cornerofmadness

(yes it's the same post as Jana's. I felt like copying rather than linking)

So, a couple years ago we found the paperwork on my Dad's paternal grandfather and grandmother and it showed them not coming from Croatia as we've always thought but rather came over on a ship (I forget the name at the moment) where the entire passenger compliment was listed as Hungarian/ Romanian Jews. We wondered if that was an error or an oversimplification by a bored clerk because as far as we knew my great-grandparents were Catholic like the rest of us.

We noodled around trying to find out more. Nothing. Then when I was home for Christmas last year a cousin had come across Great granddad's birth certificate which also listed him as Hebrew. So now we were on a hunt for more. My brother and I both have been talking about doing the DNA thing (I was going to do it last year but unexpected expenses came up and I didn't).

Corpse Powder in part has a Jewish character because I was thinking about this (and trying to get a little more diversity in my MCs). I wanted to learn more about the culture. I'm always curious about things like this. Isaac's world in the 1800s had different challenges but they would have been familiar to my great-grandfather and definitely his father.

So today we got the DNA results, 30 % Italian (unsurprising as both grandmothers on either side were from Italy and we even know the exact towns on that) 30% from the Eastern European area, 15% from the Western European area (which included Northern Italy so yeah, no surprise there plus Mom's grandma told her often back home she was Austrian, Croatian and German without ever moving from her home) but 22% is Eastern European Jew.

So there it is. Great Granddad was most likely Jewish so now comes the questions. Why did no one ever know this? Was it hidden because of persecution? Did he fall for a Catholic girl and convert? A little of both? Was Great Grandma a Jew as well. I know next to nothing about Tonka other than her name.

Given how well this was hidden, this may be all I'll ever know. I'm not even sure we know where they came from in Europe (seeing as we thought it was Croatia and it was more likely Hungary). None of my dad's family had any clue.

I think what surprised me more was there were zero African genes found. Italy being pretty close to Africa with close trade ties for centuries I thought there'd be a few more.

I will probably do my own DNA as I take after my Italian side more and my brother the Croatian. Granted they'll be similar but I also want to know the Neanderthal content.

I'm half tempted to bring this up at Christmas when Prejudice Girl and Hate-filled Husband are around. I probably won't since they're about the only family Aunt S2 has (and she doesn't like them either) and they are good friends with my parents and treat them well. I swear my parents think I'm making it up about the things Prejudice Girl said that one Christmas but let's leave it at they think republicans are too liberal. Still, the temptation is great.

Day 12 - 196 words