August 27, 2024 • 31 mins
In this episode, we broadcast live from the Long Hall Pub in Dublin. It's a thank you to our wonderful listeners in Dublin. In this session, we cover a bit about what to think about when you are researching your own ancestry.
Fun facts - Over 40 million people worldwide have taken a DNA test from companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, making it one of the most popular consumer genetics services globally. Many users find surprises in their genetic makeup. It's estimated that 12-15% of users discover unexpected ethnicity results or previously unknown relatives. The discovery of half-siblings, unknown biological parents, or even secret family histories is a common experience.
These genetic databases are quite extensive as an example 23andMe's database can connect you to up to 1,500 genetic relatives. Some users have found relatives as close as first cousins they never knew existed.
Christine and Muge touch upon what can be learned from some of these services and real lived experiences of tracing family roots.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to ReFirement Life, the podcast for anyone navigating life transitions or planning
(00:06):
to make life transitions to ensure your next years are your best years.
Listen in for insightful, generous, and sometimes humorous conversation.
It's time to get fired up with Christine Zamuda and Muge Wood, your hosts for this
latest episode of ReFirement Life.
And we're doing this live from Ireland.
(00:31):
Top of the morning to you.
Wow, you know, Christine, this is an absolute milestone and a peak achievement, I would say.
It's not only episode 50, but broadcast live from Dublin, Ireland, and it wasn't just
pure coincidence.
I think it also lined up with the fact that we have a good set of contingent subscribers
(00:52):
and followers in Ireland listening to our podcast.
So we couldn't have orchestrated this better.
I am seeing it.
The bar, the ambiance, it looks fantastic.
And what a great way and occasion for us to mark our 50th episode.
Oh, yes.
So this is the Long Hop Hub.
(01:14):
And this is one of the, it's supposed to be one of the quietest pubs.
I don't think it's that quiet Sunday at three o'clock here.
Bruce Springsteen is known to frequent this place.
This is his favorite pub.
And they play actually a lot of Irish music and Bruce Springsteen music, which is kind of fun.
That's a good combination.
That's a good combination.
(01:35):
So is this, is this pub in Dublin?
Yes.
Yes.
It's in Dublin.
All right.
It's in Dublin.
It's a genealogy tour.
We came here for the Florida State game.
My sister's a huge Florida State fan.
And so that game happened yesterday.
But in between we went to the town where my mom's family was from.
(02:01):
Oh, that's amazing.
So incredible.
And so I thought for this episode,
we might actually talk about family roots.
And family matters and why you want to dig into your heritage.
So what I've learned as I started to research this topic is that over 40 million people have taken a DNA test like ancestry.com or 23andMe.
(02:30):
I actually did do that.
23andMe was my preferred service.
Have you ever participated in any of that?
No, I haven't.
And actually, I have a bit of a different opinion on this.
I am very curious, obviously, but I am also a little nervous about these databases and tests.
(02:54):
And I am thinking what if they get hacked into it?
What if you get associated by things that you don't want or need in your life?
So I am thinking the positive with the downside.
So I haven't done those.
Having said that, my husband and I were talking about this very topic this morning, of course, as I was preparing for our podcast.
(03:19):
And one of his cousins have done a lot of research on his side of the family.
Kind of the old fashioned way, meaning just talking to people, going to places, doing internet searches.
And they were able to trace their ancestry almost all the way to 14th century.
(03:41):
So I am curious, but also nervous.
So I have not done it.
It's almost like I would love to know the results without taking the test type of situation.
I am nervous about these databases.
I get it.
I wish I was probably talking to you when I quickly sent away my DNA swab.
(04:02):
I just want to know everything about everything.
That is to be your ancestry where you came from.
Mine pretty much validated everything that we thought.
So I am 25% Irish and 75, sorry, 25% Italian and 75% Irish.
And you learned a few other things. 23andMe was the first service to get FDA approval to share health risk openly with people.
(04:34):
So are you more disposed to Alzheimer's?
Are you more disposed to certain kinds of cancers, the BRAC1 gene?
Are you, for us and our family, macular degeneration was something that you should be aware of.
But otherwise we were in pretty good shape.
(04:55):
And the one funny thing we learned was that on my Italian side, we have what they call Olympic twitch muscles that the best athletes have.
My husband was very jealous when he found that out.
And if I look back at my father's side of family, we have so many professional athletes, college athletes.
(05:19):
And I think there's a little bit of just interesting attributes that can come down a family line.
Wow, amazing.
It is very interesting.
And how that manifests itself, maybe you also see more traits that can be explained in your kids and the kids' families, etc.
(05:43):
I think I would love it if I could do it the old-fashioned way.
The thing is, since digital media did not exist all that much in the earlier days, it makes it more difficult.
But it's amazing, it looks like you got some pretty good answers backed up by evidence from other sources as well.
(06:05):
We did, and I would say for anyone who's actually looking for their roots, what I did about a week before I came here,
I knew my mom's family was from the county of Mayo in Ireland, and there's county of Mayo genealogy groups.
So I put a couple of questions out there.
I shared what our ancestry line was.
And literally, Mugey, overnight, I had like 25 responses.
(06:29):
And even someone attached my great-grandparents' marriage certificate and the church where they were born.
So we went there, we visited, we saw her great-grandfather's grave,
and we just had an interesting experience in these small towns.
A lot of the families don't go very far.
(06:50):
So we were descendants of the Flatleys, Haley's, and Brogans.
And when we would say, like, do you know any Brogans, they're like, oh yeah, well, all the Brogans, they live down by the bridge, on the left-hand side.
Keep going and you're going to meet some Brogans.
And we met some Brogans. It was crazy.
Wow, wow. So you arguably met some people who are related to you.
(07:14):
Yes, yes. We found one living relative. It was just so funny.
Wow. It's also pretty special. Yeah, it's pretty special just to think that that's where your roots come from.
And to be able to experience that, that's pretty special.
Well, Christine, I'm going to say this, whatever combination you have, it's pretty magical. So I like it.
(07:36):
That's a good recipe. So scale that out, please.
Exactly, exactly. And I think there's a lot of information out there for people who want to research their roots.
Just, you know, a lot of data available.
And what I've also heard and heard and even experienced myself is when you're on these, you can do it the old fashioned way and just, you know, send something into a Facebook group.
(08:05):
But you can also, through 23andMe, all of a sudden these DNA matches come up and you find cousins and people that you're related to.
And it's just really fascinating because from what I've learned, 23andMe or a like service can match you up to 1,500 genetic relatives.
(08:28):
And, um, policy of the family, they've actually traced their roots all the way back to the 1,700s in Poland.
It's just wild to experience and sort of learn more about where you came from.
Yeah, that's right. That's right. It's pretty amazing.
And I think it also gives you a good base to go explore more on your own.
(08:49):
And even though you may not get the exact answers, the proximity is also pretty good.
So when you get the results back, what do they look like?
Do they, how far do they tell you your relations are? What does it look like from, let's say, 23andMe?
Yeah, so 23andMe, you'll see all kinds of things, like, you know, even weird things, like, things that you're allergic to.
(09:23):
When you eat asparagus, what does that do to your body? Like, that's a genetic thing.
There's some weird things that happen to some people and they don't happen to others.
Right.
So are you more likely to have dimples or not less likely to have dimples?
Some genetic features and then just some things like allergies or weight.
(09:44):
Are you more likely to be a little chubby? Like, all of these things are sort of in our DNA.
And it's just interesting to know, like, what things do you want to be aware of and, you know, sort of work a plan around?
And what things do you just appreciate as a blessing if there are kind of good things that have happened to you?
Yeah, that's right.
(10:06):
So in terms of, once you submit to, let's say, a service like 23andMe, you get your results back.
Do you also get options that say, okay, I want to be contacted by others who may have similar ancestry, lineage or traits as me?
You get that too?
Yes, you do.
I think that's where things get interesting.
(10:29):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, my mom's side of the family, she came from a big family.
She was the second of nine.
And then her father had six siblings.
And after her father passed, like, the family kind of lost track of each other.
And all of a sudden these 23andMe contacts started popping up.
(10:50):
And I actually became kind of good friends with her cousin who I never knew growing up because of 23andMe.
He kind of reached out.
Then he followed my art.
He became an art collector.
Like, I now know his family.
It's just, it's just wild.
It is wild.
(11:11):
It is wild.
I mean, the fact that you could trace it back to where your great grandparents are and see the place they are born, the town and the three family is that.
You are associated with.
That is wild.
I think, you know, it's interesting.
Family is what grounds us wherever way it comes.
Your chosen family, your birth family, and to enrich that in this way, I think is pretty priceless.
(11:36):
So what do your kids say about this?
They're definitely interested.
I think it depends on like your nuclear family, what they take most pride in.
So as the traditions have come down, we celebrate a lot of Polish traditions.
So my son actually has a real affinity for the Polish culture.
(12:00):
He wants to go there after he graduates.
We're planning a family trip to do that.
And they're kind of excited just to see this experience with my mother, you know, my mother seeing her roots and one funny thing we learned along here was the town that she was from in the county of Mayo.
It's at Las Asani.
(12:21):
It's a tight, it's a tidy town.
And my mom is a huge cleaner.
Like she's obsessively clean.
Now we know why you came from a tiny town.
Wow.
Amazing.
Amazing.
Yeah.
So a lot of things have a reason we may not know it, but when you bring the context, it makes a whole lot of sense.
(12:43):
And then, you know, the big picture of how you are connected across generations is amazing.
And I heard a story like this in a different way I'll share.
So Brad and I are big fans of wine tasting and we went to this wine tasting at the Histonian in Houston, a place we like.
And the featured wine was cakebread sellers.
(13:07):
So, yeah, so it's like wine is exquisite.
And also like, why is it cakebread?
Like, where is it coming from?
So the founder started telling the story and he was also very interested in genealogy ancestry and tracked his origins to this town in England.
And at that time, his family was known for making cakebread, which was essentially a staple for people to eat when there was not much else to be had.
(13:37):
It's just simply mixing flour with water type of thing.
So he even had the recipe traced back to what it was.
Had it replicated with the hopes that this can be part of their offerings at winery tours, etc.
But it turns out pretty bad.
The bread turns out pretty bad and he's very disappointed.
(14:00):
He's like, you know, I want this to be part of my offering.
And then the person specializing in this helping with the research said, probably this is how it tasted.
I mean, it just they didn't have much ingredients, things to add, spice, sugar, salt, etc.
So probably this is how it tasted back then.
So you can certainly spruce it up.
(14:23):
But in its essence, that's what cake bread was back then.
So they decided not to serve it, but kind of, you know, taking it back to what it was and where the names, origins and the traditions come from.
It is pretty amazing.
Yeah, that is interesting.
It is a family cake bread or just the thing that they made and then kind of divine the wine from that.
(14:48):
Yeah, they were known to make it back in a long time ago in England.
That's that's where they got their last name from.
Oh, nice.
Very literal.
Yeah, very literal. Exactly.
Because it's an unusual name, right?
Cake bread.
How do you get that name?
So because they were known for making this particular bread, which apparently did not taste all that good.
(15:12):
So they were very hopeful they're going to replicate this recipe.
And we are, of course, used to the bakery items of our time that taste delicious, etc.
And it did not taste good at all.
So but it was part of the history that they were able to re renect.
Fascinating.
That's so fascinating.
And how about you, or do you have maybe an interest in studying your own roots?
(15:37):
You know, I think probably I am not going to go all that far because I was joking with Brits.
We just need to get the current family together and focused on that in and of itself is a pretty big job.
But you know, it is interesting to see, I know a little bit about my history, meaning my, you know, grandmother side, they came from Greece into Turkey.
(16:04):
So and I knew that for a fact because my grandmother spoke Greek.
And she tried to teach me how to count in Greek.
So and you could see the physical traits, the traditions, her cooking, it had that influence.
And my dad's side, they came from Slovakia.
(16:25):
So they had a certain physical traits of being really tall, you know, fair skinned.
So so I was quite satisfied knowing that, but you know, don't know much more beyond beyond.
So my focus, I think, is more just trying to keep track of the current family and move forward position to, you know, stay in touch with the cousins and the next generation and so on.
(16:53):
But I am just grateful even knowing that that's where our origins are coming from.
And the heart that is lacking a little bit and it always stuns me beyond grandparents just don't know the family medical history as an example.
So you know, you go to doctor, they are like, okay, what do you have in your history?
I'm like, okay, we have this, this, this, and that is pretty much up to grandparents.
(17:16):
And so like I have pretty poor eyesight.
I know where that comes from that comes from my maternal grandfather.
But you know, it would be nice to go beyond that. And I find the information pretty limited when it comes to that.
But I'm just grateful to know at least we know which part of the world we come from.
(17:38):
Yes, yes.
Well, I think like traveling to like if you find out the very small town where your family first originated from this happened to us twice.
So on the Italian side, we visited a little town called Niscoe in southeast of Naples.
And when I was walking the streets, I was like, oh my God, all these old men look exactly like my grandfather, like in stature, in their characteristics, even what they wore was just like you felt like it was very familiar.
(18:11):
And then here in Ireland, when we went to the small towns where my mom was from, we met this guy, we were now calling him Irish Bobby, because he reminds us so much of our Uncle Bobby, the same exact like I smile, but he just has an Irish accent.
And we spent half an afternoon with him just learning about the culture and talking to him. And that was definitely a highlight of the trip.
(18:34):
Yeah, that's amazing. That's amazing.
So, so you visited Dublin, obviously you went to a Florida State University game, which is amazing.
You went to some small towns. What did this is this your first time in Ireland. No.
No, I've been this is my fourth time. I love the country. I love the people. I think I'll probably come at least four more times. The music's fantastic. I mean, just, I don't know.
(19:02):
There's something really special about the warmth of the people here. And the weather isn't always great. Like it's kind of like Seattle weather sometimes it's really misty and rainy and then all of a sudden the sun comes out.
So you always have to be prepared with a scarf and rain jacket. But other than that, I mean, the people they're so it's so worth traveling for.
(19:23):
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I saw the pictures you posted Christine. It looks amazing scenic. Also, and you're right, it is a little bit like Seattle, the green and the sheep, the countryside.
So it looks, it looks like a good combination of many things you want to experience. So that's that's amazing.
(19:46):
We had fun. We went for the game. We went down to the ESPN game day was broadcasting there. So we were right there with all of the, you know, the fans and the broadcasters and Florida, Florida State fans are pretty intense.
My sister is a rabid fan. It was really fun to just see her enjoying connecting with all of these people.
(20:07):
We went to the game. It was a close game. They lost in the last five seconds, which is a little bit tough. But yeah, we've recovered. We've recovered and we're moving on to the next day and the next game.
You're recovering as we speak. That's why you're a long haul pop enjoying maybe a pint of Guinness on a nice Sunday afternoon. That is a great way to recover.
(20:30):
Yes, there are lots of kinds of Guinness happening here today, as I'm just observing.
You're observing. Of course you are.
You seem to be participating.
Of course you're observing. So Christine, let me ask you this. I know you included this as a conversation question that was interesting. So who would you like to be related to that is famous if anybody.
(20:55):
Who would I like to be related to that is famous. I have to think about that. I mean, I'm here in Ireland. So like some of the people, we toured the Irish Rock and Roll Museum today.
So seeing some of the Irish greats, that was pretty fun. Who would I like to be related to? I don't know. It's kind of a weird thing that just popped in my mind.
(21:16):
It's nothing to do with Ireland, but Ben Franklin. I don't know why. I think he was kind of funny, kind of smart, invented quite a few things, had some cool glasses. I don't know.
He seems to be a man of all trades, like big skills, man of big trades, big impact. It is hard. You asked the question I was thinking, and I don't think I have the best answer. It's not opera necessarily, even though that would be fun.
(21:50):
But I am thinking for me, what is really special is the founder of Turkish Republic. His name is Ataturk. So he was the leader who helped create Turkish Republic from Ottoman Empire, an amazing military leader, people leader.
Also, he drew a lot of the revolutions in Turkey that allowed the transition to modern alphabet and all that. I am just so in awe of his leadership at that time, which is 1930s to 1940s time frame.
(22:27):
I would love to have some type of relation. Maybe I need to dig deep, see if there is a connection at some point. However, remote, I can find. That would be very cool.
It would be cool to have the last name of someone famous like that when you walked in, everybody knew the family. We had a minor brush with greatness in Poland when we visited, but it was so funny because our last name here in the United States or anywhere outside of Poland,
(23:00):
you have to spell it. It's Zodac, but when people look at it, they are confused. Anyway, we go to this restaurant in Poland and it was a long wait and they told us it was going to be a long wait.
We told them our last name, they were like, what? Samuta? We find a table for you right away. It was never happened to us in the United States. Then the owner kept bringing us shots of vodka, like flavored vodka.
(23:31):
It was like a wine tasting, but it was a vodka tasting throughout the dinner and we learned that we were related to a soccer star with the same last name and that is why we were treated that way.
I like it. It was such a difference. In the United States, you're last in the alphabet, no one knows your name. It's very hard. You have to always spell it, not once a day, but four or five times a day.
(24:03):
It's a whole different country. It's a whole different game. Yeah, that's true. That's true. That's why I spread your wings because you never know where you can be a celebrity status. I like that a lot.
So it's interesting. It looks like you're experiencing with your last name what I experienced with my first name where I pronounce it no less than 10 times a day.
(24:25):
But that's very cool. I would say, you know, let's spend more time in places where we are celebrated. That is a nice treat once in a while. That's very cool.
Definitely. Definitely. So I guess as we wind down, it is a bit loud here. I wish you were here. I look forward to maybe escorting you to Turkey and Greece to find your roots.
(24:51):
I totally do that. Thank you for that. Actually, it's funny you said that.
I'm going to speak because no.
So when are you? Are you for next week? I'm already kind of over here.
Yeah, you're already in that part of the world. Yeah, that's right. I may as well come over, right? Take a trip. Actually, the, you know, my maternal side came from Greece.
(25:14):
So, you know, we could definitely start there and then move our way to Slovenia and into Turkey. That sounds nice. Thank you for the offer.
I can use some emotional support and cheering to forward the head. So when are you returning from your expedition?
So we leave tomorrow. We've been here eight. This will be our Swiss eight night here and then heading heading back tomorrow.
(25:40):
Nice. We've seen a lot of beautiful things and the little towns in between. I think we've covered it pretty well.
That sounds extra special and it looks like you really experienced what you were looking for that made it very special.
(26:01):
So that's amazing. I can see hopefully our growing subscription base out of Ireland, but also more podcasts that could be from different pubs of Ireland and who wouldn't want that, right?
That's like a dream. We all want to be in a pub at some point on an afternoon. Yeah.
(26:23):
I'll be walking around and telling people to subscribe.
Here is Spotify. That's right. Subscribe. Family Ancestry. Thriving with Family Ancestry. It is pretty special. It is fun.
And I think just like you are sharing, Christine, it really enriches life in many ways. It expands horizons.
(26:46):
Yeah. And also, I mean, I think it's one thing to travel to these places we talked about for vacation purposes, but then when you bring the familial dimension to it, I think it gives meaning to the place.
So I love it. And thank you for the encouragement. I may just do that. And you may have to come along with me.
(27:07):
I'm 100% in. I've been to Greece once and I need to go back there. It's been a long time.
It is like ancestry tracking trips, right? That probably is a thing.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I mean, it's such a beautiful country and beautiful people.
Yeah, that's it. That's it. You need all of that. Yeah, you need all of that.
(27:28):
Well, I am so glad I think, you know, in a way that people feel comfortable. We have now technology beyond what was possible.
We have got more traditional methods of tracking. I guess any intelligence we can get can be a real asset towards understanding ourselves and what we can pass on to future generations.
(27:51):
That's very special.
Yeah, I think preserving the history is important too, you know, like making sure people know the stories and you pass that along.
And we have a few people in our family on either side that have really taken it to heart and documented everything.
And I think making sure that that's passed down and not lost is super important.
(28:13):
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think people do that in different ways.
There's always maybe a family cookbook that, you know, that you try to pass down.
But you have to put in some real effort to keep the tradition because it can stop once the person with the greatest interest is no longer available.
(28:37):
But what a special thing to have.
Yes, yeah, agree. It's been my hardest goal from the trip for sure.
I can see that. I can see that.
I can see the smile and it was so nice to say hello to your mom.
That probably is also behind the big reason for the trip. So that's that's extra special.
(29:00):
And I love the view of the pub. I have not been to Ireland. I have been to pubs, not one in Ireland, which I think is top of the list as far as how special it can be.
So thank you for giving that view as well. That's quite an inspiration.
Of course, of course, we're helping the Irish economy over here.
Of course, of course, of course.
(29:24):
All right. Well, with that, I think we'll sign off.
Sounds good. Safe travels and looking forward to connecting in our next episode. I know we have got a good list of topics and I'm looking forward to hearing as additional reflections unfold on ancestry learnings and it's almost like knowing the past to shape the future a little bit.
(29:48):
So looking forward to it. It's great to connect Christine. Thank you for making the time for our 50th episode broadcast from live from Dublin.
It's a milestone. It's a milestone.
Yes, it's a milestone.
In Turkey.
Yeah, there you go. There you go. The hundredth one in Turkey and Greece. There we go.
(30:14):
All right. Until next time. Until next time. Safe travels. All the best to you and your family. All right. Take care. Bye bye.
(30:44):
To keep in touch, subscribe to our podcast, refirement life using the podcast player of your choice. Always remember you are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.
Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
Welcome to ReFirement Life, the podcast for anyone navigating life transitions or planning
(00:06):
to make life transitions to ensure your next years are your best years.
Listen in for insightful, generous, and sometimes humorous conversation.
It's time to get fired up with Christine Zamuda and Muge Wood, your hosts for this
latest episode of ReFirement Life.
And we're doing this live from Ireland.
(00:31):
Top of the morning to you.
Wow, you know, Christine, this is an absolute milestone and a peak achievement, I would say.
It's not only episode 50, but broadcast live from Dublin, Ireland, and it wasn't just
pure coincidence.
I think it also lined up with the fact that we have a good set of contingent subscribers
(00:52):
and followers in Ireland listening to our podcast.
So we couldn't have orchestrated this better.
I am seeing it.
The bar, the ambiance, it looks fantastic.
And what a great way and occasion for us to mark our 50th episode.
Oh, yes.
So this is the Long Hop Hub.
(01:14):
And this is one of the, it's supposed to be one of the quietest pubs.
I don't think it's that quiet Sunday at three o'clock here.
Bruce Springsteen is known to frequent this place.
This is his favorite pub.
And they play actually a lot of Irish music and Bruce Springsteen music, which is kind of fun.
That's a good combination.
That's a good combination.
(01:35):
So is this, is this pub in Dublin?
Yes.
Yes.
It's in Dublin.
All right.
It's in Dublin.
It's a genealogy tour.
We came here for the Florida State game.
My sister's a huge Florida State fan.
And so that game happened yesterday.
But in between we went to the town where my mom's family was from.
(02:01):
Oh, that's amazing.
So incredible.
And so I thought for this episode,
we might actually talk about family roots.
And family matters and why you want to dig into your heritage.
So what I've learned as I started to research this topic is that over 40 million people have taken a DNA test like ancestry.com or 23andMe.
(02:30):
I actually did do that.
23andMe was my preferred service.
Have you ever participated in any of that?
No, I haven't.
And actually, I have a bit of a different opinion on this.
I am very curious, obviously, but I am also a little nervous about these databases and tests.
(02:54):
And I am thinking what if they get hacked into it?
What if you get associated by things that you don't want or need in your life?
So I am thinking the positive with the downside.
So I haven't done those.
Having said that, my husband and I were talking about this very topic this morning, of course, as I was preparing for our podcast.
(03:19):
And one of his cousins have done a lot of research on his side of the family.
Kind of the old fashioned way, meaning just talking to people, going to places, doing internet searches.
And they were able to trace their ancestry almost all the way to 14th century.
(03:41):
So I am curious, but also nervous.
So I have not done it.
It's almost like I would love to know the results without taking the test type of situation.
I am nervous about these databases.
I get it.
I wish I was probably talking to you when I quickly sent away my DNA swab.
(04:02):
I just want to know everything about everything.
That is to be your ancestry where you came from.
Mine pretty much validated everything that we thought.
So I am 25% Irish and 75, sorry, 25% Italian and 75% Irish.
And you learned a few other things. 23andMe was the first service to get FDA approval to share health risk openly with people.
(04:34):
So are you more disposed to Alzheimer's?
Are you more disposed to certain kinds of cancers, the BRAC1 gene?
Are you, for us and our family, macular degeneration was something that you should be aware of.
But otherwise we were in pretty good shape.
(04:55):
And the one funny thing we learned was that on my Italian side, we have what they call Olympic twitch muscles that the best athletes have.
My husband was very jealous when he found that out.
And if I look back at my father's side of family, we have so many professional athletes, college athletes.
(05:19):
And I think there's a little bit of just interesting attributes that can come down a family line.
Wow, amazing.
It is very interesting.
And how that manifests itself, maybe you also see more traits that can be explained in your kids and the kids' families, etc.
(05:43):
I think I would love it if I could do it the old-fashioned way.
The thing is, since digital media did not exist all that much in the earlier days, it makes it more difficult.
But it's amazing, it looks like you got some pretty good answers backed up by evidence from other sources as well.
(06:05):
We did, and I would say for anyone who's actually looking for their roots, what I did about a week before I came here,
I knew my mom's family was from the county of Mayo in Ireland, and there's county of Mayo genealogy groups.
So I put a couple of questions out there.
I shared what our ancestry line was.
And literally, Mugey, overnight, I had like 25 responses.
(06:29):
And even someone attached my great-grandparents' marriage certificate and the church where they were born.
So we went there, we visited, we saw her great-grandfather's grave,
and we just had an interesting experience in these small towns.
A lot of the families don't go very far.
(06:50):
So we were descendants of the Flatleys, Haley's, and Brogans.
And when we would say, like, do you know any Brogans, they're like, oh yeah, well, all the Brogans, they live down by the bridge, on the left-hand side.
Keep going and you're going to meet some Brogans.
And we met some Brogans. It was crazy.
Wow, wow. So you arguably met some people who are related to you.
(07:14):
Yes, yes. We found one living relative. It was just so funny.
Wow. It's also pretty special. Yeah, it's pretty special just to think that that's where your roots come from.
And to be able to experience that, that's pretty special.
Well, Christine, I'm going to say this, whatever combination you have, it's pretty magical. So I like it.
(07:36):
That's a good recipe. So scale that out, please.
Exactly, exactly. And I think there's a lot of information out there for people who want to research their roots.
Just, you know, a lot of data available.
And what I've also heard and heard and even experienced myself is when you're on these, you can do it the old fashioned way and just, you know, send something into a Facebook group.
(08:05):
But you can also, through 23andMe, all of a sudden these DNA matches come up and you find cousins and people that you're related to.
And it's just really fascinating because from what I've learned, 23andMe or a like service can match you up to 1,500 genetic relatives.
(08:28):
And, um, policy of the family, they've actually traced their roots all the way back to the 1,700s in Poland.
It's just wild to experience and sort of learn more about where you came from.
Yeah, that's right. That's right. It's pretty amazing.
And I think it also gives you a good base to go explore more on your own.
(08:49):
And even though you may not get the exact answers, the proximity is also pretty good.
So when you get the results back, what do they look like?
Do they, how far do they tell you your relations are? What does it look like from, let's say, 23andMe?
Yeah, so 23andMe, you'll see all kinds of things, like, you know, even weird things, like, things that you're allergic to.
(09:23):
When you eat asparagus, what does that do to your body? Like, that's a genetic thing.
There's some weird things that happen to some people and they don't happen to others.
Right.
So are you more likely to have dimples or not less likely to have dimples?
Some genetic features and then just some things like allergies or weight.
(09:44):
Are you more likely to be a little chubby? Like, all of these things are sort of in our DNA.
And it's just interesting to know, like, what things do you want to be aware of and, you know, sort of work a plan around?
And what things do you just appreciate as a blessing if there are kind of good things that have happened to you?
Yeah, that's right.
(10:06):
So in terms of, once you submit to, let's say, a service like 23andMe, you get your results back.
Do you also get options that say, okay, I want to be contacted by others who may have similar ancestry, lineage or traits as me?
You get that too?
Yes, you do.
I think that's where things get interesting.
(10:29):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, my mom's side of the family, she came from a big family.
She was the second of nine.
And then her father had six siblings.
And after her father passed, like, the family kind of lost track of each other.
And all of a sudden these 23andMe contacts started popping up.
(10:50):
And I actually became kind of good friends with her cousin who I never knew growing up because of 23andMe.
He kind of reached out.
Then he followed my art.
He became an art collector.
Like, I now know his family.
It's just, it's just wild.
It is wild.
(11:11):
It is wild.
I mean, the fact that you could trace it back to where your great grandparents are and see the place they are born, the town and the three family is that.
You are associated with.
That is wild.
I think, you know, it's interesting.
Family is what grounds us wherever way it comes.
Your chosen family, your birth family, and to enrich that in this way, I think is pretty priceless.
(11:36):
So what do your kids say about this?
They're definitely interested.
I think it depends on like your nuclear family, what they take most pride in.
So as the traditions have come down, we celebrate a lot of Polish traditions.
So my son actually has a real affinity for the Polish culture.
(12:00):
He wants to go there after he graduates.
We're planning a family trip to do that.
And they're kind of excited just to see this experience with my mother, you know, my mother seeing her roots and one funny thing we learned along here was the town that she was from in the county of Mayo.
It's at Las Asani.
(12:21):
It's a tight, it's a tidy town.
And my mom is a huge cleaner.
Like she's obsessively clean.
Now we know why you came from a tiny town.
Wow.
Amazing.
Amazing.
Yeah.
So a lot of things have a reason we may not know it, but when you bring the context, it makes a whole lot of sense.
(12:43):
And then, you know, the big picture of how you are connected across generations is amazing.
And I heard a story like this in a different way I'll share.
So Brad and I are big fans of wine tasting and we went to this wine tasting at the Histonian in Houston, a place we like.
And the featured wine was cakebread sellers.
(13:07):
So, yeah, so it's like wine is exquisite.
And also like, why is it cakebread?
Like, where is it coming from?
So the founder started telling the story and he was also very interested in genealogy ancestry and tracked his origins to this town in England.
And at that time, his family was known for making cakebread, which was essentially a staple for people to eat when there was not much else to be had.
(13:37):
It's just simply mixing flour with water type of thing.
So he even had the recipe traced back to what it was.
Had it replicated with the hopes that this can be part of their offerings at winery tours, etc.
But it turns out pretty bad.
The bread turns out pretty bad and he's very disappointed.
(14:00):
He's like, you know, I want this to be part of my offering.
And then the person specializing in this helping with the research said, probably this is how it tasted.
I mean, it just they didn't have much ingredients, things to add, spice, sugar, salt, etc.
So probably this is how it tasted back then.
So you can certainly spruce it up.
(14:23):
But in its essence, that's what cake bread was back then.
So they decided not to serve it, but kind of, you know, taking it back to what it was and where the names, origins and the traditions come from.
It is pretty amazing.
Yeah, that is interesting.
It is a family cake bread or just the thing that they made and then kind of divine the wine from that.
(14:48):
Yeah, they were known to make it back in a long time ago in England.
That's that's where they got their last name from.
Oh, nice.
Very literal.
Yeah, very literal. Exactly.
Because it's an unusual name, right?
Cake bread.
How do you get that name?
So because they were known for making this particular bread, which apparently did not taste all that good.
(15:12):
So they were very hopeful they're going to replicate this recipe.
And we are, of course, used to the bakery items of our time that taste delicious, etc.
And it did not taste good at all.
So but it was part of the history that they were able to re renect.
Fascinating.
That's so fascinating.
And how about you, or do you have maybe an interest in studying your own roots?
(15:37):
You know, I think probably I am not going to go all that far because I was joking with Brits.
We just need to get the current family together and focused on that in and of itself is a pretty big job.
But you know, it is interesting to see, I know a little bit about my history, meaning my, you know, grandmother side, they came from Greece into Turkey.
(16:04):
So and I knew that for a fact because my grandmother spoke Greek.
And she tried to teach me how to count in Greek.
So and you could see the physical traits, the traditions, her cooking, it had that influence.
And my dad's side, they came from Slovakia.
(16:25):
So they had a certain physical traits of being really tall, you know, fair skinned.
So so I was quite satisfied knowing that, but you know, don't know much more beyond beyond.
So my focus, I think, is more just trying to keep track of the current family and move forward position to, you know, stay in touch with the cousins and the next generation and so on.
(16:53):
But I am just grateful even knowing that that's where our origins are coming from.
And the heart that is lacking a little bit and it always stuns me beyond grandparents just don't know the family medical history as an example.
So you know, you go to doctor, they are like, okay, what do you have in your history?
I'm like, okay, we have this, this, this, and that is pretty much up to grandparents.
(17:16):
And so like I have pretty poor eyesight.
I know where that comes from that comes from my maternal grandfather.
But you know, it would be nice to go beyond that. And I find the information pretty limited when it comes to that.
But I'm just grateful to know at least we know which part of the world we come from.
(17:38):
Yes, yes.
Well, I think like traveling to like if you find out the very small town where your family first originated from this happened to us twice.
So on the Italian side, we visited a little town called Niscoe in southeast of Naples.
And when I was walking the streets, I was like, oh my God, all these old men look exactly like my grandfather, like in stature, in their characteristics, even what they wore was just like you felt like it was very familiar.
(18:11):
And then here in Ireland, when we went to the small towns where my mom was from, we met this guy, we were now calling him Irish Bobby, because he reminds us so much of our Uncle Bobby, the same exact like I smile, but he just has an Irish accent.
And we spent half an afternoon with him just learning about the culture and talking to him. And that was definitely a highlight of the trip.
(18:34):
Yeah, that's amazing. That's amazing.
So, so you visited Dublin, obviously you went to a Florida State University game, which is amazing.
You went to some small towns. What did this is this your first time in Ireland. No.
No, I've been this is my fourth time. I love the country. I love the people. I think I'll probably come at least four more times. The music's fantastic. I mean, just, I don't know.
(19:02):
There's something really special about the warmth of the people here. And the weather isn't always great. Like it's kind of like Seattle weather sometimes it's really misty and rainy and then all of a sudden the sun comes out.
So you always have to be prepared with a scarf and rain jacket. But other than that, I mean, the people they're so it's so worth traveling for.
(19:23):
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I saw the pictures you posted Christine. It looks amazing scenic. Also, and you're right, it is a little bit like Seattle, the green and the sheep, the countryside.
So it looks, it looks like a good combination of many things you want to experience. So that's that's amazing.
(19:46):
We had fun. We went for the game. We went down to the ESPN game day was broadcasting there. So we were right there with all of the, you know, the fans and the broadcasters and Florida, Florida State fans are pretty intense.
My sister is a rabid fan. It was really fun to just see her enjoying connecting with all of these people.
(20:07):
We went to the game. It was a close game. They lost in the last five seconds, which is a little bit tough. But yeah, we've recovered. We've recovered and we're moving on to the next day and the next game.
You're recovering as we speak. That's why you're a long haul pop enjoying maybe a pint of Guinness on a nice Sunday afternoon. That is a great way to recover.
(20:30):
Yes, there are lots of kinds of Guinness happening here today, as I'm just observing.
You're observing. Of course you are.
You seem to be participating.
Of course you're observing. So Christine, let me ask you this. I know you included this as a conversation question that was interesting. So who would you like to be related to that is famous if anybody.
(20:55):
Who would I like to be related to that is famous. I have to think about that. I mean, I'm here in Ireland. So like some of the people, we toured the Irish Rock and Roll Museum today.
So seeing some of the Irish greats, that was pretty fun. Who would I like to be related to? I don't know. It's kind of a weird thing that just popped in my mind.
(21:16):
It's nothing to do with Ireland, but Ben Franklin. I don't know why. I think he was kind of funny, kind of smart, invented quite a few things, had some cool glasses. I don't know.
He seems to be a man of all trades, like big skills, man of big trades, big impact. It is hard. You asked the question I was thinking, and I don't think I have the best answer. It's not opera necessarily, even though that would be fun.
(21:50):
But I am thinking for me, what is really special is the founder of Turkish Republic. His name is Ataturk. So he was the leader who helped create Turkish Republic from Ottoman Empire, an amazing military leader, people leader.
Also, he drew a lot of the revolutions in Turkey that allowed the transition to modern alphabet and all that. I am just so in awe of his leadership at that time, which is 1930s to 1940s time frame.
(22:27):
I would love to have some type of relation. Maybe I need to dig deep, see if there is a connection at some point. However, remote, I can find. That would be very cool.
It would be cool to have the last name of someone famous like that when you walked in, everybody knew the family. We had a minor brush with greatness in Poland when we visited, but it was so funny because our last name here in the United States or anywhere outside of Poland,
(23:00):
you have to spell it. It's Zodac, but when people look at it, they are confused. Anyway, we go to this restaurant in Poland and it was a long wait and they told us it was going to be a long wait.
We told them our last name, they were like, what? Samuta? We find a table for you right away. It was never happened to us in the United States. Then the owner kept bringing us shots of vodka, like flavored vodka.
(23:31):
It was like a wine tasting, but it was a vodka tasting throughout the dinner and we learned that we were related to a soccer star with the same last name and that is why we were treated that way.
I like it. It was such a difference. In the United States, you're last in the alphabet, no one knows your name. It's very hard. You have to always spell it, not once a day, but four or five times a day.
(24:03):
It's a whole different country. It's a whole different game. Yeah, that's true. That's true. That's why I spread your wings because you never know where you can be a celebrity status. I like that a lot.
So it's interesting. It looks like you're experiencing with your last name what I experienced with my first name where I pronounce it no less than 10 times a day.
(24:25):
But that's very cool. I would say, you know, let's spend more time in places where we are celebrated. That is a nice treat once in a while. That's very cool.
Definitely. Definitely. So I guess as we wind down, it is a bit loud here. I wish you were here. I look forward to maybe escorting you to Turkey and Greece to find your roots.
(24:51):
I totally do that. Thank you for that. Actually, it's funny you said that.
I'm going to speak because no.
So when are you? Are you for next week? I'm already kind of over here.
Yeah, you're already in that part of the world. Yeah, that's right. I may as well come over, right? Take a trip. Actually, the, you know, my maternal side came from Greece.
(25:14):
So, you know, we could definitely start there and then move our way to Slovenia and into Turkey. That sounds nice. Thank you for the offer.
I can use some emotional support and cheering to forward the head. So when are you returning from your expedition?
So we leave tomorrow. We've been here eight. This will be our Swiss eight night here and then heading heading back tomorrow.
(25:40):
Nice. We've seen a lot of beautiful things and the little towns in between. I think we've covered it pretty well.
That sounds extra special and it looks like you really experienced what you were looking for that made it very special.
(26:01):
So that's amazing. I can see hopefully our growing subscription base out of Ireland, but also more podcasts that could be from different pubs of Ireland and who wouldn't want that, right?
That's like a dream. We all want to be in a pub at some point on an afternoon. Yeah.
(26:23):
I'll be walking around and telling people to subscribe.
Here is Spotify. That's right. Subscribe. Family Ancestry. Thriving with Family Ancestry. It is pretty special. It is fun.
And I think just like you are sharing, Christine, it really enriches life in many ways. It expands horizons.
(26:46):
Yeah. And also, I mean, I think it's one thing to travel to these places we talked about for vacation purposes, but then when you bring the familial dimension to it, I think it gives meaning to the place.
So I love it. And thank you for the encouragement. I may just do that. And you may have to come along with me.
(27:07):
I'm 100% in. I've been to Greece once and I need to go back there. It's been a long time.
It is like ancestry tracking trips, right? That probably is a thing.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I mean, it's such a beautiful country and beautiful people.
Yeah, that's it. That's it. You need all of that. Yeah, you need all of that.
(27:28):
Well, I am so glad I think, you know, in a way that people feel comfortable. We have now technology beyond what was possible.
We have got more traditional methods of tracking. I guess any intelligence we can get can be a real asset towards understanding ourselves and what we can pass on to future generations.
(27:51):
That's very special.
Yeah, I think preserving the history is important too, you know, like making sure people know the stories and you pass that along.
And we have a few people in our family on either side that have really taken it to heart and documented everything.
And I think making sure that that's passed down and not lost is super important.
(28:13):
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think people do that in different ways.
There's always maybe a family cookbook that, you know, that you try to pass down.
But you have to put in some real effort to keep the tradition because it can stop once the person with the greatest interest is no longer available.
(28:37):
But what a special thing to have.
Yes, yeah, agree. It's been my hardest goal from the trip for sure.
I can see that. I can see that.
I can see the smile and it was so nice to say hello to your mom.
That probably is also behind the big reason for the trip. So that's that's extra special.
(29:00):
And I love the view of the pub. I have not been to Ireland. I have been to pubs, not one in Ireland, which I think is top of the list as far as how special it can be.
So thank you for giving that view as well. That's quite an inspiration.
Of course, of course, we're helping the Irish economy over here.
Of course, of course, of course.
(29:24):
All right. Well, with that, I think we'll sign off.
Sounds good. Safe travels and looking forward to connecting in our next episode. I know we have got a good list of topics and I'm looking forward to hearing as additional reflections unfold on ancestry learnings and it's almost like knowing the past to shape the future a little bit.
(29:48):
So looking forward to it. It's great to connect Christine. Thank you for making the time for our 50th episode broadcast from live from Dublin.
It's a milestone. It's a milestone.
Yes, it's a milestone.
In Turkey.
Yeah, there you go. There you go. The hundredth one in Turkey and Greece. There we go.
(30:14):
All right. Until next time. Until next time. Safe travels. All the best to you and your family. All right. Take care. Bye bye.
(30:44):
To keep in touch, subscribe to our podcast, refirement life using the podcast player of your choice. Always remember you are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.
Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
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