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Question: Question about ancestry, ethnicity and race!.!?
I would like to know a little bit more about how this works!. I was adopted, and I have always searched for answers!. Now that I have met my biological family, I still don't know much!.
My birth father doesn't know his father, either!. He says the man is from Mexico and has Native American roots!. Does that mean his father was Mestizo!?
My birth mother is French, Italian and Irish!.
My birth father's mother's race is currently unknown!. I know that she named his brother (born from a different father) Jose, so I wonder if she was also a Mexican!. The only picture I have of her would indicate that she may have been of Latin-American descent!.
My adoptive parents were French and English in terms of ancestry!. I was raised in a Franco-American community!.
I have always wondered about my roots!. In spite of "looking for a label" or what other have said I'm doing, I really want to put together this identity for myself!. I think having these "labels" in this way are important as they give meaning to concepts, you know!?
So!.!.!. in terms of race and ethnicity!.!.!.with my current information!.!.!.what does that make me!?
Thanks in advance for your unbiased and polite responses ;-)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I think a lot of us get into murky territory at some point, in terms of ancestry, ethnicity and race, when we start trying to trace our roots !.!.!. sometimes sooner and sometimes later!. I've always described my ancestry and ethnicity as French and German, my race as Caucasian, and broadly speaking that turns out to be pretty accurate!. But I have a cousin, on the German side, who insists on referring to our "grandfather from Poland" because he was born in what is now Gdansk!. However, since he was born in Danzig, Prussia, and spoke German, he was Prussian, which was the nucleus of united Germany, and hence, in my opinion, German!. Our shared great-grandfather, born in Wasselone, Alsace, was described on the 1901 Canadian census as "French" because that territory then belonged to France, but he was also German-speaking and, in my books, German!.
I've identified more than 1400 of my mother's ancestors, all descending from natives of departments, duchies, principalities belonging to France (except for one prized 7th great-grandmother who was a member of the Huron/Wendat Nation) !.!.!. but I'm beginning to question where many of these French "natives" originated; quite a number of them I believe may have fled Spain when the Moorish Empire fell!.
I'm afraid none of this is very helpful to you; I'm really just pointing out that most of us in the Americas are in the same boat !.!.!. we tend to be sort of multi-cultural if our ancestors have been here long enough!.
A question about your birth father's father: I'm under the impression that a Mestizo is the offspring of Spanish-Native American parents (as a Méti is the offspring of French-Native American parents)!. There are certainly many Native Americans in the US and Canada who are not Métis!. Would this not also be the case in Central America, i!.e!. would your grandfather necessarily have been of mixed descent!?
Knowing how difficult it can be to trace one's family with some basic facts about one's forefathers (my Prussian grandfather has turned out to be an impenetrable brick wall), I sympathize with your longing to know about where your family originated, and think you're to be congratulated for having managed to find and meet your birth family!. I think you could consider yourself French-Italian-Irish-Latino (you could probably stake a claim to "Anglo" as well, in view of your upbringing) !.!.!. a marvellous "Heinz 57" like many of us, able to take pride in all of the favourable attributes of your various heritages!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Actually, you're not in really bad shape here, nor in bad company!. In Genealogy, ancestry is determined through forensic examination of documents!. Ethnicity and especially race, are unimportant, though they can lead to clues on where to look!.
You know your birth mother, and you have a clue as to your birth father's origin!. It is likely that they were Catholics, so, if civil records have been lost, you might be able to find them through Church records!.
None of this is easy!. It means that perhaps you slowly nestle yourself into the hobby!. It's very fun and rewarding!. I have been amazed at some of the treasures I've uncovered tracing documents, and finding my ancestors, and you perhaps will find unknown cousins who have already researched much of your ancestors history!.
Here are some links:
http://www!.tedpack!.org
http://familysearch!.org
http://cyndislist!.com (great links for adoptees here, too!.)
http://rootsweb!.com
All of these are free!. Collect all the names of everybody you know, and their birth dates and locations, and work backward from there!.
Good luck and happy hunting!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com
Like most of us , you're a mutt!. Even if you find out the mother's birth father it will be very limited what you know!. As far as your birth paternal grandfather, a mixture of Spanish and Indian in Mexico is called Mestizo!. The greater part of Mexico's population is Mestizo!. However, if you would trace your ancestry as you go back in the generations, any percentages or fractions would change!. Your Italian or Spanish ancestry might have had ancestors from Germany or France!.
In certain parts of Italy,there is a possibility of Austrian or Albanian heritage mixed in!.
If it really worries you, many would suggest a DNA test!. There are 3 types of DNA, Autosomal, Y and Mitochondrial!. Most companies only use Y & Mitochondrial and they advertise that they will help you discover your "deep ancestral roots!." However, understand this Y is passed from father to son only!. Mitochondrial is passed from mother to both sons and daughters but only the daughters pass it on to their children!.
Your Autosomal DNA comes 50-50 from both parents coming down from all your ancestors!. Only one company that I know of does Autosomal and that is DNA Tribes!. Now, it probably won't be specific!. They will give you Northern European etc!. The same DNA crosses national, racial and ethnic boundaries and people within the same national, racial and ethnic boundaries can have different DNA!.
As you go back the number of people you descend from pyramids!. If you get back to your 6xgreat grandparents, barring any duplicates, you are directly descended from 510 individuals!.
Of those 510 individuals, you get your Mitochondrial DNA from only 8!. It leaves out 502 people!. If you were a male you would also get your Y DNA from only 8 leaving out 494!.
You get your Autosomal from all 510!.
So the deep ancestral roots a company can give you from your Mitochondrial DNA would be the deep ancestral roots of only one specific line - the line that goes back to your mother, your grandmother, your great grandmother, your great great grandmother, your great great great grandmother etc!. It would not tell you anything about your paternal line or the ancestors that became the spouses and their families of your direct Mitochondrial ancestors!.
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