Give the Gift of Identity with AncestryDNA & Ancestry.ca. They Might Just Find a Story of A Lifetime. I Discovered Where I Come From!
AncestryDNA.
I think all of us possess a deep and profound necessity to know who we are and where we came from. I know that I surely do. For as long as I can remember I have asked questions, a lot of questions. It’s something my parents must have grew tired of, I’m certain. But, this unwavering curiosity is what has always sparked my interest in History and Genealogy.
I always want to know more.
Just a few months ago, I was sitting in my Dad’s living room and we were just talking. It’s something that we have always done and something I truly enjoy. Out of nowhere I asked him, “Dad, what do you know about your parents?” He sat quietly and after some thought he answered that he didn’t know much about their history nor his grandparents. I asked my Mom the same thing and her answer was the same.
We discussed what we did know and as always, it left me with the feeling of wanting to know where I come from. What blood courses through my veins and who my ancestors were. My Dad has always suspected that we are Salvadorean with roots in Spain and even some from the Philippines. We really don’t know for sure. Now that I have my own kids and they are mixed, I want to know even more what ethnicity I am.
Find Your Ancestry with AncestryDNA.
When I had the chance to take a test to discover my true ethnicity, I was over the moon. This is a chance to find out for sure! Since our family is small in El Salvador and the older generations tend to be more private, I didn’t find much doing my own research. For some reasons, my grandparents were not very open when it comes to divulging details. Both of my grandfathers have passed and my remaining grandmothers can’t offer any information. I found some possible connections but, nothing concrete.
Taking an AncestryDNA test could possibly link me to someone through DNA and help me to discover even more. Especially with over 1 million people who are in the database already and with Ancestry.ca there are 15 billion family records. Not to mention 700, 000 DNA markers from all around the world that only Ancestry has access to.
More About AncestryDNA:
It is a cutting edge DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest autosomal testing technology to revolutionize the way you discover your family history. This service combines advanced DNA science with the world’s largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections. It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as: what region of Europe are my ancestors from, or am I likely to have East Asian heritage? AncestryDNA can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of DNA matches.
How Easy It Is!
Once your order your AncestryDNA kit, you activate it online. They send you a kit with everything you need to prepare, secure and send off your DNA! It was really quite simple, all you need to do is attach the funnel to the tube and fill the tube to the marked line with your saliva.
Once you do that, you remove the funnel, attach the cap, twist and a solution will mix into the tube. Shake well, replace the tube into the plastic envelope and place it into the postage paid box and send it off! In weeks’ time, you will have your results on your Ancestry profile. Prepare to be amazed!
The Results Are In!
The whole process was simple and getting that notification email that my results were in, well, I was elated! The email notification came on my Birthday of all days, so it was pretty epic to find out my ancestry on the day that I was born 32 years ago! All I had to do was log in and I would know what markers I share with people from all around the world!
My Ethnicity.
In the case of my DNA ancestry, it was determined that I am 50% Native American, 19% Iberian Peninsula and 10% European Jewish with trace regions from 13 other regions.
50% of my heritage was Native American, that includes North America, Central America and South America. Which makes sense since I am Salvadorean.
This vast region stretches over two continents to include the rugged territory of Alaska and Canada, mountains and plains of the United States, dry valleys of Mexico, tropical jungles of Central America and South America, and the Patagonian steppes of southern Argentina and Chile. So, maybe I already had a little Canadian in me already!
What I found most interesting is that it says that I am 2% Pacific Islander from Polynesia, 2% Asian from West and East Asia. Not to mention, 8% African from Senegal, Africa Southeastern Bantu, Nigeria, Africa North and Benin/Togo.
Confirmation.
The 2nd largest part of my heritage is from the Iberian Peninsula from the areas Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco, Algeria, Italy and Greece. Also, European Jewish from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Israel. Great Britain was also listed from regions such as England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
There is also 1% from East Asia, from regions like Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei and Palau.
My Last Name.
Through Ancestry.ca, I discovered that my last name is a habitational name from Polanco in Santander province. So, it is from Spain. With all of the information that I’ve gained from this site and from doing the DNA testing, our suspicions have been confirmed. We are predominantly Native but, we have a lot of European in us too.
I’ve also discovered a possible third-cousin and many 4th, 5th and 6th cousins that share the same markers with me. 56 to be exact! I’ve yet to find an ancestor but, I am holding out hope! I’ve updated my family tree with as much information that I know and I’ve had access to so many documents, records and other family trees! 108,666 Historical Documents to sift through. It’s exciting to see what there is to discover and I’m only learning more with each passing day. Also, the more that other families add, the more info there will be.
Identity.
Having this service readily available is profound. It makes me smile to know that I now have an idea of my identity and the blood that courses through my veins. Not to mention, I have the opportunity to meet possible relatives I never knew I had. I am looking forward to get my family members to activate some tests and see more about our history.
Get Yours!
It’s like they say, there’s no better time than in the present! Plus, take my word for it, receiving the gift of identity is far better than any material thing. Especially if it something you’ve wondered since you can remember! Can you imagine discovering you have a famous ancestor? How cool would that be?
Get your DNA kit at www.ancestry.ca! Plus, get $50 OFF right now to start off the New Year right and you can start your journey for only $79!
Do you know your ancestry?
Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!
Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
I always wondered about this site,thanks so much for your review on this topic,i have been working on my family tree since the 70s and have found out so many amazing fact about my family going to give this site a try over the winter
It is seriously pretty awesome to see the results!
Fun!! Would love to try this. It's neat how they show you how many people share markers with you. Very interesting.
It is really cool!
I was looking at this site but I was unsure about it, thanks for this I’ll check it out
We had so much fun learning all about our ancestry!