July 16, 2025 • 24 mins
Have you ever wondered what secrets your DNA might reveal? From long-lost siblings to unexpected ethnic origins, the world of genealogy research is full of surprises—both heartwarming and potentially unsettling. In this candid exploration of ancestry research, we dive deep into the methods both old and new that people use to trace their roots. Whether you're a seasoned genealogist or simply curious about your roots, this episode offers practical resources, personal stories, and thoughtful perspectives on the journey to self-discovery through family history. Be sure to tune in to part two of our ancestry journey.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
DJ Nick (00:07):
Welcome to the Dysfunction Junkies.
Podcast.
We may not have seen it all,but we've seen enough.
And now here are your hosts,Chrisy and Kerry.
Kerry (00:20):
Hello Junkies, I'm Keri
Chrisy (00:23):
and I'm Chrissy.
Kerry (00:24):
Nick, I thought you forgot my name for a second
there.
Dramatic pause, dramatic pause.
I was like I'm like looking athim like no, it's me I'm Kerry
remember?
That was great.
I'm just trying to change it upa little bit.
I love it.
I love it.
DJ Nick (00:41):
Yes, you know, I got, you know, got so inspired by Jim
.
He said I don't know whatepisode it was.
He's like I really liked yourintro.
Chrisy (00:48):
I know.
Kerry (00:52):
He wrecked your mojo, but it just goes to show.
We do everything live here.
We do not have canned intros orwhatever.
But yeah, thank you, nick.
Thank you.
So we talked about last episode.
We started dabbling in thesewhole ancestry and the DNA and
everything and there was still alittle bit more we wanted to
(01:12):
talk about.
So we're just going to kind ofpick up where we left off Now.
You know, back in the daybefore we had all this computer
and technology and DNA testing.
We had to do things theold-fashioned way, chrissy, go.
Chrisy (01:26):
Well, I don't know how old-fashioned it was, I still
was able to utilize a computerto some extent because, as you
can tell, I'm not one to betraveling.
So I'm not visiting these lovelyfar-off lands.
I wish I could, but I am my ownworst enemy as far as being
(01:46):
free to do these type of things.
Back before these type ofcompanies really came out there
in popularity and just knowingabout them, I mean, I guess
probably some people were payingto do this in a lab and you
probably still can foot the billfor that if you want to.
Probably One thing that cameout fairly before this was the
(02:11):
Ellis Island, yeah, and they hada database that they had put
online and you could join.
You know you signed up for it,which I think I did Well, I know
I did.
It was free just to give youremail and they would keep you
updated on things.
And the difficulty with that isand I'm sure with anybody
(02:34):
because now you're not dealingwith your you have to go solely
off of names and what year timeperiod you felt your ancestors
came here or came through EllisIsland.
You needed to have that type ofinformation.
The lovely thing about that wasis that when you were able to
sort of be able to hit the markwith a grandparent, great
grandparent, you could see howthe manifest or whatever they
(03:00):
would keep track of thesehistorical coming in and out of
the country was they would writethe name, your purpose for
being in this country, where you, your destination was in the
country, I think, who you weregoing to be staying with.
I mean it was a lot ofinformation.
You can kind of see how I knowthat that's a hot button topic.
(03:22):
I'm not going to get into rightnow with immigration, Right,
but this is just what this waslooked like, I guess, 100 to 150
years ago, yeah, and it's alovely record.
You can even see what ship thatthey came over on.
Sometimes you can even actuallythey have a picture of the ship
Really.
Yeah, I mean it's a niceresource and I haven't been on
(03:42):
there in a really long timebecause that kind of gets
drowned out.
I think a little bit with thiswhole thing.
But if it's still like it was,it may even be better now Not to
give them a plug, not a sponsor.
But if you did want to dosomething, I found it to be
enjoyable.
(04:03):
But in my case I had tobasically really focus because
the names, as everybody knows,especially my movie, shout out
what was Don Corleone's realname.
It was not Corleone, I don'tknow.
Kerry (04:19):
What movie are you even referencing?
Chrisy (04:20):
Don't say it because I have to think about it or I'm
going to be mad at myself.
Kerry (04:24):
What movie are we referencing?
Chrisy (04:25):
The Godfather oh so.
Kerry (04:27):
I'm trying to think Okay let me think oh my gosh.
Yeah, because I'm rememberingwhen my padre Chiamo my name.
Chrisy (04:39):
my father's name was I know it now Andolini Andolini.
Yes, don Corleone's family namewas ah, I know it now andolini
andolini.
Yes, don corleone's family namewas andolini.
Okay, and then when he gotshipped over here, solo because
his father and was it the fatherand oldest brother were killed
by a don in italy.
And again, this is a moviereference.
Godfather, every better,everybody, every butter they,
(05:03):
they to save him.
The mother went to plead forher son.
Godfather, every butter,everybody, every butter they to
save him.
The mother went to plead forher son's life to this Don and
say, please do not this is myonly child.
This is the opening of theGodfather part two.
Everybody, you know, don't killmy only son.
And she's trying to plead forthis young boy's life.
(05:23):
And Don wasn't having any partof it because he said, any ages,
he's going to come back forrevenge and that's that.
Well, the mother basicallysacrificed herself to try and
save her son.
Okay, don corleone andolinitook off and he found some nice
gentleman in in the villagewhere they were from, in Sicily,
to basically hide him and thenget him on a boat to America.
(05:47):
They changed his name.
So when he came over on the boatand he's through the line and
they were looking at his tag,they saw where he was from,
which was an area in Sicily,corleone.
Oh yeah, so instead of his namebeing Andolini in Americaica,
it ended up being corleone,because we're right yes uh,
francis ford, you can give me acall and thank me for paying
(06:09):
that much attention to your film.
Yes, I did so.
That's how name what I wasgetting to his name.
Kerry (06:17):
I was gonna say focus christy, I'm sorry as soon as I
get on a movie reference I can,can't stop, so your chances are.
Chrisy (06:26):
your name is not what it was originally.
In this case trying to researchmy Italian heritage.
Coming through Ellis Island wasa little complicated because
certain letters in the name hadbeen changed.
Usually it's the vowels.
Yes, they move the vowelsaround, cut some of them off.
(06:48):
But I was able to find that outand then I was able to sort of,
which is kind of fun.
You kind of see how often theywere coming in and out of the
country, because they would cometo america and then, for
whatever reason, they would go,go back to Europe and then they
would come back, you know.
So that was the resource.
But then I took it another stepfurther and I was like this has
(07:11):
got to be, it is.
It's over 20 years ago when Idid this.
It's actually interesting, Iwas able to find it.
The one thing anybody who doesthis type of stuff or is
involved in history knows isthat the churches in Europe is
probably your number oneresource.
Kerry (07:26):
Wow, if you're looking for family, genealogy, things
like that they are the ones thathouse the birth, marriage and
death records.
Chrisy (07:35):
Yeah, and I did happen to know the area where my
Italian ancestry the one part ofit was from, so I did locate.
I guess somehow I got into achurch that was there and I was
able to then through marriage Ithink it was through marriage
certificates actually, but thenthere's baptism certificates,
(07:56):
there's all this kind of stuffbut for some reason the marriage
certificates, I think, are theones that I was able to keep
going backwards on because Iknew my great-grandfather, and
going backwards on, wow, becauseI knew my grand, great
grandfather and greatgrandmother's names and I knew
my great grandmother's maidenname.
Yeah, and I just kept goingbackwards.
It is a rabbit hole.
Kerry (08:13):
Oh, it's a rabbit hole and I kept writing somewhere.
Chrisy (08:15):
This list I hope still exists, because I did sit there
and write it, because I didn'tknow any better to print it.
Kerry (08:21):
Yeah.
Chrisy (08:21):
And I just kept making a log of these names and the
dates.
Oh, I'm sure you have it andyou would think, but I think I
was able to go back all the wayto the 1700s, that's crazy.
So if anybody's reallyinterested in it.
It is an interesting thing todo crazy.
So if anybody's reallyinterested in it and it is an
interesting thing to do, and ifyou don't already know that,
which you probably do, if you'reinterested in doing this, the
churches are your best resource.
(08:43):
I really do think that so one ofmy family members.
Kerry (08:47):
They went down that rabbit hole and they really did
some extensive and I remember atone point in my life was given
like a little binder book thathas all of this and they traced,
they did the same thing andit's and I'm so grateful that
they did.
I.
I really like the.
I think it just shows like why,why do we do this?
You know, we were asking likewhy are we doing this?
And I think it's because we allare trying to figure out who we
(09:09):
are and why we do, why we dothe things we do or whatever,
and that's what starts thisrabbit hole.
So trying to figure ourselvesout.
Chrisy (09:16):
Yeah, when you think about it, it sounds so lovely
and everything, but really,let's take it down to what it is
.
We're fascinated with ourselvesthis is true and we want to
know more about ourselves.
We want to get to know us.
Forget you, I'm about me.
I'm not learning about youranswers.
It's mine, it's me.
What about me?
(09:36):
What me?
I'm not learning about youranswers.
It's mine, it's me.
What about me?
What's?
Kerry (09:38):
going on with me.
Well, I know last episode youwere kind of on the leery side
of doing this DNA because youdon't know what you're going to
uncover, you don't know whoyou're going to find or who's
going to find you or whatever.
Chrisy (09:48):
In my opinion, you're probably going to uncover
something that's not pleasant.
Yes, but maybe not.
Kerry (09:54):
No, and in our particular situation, we found something
very pleasant.
Well, that's good.
Yes, and I do have permissionfrom my sister in love, which is
my sister in law we talkedabout that episode or two ago
Right To share this story andfor my husband to share this
(10:15):
story.
So this is full disclosure.
Permissions have been grantedto share this story.
So this is full disclosure.
Permissions have been grantedto share this.
So long, long story short, myhusband's family just there was
a lot of different things thathappened in his childhood,
growing up were separated fromsiblings, okay, and he was very,
very young, so he knew that hehad some half siblings kind of
(10:40):
out there in the world and atone point one of them had found
him or whatever.
But you know they were young,18, you know, whatever.
Just the whole family thing, itjust didn't click, it didn't
stick, whatever.
So but he, but he knew of well,through these send your DNA
away, kind of things my sonactually had done this, partly
(11:02):
because he wanted to try tofigure out a little bit of
missing family history that myhusband did not know.
You know he didn't know wheretheir family was from.
You know he grew up in fostercare, you know.
So he didn't know his parents.
And so when my son was havingchildren, you know he was kind
of like people you know, so hedidn't know his parents.
And so when my son was havingchildren, you know he was kind
of like people, you know, theyalways ask you what's your
family history or whatever.
(11:23):
And he really didn't know thishalf of the family.
So by doing this, you know, youkind of know where you're.
Oh, okay, you've, you knowGerman roots or Italian roots or
whatever, and it does kind ofhelp lead into what might be
some medical concerns, whatever,just by by those ancestry
things.
So in doing that, thisconversation came up in our
(11:45):
family about Jim's side of thefamily and Jim was saying, well,
I kind of remember you knowthis person, or a kind of I did
meet my mother once, and so Istarted with my son going down
this genealogy rabbit hole andwe ended up finding my husband's
mother birth mother's obituaryand in reading that we were
(12:07):
reading the names of herchildren and this one particular
daughter's name came up and Jimwas like, oh, I remember I met
her once, but she was reallyyoung and you know he was like
18.
So I went on to Facebook andGoogled and I found her on
Facebook.
And so Jim reached out and senta message to this person saying
(12:30):
you know, hey, I think I mightbe your brother, and didn't hear
anything but he messenger.
And so then you know noresponse and he's like, well,
maybe she doesn't want to knowme and I go well, it's messenger
, not everyone gets their, youknow, instant messenger.
I said, you know, she may nothave just not have seen it right
.
And so then a couple weeks goby and somehow, like he was
(12:52):
intrigued enough to well, let metry one more way.
And he happened to find thatshe was selling and she lived on
the other side of the country.
You know, we're in Ohio and shewas on the other side of the
country.
He found that she was sellingsomething on Facebook
marketplace.
So he put a message on thatsaying you know, I forget
exactly what he said.
Well, no response.
So he's like, okay, chalk it up, she's not interested or
(13:15):
whatever.
Next thing, you know, we get aphone call and is this
wonderfully hysterical womananswers.
We answer the phone and it'sit's his half sister and she's
like oh my gosh, oh my gosh,you're my brother.
I've been looking for you mywhole life.
And here she didn't see theFacebook Messenger and just so
happened that marketplace thingpopped up and so then she, you
(13:37):
know, we got connected and it'sbeen wonderful because he's been
reconnected with his long lostsister.
I have a new sister.
Like I said, we call each othersister in love and so sister in
law.
It has really been a greatthing.
And because of that then now heshe, you know grew up with the
mother and so we do have alittle bit more family history
(13:58):
on health and things like thatand circumstances of why things
ended up.
But it really was a good story.
But here's the crazy part whenwe were living out in Las Vegas
before we moved back to Ohio,there was a TV show that we
really liked to watch.
It was a reality TV show and weloved watching it.
Come to find out that hissister was, her husband, was
(14:19):
part of this reality TV show andhere we had been seeing her on
TV because of that show.
And so here we didn't even knowwe were watching his sister.
Oh, my gosh, I know it was crazy, but but so see, there are good
things that happen from it.
We got reconnected and it'sbeen a wonderful relationship.
Chrisy (14:36):
Yeah, no, that is wonderful and yes absolutely, if
you can locate someone likethat, a lost sibling?
Kerry (14:46):
fool or half I guess that's wonderful.
But it is a coin flip becauseit could have gone the other way
.
Well, it could have, I mean.
Chrisy (14:55):
And he didn't have to put his DNA on the grid.
That's your whole big.
Thing well, yeah, but well no,but see this I am glad to hear
something like that, because ifhe didn't do that, then you
would not have been able toaccomplish what you did with
this lovely person that's now inyour life and is very important
to you.
So I I love that story and Ilike hearing that.
(15:17):
Yeah, because you do hear a lotof the other things.
I mean I've heard where peoplefound out they had children they
didn't know they had.
Yes, and I'm sure that thatdoesn't only affect their life
yeah, but then it affects thelives of the family that you
knew you had.
This is true, good.
And now what you can make ofthat in a positive way and I bet
(15:40):
there are people who can belike that's wonderful.
Yeah, we love the fact that wehave someone else in our family
and but that's, I mean we'retalking, this is severe
dysfunction here.
Oh, yeah, it is.
I mean it just really does,because you really find out
exactly what you are made of.
Kerry (15:59):
Who do you think you are?
What do you?
Chrisy (16:01):
think you're made of.
That's my show.
Kerry (16:03):
Who do you think you are and what do you think you're
made of?
It's like it's Maury Povich.
I mean, wasn't that wheneverthey did the who's your Daddy
episodes, the DNA episodes, youknow you are the father, well
yeah.
Those were really good.
(16:30):
I used to love those shows.
They will possibly breed afemale dog with two different
males a male that's been knownto produce with a new incoming
breeder male.
So that way, hopefully, one orthe other will take.
Chrisy (16:47):
So sometimes they get puppies in the litter that
literally could be from twodifferent dads.
This is like that movie Twinswith Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Danny DeVito.
Kerry (16:52):
Leave it to Chrssy to find, but no, go ahead.
Leave it to Chrissy to find,but no, go ahead.
So, anyways, when we getpuppies from these litters, you
know they'll tell us, you know,okay, well, here's the mom, but
we don't know who the daddy is.
But they'll do DNA testing andthen, you know, a couple weeks
after we'll find out, oh, thiswas the dad, or whatever.
So when we get one of those wealways would joke around and
(17:14):
we'd be like, you know have,like a Maury Povich post, you
know saying and you, you know,you are the father.
So you know, wooly, you are thefather of these puppies.
Or you know, jasper, you arethe father, so anyway.
So, but yeah, pet DNA, so thatis useful for it.
Chrisy (17:31):
The DNA is fascinating, but there are people.
Now I understand why you'redoing that yes, the service dog
and all of that but there arejust people who have pets, and I
understand you're rescuingthese pets, which I applaud.
Yes, please do rescue when youcan.
(17:52):
Lots of these lovely pets doneed wonderful loving homes.
So I guess I understand thefascination to do this Right,
because you are rescuing a dogthat you're not sure.
You can kind of tell, maybe,what type of dog it is, but to
what level you're gaininganything out of this.
Is this going to stop you fromloving the dog?
I would hope not.
(18:12):
The only thing I can say forsure is that I know that they do
use that type of DNA testingfor animals.
Dogs, the one I've been mostlyexposed to, is defined what
they're for health reasons.
Yes, is this dog more likely tohave heart conditions or hip
(18:33):
dysplasia type issue?
Kerry (18:35):
It's just like the people like with my son.
You know he was wanting to knowhis ancestral line of as far as
like, where'd you come from toknow if you're going to be
predispositioned to certainhealth things?
Same thing with the dog Right.
What breed will you know?
Chrisy (18:49):
predisposition it Right and so yeah, but again, I also
look at it as just another wayfor another industry to make
some more money.
Kerry (18:59):
I just worry about the validity of some of them.
I think some of the ones reallyhave a good database to compare
to, because other ones I feellike everything ends up being a
poodle or a golden dude or agolden retriever.
It's like it seems like theyalways have the same four breeds
and that's it, no matter whatthe starting base yeah well,
(19:21):
have we not seen to that overthe last decade or more?
because I do have, yes, goldendoodles, right but what I'm
saying is like I just don'tthink that some of those pet dna
places have enough.
They don't have the fullspectrum of the dog breeds, so
they're only using some of them.
Chrisy (19:40):
Their resources may not be able to provide them with the
best information.
Kerry (19:45):
That's what I'm saying.
Yes, I'm not saying anythingabout the breeds.
Chrisy (19:48):
I'm just saying, like I just feel like oh, yeah, no, no,
no.
Kerry (19:51):
Not no, Just what they're able that maybe those are just
the easiest ones to fall back onwhen you can't fill in the
blanks yourself with the actualdata.
Chrisy (19:58):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes so they wouldn't be able to
identify a basenji or a kubaz orsomething right, right, it's
gonna end up being, you know, acockapoo.
Kerry (20:10):
your russian wolfhound is really a great dame, because
they don't have all the With thehair defect.
Chrisy (20:19):
Yeah, a Russian.
Kerry (20:20):
Yeah, your Russian Wolfhound is a Great Dane.
Afghan hound mix, right.
Chrisy (20:25):
Well, the other thing too, going back to how Ellis
Island's records were sowonderful and such a great
resource, as well as theEuropean churches and things
like that they still are I wentto Ellisslncom.
It's still a pretty good lookslike a pretty robust resource
for people.
Kerry (20:41):
Is it still free you?
Know, I didn't go that far.
I would bet.
Chrisy (20:44):
I think when I first and this would be over 20 years ago
when I first signed up for it,it was free, but I do think that
as I was going on it more andmore, and because I think it
gained some popularity thatthere were levels of information
that you would be able toaccess with a membership.
But if you knew you had familythat came through that way, that
would be a resource Right.
(21:06):
And what I was going to say isI hit a little bit of a wall
with that resource when tryingto look through my other side of
the family's documentation,because it appears that and
again I know this sort oftouches a little bit I'm not
touching at all on anythinggoing on now in the world, but
(21:26):
that other side of the familydid not come through Ellis
Island into the United States.
Oh well, there you go, and I'mnot saying that they were coming
in in a way that was notcorrect, but I guess there was
also another port of entry, ifyou call it that and it would
have been through Canada.
And that was generally based onwhat your ethnic background was
(21:48):
at that time.
So this ethnic background wasnot more of the Italy or
Southern European type areas.
This was more of the EasternEuropean, I guess, areas that
came into Canada and thendecided to also come to the
United States as well.
So I don't know what thatversion of Ellis Island is.
(22:13):
I never really looked into itbut as far as that part of my
family, I was never able toreally use Ellis Island as the
resource to find anything.
Kerry (22:22):
Another website that we have used is findagravecom.
So again, not a sponsor, butthey could be if they want to.
Yeah Well, that's funny.
Chrisy (22:32):
You mentioned that Findagravecom.
That's been really good thatpops up.
All that used to always pop upwhen I'd be looking at people.
Kerry (22:42):
I'd be like and it's a gravestone, I know, but that
tells you so much.
And then as more people go onthere, then sometimes they have
pictures attached of that person.
It's a good resource too, howthis became a how-to.
Researcher genealogy from thedysfunction of genealogy.
Chrisy (22:55):
I don't know.
Kerry (22:55):
You never know what you're going to get here with us
.
Chrisy (22:57):
No, not at all, but it is a fascinating subject.
Kerry (23:01):
It is.
Chrisy (23:02):
Enter it with caution everybody.
Absolutely, because that's whatmy message is to everybody.
And don't lick your envelopes,don't Stay away from the
envelope.
Thank God, the stamps you don'tlick anymore.
Kerry (23:19):
Yeah, that's true, they become pretty sticky.
Yeah, because once you put yourgarbage out of the street, it's
free for anybody to go throughPossessions nine-tenths of law,
or whatever.
Oh, this is another fascinatingtopic that we're covering here.
So thank you for joining us,but we'd love to hear your
ancestry or DNA or genealogystories.
Chrisy (23:40):
Surprises.
Kerry (23:45):
So be sure to check us out on our Facebook page, leave
us any story ideas or yourfeedback, or you can also go to
our websitedysfunctionjunkiesbuzzbowlcom.
We'd love to hear from you.
Yes, we would All right.
Chrisy (23:57):
See you next week.
Bye-bye.
Welcome to the Dysfunction Junkies.
Podcast.
We may not have seen it all,but we've seen enough.
And now here are your hosts,Chrisy and Kerry.
Kerry (00:20):
Hello Junkies, I'm Keri
Chrisy (00:23):
and I'm Chrissy.
Kerry (00:24):
Nick, I thought you forgot my name for a second
there.
Dramatic pause, dramatic pause.
I was like I'm like looking athim like no, it's me I'm Kerry
remember?
That was great.
I'm just trying to change it upa little bit.
I love it.
I love it.
DJ Nick (00:41):
Yes, you know, I got, you know, got so inspired by Jim
.
He said I don't know whatepisode it was.
He's like I really liked yourintro.
Chrisy (00:48):
I know.
Kerry (00:52):
He wrecked your mojo, but it just goes to show.
We do everything live here.
We do not have canned intros orwhatever.
But yeah, thank you, nick.
Thank you.
So we talked about last episode.
We started dabbling in thesewhole ancestry and the DNA and
everything and there was still alittle bit more we wanted to
(01:12):
talk about.
So we're just going to kind ofpick up where we left off Now.
You know, back in the daybefore we had all this computer
and technology and DNA testing.
We had to do things theold-fashioned way, chrissy, go.
Chrisy (01:26):
Well, I don't know how old-fashioned it was, I still
was able to utilize a computerto some extent because, as you
can tell, I'm not one to betraveling.
So I'm not visiting these lovelyfar-off lands.
I wish I could, but I am my ownworst enemy as far as being
(01:46):
free to do these type of things.
Back before these type ofcompanies really came out there
in popularity and just knowingabout them, I mean, I guess
probably some people were payingto do this in a lab and you
probably still can foot the billfor that if you want to.
Probably One thing that cameout fairly before this was the
(02:11):
Ellis Island, yeah, and they hada database that they had put
online and you could join.
You know you signed up for it,which I think I did Well, I know
I did.
It was free just to give youremail and they would keep you
updated on things.
And the difficulty with that isand I'm sure with anybody
(02:34):
because now you're not dealingwith your you have to go solely
off of names and what year timeperiod you felt your ancestors
came here or came through EllisIsland.
You needed to have that type ofinformation.
The lovely thing about that wasis that when you were able to
sort of be able to hit the markwith a grandparent, great
grandparent, you could see howthe manifest or whatever they
(03:00):
would keep track of thesehistorical coming in and out of
the country was they would writethe name, your purpose for
being in this country, where you, your destination was in the
country, I think, who you weregoing to be staying with.
I mean it was a lot ofinformation.
You can kind of see how I knowthat that's a hot button topic.
(03:22):
I'm not going to get into rightnow with immigration, Right,
but this is just what this waslooked like, I guess, 100 to 150
years ago, yeah, and it's alovely record.
You can even see what ship thatthey came over on.
Sometimes you can even actuallythey have a picture of the ship
Really.
Yeah, I mean it's a niceresource and I haven't been on
(03:42):
there in a really long timebecause that kind of gets
drowned out.
I think a little bit with thiswhole thing.
But if it's still like it was,it may even be better now Not to
give them a plug, not a sponsor.
But if you did want to dosomething, I found it to be
enjoyable.
(04:03):
But in my case I had tobasically really focus because
the names, as everybody knows,especially my movie, shout out
what was Don Corleone's realname.
It was not Corleone, I don'tknow.
Kerry (04:19):
What movie are you even referencing?
Chrisy (04:20):
Don't say it because I have to think about it or I'm
going to be mad at myself.
Kerry (04:24):
What movie are we referencing?
Chrisy (04:25):
The Godfather oh so.
Kerry (04:27):
I'm trying to think Okay let me think oh my gosh.
Yeah, because I'm rememberingwhen my padre Chiamo my name.
Chrisy (04:39):
my father's name was I know it now Andolini Andolini.
Yes, don Corleone's family namewas ah, I know it now andolini
andolini.
Yes, don corleone's family namewas andolini.
Okay, and then when he gotshipped over here, solo because
his father and was it the fatherand oldest brother were killed
by a don in italy.
And again, this is a moviereference.
Godfather, every better,everybody, every butter they,
(05:03):
they to save him.
The mother went to plead forher son.
Godfather, every butter,everybody, every butter they to
save him.
The mother went to plead forher son's life to this Don and
say, please do not this is myonly child.
This is the opening of theGodfather part two.
Everybody, you know, don't killmy only son.
And she's trying to plead forthis young boy's life.
(05:23):
And Don wasn't having any partof it because he said, any ages,
he's going to come back forrevenge and that's that.
Well, the mother basicallysacrificed herself to try and
save her son.
Okay, don corleone andolinitook off and he found some nice
gentleman in in the villagewhere they were from, in Sicily,
to basically hide him and thenget him on a boat to America.
(05:47):
They changed his name.
So when he came over on the boatand he's through the line and
they were looking at his tag,they saw where he was from,
which was an area in Sicily,corleone.
Oh yeah, so instead of his namebeing Andolini in Americaica,
it ended up being corleone,because we're right yes uh,
francis ford, you can give me acall and thank me for paying
(06:09):
that much attention to your film.
Yes, I did so.
That's how name what I wasgetting to his name.
Kerry (06:17):
I was gonna say focus christy, I'm sorry as soon as I
get on a movie reference I can,can't stop, so your chances are.
Chrisy (06:26):
your name is not what it was originally.
In this case trying to researchmy Italian heritage.
Coming through Ellis Island wasa little complicated because
certain letters in the name hadbeen changed.
Usually it's the vowels.
Yes, they move the vowelsaround, cut some of them off.
(06:48):
But I was able to find that outand then I was able to sort of,
which is kind of fun.
You kind of see how often theywere coming in and out of the
country, because they would cometo america and then, for
whatever reason, they would go,go back to Europe and then they
would come back, you know.
So that was the resource.
But then I took it another stepfurther and I was like this has
(07:11):
got to be, it is.
It's over 20 years ago when Idid this.
It's actually interesting, Iwas able to find it.
The one thing anybody who doesthis type of stuff or is
involved in history knows isthat the churches in Europe is
probably your number oneresource.
Kerry (07:26):
Wow, if you're looking for family, genealogy, things
like that they are the ones thathouse the birth, marriage and
death records.
Chrisy (07:35):
Yeah, and I did happen to know the area where my
Italian ancestry the one part ofit was from, so I did locate.
I guess somehow I got into achurch that was there and I was
able to then through marriage Ithink it was through marriage
certificates actually, but thenthere's baptism certificates,
(07:56):
there's all this kind of stuffbut for some reason the marriage
certificates, I think, are theones that I was able to keep
going backwards on because Iknew my great-grandfather, and
going backwards on, wow, becauseI knew my grand, great
grandfather and greatgrandmother's names and I knew
my great grandmother's maidenname.
Yeah, and I just kept goingbackwards.
It is a rabbit hole.
Kerry (08:13):
Oh, it's a rabbit hole and I kept writing somewhere.
Chrisy (08:15):
This list I hope still exists, because I did sit there
and write it, because I didn'tknow any better to print it.
Kerry (08:21):
Yeah.
Chrisy (08:21):
And I just kept making a log of these names and the
dates.
Oh, I'm sure you have it andyou would think, but I think I
was able to go back all the wayto the 1700s, that's crazy.
So if anybody's reallyinterested in it.
It is an interesting thing todo crazy.
So if anybody's reallyinterested in it and it is an
interesting thing to do, and ifyou don't already know that,
which you probably do, if you'reinterested in doing this, the
churches are your best resource.
(08:43):
I really do think that so one ofmy family members.
Kerry (08:47):
They went down that rabbit hole and they really did
some extensive and I remember atone point in my life was given
like a little binder book thathas all of this and they traced,
they did the same thing andit's and I'm so grateful that
they did.
I.
I really like the.
I think it just shows like why,why do we do this?
You know, we were asking likewhy are we doing this?
And I think it's because we allare trying to figure out who we
(09:09):
are and why we do, why we dothe things we do or whatever,
and that's what starts thisrabbit hole.
So trying to figure ourselvesout.
Chrisy (09:16):
Yeah, when you think about it, it sounds so lovely
and everything, but really,let's take it down to what it is
.
We're fascinated with ourselvesthis is true and we want to
know more about ourselves.
We want to get to know us.
Forget you, I'm about me.
I'm not learning about youranswers.
It's mine, it's me.
What about me?
(09:36):
What me?
I'm not learning about youranswers.
It's mine, it's me.
What about me?
What's?
Kerry (09:38):
going on with me.
Well, I know last episode youwere kind of on the leery side
of doing this DNA because youdon't know what you're going to
uncover, you don't know whoyou're going to find or who's
going to find you or whatever.
Chrisy (09:48):
In my opinion, you're probably going to uncover
something that's not pleasant.
Yes, but maybe not.
Kerry (09:54):
No, and in our particular situation, we found something
very pleasant.
Well, that's good.
Yes, and I do have permissionfrom my sister in love, which is
my sister in law we talkedabout that episode or two ago
Right To share this story andfor my husband to share this
(10:15):
story.
So this is full disclosure.
Permissions have been grantedto share this story.
So this is full disclosure.
Permissions have been grantedto share this.
So long, long story short, myhusband's family just there was
a lot of different things thathappened in his childhood,
growing up were separated fromsiblings, okay, and he was very,
very young, so he knew that hehad some half siblings kind of
(10:40):
out there in the world and atone point one of them had found
him or whatever.
But you know they were young,18, you know, whatever.
Just the whole family thing, itjust didn't click, it didn't
stick, whatever.
So but he, but he knew of well,through these send your DNA
away, kind of things my sonactually had done this, partly
(11:02):
because he wanted to try tofigure out a little bit of
missing family history that myhusband did not know.
You know he didn't know wheretheir family was from.
You know he grew up in fostercare, you know.
So he didn't know his parents.
And so when my son was havingchildren, you know he was kind
of like people you know, so hedidn't know his parents.
And so when my son was havingchildren, you know he was kind
of like people, you know, theyalways ask you what's your
family history or whatever.
(11:23):
And he really didn't know thishalf of the family.
So by doing this, you know, youkind of know where you're.
Oh, okay, you've, you knowGerman roots or Italian roots or
whatever, and it does kind ofhelp lead into what might be
some medical concerns, whatever,just by by those ancestry
things.
So in doing that, thisconversation came up in our
(11:45):
family about Jim's side of thefamily and Jim was saying, well,
I kind of remember you knowthis person, or a kind of I did
meet my mother once, and so Istarted with my son going down
this genealogy rabbit hole andwe ended up finding my husband's
mother birth mother's obituaryand in reading that we were
(12:07):
reading the names of herchildren and this one particular
daughter's name came up and Jimwas like, oh, I remember I met
her once, but she was reallyyoung and you know he was like
18.
So I went on to Facebook andGoogled and I found her on
Facebook.
And so Jim reached out and senta message to this person saying
(12:30):
you know, hey, I think I mightbe your brother, and didn't hear
anything but he messenger.
And so then you know noresponse and he's like, well,
maybe she doesn't want to knowme and I go well, it's messenger
, not everyone gets their, youknow, instant messenger.
I said, you know, she may nothave just not have seen it right
.
And so then a couple weeks goby and somehow, like he was
(12:52):
intrigued enough to well, let metry one more way.
And he happened to find thatshe was selling and she lived on
the other side of the country.
You know, we're in Ohio and shewas on the other side of the
country.
He found that she was sellingsomething on Facebook
marketplace.
So he put a message on thatsaying you know, I forget
exactly what he said.
Well, no response.
So he's like, okay, chalk it up, she's not interested or
(13:15):
whatever.
Next thing, you know, we get aphone call and is this
wonderfully hysterical womananswers.
We answer the phone and it'sit's his half sister and she's
like oh my gosh, oh my gosh,you're my brother.
I've been looking for you mywhole life.
And here she didn't see theFacebook Messenger and just so
happened that marketplace thingpopped up and so then she, you
(13:37):
know, we got connected and it'sbeen wonderful because he's been
reconnected with his long lostsister.
I have a new sister.
Like I said, we call each othersister in love and so sister in
law.
It has really been a greatthing.
And because of that then now heshe, you know grew up with the
mother and so we do have alittle bit more family history
(13:58):
on health and things like thatand circumstances of why things
ended up.
But it really was a good story.
But here's the crazy part whenwe were living out in Las Vegas
before we moved back to Ohio,there was a TV show that we
really liked to watch.
It was a reality TV show and weloved watching it.
Come to find out that hissister was, her husband, was
(14:19):
part of this reality TV show andhere we had been seeing her on
TV because of that show.
And so here we didn't even knowwe were watching his sister.
Oh, my gosh, I know it was crazy, but but so see, there are good
things that happen from it.
We got reconnected and it'sbeen a wonderful relationship.
Chrisy (14:36):
Yeah, no, that is wonderful and yes absolutely, if
you can locate someone likethat, a lost sibling?
Kerry (14:46):
fool or half I guess that's wonderful.
But it is a coin flip becauseit could have gone the other way
.
Well, it could have, I mean.
Chrisy (14:55):
And he didn't have to put his DNA on the grid.
That's your whole big.
Thing well, yeah, but well no,but see this I am glad to hear
something like that, because ifhe didn't do that, then you
would not have been able toaccomplish what you did with
this lovely person that's now inyour life and is very important
to you.
So I I love that story and Ilike hearing that.
(15:17):
Yeah, because you do hear a lotof the other things.
I mean I've heard where peoplefound out they had children they
didn't know they had.
Yes, and I'm sure that thatdoesn't only affect their life
yeah, but then it affects thelives of the family that you
knew you had.
This is true, good.
And now what you can make ofthat in a positive way and I bet
(15:40):
there are people who can belike that's wonderful.
Yeah, we love the fact that wehave someone else in our family
and but that's, I mean we'retalking, this is severe
dysfunction here.
Oh, yeah, it is.
I mean it just really does,because you really find out
exactly what you are made of.
Kerry (15:59):
Who do you think you are?
What do you?
Chrisy (16:01):
think you're made of.
That's my show.
Kerry (16:03):
Who do you think you are and what do you think you're
made of?
It's like it's Maury Povich.
I mean, wasn't that wheneverthey did the who's your Daddy
episodes, the DNA episodes, youknow you are the father, well
yeah.
Those were really good.
(16:30):
I used to love those shows.
They will possibly breed afemale dog with two different
males a male that's been knownto produce with a new incoming
breeder male.
So that way, hopefully, one orthe other will take.
Chrisy (16:47):
So sometimes they get puppies in the litter that
literally could be from twodifferent dads.
This is like that movie Twinswith Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Danny DeVito.
Kerry (16:52):
Leave it to Chrssy to find, but no, go ahead.
Leave it to Chrissy to find,but no, go ahead.
So, anyways, when we getpuppies from these litters, you
know they'll tell us, you know,okay, well, here's the mom, but
we don't know who the daddy is.
But they'll do DNA testing andthen, you know, a couple weeks
after we'll find out, oh, thiswas the dad, or whatever.
So when we get one of those wealways would joke around and
(17:14):
we'd be like, you know have,like a Maury Povich post, you
know saying and you, you know,you are the father.
So you know, wooly, you are thefather of these puppies.
Or you know, jasper, you arethe father, so anyway.
So, but yeah, pet DNA, so thatis useful for it.
Chrisy (17:31):
The DNA is fascinating, but there are people.
Now I understand why you'redoing that yes, the service dog
and all of that but there arejust people who have pets, and I
understand you're rescuingthese pets, which I applaud.
Yes, please do rescue when youcan.
(17:52):
Lots of these lovely pets doneed wonderful loving homes.
So I guess I understand thefascination to do this Right,
because you are rescuing a dogthat you're not sure.
You can kind of tell, maybe,what type of dog it is, but to
what level you're gaininganything out of this.
Is this going to stop you fromloving the dog?
I would hope not.
(18:12):
The only thing I can say forsure is that I know that they do
use that type of DNA testingfor animals.
Dogs, the one I've been mostlyexposed to, is defined what
they're for health reasons.
Yes, is this dog more likely tohave heart conditions or hip
(18:33):
dysplasia type issue?
Kerry (18:35):
It's just like the people like with my son.
You know he was wanting to knowhis ancestral line of as far as
like, where'd you come from toknow if you're going to be
predispositioned to certainhealth things?
Same thing with the dog Right.
What breed will you know?
Chrisy (18:49):
predisposition it Right and so yeah, but again, I also
look at it as just another wayfor another industry to make
some more money.
Kerry (18:59):
I just worry about the validity of some of them.
I think some of the ones reallyhave a good database to compare
to, because other ones I feellike everything ends up being a
poodle or a golden dude or agolden retriever.
It's like it seems like theyalways have the same four breeds
and that's it, no matter whatthe starting base yeah well,
(19:21):
have we not seen to that overthe last decade or more?
because I do have, yes, goldendoodles, right but what I'm
saying is like I just don'tthink that some of those pet dna
places have enough.
They don't have the fullspectrum of the dog breeds, so
they're only using some of them.
Chrisy (19:40):
Their resources may not be able to provide them with the
best information.
Kerry (19:45):
That's what I'm saying.
Yes, I'm not saying anythingabout the breeds.
Chrisy (19:48):
I'm just saying, like I just feel like oh, yeah, no, no,
no.
Kerry (19:51):
Not no, Just what they're able that maybe those are just
the easiest ones to fall back onwhen you can't fill in the
blanks yourself with the actualdata.
Chrisy (19:58):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes so they wouldn't be able to
identify a basenji or a kubaz orsomething right, right, it's
gonna end up being, you know, acockapoo.
Kerry (20:10):
your russian wolfhound is really a great dame, because
they don't have all the With thehair defect.
Chrisy (20:19):
Yeah, a Russian.
Kerry (20:20):
Yeah, your Russian Wolfhound is a Great Dane.
Afghan hound mix, right.
Chrisy (20:25):
Well, the other thing too, going back to how Ellis
Island's records were sowonderful and such a great
resource, as well as theEuropean churches and things
like that they still are I wentto Ellisslncom.
It's still a pretty good lookslike a pretty robust resource
for people.
Kerry (20:41):
Is it still free you?
Know, I didn't go that far.
I would bet.
Chrisy (20:44):
I think when I first and this would be over 20 years ago
when I first signed up for it,it was free, but I do think that
as I was going on it more andmore, and because I think it
gained some popularity thatthere were levels of information
that you would be able toaccess with a membership.
But if you knew you had familythat came through that way, that
would be a resource Right.
(21:06):
And what I was going to say isI hit a little bit of a wall
with that resource when tryingto look through my other side of
the family's documentation,because it appears that and
again I know this sort oftouches a little bit I'm not
touching at all on anythinggoing on now in the world, but
(21:26):
that other side of the familydid not come through Ellis
Island into the United States.
Oh well, there you go, and I'mnot saying that they were coming
in in a way that was notcorrect, but I guess there was
also another port of entry, ifyou call it that and it would
have been through Canada.
And that was generally based onwhat your ethnic background was
(21:48):
at that time.
So this ethnic background wasnot more of the Italy or
Southern European type areas.
This was more of the EasternEuropean, I guess, areas that
came into Canada and thendecided to also come to the
United States as well.
So I don't know what thatversion of Ellis Island is.
(22:13):
I never really looked into itbut as far as that part of my
family, I was never able toreally use Ellis Island as the
resource to find anything.
Kerry (22:22):
Another website that we have used is findagravecom.
So again, not a sponsor, butthey could be if they want to.
Yeah Well, that's funny.
Chrisy (22:32):
You mentioned that Findagravecom.
That's been really good thatpops up.
All that used to always pop upwhen I'd be looking at people.
Kerry (22:42):
I'd be like and it's a gravestone, I know, but that
tells you so much.
And then as more people go onthere, then sometimes they have
pictures attached of that person.
It's a good resource too, howthis became a how-to.
Researcher genealogy from thedysfunction of genealogy.
Chrisy (22:55):
I don't know.
Kerry (22:55):
You never know what you're going to get here with us
.
Chrisy (22:57):
No, not at all, but it is a fascinating subject.
Kerry (23:01):
It is.
Chrisy (23:02):
Enter it with caution everybody.
Absolutely, because that's whatmy message is to everybody.
And don't lick your envelopes,don't Stay away from the
envelope.
Thank God, the stamps you don'tlick anymore.
Kerry (23:19):
Yeah, that's true, they become pretty sticky.
Yeah, because once you put yourgarbage out of the street, it's
free for anybody to go throughPossessions nine-tenths of law,
or whatever.
Oh, this is another fascinatingtopic that we're covering here.
So thank you for joining us,but we'd love to hear your
ancestry or DNA or genealogystories.
Chrisy (23:40):
Surprises.
Kerry (23:45):
So be sure to check us out on our Facebook page, leave
us any story ideas or yourfeedback, or you can also go to
our websitedysfunctionjunkiesbuzzbowlcom.
We'd love to hear from you.
Yes, we would All right.
Chrisy (23:57):
See you next week.
Bye-bye.
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