When the Rampersaud and Lachman Family Trees United

Submission Date

Fall 2019

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative project is to conduct genetic and genealogical research investigating the ancestry of the Rampersaud and Lachman family lines. To do so, genetic testing was conducted through the collection of Andrew Rampersaud's saliva using the commercial company 23andMe to perform the DNA analysis. Then, genealogical research was carried out by initially attempting to use available databases. However, due to a lack of information, personal interviews of family members provided most of the personal information, which was then supplemented from secondary historical sources. The results from 23andMe showed that the maternal haplogroup is W3a while the paternal haplogroup is R-Y6. This correlated with the ancestry results from 23andMe, showing a large percentage of North and South Indian ancestry (78.2% and 12.5% respectively). The family interviews provided personal information concerning adversities they faced at the time, and ultimately the motivations behind their migrations. Both aspects, the genetic and genealogical components of this paper, culminate to demonstrate how many different life choices in the past led to the lives we have today.

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Let’s take a moment to think. How many actions led you to be here today? Everything we do and all the choices we make create a ripple effect that permanently affects the journey we call life. Our present existence is due to the trillions of decisions made by our ancestors before us. After conducting my own genealogical and historical research, I uncovered many interesting choices my ancestors made that could have altered both my family history and future forever. The decision to emigrate to America from Guyana and live in New York was crucial for my parents to meet. Yet, one example that predates this was the migration pattern of the early paternal haplogroup R-M512, which is most common in Eastern Europe but ended up in India instead. This could have possibly led to the surprising result of finding 0.1% Siberian ancestry in the DNA analysis. As such, the biggest question that remains is finding out where the Siberian DNA was introduced into the ancestry. Due to the lack of recording keeping, much of the information I gathered was from interviewing family members. Thus, as more records are uploaded in the future, I hope to be able to trace the family history to even earlier generations.

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