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Submission Date

Fall 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative was to create a personal family history using genealogical records for recent ancestry and DNA testing for large scale ancestry. Through family interviews and genealogical records, I was able to better understand my origins; as a Peruvian-American, this project also gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my culture.

Genetic testing provided by the genomics and biotechnology company, 23andMe, determined that my regional ancestry is 75.8% East Asian and Native American, 21.5% European, 0.9% Trace Ancestry, and 1.8% Unassigned. Through mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies, I learned the migration of my maternal haplogroup, C1d. This specific haplogroup traces back to a woman who lived approximately 15,500 years ago - that's about 620 generations ago.

Genealogical records also served a major role in this research as I could find many unknown ancestors through marriage certificates, death records and other different kinds of relics. An excellent discovery I made was finding the names of my paternal grandmother’s parents, Francisco Pimentel and Hermenegilda Vargas. Using the database Family Search, I was able to locate their names and learn a little bit more about them - something I never thought I would find.

Throughout this project, I have focused on each of my ancestors' stories that have collectively impacted my life today. I am still learning more about my family and their roots; it’s a continuous story as I start to learn more bits and pieces of information about them. Because of this, I am inspired to continue building on my family tree for years to come. By sharing my genealogic and genetic journey, I hope my work serves as a guide for others who are seeking to understand their own.

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