Finding out what it means to be Boricua through a genetic & genealogical journey through my family history
If you grew up speaking Spanish or speak the language with elders, then you have likely heard the terms “Don” and “Doña” thrown around. Don Juan, Don Cheo (nickname for José), Doña Pancha (nickname for Francisca), or Doña María are some examples of this type of title being used. Generally, it is used nowadays to […]
Genealogical use of Don & Doña Read More »
This week I will celebrate what will be the 12 year anniversary of my blog! Which is a bit insane to think of since it feels like just yesterday that I was writing my first post on blogspot. My first post was published on July 4, 2011 titled “What Started It All – Part I”
Blogiversary – 12 years later Read More »
With Fathers’ Day being this weekend, I decided to recreate a post from last year where I traced a haplogroup back as far as I can go through paper trail. The post I hyperlinked in the previous sentence focused on my father’s maternal haplogroup L2a1, which took me back to the 1600-1700s in Yauco, Puerto Rico
6 Generations of Men – I-F12956 Read More »
While browsing my 23andme profiles recently with a new update*, I noticed that various of my profiles would not be receiving said update given how long ago many of my tests were taken. I decided to check out when exactly they were taken and I noticed that some were as far back as 2011! Since
Updated 23andMe results – 2011 vs 2023 Read More »
Last week on May 23rd, I was able to attend an event in Paris just two days shy before leaving France. I had been living abroad teaching English the last eight months and my last wish was to attend this event hosted by CM98 (Comité Marche du 23 Mai 1998), a genealogical group I am
Limyè Ba Yo: Honoring my Ancestors Read More »
Recently on Ancestry I was asked what I knew about Tomás Anzalota, an Italian immigrant to Puerto Rico who appears in my tree. Though Tomás is not a part of my main line of ancestors, whenever I find crossovers of people who married cousins or members of my family that are fairly interesting or a
An Italian in Puerto Rico – Tomás Anzalota Read More »
One of the biggest difficulties with Puerto Rican families when it comes to genealogy is the idea of consanguinity – when you share the same ancestors across a few of your branches. This is a common occurence on the island since many lines have been present in Puerto Rico for various generations and many date
Three Layers of Consanguinity Read More »
All photos of Sóller included in this post were personally taken by me during my genealogical visit to Sóller, Mallorca in February 2023. Researching is not just sitting hours in an archive, pouring over tomes of religious/civil acts, and deciphering old handwriting. It is also visiting the places your ancestors would have walked by, the
Research in Mallorca (Part III): another visit to Sóller Read More »
Another place I want to highlight on my trip to Mallorca is the Arxiu del Regne de Mallorca (Archivo del Reino de Mallorca) or simply the ARM. It is probably not so commonly known to researchers coming to the island since many people researching are interested in looking for birth, marriage, and death records which
Research in Mallorca (Part II): A visit to the Arxiu Del Regne Read More »
Last month, I had the privilege of going to Mallorca to continue some of my family research. Given that I had two weeks off for winter break, I wanted to use that time researching on the island since it was a long stretch of time and I knew there would be no holidays in Spain
Research in Mallorca (Part I): A visit to the Arxiu Diocesà Read More »