pictures called pictographs. The artifacts are called Petroglyphs and have been aired on TVs History and Nova channels. Petroglyphs are not just in caves and on large mountains but are also on what we see as some ordinary rocks. They have carvings of Terrestrials inside Spaceships and are also tattooed with pictures by the Lenape Indians (Turtle Tribe ”Unami). I have been to my Musuem several times mediating with the authorities to be allowed to show people and tell humankind what I have found. So far I have been treated extremely fair on the Terrestrial circumstances and they are listening with an open ear. My artifacts have pictures of the Turtle, Wolf, and Turkey showing a United Lenape Indian Delaware Nation all on  the same artifact. These artifacts are made of (Diagenisis) petrified bone, claw, and teeth from the dinosaurs. DaVinci was not the first person to hide things in his paintings. He most likely got the idea from the Indians and knew about the Terrestrials himself. 

     Later in history, Rafinesque who had over 50,000 Lenape Pictograph artifacts was shipwrecked along the Eastern Coast near New Jersey and Philadelphia. Rafinesque never was able to get the recognition or credit he deserved in finding our evolutionary answer in the Lenape artwork. He appears in our history books as dieing in poverty being wrong about the Red Records. I have pictures of a Deputy Sheriff, an Astronaut, a Celtic Soldier, 2 pictures of a Christ-like image but it is not a total human face. I have 2 pictures of Lenape Chiefs, one is Chief Beaver a very great and highly respected mediator between the Indians and our Military, and was also enlisted in our own Military. I have another of Chief White Eyes. I have pictures of the globe also showing the states in perfect formation with a couple of past land formations from an aerial view.  (How is is that air travel was possible in that time?) I have posted some of the pictures on Weird NJ Magazine website also. I do not wish to attack anyone's religious beliefs but the “truth” is the best religion will unite “everyone”.   I believe not just separate groups of people. We need everyone working together in order to be truly a productive, intelligent and lasting species. We need to accept reality no matter “what” it is or what we were brought up with, or we are living lies and  no good can ever be accomplished  based on lies.

   These findings will be a hard one to discredit, and so far no one has tried to discredit it. The truth is important in order for mankind to evolve in a productive way instead of staying stagnant in a way of life that is slowly destroying them.

THE DNA LADY MEETS THE ROCK LADY

Linda Passarella, is a new, guest blogger to our site.  Linda is a local New Jersey resident with a keen interest in all things fossil, ancient and unidentified.  Linda has been bringing items of extreme interest to our office for almost a year.  She had a presentation last Saturday, in Keyport, NJ, which we attended and were astonished at the size and condition of her findings.  Several local families gathered to hear Linda’s findings and comments about New Jersey mud flats.  Linda is passionate about identifying these items and continues to spend her personal time and money on gaining concrete answers to her findings. 

This is a strange and true account including facts about what happened to an ordinary woman who decided to buy a Garrett 250 metal detector for some de-stressing and ended up finding Indian artifacts.  If not strange enough then uncovered an ancient fossil bed with millions of pieces of dinosaur/reptile/fish/and creatures unknown including over 30 specimens with “HAIR” intact.  I sent microscopic pictures to a famous Paleontologist.  She thought hair was impossible because it would not be growing out of bone.  Determined to get to the fact, Linda sent the Paleontologist an article by National Geographic citing a recently found and totally intact body of a baby Hadrasaur, including soft tissue intact. Linda believes if a Hadrasaur had hair it could have been preserve all these millions of years buried in certain soil. A process called Diagenisis meaning something living rots then turns into mineral appearing hard as what we classify as rock - The DNA Lady.

Linda's blog....

I collected over 3200 pieces of extraordinary, beautiful specimens that have been gone for millions of years, teeth, claws that are preserved because of “Enamel” being the hardest dense substance that it’s the last to rot.  Enamel, that can still shine even now but has turned to a brownish color. Research for 5 years now has shown me by reading the scientists own writings, findings, ideologies, and personalities that the science we call Geology and Paleontology, have rules that allow them to disregard certain fossils and what appears to be rocks to them.  These items are “not good”, but in my mind, everything should be considered possible and researched quickly for science. We are classified as having “Igneous rock” which is supposed to be just a certain type of rock that was formed “ONLY” by volcanic activity.  After what I tell you and show you, you will also think that there is something our scientists are missing or ignoring, because they feel they need to be the “finders” or “discovers” of something, for it to actually really be something. Some scientist are limited in thinking an item has to be found where it should be found which does not always apply and everyone knows this. We stray away from our home and so did everything else that could move. That does not mean we should disregard anything found because one small finding could answer several evolutionary questions including any missing links that are still preserved in the ground, and there are a lot of preserved things especially in what we call mud flats.

The mud, salt, and iron content in New Jersey, especially by the water, preserves fossils like ancients civilizations.  Ancient civilizations used the same process to mummify their remains (sea salt). I have brought my findings to Universities that cannot help because of not having the equipment to test the specimens for authenticity or dating. I then went to Museums that told me I have what they are calling “concretions” which is really anything that is old and has a coating of dirt or anything else adhered to it over time. But they will not say that the specimens were ever living like pieces of bodies/teeth/and claws which preserve easily in clay/mud/salt/iron mixture of dirt. I am my own personal funds and trying to identify the hair, which is coming out of what we call igneous rock. Like the hair in the Amber, if this hair has a follicle which is inside the so called igneous rock than the Igneous rock must indeed be a piece of some type of Mammal remains (body). I have met an astonishing woman by researching the net named the DNA LADY in Metuchen NJ. She deals professionally with DNA testing and is very well known in her field. My findings interested and intrigued her to the point of her offering assistance.

I will be submitting all specimens found and will be notifying the Smithsonian Institute all results and also several Geologist who are very interested in what I have found. I have over 20 pieces with the same black color and course textured mammal type hair. Fossils are not supposed to have hair still preserved on them and especially what we call Igneous rock I have presented my finding to the Keyport Museum on Saturday August 20^th 2011 in an exhibit in order for the local public especially children to enjoy the local findings. I have met and spoke with several renowned professionals all over the United States who are not familiar with the East coast fossils at all which is even more reason to study and preserve what we have left. Between the DNA LADY and the ROCK LADY hopefully we will be able to add to history itself beside Geology and Paleontology. Everything gets updated and learned every minute in human life including our fossil record. There are beautiful things out there and they are under the ground we step on without noticing. I thank you, the DNA LADY, and thanks also to the Keyport Museum for supporting history and the ability to bring it into the future for everyone to see.

 Linda Passarella

This year the Freehold or Monmouth County Latino Festival will introduce latino inspired films as part of the celebration of Latino heritage. The film festival will run from Friday, October 1st evening until Sunday, October 3rd in the afternoon.  Seating is limited so get there early, buy a snack and enjoy some Latino culture.  

The 6th Annual Latino Festival will celebrate with a day of dancing, games and entertainment on October 2^nd in downtown Freehold Borough at the Hall of Records Parking Lot starting at 12 - noon and concluding at 7 p.m. The celebration coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month.

The weather forecast for this weekend is 68 degrees and mostly sunny - so let's hear it for the "luck of the Latinos" on planning this day of celebration.  A cool breeze, a pisco sour and some latina dancing - what better way to spend a fall weekend in New Jersey. 

“Every year the festival gets bigger and better not only with the variety of acts, but with our efforts at community outreach and inclusion.  says the Festival Committee.  “This year we are especially excited about the film festival and our new partnership with Center Players. This introduces an important cultural aspect that people have been requesting for several years.”

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Local artist and celebrity Veronica Kole, of Freehold Township, will open the festival with the National Anthem and will perform a set of her original material in the middle of the day.

The confirmed performers this year are DJ Lady C. “La Comái Buena” and entertainment director, MC Nelson Rodriguez, the Alborada Spanish Dance Theater (flamenco dancing), RockNRoll Chorus, Grupo Caribe (salsa and merengue band), Zumba Party with Elcira, Mariachi Instrumental de México, Cimarrones/Run Away Slaves (Puerto Rican Folkloric group), Diverse (Zack and Eddie), Cassidy Molina from Howell High School and Tenor Luis Pacheco.

COMIDA

As for cuisine, we have Salsa Latina Restaurant, Bahia de Acapulco, Grill and Things, and others.  Freehold has several top shelf restaurants in the event you cannot satisfy your hunger at one of the participating vendors.

There will be dozens of organizations present at the event to provide information about services to the community.  The DNA Lady is reaching out to healthcare providers and immigration couselors in the community to get the word out about convenient, private DNA Testing to confirm family relationships.  Many in the Latino community find the subject of DNA testing a private matter, not wanting to expose their family's business in court, in the hospital at time of birth or in the process of sponsoring a "family" member via Family Based Visas.  Often times they will ask their local healthcare provider for a private referral in order to clear up rumors or doubts. 

The Latino Festival started in 2005 at the Park Avenue Elementary School in Freehold Borough with just a few volunteers. The first festival attracted about 800 people. Last year’s festival was attended by between 4,000 to 5,000.  With fantastic weather, a larger network of supporters and vendors - this year's event is sure to be attended by twice that of last years. 

Here's what everyone has been waiting for - the Latino Film Festival Schedule:

FILM

All Films will be shown at the Center Players, 35 South Street, Freehold.  There a film for everyone's liking - from SciFi to heartwarming to heartwrenching to the now timely topic of consumers dependence on oil.  Get there early, grab some tortillas and salsa and enjoy. 

Friday, October 1

     7-9 pm Sleep Dealer - Science Fiction, rated PG13 (http://www.sleepdealer.com/synopsis.html)

Saturday, October 2

    11 am to 1 pm The Perfect Game - Family, rated PG (http://www.theperfectgamemovie.com/) - Based on a true story, The Perfect Game tells the story of a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who become the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.

     3-5 pm Whisky - Comedy, Not Rated (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331370/) - Jacobo Koller is an unsuccessful and lonely middle-aged man who owns a failing sock factory in Montevideo, Uruguay. When Jacobo's mother dies, his younger, successful brother, Herman, comes to visit. To prove that his life has amounted to something, Jacobo enlists his co-worker, Marta, to pretend to be his wife. On a weekend break together in the sea-side town of Piriapolis, the trio reveal their true colors.

     7-9 pm Buena Gente - Drama, rated R (http://www.buenagentemovie.com/) - Set in Washington Heights, NY, Buena Gente (Official Selection for the 2009 Queens Int’l Film Festival) tells the story of Chris Gil (Nick Talentino) who has commitment issues and compromises his relationship with his girlfriend, Desiree Madera (Yomaris Maldonado). After Desiree leaves him, Chris finds out she's put in a life-threatening situation and must save her.

             *** Fabián Báez, the creator of the film Buena Gente will be attending the festival on Saturday (along with one of the film's actors) to introduce the film and participate in audience Q&A after the showing.

Sunday, October 3

     2-4 pm Crude - Documentary, Not Rated (http://www.crudethemovie.com/press-room/) - Crude is the award-winning documentary that presents the story of the legal fight between 30,000 indigenous Ecuadorian rainforest dwellers and the U.S. oil giant Chevron. The plaintiffs claim that Texaco – which merged with Chevron in 2001 – spent three decades systematically contaminating one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, poisoning the water, air and land. Crude focuses on the human cost of our addiction to oil and the increasingly difficult task of holding a major corporation accountable for its past deeds.

After a day of celebrating your Latino heritage, if you want to dive further into your true Ancestry, have  your DNA collected to determine your true ancestral origins.  The movement of populations in modern times is both voluntary via a migration within one's region and involuntary via a slave trade, trafficking in human beings and ethnic cleansing.  Migration to the Americas, according to a Wikipedia article, took place about 20 - 15 millennia ago.  The Age of Exploration and European Colonialism led to an accelerated pace of migration to the Americas.  Find out your genetic regional affiliation with databases from 15 anthropological regions around the world. 

Are you of Irish Heritage?  Do you have the telltale freckles and red hair or black hair and blue eyes?  Do you call your Mother "ma" and your Father "da"?  If so, a recent article in a Dublin newspaper announced the Irish government plans to introduce a certificate of Irish heritage for the up to 70 million people of Irish descent around the world who do not qualify for citizenship.

Michael Martin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said he decided to proceed with the initiative, which was first approved last year by the Global Irish Economic Forum.  Leave it to the Irish to come up with such a revenue enhancement program.

The certificates will be issued by a third party agency acting under the licence from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is considering charging a fee for each document issued.  The program is not designed to raise a significant amount of revenue and the price to be charged as yet to be determined. 

The exact size of such a market for heritage certificates is unknown but it is anticipated that  many Irish emigrants would wish to buy one to display in their homes or as a gift to another family member.  Irish heritage and/or ancestral origins can be determined by a simple DNA Test at your local DNA collector's office.  In addition to Paternity and other biological test confirmation, your local DNA collector also participates in today's growing hobby of genealogical tracing and ancestral root discovery via non-invasive DNA test. If you contact your local DNA collector, be sure to ask for your ancestral map along with your DNA test to confirm your Irish heritage. 

Some members of the Irish government were critical of the disconnection between Ireland and the members of the diaspora, particularly those unable to qualify for citizenship by virture of having a parent or grandparent born in Ireland.  The forum also highlighted the role that the emigrant network could play iin helping Ireland improves its economic fortunes and global competitive edge.  The Irish do know how to unite to benefit themselves.   

The Irish diaspora is not limited to Irish citizens living in Ireland and abroad but  instead should encompass all those who believe they are of Irish descent and feel a sense of affinity with Ireland.

Certificate processing will be available later this year, according to the Minister.  One incentive to participate in the certification process is to offer discounts to those holding the certificates while visiting Ireland as tourists.

All the commercials are pointing to a new show about the glitterati (SJP and the rest) researching their Ancestry and surprise, surprise - everyone that participated in the show is genuinely shocked to know their true ancestry.  Hollywood is Hollywood and I appreciate the creativity but it seems unlikely for someone to have reached the age of 21, and notwithstanding an adoption or abduction, and not have some idea of your ancestral origins.  This blog is not meant to make light of anyone in a situation where they do not know their parents' country of origin. 

Most of us have celebrated a special day during the year with other close and distant family members that gave you a clue as to your family's country of origin.  Or you have that chestnut Red Hair and Blue Eyes and you know the words to "Danny Boy"  - that gave you a clue, too.  Take the upcoming St. Patrick's Day - celebrated in our house every year with Corn Beef and Cabbage (thank God we only had to eat it once a year), Boiled Potatoes, Green Pistachio Bundt Cake (made by a distant cousin) and Irish Coffee for all followed by a round of "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen, across the ocean...."  Or perhaps, you have eaten the most delicious Sfinge - then you probably celebrated St. Joseph's Day.  If you can say, Baklava three times real fast - then maybe your ancestral origins are of Haplogroup G. 
 
While TV touts that Ancestry testing or DNA Research is for the stars there are countless Main Street offices that can offer the everyday consumer the same genetic insight into your ancestral origins.  Most DNA testing companies offer you access to a database that has genetic matches to you.  You are given a login and password and you are off on a journey of who's who that may possibly be related to you, once or twice removed both here in the United States and in countries abroad.  My own DNA research revealed that my mother's maiden name and my father's surname - actually are part of a family name project that descend from one gentleman known as Nialls in Ireland.   That may explain some family members.... But as with all DNA Tests, it is buyer beware.  Know what you are buying and understand the limitations.  Some Ancestry testing companies only provide you with a bird's eye view of your origins, that is, you are classified into one of the following four categories:

European
Sub-Saharan Africa
East Asian
Indigenous American

Others, can delve more deeply and provide you with information as to what type of Haplogroup you have in your genetic make up.   Understand that it is the information is a comparison of  your DNA to others in a database that have the same genetic patterns at different locations and are therefore classified into a specific category or Haplogroup (see the DNA Lady's previous blogs about Haplogroups). 

If you want to get involved in one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America then recreational DNA tests are for you.  Have a DNA party at your home or prepare for a family reunion.  You can contact one of the local DNA collection centers and find out what type of tests they offer, how the samples collections are performed, the turn around time for results (maybe get everyone tested in May for a family reunion or picnic in July), costs involved and if the collector will offer an interpretation of results or is it just something  you receive in the mail. 

The DNA Lady will come to your family reunion (give her a little Irish Coffee minus the whiskey) and discuss your results for one hour.  Have fun watching the new TV show and remember - you, too, can research your Ancestral Origins - it's fun, inexpensive and keeps family members talking for months afterward with speculation about that eccentric Aunt that never really seemed like one of the family, anyway.

Whatever your interest in DNA Testing, whether it be to research your ancestry, determine your own origins, claim a biological relationship, ie, paternity, maternity, grand paternity, avuncular - today's DNA tests are fast, affordable and non invasive.  

DNA testing has come a long way and today it is being used to trace the ancestry of ancient bones discovered during an archeological dig in Vagnari, Italy. Researchers in Italy are all abuzz because they learned something quite surprising and intriguing when they tested the ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from one of the remains.     Mitochondrial DNA is passed from the mother to her offspring and from generation to generation there are few mutations. People who are related to each other will have similar mutations - allowing the researchers to put them into broad categories or  "haplogroups,".  Haplogroups tend to relate to geographical areas of the world- (see blog entry regarding the 18 Haplogroups) The bones, which date back 2,000 years, show a link to East Asian ancestry or the Haplogroup D.

Thanks to isotopic evidence, researchers have found that around 20% of the bones currently analyzed were not born in the vicinity of Vagnari. The mtDNA points to the assessment that at least this one male individual came from East Asian descent. It shows that the people who resided in the region thousands of years ago were not native and belonged to foreign locations. Researchers theorize they somehow found themselves in Vagnari, traveling across the borders of the Roman Empire. 

One theory regarding the presence of East Asians in the early Roman Empire is that they lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. They were most likely slaves or workers. The burial plot had a single pot, which helped archeologists date the approximate time of burial. They were also able to indicate that his burial was disrupted in some way (during the ancient past) and someone was actually buried on top of his body.

Questions left unanswered include how recently the subject or his ancestors departed East Asia and if more people followed his lead.  This one male body could have been the first member of his family in Vagnari or his great grandmother could have been the first to make the migration.  However, by analyzing the oxygen isotope evidence, it is known that he was not born in Italy and that he most likely originated outside of the Roman Empire.

At the time of the burial, Vagnari was an Imperial estate belonging to the emperor of Rome, but controlled by a local administrator. Workers were brought in to satisfy the industrial needs of Vagnari, which included generating tile and smelting iron. The tiles were used to create roofs for buildings and also served as grave covers for the people laid to rest in the cemetery. Researchers have come to this conclusion by finding fragments of tiles in and around Vagnari that bear the markings "Gratus Caesaris." When translated, it means, "slave of the emperor."

Archeologists also learned a lesson by excavating this site. A common practice is to assess grave goods to identify the origin of ancient remains. However, the goods found in the grave are not connected to the descent of the remains.

The research at the Vagnari site was made possible with funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

"On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation" according the U.S. Census Bureau website. If our ancestors had only maintained better family records along the way, we wouldn't have the burgeoning business of DNA testing. Luckily your ancestors left clues in your DNA that can determine your deep ancestral origins. Your local DNA collections expert can provide access to a database of DNA collected around the world. Who would think that Genealogical and DNA testing would become such an important past time in the United States and the world? Genealogical tests are dedicated to helping families find lost relatives, build family trees, establish roots and discover your true past. DNA tests allow you to determine what region of the world your family is descended from including true Native American ancestry.

In July 1776, the nation's population was estimated to be 2.5 million mostly from European backgrounds but without true genetic testing, we're only guessing.  Approximately, 14 years later the first official census was taken by U.S. Marshals on horseback (the first mobile collectors - although they didn't collect DNA then) and the population grew to 3.9 million people which by then were of Native American, European, African and Asian descent.  However, it was not until the Census taken in 1870 (a full 100 years later) that all inhabitants were counted as whole persons.  There has been a census taken every 10 years since 1790.  The estimate headcount for the 2010 Census is 306,800,505 inhabitants in the United States, DC, PR and the Islands and whose descent is from all regions of the world.  The estimated world population is 6,768,138,476 (looks like and IP address)!  The U.S. Census information collected from individuals is not made public for 72 years after the census is taken.  For businesses, the information becomes public after 30 years.    

The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States - but you don't have to be an American to be counted.  If you live or sleep most of the year in any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas you must be counted.  This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens.  Prior to 1999, the data extracted from the Census was used for congressional apportionment.  Because it was recognized in the 1990 Census that there was a net under-count (non-response) and a statistical adjustment was created, the Supreme Court ruled before the 2000 Census was taken that the population data could not be used for congressional apportionment. 

The difference in 2010's census vs. previous years is that all addresses will receive a short form questionnaire, whereas in the past everyone received a short form and one in six households received a long form with socioeconomic questions.  The socioeconomic information is now gathered by a separate survey conducted (ACS) every 3 years on a rolling basis from approximately 250,000 addresses per month.  The Census Bureau submits population totals to the office of the President of the United States. 

Here are some facts taken from recent (last 100 years) Census:

FACTOIDS FROM PREVIOUS CENSUS:

Most Common Surnames Occurring in 2000 Census

1. Smith
2. Johnson
3. Williams
4. Brown
5. Jones
6. Miller
7. Davis
8. Garcia
9. Rodriguez
10. Wilson

 Names with similar spellings are combined to create one common surname, as in Smith, Smithie, Smyth, Smythy etc.  Many of these top occurring surnames have genealogical projects in progress available to join.  If your DNA profile is genetically close to someone with a similar surname, perhaps you are related.  Ask your local DNA collections expert, if they have a surname project in your name that you can join to trace the migration of your family to the United States and beyond.   Ancestry testing has become a family reunion favorite activity over the last 10 years.  The common genetic profiles found among family members - both close and distant - keeps families talking and communicating all year until the next family reunion. 

Most Common Spanish Surnames Occurring in the 1990 Census

1. Garcia
2. Martinez
3. Rodriguez
4. Lopez
5. Hernandez
6. Gonzalez
7. Perez
8. Sanchez
9. Rivera
10. Ramirez
11. Torres
12. Gonzales

Spanish surnames can originate in Europe, South, Latin or Central America.  You can find out the family's migration by having your ancestral Y-DNA or Mt DNA analyzed and mapped.  For fun, you can then log onto a website to find others with similar genetic profiles and surnames and are also searching for their relatives and ancestry. Y-DNA is the paternal side of the family and is passed only from father to son; thus we can perform very conclusive Paternity Tests especially in a father/son test.  MtDNA is passed from a mother to all of her offspring.  To gain a complete picture of your ancestral origins, have a male's DNA collected from each generation.  For example, have one male tested to obtain a history of his father's family via Y-DNA testing, which will exclude any influence from the female side of the family.Then have the same male tested to obtain a history of his MtDNA which will exclude any influences from his father's side of the family.The end result will be a genetic profile and map of the individuals in a generation (and therefore his sisters and brothers) both paternal and maternal migration over the past 50,000 to 150,000 years.Make sure you explain to your local DNA collections expert the exact relativity of everyone being tested and if you are interested in logging onto an internet site to find other people in the world with similar genetic profiles.

Leading Country of Birth of a Foreign Born Inhabitant in the 1930 Census  was Italy. This Indicates that the individual was born in Italy, but not necessarily of Italian descent.

To find out if you are truly from Italy, why not have your DNA tested to determine what genetic markers you possess that are in common with other "native born Italians" in our database.   

Leading Country of birth of a Foreign Born Inhabitant in the 2000 Census

1. Mexico
2. China
3. Philippines
4. India
5. El Salvador and Vietnam
6. Korea
7. Cuba
8. Canada
9. Dominican Republic

Arabic Population in the 2000 Census

Is your genetic profile more closely related to Abdullah I bin al-Hussein, King of Jordan or Muhammad Anwar Al Sadat, 3^rd President of Egypt?

• 30% of the inhabitants of the United States in the 2000 Census reported they were of Arab descent. Arab descent includes individuals from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Arab or Arabic and "other" Arabic countries.
• 42% of the population reported having more than one Arab ancestry.Ethnic questions are based on one's place of origin, descent, roots, heritage and it is usually only asked on Census questionnaires to establish that the respondent had a connection to or self-identified with a particular ethnic group. However, as we have found many times, our connection to a particular ethnic group, does not always include our entire ancestral roots.

There is a number of DNA Ancestry testing options that can outline your ancestral origins. A local DNA collections expert will be able to sort through the testing options most suited for your interests. A recent activity at many family reunions, is to have a local DNA collections expert available for anyone in the family who would like to trace their ancestry and prove the genetic relationship.

To find out more about the current U.S. population, visit the www.census.gov site which provides a host of information in various formats (pdf and xls). All the facts and figures presented here are taken the from the www.census.gov website. The information is meant to inform the reader that we all have our roots in the cultures and traditions of our childhood whether that was in the United States or somewhere else. Each of us has the right to be proud of our culture and we should be able to share our traditions and indeed find the similarities in our traditions with other cultures. However, for today July 4^th, let everyone know you are an American, with a proud history of independence, opportunity, privacy and the responsibility to protect those rights.

How Genealogical DNA Tests Benefit your Ancestral Research

(For privacy purposes, some details have been removed)

I run the SMITH Family Project at a genealogy testing facility, my maiden name was SMITH. Before creating this project, I had been researching my family for years. In these years, I (and others in my family) have not been able to get back any further than John SMITH who was born ca. 1725. There was much speculation on where this John was born and also whether he was actually British or French with such a common surname.

I began researching all the SMITH branches years ago trying to figure out where our branch may fit in. I never found anything concrete to prove or disprove any connection to the British SMITH branches in this country.

When Genealogical DNA testing came along, this gave me another opportunity to prove/disprove a connection to one of the SMITH branches which is why I started the SMITH Family Project. I had a male family member take a beginner's Genealogy DNA test. We started with just a 12-marker test, I soon realized that we needed to test more markers if I was going to find out anything or make any possible connections as there were a number of 12-marker matches with various surnames and it was obvious that more testing needed to be done to rule out those that were definitely not related. Within a couple of weeks of receiving the first results back, I upgraded the test to Y-DNA 37-marker.

I must point out that I was very aware at this time that I might actually be looking for a surname other than SMITH. Some family stories that had been passed down over the years had speculated on a few possible other names, such as Smyth, Smithe, Smithie, Smythie, Smithy, Smythy  all of which could have been changed to SMITH upon entering the United States. 

Once I received the second set of results, a total of Y-DNA 37 markers now, I realized I had much more concrete information. There were no matches to a SMITH (at least not close enough to call them relatives); however, out of the 37-markers tested a male family member's results matched 35-markers with a gentleman named Smithie.

I wrote to this gentleman immediately. He wrote back and told me of the research he had done on his Smithie family name, that they had come from Great Britain; and that perhaps family members had set sail for the USA and had their family name changed or shortened upon arrival.  

Researching this I found that Smithie (a name I mentioned above as being passed down through the family) had been shortened to SMITH in some cases.

Once again, I upgraded a male family member's test from 37-markers to 67-markers. The Smithie man also upgraded his test to 67-markers, when these results came back we were only off by 5-markers.

This Smithie gentleman has a degree in genetics and gives seminars on Genealogy and DNA testing. He believes that this is the line that my family came from even though we have yet to make the family connections. He also believes that if I can get my line back one or two more generations and we should be able to connect the families together. I am very excited about this; however, getting my line back even one more generation is proving to be quite challenging and I'm not sure that I'll be able to find the records to support this theory.

So I said all this, number one to tell my story; but, more importantly, to say that the matches with alternate surname can be useful if you know or believe that there may be a possibility that: 1) your surname may have been changed at some point in time, 2) someone in your direct line may have been adopted or not the natural child of the parents, or 3) there were some indiscretions on the part of your ancestors and so a name change was chosen as a way to create distance. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The DNA Lady
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catherine@dnalady.com 

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The DNA Lady is now offering Genetic Genealogy testing services. 

We are a locally owned DNA collecting and testing company and have recently begun offering Genetic Genealogy testing services to its clients.  Genetic Genealogy is a relatively new branch of DNA testing that got its beginning around 1998 with the widely publicized Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemmings case. 
Through Genetic genealogy testing, you can discover your past.  From tracing your ancestry through its ethnic origins, to discovering if you are related to someone with the same surname as yours, genetic genealogy testing can help give you those answers.
If you are African American, we can give you clues about a geographical location for your African ancestry.  If you are of Jewish descent, you can discover your Jewish ancestry and if you match others who are of Jewish descent.  Even if you have hit a "brick wall' in your ancestry research, our testing services may assist you in opening up new avenues to continue that research.  Our partner laboratory has comparative databases which are among the largest in the world, containing records of possible ancestors from all over the globe.

To get additional information on how Genetic Genealogy testing services may benefit you in your ancestral research, please...

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