This past summer sent much of the nation, including our community, on a roller coaster of emotions as people grappled with which parts of our shared heritage to embrace and which to leave to the history books. All that discussion led us here at Lowell’s First Look to wonder how different — or alike — we really are.
To find out, each of our three co-founders purchased two DNA kits to map our individual heritage. We’re curious what identity we share and what makes us unique. This idea of a Lowell Heritage Project is meant to take a personal look at what can sometimes seem like an impersonal issue. We hope it will open the door to finding common ground and, when there is no common ground, appreciating what makes us all unique.
If you have done DNA testing yourself and would like to share the results, please send us an email at [email protected]. We’d love to be able to see how much of the world the residents of Lowell cover when it comes to their heritage. For those interested, we’ll compile the data so everything will be anonymous, and no names will be used. Oh, and one last thing. Any Amazon links in this article are affiliate links which means we get a small commission if you make a purchase. There is no additional cost to you, and it’s an easy way to support our work here at Lowell’s First Look.
Now, for the conclusion of Amanda’s story…
When I left off I was wondering just how Asian I am with my DNA prediction. I took a test from Ancestry where saliva was spit into a tube and sent off for analysis. Family Tree’s test was the swab of a cheek variety. Results from each company came quickly via email – shorter than their estimated timeframe.
Drumroll Please…
As it turns out, the story questioning my genetic past is much more interesting than my results. Genetic testing reveals geographical areas of decent, not a specific country to start off. Both Ancestry and Family Tree have my results with East Asia as the biggest region associated with my DNA.
Now What?
While the results are slightly different, both show a dominant East Asia genetic background. Vietnam is included in this region, so my genetics fit my story. Ancestry has a section on their website which offers what they call DNA Circles. These groups connect established family groups to each other with similar DNA allowing the possibility of finding other relatives through a specific ancestor. [November 8, 2020 edit – Ancestry now show 97% Vietnam and 3% Southern China.]
I did not have any of these circles. This is likely because the number of people of Asian descent who have taken the Ancestry DNA test are far fewer than those of non-Asian origins. Simply, there aren’t enough others with a similar genetic background to have matches. I did have some single possible genetic matches but they are all 5th cousin or greater. With the larger gap between generations it’s hard to determine whether or not someone is actually related.
I wasn’t expecting any huge discovery linking my genetic past to someone famous in history. My mother-in-law’s maternal line dates back to the Mayflower. Although John Billington isn’t one of the best passengers with which to share a genetic past. Who knows if I’ll ever find any genetic relatives. And to me it doesn’t matter either way.
I See You
I may not know anyone genetically related to me from the past, but I now have two descendants of my own. I may not have been able to look at family members and see a resemblance when I was growing up, but now I have two boys and can see myself in both of them.
A college roommate of mine has referred to me as Grandmother Willow from Disney’s Pocahontas. It’s mainly because I was the “motherly” one of the group. It’s a fitting nickname now with my being the start of my genetic family tree. A single tree in a field can be the start of a forest.
Perhaps someday I’ll brush off my blog and write more regularly. And maybe I’ll even include stories about myself rather than that of my life with a husband, two kids, and a dog.
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