There is a fight of epic proportions going down at the Katz residence (i.e., my parents’) in suburban Philadelphia.
The results of my Ancestry.com DNA kit are in and some news was expected and some was WILD. Ancestry’s DNA-based test is part of the genealogical surveys at Ancestry.com. It’s easy to use: They send you a DNA collection kit, you spit in a tube (estrange yourself from your prissiness momentarily), and put it in the mail. A few weeks later, you get an email with your results. THEN, you make up umpteen romantical sagas in your head of how your ancestors traversed continents and countries for centuries! I’m 88% European Jewish, specifically eastern European Jewish, which was to be expected. Nostrovia to that! My grandmother immigrated from Ukraine in 1924 and is alive to tell the tale. From what I knew of my lineage, it’s heavily Russian with a sprinkling of Lithuanian and Latvian thrown in for good measure.
What’s fascinating is the TRACE REGIONS! I’m excited that my affinity for all things British from the Beatles to TopShop to Barry M to the beauty mecca that is the perfume room at Liberty (make the pilgrimage if you haven’t yet, darlings) is in my GENES, if only in a teensy percentage. I feel very gratified by this. I spent the whole of the ’90s watching Monty Python, Are You Being Served and Absolutely Fabulous with my dad, so I’m assuming this is on his side. I’m loving this Irish wildcard, as I’ve always felt the Irish are fun, fairylike people who are almost always hilarious. This Francophile/French literature major has taken the liberty of deciding that Europe West means I’m of a Gallic people in some small way.
I am not above showing you the medal I got in high school for getting a near-perfect score on the National Latin Exam, which has moved to ALL of my residences with me.
But back to the fight: Barry and Carol Katz are both dying to claim this Italy/Greece heritage and it’s possible it’s split from both of them, but my money’s on my dad. We’ll find out when they do their own ancestry.com DNA kits, of course. But my dad and I boast a near obsession with Roman history. I recently passed him my copy of Cicero: The Life And Times Of Rome’s Greatest Politician. In high school, nothing was easier for me than Latin, and had to make the devastating decision to pursue a college major that, you know, people of the modern world would find even remotely useful. I chose to become fluent in a tongue in circulation today as opposed to one where I could communicate solely with The Pope in the Vatican. And dare I say, it was a tough decision. I also had a weird fascination with Artemis (the obvious inspiration for Katniss) in middle school to the point where I did a semester-long report on Greek mythology, given the choice of just about ANY subject. I traveled to Greece and Italy for the first time, respectively, within the past 5 years and both were incredible trips. So what I’m SAYING is, bring on the celebratory pasta and feta because I am so down with claiming this 7% Mediterranean situation.
Don’t you want to know what’s going on with your own ethnicity? You’re in luck, because I’m giving away one free kit, valued at $99. It makes a great gift, too! To enter to win, you must be following @Glambr and @Ancestry on Twitter and RT this giveaway. Then, tweet me or comment below and tell me what you are looking for in your own family history. To get an extra entry, follow me on Instagram as well (@rouge_18) and leave a comment on the most recent photo about what you’re looking to learn about your ethnicity. Deadline to enter is Monday, August 4. Good luck!
Disclaimer: I received this product for review but all opinions herein (as always!) are my own.
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Tweeted! I want to win this to learn about my husband’s background- family legend says he’s got various Native American tribes in his family but I don’t know how to verify it. It would be super cool for my kids to have Native heritage! @silvertapestry on Instagram.
Looking for possible Jewish ancestry. We also have an unknown 5th great grandfather. This would be amazing!!
As someone who was raised by my grandmother, and recently married a 100% Italian, I’m looking to find out my ethnicity and background, and more about who my family was. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!
I’m looking for who I am from the very beginning and the whos’ that made me who I am and where they originated from.
My son in law was adopted- I would love to win this for him, so that he could have some sense of his heritage.
I would just like to know more. I have heard from family that I have Cherokee Indian and Irish roots but that is all I have heard and am not sure even if that is correct. I am very curious to know!!
I’d like to do it on hubby’s family history. From what I understand, not only is he related to Jesse James on his mom’s side, but his great, great, great, great grandfather actually started the town we live in on his father’s side!
I’d like to find out how much Asian I am, given that I’m of native Mexican and Chinese ancestry. I would also like to see what else there is!
I’m hopig to fidsome Irish and Native Amercan in my heritage.
I’m wondering if my DNA traces to Jewish roots or Indian. My granddad once told me that his people are Choctaw Indian. So this would be a treasured gift for me personally because a lot of questions would be answered.
I also follow you on Instagram and commented on the Ancestry DNA photo.
I follow you on Twitter and retweeted. I’m looking to find out about my ethnicity because I don’t know where my father’s family is from exactly. I only met my paternal grandparents once and they died years ago. I don’t have anyone to ask.
I really don’t know what I’d be looking for, a lot of both sides of my family are a little bit of a mystery. When my dad was young his dad left my grandma and cut all communication. There have been lots of questions about health and just where we come from. My grandma, on my mom’s side, passed away when I was young, I don’t really know any of her family history, but there had been some speculation about some Native American blood on her side.
Anyway, it would be really great to have some questions answered.
My father was adopted with his twin brother who died 30 years ago. He is black adopted by a white family to work on the farm. I am of mixed ethnicity. White and black is all I know. I would really love to know what I am really made up of and I have no family roots to trace. This would be absolutely amazing to be able to tell my kids exactly what we are!
I would be looking for German and Native American in my DNA
I want to win! My father swears we’ve got just about every ethnicity in our family; I’d love to see if he’s right.
I have seriously contemplated doing this myself … winning a free kit would just be icing on the cake 🙂