I was born in Havana. I’m Cuban. However, I don’t know anything else about my heritage. Because of colonialism, I’m almost sure that I have Spanish ancestry. That’s at least a given from my dad’s side of the family. That whole side of the family has surnames like Sanchez and Castellanos. Those names are as Spanish as a paella.
My mom’s side of the family is more of a mystery though. To be fair, we do have our fair share of Gonzalez and Gonzales, but there are some unusual surnames in the mix. My great-grandmother’s second last name (her mom’s maiden name) is Boitel. That’s not a typical Spanish surname. In fact, my great-grandma said that she had distant French relatives. A quick Google search reveals that there is some truth to that rumor she heard. Does that explain why I’ve always been obsessed with visiting Paris one day?
My mom’s last name is Jesus. That’s not a middle name, but her actual last name. You can imagine all of the confusion people in this country have because they think that’s her middle name, when in fact, she has none. Here’s where the story gets more interesting. About a decade ago, my grandfather’s brother took a DNA test and it revealed that we have Jewish ancestry. My grandfather, who doesn’t care about any of this stuff, characteristically told him, “So we have a camel and a cave somewhere in Jerusalem?”
Now, we should always check our sources. My grandfather’s brother, let’s call him Tony, had recently converted to Messianic Judaism. That was the third religion change he had in the few years that I had gotten to know him. He went from Jehovah’s Witness, to Seventh Day Adventist to Messianic Jew in record time. One day Tony came to our house and said that he couldn’t eat pork anymore because it was a sin. He said that we shouldn’t either, otherwise God would decapitate us. My grandfather offered him a pork rind.
Tony liked to feel special and make grand declarations about his ever-changing faith. He was sure each time that he had finally found the truth. So, did his DNA sample really say that we have Jewish lineage, or did he make it up or exaggerate because he wanted to feel special? I’ve always wondered that.
This past Christmas, Jackie got me a 23andMe DNA kit. It was such a good gift. I mailed my sample a few days ago and I’m anxiously awaiting my results. It’ll take at least a month. I can’t wait to see what my results say. I’m hoping that it doesn’t say that I’m 99% Spanish. That’s too boring. I’m hoping that the French Boitel lineage is somewhere in me and that the stories about having Jewish ancestry are also true. I’ll definitely keep you posted.
I’ve always been a little envious about people who research their ancestry and find records that they can read online of their family arriving at Ellis island. They can see their signatures and everything. I’ll never have that, but I have my ancestry and my lineage. I have the blood of my ancestors and it’s time I find out all of it.
Have you taken a DNA test? Are you thinking about it? Let me know in the comments.
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Perhaps the French-sounding name is Catalan? My last name, Masdeu, never sounded particularly Spanish to me in the sea of Sanchezes, Vasquezes, and Gonzalezes (my grandmother's maiden name) that I grew up with. It turns out Masdeu comes from Catalonia, which has it's own language, so maybe the name isn't Spanish at all.
Yep, my daughter bought me a test. No real surprises. Mostly north and west European plus Ashkenazi Jewish. 1% Nigerian, and I'm wondering if everyone has that given we all came from Africa once upon a time.....