Italian Grandma Was Actually Middle Eastern? (Ancestry Story)

[@Ice-c-o8q]

Sweetie, it's just life. No one's life or family is perfect. Life, real life, is usually pretty messy. Don't let that stop you from investigating and sifting through your family history to find the valuable treasures of who you come from. Great video!!! 👍🏾👍🏾🥳🎊🎉✌🏾

[@nytn]

Absolutely true!

[@daleamaral5195]

l always thought l was half Hawaiian. My mom who was supposedly half Hawaiian and Spanish and my dad was 60% Hawaiian and the remainder percentage Portuguese. My Mom had blue eyes and fair completion, my dad was very dark with brown eyes and black hair. My problem was l never felt like l was half Hawaiian because of my lighter skin and eyes , same with my 2 brothers. l took the DNA saliva test, found out l was indeed half Polynesian, Maori, and Hawaiian. Turns out certain areas of New Zealand where my moms family were originally from, had regions where Maori natives had light hair and green and blue eyes. It was great to find that fact out.

[@Casey2262]

The red and blonde hair, along with blue eyes came from Europeans. An Anthropologist by the name of Brien Foerster studied the DNA of the Paracus people of Peru and found that they have direct links back to the Black Sea region in Eastern Europe before they migrated to South America and New Zealand. Maori also claimed they were in NZ before they were, and were known by their name as the Patupaiarehe in their folklore.

[@chadburke852]

Said Mom was part spanish. They have some light skin blue eye folks

[@Lux_anchieta]

​@Casey2262not exacly The best theorys is that they came from central asia From DOZENS OF THOUSANDS of years ago Altough black people can have it as genetical failure

[@Casey2262]

@@Lux_anchieta There's no evidence it came from Asia. The DNA markers go in the opposite direction from Europe to Asia, through the Pacific to South America.

[@Casey2262]

@@Lux_anchieta A theory with no supporting evidence. I'll stick to Brien Forster's DNA findings over that any day. And I don't consider Maori people as "black" they are Polynesian, not Sub-Saharan Africans.

[@thumbstruck]

Italy is a mix. There are Slovenian, German, and French (Provincial) speakers in the north. Greek speakers in Sicily and southern Italy along with Albanians. Sicilian dialect has a lot of Greek and even Arabic vocabulary.

[@megb9700]

All the locations around the Mediterranean mixed with each other. Where there was trade, there was mixing.

[@JohnnyLodge2]

It isn't as mixed as people think it is. Also as much as I love this channel and respect her but a lot of anti-italian racism even to this day is "you are a moor rape baby" "you are a swarthoid" etc does derive from MENA people claiming to be Italian. Like even you ignored that Spanish language probably has a greater influence on sicilian than arab does the norman influence etc. Because you went straight to the stereotype

[@MagnaMater2]

A caveat about the eastern Northern Italy, I noted watching MH-Results of Alpine-Venetians and Inhabitants of the Trentino: The roman coloniae of the 1st century BCE were settled by former soldiers of Naples and Campania. Aquileia was only the largest one. When the Huns, Goths and afterwards the Avars started 'regular' raiding the inhabitants (those that didn't found Venice) withdrew into the remote alpine-valleys and made up the stock of the future Alpine-Ladinic speakers. After 2200 years they still have some 20-60% of Southern Italy and Greek. (15-20% for those that think themselves as 'German')

[@thumbstruck]

@@MagnaMater2 At least they share recipes!

[@sgjoni]

I think researching the broken parts of ones family are the most interesting… because there is usually a reason why it is broken and it can help to put things into perspective… and sometimes they are the most interesting and healing stories ❤

[@markantony3875]

Yes. the Middle Eastern and North African is extremely common among us Southern Italians. I also have around 15% from Egypt and Persia (Iran). I have to laugh as modern Italians try so hard to be "just" European, but the scientific facts are we are different from Western and Eastern Europeans.

[@markantony3875]

@AnnaChristina-z2w Biological, genetic, and historic facts are indeed FACTS whether you like it or not. I was born in Napoli and am Italian citizen. I have no problem accepting these facts. Southern Italians are NOT and NEVER were Brits, Germans, Scandinavians, or Slavs culturally or genetically. Also, in USA "white" and the privileges of being "white" historically only extended to WASP's from western and northwestern Europe and EXCLUDED Italians and Greeks. If my fellow Italians who decided to move to USA were excluded from "white" culture in USA, why in the hell would they embrace it???

[@lorenzobianchini4095]

modern Italians, born and raised in Italy, never talk about these issues. It's just American nonsense.

[@markantony3875]

@@lorenzobianchini4095 Those of us literate in science and technology do talk about this. Just because you don't understand the biological science behind this doesn't mean other Italians don't have an interest in it.

[@lorenzobianchini4095]

@@markantony3875 if the subject interests you that's your question. I simply said that, with exceptions, Italians are not interested in these racial issues and do not talk about them among themselves. These are things that Americans discuss because their society is based on racial distinction and they are obsessed with it.

[@markantony3875]

@lorenzobianchini4095 I agree with you on that. Americans are obsessed with this for "social justice" reason. I am interested in it for scientific and historical reasons. Personally, I have no problem saying I am a sum of my parts, many of which came from different regions of the planet.

[@ڈتےع]

It's so cool how you look like all your relatives, but most like your Grandmother. I think being multiethnic is beautiful.

[@Visionary0001]

Thank you for your honesty and for your willingness to be vulnerable, Danielle. You deserve our respect for sharing such heartfelt, private details.

[@RbNetEngr]

I grew up in similar circumstances to you. I was very close to my mother's family, especially because her parents lived next door and her sister and family lived behind us. So it was very common to visit with them every day, and get together for the holidays and birthdays. But my dad's family, specifically his parents, were much more distant. I never met his father, and his mother did not speak English very well, so when we went to visit my dad would talk to her in Polish and my brother and I would just sit and watch TV. But as I grew up, I learned more about the family story on my dad's side of the family, and then it started to make sense. My dad was one of 13 children (two did not live to adulthood, so 11 adult children). His dad was a factory worker, and an abusive alcoholic. He would get paid in cash at the factory each week, and would drink his way home. Whatever money he had left needed to provide for the family for the rest of the week. He was also physically abusive to his wife and to all the kids. They shared terrible stories of how he would beat them in a drunken rage. He was not liked by his family, and after his death, they never spoke about him. When my Polish dad met my Sicilian mom, his family disliked her and treated her very badly. So after living around them for almost ten years, my mother gave my dad an ultimatum: choose between her, or his abusive family. So they moved away from them, and close to my mom's family. So yes, Danielle, many families have been influenced by the dark side of their relationships, and it affects how we grow up. Looking back, I am thankful that my parents did not share this side of their early marital relationship, because it would have influenced my relationships with my dad's side of the family. As it was, I had good relationships with my Aunts and Uncles on my dad's side, and I had many cousins from that side as well. But they were relatively distant relationships compared to the family relationships I had with my mother's side of the family. I hope you find out much more about your dad's side of the family, to fill in some of the details.

[@kevingleason1051]

Middle Eastern and North African influence is all over the Mediterranean rim in all countries that touch it. Your grandmother certainly was beautiful, as you are now. 😊

[@alexbee3736]

It's so interesting to be going on this journey of discovery with you!

[@reportedstolen3603]

This is why I cherish testimonials from my distant and older relatives, because it always leads to more ancestral knowledge. Or a direction to research 💜

[@amb7412]

Wow, today's video really resonates with me on so many levels, because i have broken connections on both sides due to divorce an I have tension filled connections with the family that I married into, but because of my son, I know that I will have to explore these family connections, as well but it's tough. I truthfully, have only been interested in researching my mother's side of the family. Since I was close with great-grandmother and she gave me some tidbits about her family. My father's side has not, with my parents divorcing before I turned 1, the connection with him and his family was broken. It wasn't until my teen years, that I started meeting them and they weren't kind, so I struggle with learning more about them. My father's mother also has a checkered past and her children were embarrassed by it. Her fist pregnancy resulted in making the local newspaper giving birth to triplets naturally in Mississippi, and she was a fairly young unwed mother. Her next child also occurred as an unwed mother. Later, she met and married my grandfather. She had a total of 7 children, but didn't raise any of her children. They were left among various relatives in the South as she and my grandfather looked for work throughout the South. My father was bitter about him an his two sibling being left with a mentally ill grandmother, who was also abusive. I know digging into their historical facts, will open up old wounds. She's also the family member with Louisiana connections, so I am curious to uncover information. The little that my father shared was pretty shocking. But I do not know much, since he'd only tell me things as he was leaving my home in the doorway. The information was just small tidbits in the run., but they painted a checkered past. Thank you for sharing that you also struggle with researching certain family members, who may have presented themselves in a problematic light; everyone has skeletons right? Great video.

[@keeponkeepingonmrc2023]

First of all I am so glad I found you and your journey. I love your talks, pictures and in this video you showing your fathers side too. It gives me inspiration that is for sure to find out more about my family also, especially my moms side. My mother and father divorced when I was 2, my dad and grandma raised me. I always thought my mother left me cause that is what my uncle would say. I am 56 now and about 8 years ago my dad and I were visiting his uncle and his new wife. She asked about my mother and I mentioned she left me when I was 2 ( as I always told people who asked about my mom) 😬😬. Anyways, this time my dad was with me when I said that. He says loudly " she didn't leave you, she fought for you" so she gave custody to my grandma after thinking I would be better raised by my grandma and dad. I told my dad, that is the nicest thing he ever told me..hahaha...all these years I thought she left me. So much more to my story too...whoooo...Stay blessed blessed everyone and keep on keeping on💜💜🙏🙏

[@batya7]

I discovered that my mother's maternal grandfather apparently had at least three brothers who came to the USA! My mother had no knowledge of these great-uncles of hers; there was some sort of falling out between her grandfather and his brothers. Yet I found them in city directories, and they lived in the same block of the street where her grandfather lived and apparently shared responsibility caring for their father. All worked in the same neighborhood, too. To top it off, I discovered two of them are buried in the row behind my great-grandfather's grave!!

[@elizabethabraybant7282]

I know very little 9:16 relatives in Italy. Neither side spoke much about the relatives left there and I don't know why. Since all grandparents have passed, I suppose all the stories have died with them. I would love to write a book about growing up Italian American but don't have enough stories to tell.

[@nytn]

I think that is the most Italian American story of all. I hope you will

[@oddindian1]

There is a lot of Arab and North African heritage in Sicily. It was under Muslim rule for about 200+ years. The Jazz musician Frank Zappa had Arab heritage, he was Sicilian. Siculo-Arabic was the language that modern Sicilian emerged from.

[@Thomas_Oklahoma]

Not surprising your Italian fam has a little Middle Eastern ancestry, there has been numerous trading between Southern Europe and the Middle East. The Phoneticians settled in parts of Southern Europe, as well as numerous trading ports in the Mediterranean region. Not to mention Moorish conquest in the region. A whole lot of mingling happened in the region for thousands of years, some Southern Europeans have some Middle Eastern ancestry.

[@NurturingOptimisticFearless1]

You look a lot like your grandmother Marie ❤

[@michaelrochester48]

My Italian ancestors have given me a lot of North African and Saracen blood. recently even on my peasant Ancestry I found a Royal line so you don’t know what you’re going to get when you get your Ancestry into the 1500s and earlier

[@OvSpP]

I just came across your channel last week and it’s made for some interesting connections. What you seem to really come down to is what race and ethnicity means in a practical sense, not what the media often confuses it for, a cultural sense. Both have huge affects on the way it creates and perpetuates prejudice through a social sense, literally our only problem with these days since the laws changed, albeit a huge and still sometimes economic and/or lethal one. Nevertheless, I’m glad someone’s at least trying to break it down this way. P.S I was a little on the fence at first, but you kinda pulled me in because _I also_ had great grandma Lola! From one state away from yours’ (Mississippi) and also moved north as a young woman. Amazing that little parallel between us 🤗.

[@annatomasso5226]

So interesting to see your perspective on your Italian side. I can definitely relate to knowing one side more than the other. I was raised by a single mother and I know all my 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins on that side. However, I had to dig deep for my Italian as my father died when I was little and his parents didn't talk about the past. To be fair my paternal grandmother was a 1st generation Italian American raised in an orphanage and my paternal grandfather was born in the USA but raised in his parents Italian hometown. My paternal grandfather completely shut the door on his upbringing and none of his children knew anything of Italy. No stories passed down, no family memorabilia, no great aunt recipes, etc.. Wouldn't even allow his children to ask questions about Italy.

[@nytn]

I’m sorry about your dad, on so many levels!

[@zigm7420]

I think sometime it’s all about timing. People have to be ready to tell their stories. My father, who is now in his 80s, has just started opening up with some stories about his family which I’d never heard before… and I’m pretty sure he’s never told. His parents are long gone and he only has one sibling left, so I guess there’s no one left to mind or judge what he says. I’m just so glad that he’s made it this far and he didn’t wait forever to talk.

[@richardwilliamswilliams]

Good morning neighbor lady, always enjoy your programs!!😊😊

[@Reborn2h2o]

I understand. My maternal grandmother left 3 children after my grandfather died at the church in West Virginia. My mom was 14 months old, and my aunts were 3+5 at the time. My aunts were raised by different people , and my mom got very sick and was with a lady who I don't have her name, until my maternal great grandmother came and got her and brought her to Ohio. If I'm honest, I really haven't tried to find more on my maternal grandmother , but I have on her mom because that is who raised my mom , and I'm named after . I tried to get information from my aunts when they were alive , but I never wanted to push because my middle aunt was abused by the people who raised her and my oldest aunt was deeply loved my the people who raised her and she called the lady who raised her mother and my 1st cousins call her grandmother. I haven't totally researched my maternal side, because of the love of my great-grandmother , whom I'm named for ,and after my mom died, it became more intense motivation but the need to find my grandfather Earl Watts, my mom's dad was the driving force. My mom was on her 50's tge first time she saw a picture of her dad. I can't find his parents for nothing, and I'm ready to hire a genetic genealogist. Research that side they are part of you, and you never know the full story as to why she left her children. Everyone responds to situations differently . Yes, we hurt because it was done to our parent , but research her anyway.

[@kitty_s23456]

Hi Danielle, thanks for the vid. This vid reminds me of the interview that you did with your brother - the one who travelled to Egypt. He said that locals there always mistook him for Arab/ Middle Eastern. For me, you & your brothers are "racially ambiguous" - you could pass for middle eastern, Italian, Latino, light skinned African American, native American. But then, you have all those so you can claim all of those ethnicities! Keep these stories coming. 👍 Been watching you since 5k subs.

[@nytn]

I always love seeing you on here! ☺️☺️☺️❤️

[@stephanienwadieiiamhybasia]

Thank you for sharing. Interesting as always.

[@AlexTenThousand]

Being Italian myself and having studied the rest of the cultures of the Mediterranean, I tend to group the countries along the shores of our shared sea as one large ethno-cultural group, with obvious differences, but many similarities in cultural ideas, diet and, obviously, history, as Rome considered the Mediterranean (or "Mare Nostrum", as they called it, "Our Sea") to be the heartland of their empire. A Roman was a lot more at home on the shores of Syria or Egypt than on the western bank of the Rhine or the shores of Britannia - being sent there was practically punishment for being negligent.

[@gmalcolms]

Hi Danielle. Back in April, I sent you Italian birth records for your father's 3 grandparents, except for Antonia (or Antoinette) Ghetti. I'm wondering if you saw my email. I couldn't find her birth record, but maybe I'll take another stab at it, since the focus is different now (before I was more focused on determining whether you are an Italian citizen).

[@nytn]

I don’t think I did! I will look, thank you!! Might be in spam 😌

[@gmalcolms]

@@nytn It was April 28th, but maybe that is in Tokyo. The subject was "follow up on Italian citizenship, etc."

[@nytn]

Appreciate you!! I just found it 😳😳😳😌amazing

[@thomassaba1943]

I had the same situation with a great grandfather. Said he was born in Italy, then another said NJ, and another said NY. I purchased his unofficial marriage certificate that did say he was born in Italy, just so I had clarity. Wish it showed his mother’s name and maiden name.

[@sr2291]

Ships records typically have the parents and other family names listed. Also if he served in WWII his military record may tell you the exact place of birth.

[@ndr226]

Sadly, Italy was unified very recently, about 150 years ago. That makes locating paperwork and proper terminology difficult. Good luck.

[@markkeyser]

It's always interesting and puzzling the way that the threads in a families history are 'pulled' through time. We had some 'dark' history in terms of a great uncle who wasn't spoken about. My dad eventually wrote two books about his family history which included what the 'deal' had been concerning his uncle. It was an eye opener for us all.

[@armandoneri3607]

The Italians, the Greeks and the Persians have a lot of common ancestry mainly because they had so many long wars with each other, in which, they used to take many captives from each other's armies. For instance, the Roman wars against the Persians took 700 hundred years, during which time, hundreds of thousands of captives were taken on both sides.

[@dianahockins717]

I think her fourteen-year old relative in the fabric mill probably ran under the MOVING looms to replace empty bobbins. Needed to be small and nimble

[@e.urbach7780]

Great video, and I think this side of your family history is so important! The story about your dad's grandmother working in a knitting mill as a child is especially poignant as Labor Day approaches next week. That's so sad that you deleted her DNA test results! The company that processed them probably still has them, though; maybe you can get another copy? As for your dad's mom's dad's name, "Pasquale" is pronounced "Pass-KWAH-leh", "Pass-CAL" would be the French version of his name; I had a great-uncle from Calabria that had that same name. His surname, "Iannantuono" would be pronounced "YAH-nahn-TWOH-no". From the photo of him as a band master, and the fact that you said he came to the U.S. in 1921 (the same year that some of my family came!) it seems like he would have served in the Italian army in World War 1, not World War 2. Really interesting bits of information. A lot of men were drafted into the Italian army in World War 1 (my great-grandfather was), but if your great-grandfather was the band master, that's a specialized job so he probably enlisted voluntarily.

[@bigpapaplantman5126]

Hey Danielle I sent you a message on Facebook with my fathers DNA results. He was half Sicilian and half Molisano/Abruzzese. He had significant middle eastern and north African dna

[@Sweet-fn6po]

My Italian mother - in - law was born in Abruzzo, Italy in 1918. Came to the US in 1926 at age 8

[@deellaboe437]

1st! I was told we were Puerto Rican but we are Creole, a lot of marriages and whatnot. Also, Louisiana kept great records like in my case it was easier than tracing my African American side, for me it stops in Mississippi.

[@Raymond_Petit]

Same for me. The African American side is a nightmare to research.

[@agent9973]

My sister and I did our dna a few years back my mother was from Alexandria Louisiana. It popped up from the early Louisiana Creole Peoples....but the percentage of Irish and Scottish was so high..more than French so basically it boils down to Creole just mean mixture or raised up like Criar.

[@bluetinsel7099]

The Puerto Rican and Creole is interesting as in the cuisine they both like the red beans and rice although they may be seasoned slightly different.

[@agent9973]

@@bluetinsel7099 Most the cooking is similar because of the influence of Africans being brought to the Islands as slaves and how the cooked and what they survived on...with the influence of indigenous native people as well

[@agent9973]

@@bluetinsel7099 I also married a Puerto Rican and is funny he would say the only difference in what I cooked was the seasonings and flavor. His mom also taught me to make the things he likes. I make just about everything for the holidays...for the black family and the puerto rican family...and they bring certain things as well

[@relaxlibrary4249]

This is interesting because I've long wondered if Italians (and Greeks) had Persian or Central Asian ancestry. When you look at Mediterranean food, music, dance, and even phenotypes to some extent they seem more similar to Southwest Asia than Europe.

[@bluetinsel7099]

It depends on the groups that you are referring to, also in the areas you mentioned the Hebrews were there as has been documented, so some of it is Hebrew culture which would have the Mesopotamian areas of influence. The Persians are also right next to Mesopotamia and off the line of Shem although they are different lineages. So that could be what you are picking up on is the Hebrew culture as the seasonal areas were their lands.

[@AnneDowson-vp8lg]

I come from a part of England where there are lots of people from South Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. When I first visited Italy, it was strange how like these Eastern people the Italian people seemed. When I went to Greece, the people there seemed more Western European than Italians, even though they were actually further East. Both lovely people.

[@Alexander-rr6yn]

⁠@@AnneDowson-vp8lg Madame are you really comparing us Italians to Indian and pakistani people ? We are Christian, white and Europeans and we certainly don’t have anything to do with south Asian people. In which part of Italy did you travel ? You must have been to Egypt and thought it was Italy otherwise it’s unexplainable.

[@Alexander-rr6yn]

We Italians are not fucking Persians or central Asians. We real Italians look like not Europeans. Sicilians are a bit darker it’s true but the do not represent the vast majority of Italians. Wtf Americans drive me crazy.

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

I *gasped* when you said you deleted the DNA. It seems very wrapped up in the emotions and alliances you have with your dad. I hope he is ok when he sees this video - sometimes things are complicated. It would be absolutely fascinating to learn more but I would understand if the family feels, we're not up to sharing that now. But look into your dad's "shared matches"... some of these connections are still there if he wants to find them.

[@nytn]

I know, I felt guilty admitting it in public , on a family story channel!! But I deleted it with no way to ever see or get the information again. These things can be so emotional, I forget sometimes

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

@@nytn we all make decisions that are irreversible and we look back on and would do differently if we could. This bit of your past culture is lost or maybe muted in some way because of the relationship between your grandparents not being healthy, and it led to you not being able or willing to explore it until pretty recently. I appreciate you opening up here a bit about it - I know as your channel grows you have your "circle" about you and your shields up and you are ready for whatever you find now...

[@gazoontight]

Just a guess; your grandmother had ancestry in the Levant, the Maghreb, or Persia. One of her ancestors made it to Italy and over time the family became Italian.

[@erinmac4750]

There was a lot of travel, trade, and movement over the centuries, especially through the Levant. I noticed this in seeing footage from Gaza and the West Bank. There's as much diversity in phenotypes--appearance, there as there is here in the US.

[@AlexTenThousand]

The whole "Molise doesn't exist" comes from a couple of factors: the fact that it has relatively little population (it wasn't a Region - the secondary level administrative division, legally it's something like a Canadian Territory - until it split from neighbouring Abruzzo in 1964 and only has two Provinces - tertiary level administrative division, like a county) and it doesn't exactly have a "culture" of its own, as their trademark food is actually just a mix of the trademark agricultural products of neighbouring Abruzzo and Puglia.

[@masterakbarrelyeshuaxxi7452]

I Like your Name. NyTn. Like New York Tennessee. It Also has a Cryptic meaning; like "Knitting." My Grandmother used to Knit 🧶 I Like You. Keep Blessing 🙏🏾 Us with the Knowledge I Salute You💪🏾 💯💯💯

[@MiaHerssens]

I really don't understand what's so strange about having middle eastern ancestry. All the great seas like the Mediterranean, the baltic sea, the north sea, the black sea, the Caribbean, Insulinde, have deep trade links, cooking styles, languages, and genetics in common. No doubt similar links on the China coast.... If you have Mediterranean ancestry this is to expected. After all the Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthagians, Romans, etc... colonized and traded in the med.

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

It's not so common like you think. Not in high %. In the South is normal having a part of Greek ancestry, but not recent Middle Eastern. An ancient origin would only give background noise.

[@iIlImatic]

Off topic but the headphones actually worked really good for the video

[@nytn]

That’s so good! I was worried 😅

[@rhcsw1682]

Great video and I am really interested in learning more.

[@cheeser-y7f]

My family had changed their name (great grandmas' surname) to a white sounding name, when in fact she had an Arabic surname. They where Early immigrants to america from the levant. I looked at her picture and thought she looks very very white passing. Here is the twist. Turns out via a DNA test she had heavy italian and greek ancestry, in that mix, leaving me at only 7% Levantine. Im sure she ended up with southern European genes from ancestors traveling southwards into the levant. You probably ended up with middle eastern genes from ancestors traveling northwards into italy. There is allot of overlap between these ethnic groups.

[@ndr226]

Italians lived in Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt for over 1000 years. The wars and politics altered a lot. Only one out of many ethnic groups are Arab. Some mistake others from the Middle East to be Arabs as well. Can't blame people for not knowing. Thank you for sharing.

[@cheeser-y7f]

@@ndr226 Exactly. there are many ethnic groups, in syria, Palestine and Lebanon. I believe, the arabic surname of hers was from Arabization of the region. The 7% levantine showing up in the results does not stem from the arabian peninsula, but more then likely ancients phocians and Canaanites etc. Turkish also showed up in the results.

[@davidboney9093]

Be encouraged! I have a long lost grandfather, my mom's dad who wouldn't even talk to me on the telephone let alone meet him in person. Some family members can be difficult.

[@jennifersmetanko6631]

Thank you for sharing ❤ and I can kind of relate to you on how you feel about your fathers side of your family tree. In the past I have tried to research my father's side but I didn't get that far because of this country's history of not caring about black people. All I know is my father was born in Ohio and his mother was born in West Virginia then moved up here to Ohio at some point and his father wasn't a part of his life growing up. I don't know anything about my ancestry beyond the point of my grandmother. But I know and found out a lot more about my mother's side from word of mouth and online research I did in the past. One day I'm going to do one of those ancestry test so I can have my questions answered about all of my family tree😄👍.

[@Burninhellscrootoob]

Im sicilian, my genetics are more mixed than a bowl of Halloween candy.... arab, jew, black, turk, greek..... All have small percentage in my pie chart

[@urpreposterous682]

Me too. I don't have Alzekial Jewish ancestry though which many Sicilians do.

[@Stopwastingbraincells]

My family genetics Dad: deep South of Italy, Accettura, Greek, Albanian, Middle East, North Africa Mom: West Africa, Scottish, Irish, Norway

[@paulbartilucci9455]

What is Father’s family name? Our is Bartilucci. Also from Baslicatta / Potenza / Accettura!

[@Stopwastingbraincells]

@@paulbartilucci9455 Divona

[@armandoneri3607]

The Iranian gene is also fairly common in the Tuscany region, where the Medici family came from.

[@rachelann9362]

My grandfather emmigrated from what is now Slovenia in 1914. He assumed the name and birthplace of an American. He fought in WW2 as an American national. His birthplace was not corrected until shortly before his death. There is also a discrepancies in his documents that extend beyond that. We have some records that say he was illegitimate, another that has his mom as a completely different woman, and we have a letter where his father was violent with him and would tell him something like “you’re no son of mine!”, and another. All found in his documents, in online records, embassy and consulate records he received in the 80s. We haven’t figured it out yet as we’ve hit a document roadblock. I’m working on the DNA side to see if I could build results that link to his known parents. Our only closest comparison is his older sisters’s and youngest brothers children and mosltly their children’s offspring. There’s just not much in the only of Slovenian results on ancestry, so I’m working one mh and gedmatch now trying to target people to research,

[@Slowbiker1957]

Italians who come from Puglia , Calabria Regio Calabria ,Greek and Caucasians have some middle East ansensetry

[@selinaBARMAR2565]

I think you look like your Grandma. Yeah, that's lots of heartache when it comes to locating, reconnecting, or discovering surprises about our heritage. Lots of brokenness in our world and we know that the family is the center of lots of broken ties. I heard how Italy and Southern Europeans in general have Neolithic Anatolian ancestry; this can also be traced in Iran and other Southern Levant regions as well.

[@thx1168]

Great, more pearl clutching about her muddled family ancestry.

[@marianneeckertjensen4723]

Maybe some of it is another example of people that are changing their identity a bit when they reach a new coutry.. Here in Europe (and in the US) jews who immigrated to another country told that they for instance were Irish, German etc. That happened in my family, and as the surname is pretty German too and probably changed, we cannot trace anybody. DNA does not lie though.. An old friend thought that his mother was Hungarian, until he got his DNA result, he is half Jewish. 😊

[@aleathacoleman6413]

Our DNA shows what we inherited ancestors and not necessarily who our ancestors were.

[@bluetinsel7099]

@@aleathacoleman6413 Haplogroups are also DNA and show who the ancestors come from.

[@inetpathfinder5767]

My mom’s DNA showed that she is 1/8 Jewish. That was a surprise for both of us, as no one in her family has spoken about it.

[@ImbecilePromotions]

Yeh, me too. My dad has sicily, egypt and maroc

[@fr.johnwhiteford6194]

I think you meant to say that your great grandfather fought in World War I, rather than World War II.

[@nytn]

Yes!

[@crybebebunny]

1:45 Please don't worry about that. Divorce is and was much more messier back then. Boy usually stayed with their father if they were of a certain age, meaning they didn't need as much mothering anymore. My ex-father-in-law had to go to his father, and his sister went to his mother.

[@Percept2024]

Because my response to " Nemblo13 " got erased , I`ll try it again. N-13 , the Gypsies were never called " Christ k*llers " ( because they had nothing to do with the crucifixion ). In WESTERN Europe the Gypsies travelled around in their wagons , and they were mostly romanticized for being free spirits. EASTERN Europe has always been backward compared to Western Europe. It is no surprise that the Renaissance , the Enlightenment , and the Industrial Revolution ALL began in Western Europe !

[@crptnite]

I think back then, in terms of complexion, you were considered either "light," "natural," or "dark" for whatever your ethnicity was. So like the average tone for a given ethnicity would be the "natural" complexion, then they would differentiate between those who were lighter or darker than the average individual of that ethnic group.

[@nytn]

So crazy to have someone sitting there looking you over….suddenly, you hear the pencil scratching…

[@kitty_s23456]

​@@nytnlol. This reminds me of my experience once when I had to get a govt clearance/ background check (job requirement). After the fingerprinting was done, there was a short interview from an officer (if I committed any crime, etc). A few minutes after, I got my result. The printout stated that my complexion was "fair". However, I don't consider myself as fair. But apparently, for my ethnicity (SE Asian) I'm fair. I'm of similar complexion to you or J-Lo. My tummy would pass the paper bag test but my face & arms wouldn't. Thnx for the vid & for sharing your dad's side of the family.

[@nytn]

This made me laugh out loud. It’s all relative!

[@crptnite]

@@nytn I agree, it's weird. But I thought it was more just for like identification purposes because they didn't really have photos back then...

[@nmomayezan]

Well middle eastern genes(which in its own is a really diverse group) had their impact on south Europe, people do not like to admit it usually but I mean look at the facial features and history of region

[@cdpbryant]

Your family is "perfect". No question about it.

[@Sweet-fn6po]

The correct pronunciation of the name Pasquale is PASS QWALL EEA

[@vstefferrazzi9690]

I guess your great grandmother, Antonietta Ghetti, might be of Central or Northern Italian origin, not really Southern Italian. That last name is mostly from Emilia Romagna and a little less from Marche and Tuscany. It would be interesting to find some information about that branch of your family if you get a chance to.

[@mariannerichard1321]

Although West Asia DNA can really comes from today's Middle East and North Africa, it can also be a older trace from Neolithic expansion, just coming from so many, very far ancestors, it looks like it comes from a much closer one. And both can be true at the same time, just to make things even messier. xD In my experience, these tests work good to sort out the Italian great grand pa from the Polish great grand ma in a overall colonial American, but not as much to sort millennia of population mixing in the old world.

[@bluetinsel7099]

West Asian and East Asian dna have different haplogroups.

[@mariannerichard1321]

@@bluetinsel7099 Indeed, sorry for the brain fart, it seems Middle East and West Asia kind of fused into East Asia. I meant West Asia all along. I need more sleep these days...

[@bluetinsel7099]

@@mariannerichard1321 Do you mean that Middle Eastern and West Asian mixed with East Asians? The lineages are different though and there are still some of the original lineages around.

[@mariannerichard1321]

@@bluetinsel7099 I meant West Asia and East Asian are separated people. But my brain try to write both Middle EAST and West ASIA at the same time. Sorry for the confusion. I fixed my first comment it should be much clearer.

[@bluetinsel7099]

@@mariannerichard1321 Yes, they are different groups of people and that also shows in dna. Thank you for the clarification though, I wasn’t sure if I was getting that correct.

[@gloriathomas3245]

Middle Easterners have have a long history in the southern part of Italy it's nothing out of the ordinary.

[@tommygamba170]

Italians And Greeks are considered to be Middle Eastern at least in the 70s and 80s they were

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

By racists, but not by scientists

[@Percept2024]

Is there something wrong with being Middle Eastern , " @giorgiodifrancesco " ??

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

@@Percept2024 The bad and the good have nothing to do with it: you can't bend reality any way you want, based on estimates that companies for the moment give “low reliability”: if you try to raise the bar of reliability, they tell you you're European and that's it .

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

Being Middle Eastern, for a Middle Eastern is fantastic.

[@maegardnermills4292]

You are here because of each of your parents. It is an upgrade from putting puzzles together. One is missing. One is not in the right family package. I believe we search to fit in. Thank goodness for DNA, right? We all have stories. I am very pleased to know what I know and from others. I wouldn't accept a death of burning at the stake as one known ancestor did. He had a little boy and a young wife. I call it a fanatic choice. He made his wife a widow and his son a fatherless dad. Religion is so strong and ugly as well as good.

[@waitaminute2015]

The ottoman empire was spread throughout southern Europe.

[@michaelpierce3264]

we are all mixed to some degree or another

[@hollymedici2936]

Advanced culture came from the Middle East that's where a majority of the Romans came from they have the genetic profiles..alot of genetic overlap of greeks italians, the levant, middle east.. when I used my true ancestry and they told me where my actual jeans came from about 85% of it came from the Middle East in the Arab world and maybe about 10 to 15% from Eastern European in both sides of my family came from Southern Italy and it's very similar to other people I know that came from Southern Italy both sides of their family

[@JohnMinehan-lx9ts]

Ma'am, "Illium fuit, Troia est." ("Illium was, Troy is.")

[@vstefferrazzi9690]

At minute 4:16 you mispronounced your grandmother's maiden name. Iannantuono's supposed to be pronounced yahn-nun-TWAW-noh: it basically comes from an old compound name, Ian or Ianni (John, modern Italian Gian or Gianni) and Antuono (Anthony, modern Italian Antonio) and means John Anthony. It's a local last name from Molise and northern Apulia mostly.

[@nytn]

Thank you ☺️☺️

[@Italianamericaninthesouth]

If you read books on the history throughout southern Italy because of wars and hostile take overs even slavery . It is a very diverse in those parts . I think too many of us in America focus way too much on what being Italian is and is not . Yes some hid their identity too protect themselves that is always true . But you will get more out of reading history then dna tests in my opinion start reading books more you get more insight into when and why things happen.

[@dwlee9138]

Pasquale's last name seems Greek? or similar to greek? I wonder if your reluctance to explore this side for a while was out of loyalty to your Dad? So, so interesting.

[@iIlImatic]

Lol my great grandpa name is Pasquale and my grandma name is Marie as well😂

[@tommygamba170]

But funny recent times Angelo's tried to wash themselves on to Italians to simulate that they are Anglo-Saxon. Italians not Ingles nor Spanish. Spanish Italian Greeks created Europe without that all these other Anglo cultures wouldn't exist

[@Percept2024]

Mr. Historian , You neglected to mention the CELTS. A very important tribe in ancient Europe ( including the Turin , Italy area ). The ancient Romans cherished Celtic metal working.

[@4eva-b7r]

I understand and I have my father’s side I am looking into. I can say they have lied about the order of their children’s birth order. They have kept where they are buried a secret. My mother never cared for them. My stepmother as well. I don’t know them. They are people with no moral values. It’s disturbing, disheartening. I cut off all communication. No regrets.

[@arsnotorious]

Lots of middle eastern bloodlines in Indigenous culture.

[@TimusPrime]

Second guy from the left in the Troy photo looks like De Niro!🙂

[@dario1837]

you said "iannatano" instead of Iannantuono and Paskal instead of Pasquale

[@nytn]

I know so little about this side 😌

[@dario1837]

@@nytn Dear Danielle. Italian is a phonetic language. Italian as a language is so difficult that even Italians can't talk it! BUT PRONUNCIATION ISN'T. Just learn NATO spelling, and use it to pronounce Italian words. ps. Antuono is archaic for Antonio. Pasquale means (related to Easter).

[@nytn]

Thank you! I never heard of NATO spelling

[@dario1837]

@@nytn My pleasure paisà! I forgot to write that Iann stand for Gianni (or Giovanni) meaning John. Therefore Iannantuono meand John-Anthony. When pronouncing letter U don't consider the word uniform but rather the word blue.

[@KentPetersonmoney]

I thought your darker skin came from mom side but I see your dad also had darker skin.

[@kitty_s23456]

If you watch the vid where she interviewed her dad, you'll see that her dad also had darker skin. One of her brothers (forgot if it was the older or younger one) - he recently went on a trip to Egypt and he said that locals there always asked if he had Arab/ Egyptian/ Middle Eastern ancestry (and yes, IMO he could pass for Arab).

[@sogokakuto]

Again ?! I've told you last time that the J2 haplogroup is one of the three branches that compose europeans. You just can't say a sicilian is a middle easterner.

[@nytn]

I’m not saying that

[@sogokakuto]

@@nytn well you are implying that they are not that white. Guess what? The Normands invaded sicily with a 200000 soldiers army,so in western sicily you have villages where the i1 haplogroup is almost 20%. You would be very surprised to see the reality .

[@aleathacoleman6413]

Let people tell their own stories and do their own research. Stop bothering her.

[@markantony3875]

If you want to live in a state of denial, that is your problem. I am Southern Italian and 15+% of my DNA is non-European. I also have extremely dark eyes, hair, and very dark complexion. My entire family looks that way. We have lived in Italy for centuries. I will NEVER be mistaken for a Brit, German, or American WASP. I know my genetic heritage, you don't.

[@markantony3875]

@@sogokakuto Egyptian, Persian, Syrian, Saudi Arabian, Angola, Congo, and East Asian. Like I said you are in denial. Grow up and stop being so childish. Southern Italians like me are a mixed people.

[@KAH-7]

You probably deleted it because at the time, you had a prejudice against them? I know that after I informed and showed our mother her result, she was in semi denial. She used to mock me for being a Muslim calling them/us diaper heads before.

[@nytn]

Not against the ethnic groups . But more the broken relationship if that makes sense

[@Agossal]

Non capisco perché si debba attribuire tanta importanza ad un concetto vago come quello di razza - I don't understand why so much importance should be given to a vague concept like race.

[@markantony3875]

It is a U.S. American hang up. I think ancestry is interesting from a historic and academic background, but in the US people are judged by it. Like somehow your ancestors have pre-determined who you are or will be??? Very odd concept peculiar to the U.S.

[@ArmandoBellagio]

I'm sorry, but 1-3 % isn't really a high percentage from your grandmother's side. That wouldn't qualify as Middle Eastern to me. OK, with your dad and you it's more. 15% maybe means something. I have like 5 % West Asia, but I don't consider that much either, on the other hand it said like 22% Balkan people and I have no clue where that came from 😄

[@rettawhinnery]

I am once again astounded and so sad that you deleted DNA kits. Those are primary sources. The ethnicity estimates are basically irrelevant. The DNA matches are the key to your family history and genetic genealogy. Your matches can be used to create family trees and figure out connections from the past. This strikes me as so sad. Nonetheless, your video is interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@nytn]

Absolutely! Emotional reaction for sure

[@Susan.I]

I

[@briandale8386]

Italy was the gateway of the east . I’d say Italy and the med was the first blending of cultures and race on a large scale.. America is doing it now . Anyone that thinks cultural appropriation is wrong . Will loose in the end . The best parts of cultures will alway become the dominant culture in a society. If you don’t have values about your culture that people and societies want to imitate. You probably will be disappointed in the end . Overcompensating your place in history . Crying about the past of colonialism and capitalism.

[@eily_b]

1,2% is not Middle Eastern

[@nytn]

My dad was about 30%

[@Guess-e6k]

Middle east used to be North east Africa before the Europeans changed it. Like Europe was north Africa.

[@giorgiodifrancesco4590]

You're a bit confused.

[@jabu1591]

We wuzzery spotted

[@bethel1242]

How can we not be angry?💔 kzbin.infoT_ihqlYWEhk?si=nJh_feVXI5b1DjlW