Momofuku’s David Chang Uncovers a Hidden 1000 Year Old Secret On Finding Your Roots | Ancestry®

Momofuku’s David Chang grew up thinking he’d never learn his Korean family history… but Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. reveals a shocking discovery over 1000 years in the making. Start your Ancestry® free trial today: visitancestry.com/3FBU6Pc
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[@AncestryUS]

David Chang was able to trace his family back 34 generations! How far will you go? Start your family history journey with Ancestry® today: www.ancestry.com/s119577/t45174/rd.ashx

[@johannesnielsenjohnbates8889]

My paternal family line on my mother’s side belongs to the Miryang Park clan, which goes back to 57 AD.

[@debbieappelhans9055]

@@johannesnielsenjohnbates8889that so awesome 😎

[@SusSL420]

@@johannesnielsenjohnbates8889 Wow! Was that just through potential parents?

[@mattazmy]

Wow, that's amazing. I have issues with my ancestry as we don't have proper records in SE-Asian before they trans-migrate within the islands.

[@User_dkffkdrkagfgk]

Pretty far. My parents have jokbo from Goryeo dynasty. Most noble families have cost of arms as well in Korea.

[@ohdaUtube]

More Asian stories please. I think this might be the first time I've seen an East Asian person on the show

[@Mary-cg1sl]

He's done Lisa Ling, Ming Tsai, Maya Lin, Fred Armisen (1/4 Korean).

[@mxd-1990asn]

For me any asians from East, Southeast and South asia (or asians that are a mix of any of those, at least to me as i come from a Thai-chinese mixed family with a few who are thai-indian , thai-japanese and thai-vietnamese mixed) would be interesting.

[@katrabbit]

I was thinking the same thing. I would love to see more Asian family history shown here.

[@cal8987]

They've done Ann Curry too, and others. I like this show in particular because of the variety of backgrounds of the guests.

[@ildlyn8966]

*Less* asians

[@abb3373]

The way Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is so respectful to the point of accurately pronouncing the name of his ancestors is next level. Respect.

[@AncestryUS]

A refined and professional host is only fitting for a topic as important as family ancestry. We're glad you enjoyed the video!

[@tea98988]

He is lucky that a relative of his managed to keep a copy of clan genealogy. We were told that my family’s clan genealogy was destroyed during the cultural revolution. Thanks to Mao, so many beautiful books and literatures were gone forever.

[@rodericwalter2862]

Thank you for sharing that. I did not know that that happened.

[@skynet40433]

It's pretty incredible to see David connect with his Korean lineage. I can't imagine how incredible it must feel, sorting through The Asian Diaspora.

[@unmellowyellow]

Yes, as a child of Korean immigrants, I don’t have many old pictures, and virtually no knowledge of my family’s history beyond my grandparents’ names.

[@user-jk7uv3iu5g]

As a Korean it is so interesting to hear that a very famous person that i learned from the history books has link with him!!!

[@joshschneider9766]

As a European Jew my ancestry on my moms side is rough to research. And knowing nothing of my dad makes it worse. Chef, you have inspired me as a cook, as an artist, as a human, for years. It is so heartening to see you learn this.

[@brandonkim76]

I love Jewish people ❤

[@livesmart9481]

I'm Korean (south), and he must be really proud of his ancestors!

[@liberty2308]

Actually a lot of families in Korea own Jokbo, the book of lineage. The last names might sound the same but if you ask most Koreans they at least know where their ancestry began and some of the well known ancestors. Like Lee from Jeonju and Kim from Gimhae stuff like that. It’s surprising that David never heard of it from his dad. Koreans love these stuff…!

[@tonisumblin2719]

That’s all well and good but what about the thousands of mixed race Korean people who are products of American fathers and Korean mothers from the Korean War. They’ve been searching for decades. Koreans in general, do not take DNA tests.

[@eldestinthemiddle]

yes but it's patrilineal. his mother wouldn't have had him recorded in her line's jokbo and his father fleeing north korea meant he probably wasn't able to save his own IF he was even able to access it as he might've been young enough fleeing that he didn't have his own copies and his family only had the volumes that HIS father had. and he did say that his father found it painful to talk about his past so the family never talked about it.

[@kaylachoi7271]

@@eldestinthemiddle yeah his mother would be under her father (Chang's maternal grandfather). So usually the head of the family in patrilineal, would have the book. So it could happen that as mention, his distant relative could be an uncle under the Chang family name. The wife names would be mentioned in the book too. You can ask the government to have copies, but as mentioned, someone preserved the Jokbo, so must be a direct line of the 33 or 32 generation, depending who is the relative. I have a feeling the family probably had an argument, as his father wanted to live in America and did not want to do anything with his Family back in Korea. Family tie is very important, especially if expected to be the next son to be the head of the family, which I could debate if his father was the first son of the 33 generation.

[@ohpalpal2000]

​@eldestinthemiddle Kayla choi below answer your question very well. I from Kwon clan can easily trace my mom from Lee clan, by looking up my side of jokbo and her side.

[@rodericwalter2862]

Great to know that!

[@leilak409]

I find this episode relatable. The fact there is a Jok Bo means that he comes from a significant lineage.

[@newyorkie7277]

This is true. However, in the 1800s, and especially with Japanese colonizations, there was rampant “purchasing” of jokbos as well as “gifting” of jokbos for a more illustrious status.

[@Raiche58]

It's striking that more than a few families have generational information blackouts due to trauma of some kind. My father came to Chicago from Mississippi in the 1940s, but never discussed his childhood. He's long since deceased and few family of his generation remain. These ancestral diasporas take a toll.

[@omggiiirl2077]

My Grandfather is from North Korea also. We also have a clan genealogy, actually my mother has two one for each family, one going back to royalty, and an aristocrat from China. What's crazy is that my Grandfathers family is a southern clan so we think that before any of the Japanese invasions our branch must either have had done something wrong to offend the royal family, or were a family of military and were sent there for a certain reason. But his ancestor is very famous, i grew up watching the series Jang Bogo the sea god. Too bad it's not available anymore to western audiences but his story is very well known. Korean clans had just as elaborate stories as the clans in other nations hopefully people will be interested.

[@AncestryUS]

Wow! Thanks for sharing your family history- such rich discoveries!

[@missourimongoose8858]

Wonder if any of them served on one of those turtle ships

[@amit4Bihar]

@@AncestryUS in India, we have meticulously kept records and marriage lines going back 2000-3000 years. I know my own ancestor of 2000+ years back. We even worship our greatest ancestors born 4000 years back

[@joefromravenna]

I’m of East European ancestry. So far, the ancestors i have found going back 4 to 7 generations back are mostly from 6 districts in West Slovakia and East Moravia. Based on grandma’s poverty (on mom’s side) we thought we were always poor, but between 1600 and 1900 our mom’s ancestors were part of the zeman (or baron) class, complete with at least 4 different coats of arms from the four families that we’re related to and a couple barons from neighboring towns. On dad’s side his mom was part of the vintners of SW Slovakia also land owners like my moms family. My dads dad wasn’t of noble birth but were tradesmen. My 3x great grandfather on dads side likely fought at the battle of Austerlitz, when Napoleon defeated Russia and Austria. It’s been a fun exploration of the lives of my own ancestors.

[@AncestryUS]

There's always so much to discover in our own family histories- We wonder how they came together? 😁

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Wow. Growing up I was told I had a baron from Austria as an ancestor as well as being a (collateral) descendant of the German Romantic poet Heinrich Heine. In fact I even did a paper on Heinrich Heine for a class. However once my dad started to do genealogy work I found out that we (my dad’s side) weren’t actually related to Heinrich Heine. And later it turned out there never was an Austrian baron in the lineage. I think my great-grandmother wanted to connect her Heine relatives to a famous Jewish lineage. Honestly I have no clue, I never met her so I can’t tell her we aren’t related to Heinrich Heine.

[@karenwaddell9396]

@@mirandagoldstine8548 people who burn books will eventually burn people. Heinrich heine

[@bahiras]

1,000 years of family history! Wow! I can trace my own history back to the mid-1700’s and thought that was a long time. But, 1,000 years…amazing!

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for dropping by, Victoria. That is amazing! We're delighted to hear that you have enjoyed such success with your own research to date and wish you the best with it going forward. 😊

[@KimberlyGreen]

I'm of 100% Western Euro-ancestry, but I love seeing these other cultures explored. Human cultures are so rich and fascinating.

[@darlenetillman7084]

I do too

[@tannercollins9863]

Why would ethnicity matter unless...

[@shawndabeard2605]

@@tannercollins9863 q

[@tannercollins9863]

@@shawndabeard2605 k?

[@lindabb7064]

@@tannercollins9863 Unless she understands more than her ancestors during European colonization that humanity's cultures have all their own souls that should be appreciated for their uniqueness instead of erased. That is called self-reflection, getting insight and evolved. Good on her to acknowledge and respect other cultures.

[@seandhilan6667]

My Great-grandfather was born in Italy on 1872. He had a rough childhood since his father passed away when he was 10 and his mother had to raise him all by herself along with his 6 siblings. He had to start working since his dad died and since they were so poor they ended up jumping from home to home and sometimes they ended up on the streets. He immigrated to New York in 1890 with his mother with his mother and 6 siblings. I remember him telling me about his childhood and about the past during the 1800s and early 1900s. I am so grateful for his sacrifice of coming to America and starting a new life. He met my Great-grandmother in 1891 and she was first generation American while her parents were immigrants from France. They both got married in 1893. My Great-grandfather passed away in 1977 at 105 years old.

[@hl6860]

Kinda mind-blowing that there's people alive right now who have living memory of others who lived in the 1800s. Like mathematically I understand it but my brain is struggling to process it.

[@damienthetexasian6827]

This gave me chills I thought researching my Asian ancestry would be impossible. My maternal Grandfather is Chinese who defected from N.Korea with my oldest uncle (ssamchun) before or during the war and married my S.Korean Grandmother in Pohang. Supposedly my Grandfather was a civilian special law enforcement (CIA-like) and has his name on a few war monuments as the only civilian. I went back to S.Korea when I was 16 and took pictures with the monuments and his grave far up in the green mountains. I don't understand the language so I never knew for sure. He was a real character at over 6' with a curly hair but he passed from a stroke when my mom was 17yrs old.

[@mrssuvia9306]

Learning the language can only help learn more about your roots and deepen the appreciation of your lineage. I encourage you to do so.

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

At 6’ back then he would have been a giant. I am dead on average height for Americans and felt tall in korea…. Though with every passing generation South Koreans are getting taller. The north not so much.

[@JohnYoo39]

His gravestone will typically have his clan on it. It will give you a starting point to find a copy of your jokbo.

[@damienthetexasian6827]

@@JohnYoo39 thnks that helps

[@johnnykwon8173]

I can trace back to my 38th great grandfather. Koreans follow a paternal lineage while some parts of the world follow a maternal lineage. My maternal grandmother’s husband fled North Korea during the conflict, they were well to do with a textile industry.

[@mp3_198]

This is incredible! I agree, I’d love to see more Asian genealogy. I’d love to see a Filipino genealogy one day. It would be challenging considering all the wars that took place but I’d think it’d be interesting. Also other southeast Asian places like Indonesia and Singapore.

[@anesidora0seneca]

I personally wanna see what happened in my father's side. Apparently, his paternal grandfather was originally from the north, but fled to the south island to escape jailtime for killing his sister's husband (who was abusing her). Man just wanted to talk, but the husband drew a weapon and a fight ensued. So, my ancestor fled and CHANGED HIS NAME. SO, MY LAST NAME ISN'T MY ACTUAL LAST NAME. My father's father never revealed what the real family name was, because they were from a land-owning family that had clout and mingled with that higher social class, and he wanted to maintain his obscurity and safety. I also wanna know just how iberian my blood is. Anyone know if theres a more accurate DNA test for filipinos/south-east asians?? I know china has a few regionally accurate/specific ones.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

Good luck with that. Many church and government records were destroyed during WW2. However, the LDS Genealogy Center and the Philippine Statistics Authority, both located in Quezon City, and the National Archives in Manila, might have records.

[@audiofreq]

HOLY CRAP! He's a descendant of Jang Bo-go!!!!!! That's insane. For us, he's like the Korean equivalent to the Japanese daimyo Takeda Shingen, famous armored cavalry and won many battles in Korea. David definitely got that conqueror mentality!

[@alittlepeaceandkarma]

He's very lucky to be able to go back that far.

[@patriciamurashige6879]

I’m American Japanese and I find it difficult to find and info on the Japan side of the families. So I feel the “jealousy “ or envy nice word. So happy for him!!

[@Njoofene]

My African ancestry goes back 26 generations. This is my dad's side as they were royalty. It is not just white people that can trace long genealogies. And not all whites can trace long genealogies. This is also possible for other cultures especially if they have links to royalty or nobility.

[@TzunSu]

Yes it's very location specific. Large parts of Europe don't have surviving records going back more then a few centuries, since all the warfare tended to burn down the cities and churches where the records were kept. I'm Swedish, and my tree goes back to the 14th century, but that's primarily because we only rarely got invaded and most of our records are still kept, now digitalized. And I'm the exact opposite of you, despite how statistically unlikely it is to have a tree as long as mine, I don't have a single drop of noble blood. A major part in reconstructing our tree came from the centuries of criminal convictions and executions of my ancestors! Being able to refer to the 3 ancestors I have that were burnt on the stake for witchcraft is an easy way to get Christian "recruiters" away from my door!

[@YoYoRaeRae]

That is VERY cool. 26 generations is incredible and 34 generations is just MINDBLOWING. I’m white and my family can only trace 6 or 7. I find ancestry so intriguing. I lived in South Korea and David finding out this far back makes me so happy for him.

[@YoYoRaeRae]

@@TzunSu, oh my goodness to find THAT in your ancestry is AWESOME! It’s almost better than nobility. 🤣

[@legendsson]

Which century can you go back?

[@Njoofene]

@@legendsson 13th century with written, reliable, and verifiable sources. Alternatively, I can go back to the 11th century (and even earlier) with oral and early Arab written sources. The reason I prefer to stop at 13th rather than going back to the 11th century is because there were contradictions and exaggerations in the earlier Arab sources. This is all from my father's side. On my mother's side, I can go back to the 16th century as they were royal courtiers and members of the noble council of elders (advisors to my father's family).

[@LemonLover721]

I'm not Asian, and I love how heart felt this was. Please add more diversity please!

[@jocelyncheng3987]

I know exactly how he feels, both my parents were adopted. While we were able to find my mom’s biological siblings and reconnect with them, we are totally in the dark about my dad’s side of the family. I really wish i could find something, this feeling of not knowing where you came from is very unsettling and very lonely.

[@carolejander]

Have you done your dna That would help you

[@renebrown995]

I hear you. I feel the same way. I know nothing of my mother's mother side of family or where she even came from. 💯 in the dark. As time goes on I wonder if I will ever know.

[@tomjones2157]

@carolejander some people do DNA and literally come up with NO ancestors. Even after years of waiting and doing tests with different companies

[@tinabobina856]

This gives me hope that I can trace my family tree back yo South Korea. I am half American and Korean. I, like David, thought I would never be able to find out about my family in Korea. Thank you!!

[@u_u8522]

If you know which clan your Korean parent is from, it may not be too tricky to find them. Good luck!

[@cherylpuzon6616]

I would be crying!! This is awesime!!

[@stephanieyee9784]

Wow, this is a great tale for David and his family.

[@AncestryUS]

We're honored to be able to uncover parts of the story that may have been missing!

[@MaybeTheyreBatman]

Imagine protecting and keeping that ledger of ancestry and being able to give that knowledge to someone later

[@merceddominguez2170]

WOW...TO FIND OUT ANY FAMILIES CONTRIBUTION IN HISTORY IS EXCITING IN ITSELF AS DISCOVERING WHO YOUR ANCESTORS WERE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO~ HOPE DR. GATES DOES A STORY ON PAPA RINTY & HIS DAUGHTER DELIA, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THEIR STORY AS I'VE ENJOYED MANY IN THE SERIES THAT BRINGS THAT PERSONS LIFE TO THE PRESENT AS THOUGH THEY'RE STILL HERE, IT'S FASCINATING, I LOVE IT❗

[@darlenefarmer5921]

Absolutely wonderful story!

[@nytoy8]

This is sooo cool. I got choked up for some reason. LOL. Pretty cool he was able to find this out.

[@H-Vox]

34th great grandfather omg... So fascinating

[@AncestryUS]

It's amazing to be able to go so far back! We're excited this could be shared 😁

[@Conernforthesedogs-iw7lf]

Oh, thank you, this is utterly incredible. Feel so fortunate to find this ~✨

[@AncestryUS]

We're glad you enjoyed this clip from our episode with David Chang. 😊

[@TheINFJChannel]

My mother also fled to the south from the north due to the war. Her family tree, too, fell off. She, too, never talks about her life in Korea Her parents died in '51. She came to America and lost contact with her siblings in '76. Chang Seon-dok, Chang Tek-ha, Chang Kyu-ha, Chang Yong-ja is still alive. She's 80. I know nothing about what you all went through. *WHERE ARE YOU ALL?*

[@user-hr6lo8yt6x]

that's wild that records exist that far back. super cool

[@dukecitywifey]

So happy for you, David Chang!

[@brittat3533]

I love these stories...I never thought I would

[@patriciajrs46]

I truly enjoy this. If this channel could be called Finding My Roots I would subscribe to it.

[@ruffmeow9893]

So wonderful to let it wash over you that your ancestry is composed of greatness (and folly sometimes). Let your children know

[@Pollard_jono]

This is the coolest series

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for enjoying!

[@thomaschristopherwhite9043]

It's insane to me that thousands of years ago people had a system in place to keep track of family members. I mean that's wild!

[@lmc2375]

A Thousand Years ... Wow! Here I thought I was so lucky to trace back 500 yrs. of my FR/IT line in Nice, FR/Nizza, IT. His longing wish was true all along. Most countries kept good record logs, but Asian countries and India did so from darn near the beginning. What's in a name? The story of your lineage. We all connect to another somewhere - like dots. Great story and happy for him!

[@13daniel1974]

I like this channel. David is a Chef I have followed for a while, on KZbin. His serious, Ugly Delicious, actually led to me finding some good places in Houston, when I lived there. What a history.

[@mikeyu5004]

Dr. Gates has some serious research skills.

[@giuseppeespazito1078]

I’m Italian and Romani gypsy. I’ve always wondered about my mothers Roma roots as Roma aren’t fond of records.

[@2551987ezio]

Recently found out a month ago that my great great great grandfather/mother hail from Sweden. Was a huge shock to me because I was mostly raised knowing mostly of my First Nation side and knowing so little of my dad's side, as he was half First Nation and the other half white. I was raised in Foster Care most my child/teenhood and had little to go off, other then an old magazine that talks a bit about my great aunt and her life's start in the Yukon Territories in 1940's. Was able to locate my great great grandfather's Death Certificate with it mentioning where his father was born. Being Sweden.

[@cindypetterson8578]

My maternal side is Swede-Finland. My daughter went to Sweden for one semester of school. People commented that she looked finnish (great grandpa). She decided to go to northern Sweden (Umea University) - looked up family tree. Ended up her great grandma was born 5 miles away from Umea. My daughter said she was just drawn there. Fate!

[@Regalman]

@2:32 He better put that picture up in his house when people first walk in they see it. That would be EPIC

[@trentejames9773]

Dude.. to be able to learn about your 34TH GRANDFATHER!!!! is just like mindblowing and unthinkable

[@aliceydu]

My paternal grandfather’s jiapu (家谱 or clan genealogy record) goes back to the Yuan Dynasty 1200-1300s. It’s amazing.

[@XimenaZhao415]

David and Grandpa Chang from the 800s have the same nose. That's wild.

[@desireerrudnik1106]

Wow, this is the best one yet

[@AncestryUS]

We're glad to hear you enjoyed the clip, Desiree! Thanks so much for watching. 😊

[@desireerrudnik1106]

@@AncestryUS thank you, I can’t wait too see this to develop into something bigger helping people find pieces of themselves ❤️

[@BuserODL]

Over 1000 years of lineage. Incredible. I hope i can learn about my mother and father someday

[@Ohno-go2rp]

This one really spoke to me.

[@AncestryUS]

We are delighted to hear you have enjoyed this episode, Cabbage party! Thanks for stopping by.

[@scottyi88]

Pretty interesting Jang Bogo was from Silla and most of the Northern part of Korea was ruled by Goguryeo.

[@bloomington0509]

Here are additional details about David Chang's 34th great grandfther Chang Jeong-pil, the first person to initiate the clan of Chang based in Andong, North Geongsang province in what is today's South Korea: Chang Jeong-pil was born to Jangwon who served as a military general in Zhejiang Province in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD), and moved to Silla in the 4th year of Queen Jinseong ( 887-897 AD). Later, at the age of 18, he went to China again to prepare for high ranking public servant exam and passed it but declined the government post . Instead he went to the mountain to train disciples. He is known all over China for his academic and virtuous reputation. However, in the 4th year of King Gyeongsun of Shilla, he returned to Silla in Korea and became the first man to start the Andong Chang clan after marrying a Shilla woman. As a Shilla warrior, he won a great victory at the Battle of Gochang in 930 AD against Baekje (one of the three Kingdoms vying for dominance on the Korean peninsula in the 10th century, and was recognized for his war-time acivements by Wang Geon, who unified the kindoms and founded the Goryeo Dnyasty. The name "Korea" stems from this dynasty of Goryeo.

[@GomerMcintyre]

I hear that mostly descendant of the Last Korean Empire (Second born to third) living in USA's today.

[@rodericwalter2862]

So all the Changs in the (blood)line are Korean, and none of them Chinese?

[@yyyymmddhhmm]

​@rodericwalter2862 The Andong Jang (Chang) Clan are from Jang Bogo (Silla Korean). The other Jang clans, such as Indong Jang, are likely from Balhae (Goguryeo Korean).

[@moniquewrites9046]

I have always been a fan of his. He’s so talented.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Monique, thanks for watching! It's great see that you enjoyed this video featuring David Chang.

[@tahira1]

Amazing

[@user-ie3vg4me3u]

Amazing!!! Many Koreans still worship General Jang, Bo-go, his ancestor

[@SEA-dx1sv]

One of my favorite shows.

[@julianacurry255]

That's huge, wow! 34th mine only to 24th on my mothers side

[@el_chino778]

This is great, being Chinese Canadian, I too have felt that Ancestry doesn't really give me information on my Chinese roots.

[@brodie-tzu4753]

My dad is from North Korea too. I’m happy for David.

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for dropping by and sharing this with us! 😊

[@BORN-to-Run]

How interesting is that!

[@Rankutubuki88]

As a filipino person, i envy these types of finding the ancestors. Our country has no enough records and evidences to figure out who are our greats are. My Father keep telling me that we are descended from Mexican/Spanish man who seeks fortune and live a new life in the Philippines kn early 1800s. But i want to know who, when or how. I guess that will be forever be a mystery.

[@AncestryUS]

We understand that researching is rarely a walk in the park, Rian and appreciate your sharing the challenges you've faced in digging into your own family history. We hope in time that new collections and advances in DNA testing may offer you additional useful tools to take advantage of. We also would encourage you to review our collections for the Philippines if you've yet to do so : www.ancestry.com/search/collections/catalog/?location=5181_1652396. Although, the collections are less extensive then we would like - there remains some helpful resources such as marriage, deaths births and baptisms. Thanks again and please know that our team are always pleased to listen and assist you in achieving your aims. 🌳

[@sweetlaughter78]

I really like him!! Great human!

[@dukecitywifey]

I have been active on Ancestry since 1999!

[@mcm0324]

What COVID quarantine did for me? I was able to follow my father's grandmother's family all the way back to Charlemagne. It's hard to find now on my Ancestory family tree, I need to find the time to be able to go back again and find a way to have it printed.

[@susanhaynes4502]

Well done...

[@melissam9253]

That is part of our legacies, often. Surviving war means not just the event itself, but the memories, too.

[@ItsWeinye]

This clan genealogy record method is very common among the Chinese too. I am 3rd generation Chinese-Malaysian. When the Chinese migrated to Malaysia, family clans with the same last name would keep our records in our respective clan organizations or temples. And it’s alive until today. I can go back and trace my relatives all the way back to china.

[@Vector_Ze]

I'm just posting here because it's one of your latest posts, I haven't (yet) watched the video. But, I wanted to ask a few questions: I have an Ancestry member relative who has provided a boatload of genealogical research. I've received the DNA results from my mother, and mine will be available in a few weeks (I'm male). My dad died in 1990. Would you be gracious enough to recommend the best service for male DNA (mine), so I might get a better picture of my father's side of the family? I can see this becoming an obsession! But, supposing I die unexpectedly after spending gawd knows how many hours on this project (I'm 68)? Is all of my effort lost? Also, I am managing my 93-year-old mother's account. Please explain how I can manage the two without switching account logins. She's not capable. I used two different email addresses to register our samples. EDIT: After watching your ad, I guess it answered my first question, with a tip of the hat to capitalism.

[@kt3184]

I traced back my german ancestors that came to Canada before Canada was even established. He came via military around 1700 … I grew up in a small town about 15 min from where he died a loong time ago!

[@AncestryUS]

Wow! Did your family stay in this area all this time? It's amazing to explore the area with such history intertwined with yours!

[@novaWRX]

Which Ancestry package is this available in?

[@lastnamefirst1981]

Being Southeast Asian from a hill tribe with nothing but oral history makes me wonder if A LOT about my ancestors but little hope of ever being able learn anything more than what my mom has told me.

[@u_u8522]

You should reach out to your relatives and record what you know for the future generations!

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

In Britain we have "Who do you think you are" and I'm so glad this format happened in the States as because of the mass immigration some of the stories are just so fascinating and really do take you everywhere in the world

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

There was a short American version that I loved even more than Finding Your Roots. But I’d love to be able to watch the British version. I don’t think any service carries it here which is weird.

[@miguelquatroqui9334]

Yeah that is what i wanted to see familytrees that go s whey back

[@moomyung9231]

The furthest I can take my most paternal line back is 1500 and he was just a country farmer in a still very small village.

[@mxd-1990asn]

Still wonder where the Vietnamese ancestry on my moms side is from (we didnt know she is almost half vietnamese until the DNA test). Only my moms brother once mentioned that one of my grandmas parents did not live in thailand (they lived somewhere in vietnam or laos ,but we never knew where exactly and which grandma it is...). My family is from Thailand but is ethnically Thai and South chinese mixed , with a few of them ,who are half or mainly Thai ,where the rest of theyr asian roots are part japanese, part indian and part vietnamese. Only one of the relatives i know is full northern chinese. Not sure how it is on other countries ,but here in thailand many people who have been here for many generations already consider themselfs as just Thai (no matter if they are mixed with chinese or anything else southeast/east and south asian , this is even the case for many people here ,who are ethnically full chinese or full ethnically south-asian ,which are mostly ethnic indians and sometimes pakistanis) , so ancestry gets lost here pretty quickly. (most of my relatives live very close to Laos, neighbouring country) My mom got 47% Vietnamese on her dna test (the other % were Thai , Chinese and the smallest % was South asian *North Indian and north Pakistani`*) , we dont know any of our relatives who might still live somewhere else in SEA or china (or maybe even somewhere else). For my mom the dna test was partly a surprise ,while to me it wasnt (as southeast asia is very asian mixed with different southeast asians, chinese and indians around the whole region and as it seems more japanese people now too, as i noticed that theres many thai-japanese families around the place i live, which is about 2 hours outside of Bangkok) My DADS side of the family is still a 100% mystery , he also had a dna test but he doesnt know anybody in his family besides his parents and siblings. My Grandma/grandpa on my dads side never told anything about theyr families and they died when i was still under 10 years old, so... i couldnt ask them anymore.

[@crystalglass7106]

awesome

[@haisuisonny745]

How do you do that.. Can you find my family roots too... It's gonna be really long but I'm really curious..

[@sandybruce9092]

Sometimes families don’t want to share information because of so many reasons. I have spaces on both sides if my family because someone didn’t want to recognize a problem, a health situation, or other things they just didn’t want to share. The health situations still bother me. Is there something we should know that can be genetic? Or reasons why some ancestors didn’t live a good life? I only have “stories” which many times are just that!

[@alisonfraser8231]

The mariner looks just like him. Strong genes!

[@reginarc2927]

Amazing! Be proud of who are and your ancestors that made YOU possible!

[@sandybruce9092]

We all had very strong ancestors in so many ways because they lived through wars, famines, illness, etc. - if they hadn’t lived we wouldn’t be here now!

[@megbea8490]

European ancestry does not mean you can go back and back and back. I'm from Ireland and anything past the 1850s is extremely difficult.

[@user-pt1le6cc8c]

True I can’t trace past 1840 so many records destroyed 😩🇮🇪

[@irishman5562]

Best regards I've found have been in the Catholic Church.

[@megbea8490]

@@irishman5562 dna also helps!

[@tanyalang4521]

I’m stuck with the late 18th, but only because a few ancestors went to Scotland and died after civil registration began

[@RandydatBish]

We know that's not the case for a lot of other Europeans. History has a way of doing that. BUT people of European ancestry are certainly more likely to be able to trace their ancestors back further than others.

[@tfor263]

They should make it easier for Everyone to do this

[@user-nl5xn9qk6w]

I wish I could go back and find my relatives/ancestors. As far as my family tree, I have only been able to go back to my grandfather on my biological dad's side of the family and my great grandparents on my mom's side of the family.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi, Jessica. Thanks for reaching out. We understand how frustrating it can be when you aren't able to find much information on your family. Have you started a family tree on Ancestry? If not, we recommend doing that, as the trees are designed to help you find those important records. We'd be happy to give you some tips to help you get back further. We'll include the link below. Please let us know if you have other questions. support.ancestry.com/s/article/Getting-Started-Lesson-1-Starting-Your-Tree?language=en_US

[@SunnyIlha]

Intense man. Thirty four Grandfathers ago.

[@harbs_cantina]

So this record is passed down through generations and added to by each preceding one?

[@chrisnewman5050]

I'm so curious if anything can be found on about my family. I feel like the Vietnam war destroyed anything that could've tracked past my grandparents:(

[@Vintagefeen]

Id love to find out the ancestry of my grandmother and what she went thru during the DR war. I know she burred 2 of her sons but thats all my family knows.. i need to know more.

[@rodericwalter2862]

By "DR war", do you mean Dominican Restoration War?

[@maryfrump7937]

Finding out after 60 years that my Moms family goes back beyond Charlemagne freaked me. Enough so that I have checked and rechecked the documents to make sure!

[@Iprsmrk]

34th Great Grandfather! Durn - I was happy to find my 4th...

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for sharing!

[@dsummerfan]

We share the same name. My family history is also from Korea.

[@ayyyple]

My 37th grandfather is fruela the cruela

[@jj-bv3ui]

I would give almost anything to know my history as a Syrian American

[@personaldanceparty5518]

What show number is this

[@marrlenne1171]

We need more Asian and Hispanic stories.

[@elisemiller13]

With all respect David Chang, with my Jewish background, I can't go back more than a few generations of my European ancestry either.

[@cac2821]

My great grandfather ( Joseph) left Italy with some of the children while my great grandmother ( Vita) stayed and begged Mussolini for the release of her eldest sons from the war. My great grandfather came to America in the early 1920’s and my great grandmother came later in the 1920’s. ( once the boys were released) finding out almost anything in regards to my familia in Italy is non existent. All I know it my great grandmothers mothers last name was Latito. There was no more leaves after that and the rest of my great great grandparents are unknown. I do know that my grandmother spoke of Debar Italy and we have living relatives, but how do you reach out across the ocean to find them with no hints of nothing.

[@skontheroad]

How do you reach out across the ocean and research your past in Italy?? Is that a real question?? Have you made any headway since you posted this? How would you start the research if you lived in Italy?? THE INTERNET!! How do you think we all did this before the internet was invented??

[@cac2821]

@@skontheroad you’re incorrect. Parts of Italys records are on paper, especially little villages. I have done a lot of ‘internet’ searching for years, and if the small village my grandmother and grandfather were easy to contact don’t you think I would have? Don’t try to talk to me like I am stupid smh.