The Genographic Project

     It was at Christmas at my parent's place in Iowa a few years ago that we were gathered around the dining room table discussing something that eventually led to my Dad pulling out what he had of the family tree.  I was hooked from the start.  I think there were probably 10 names or so on that piece of paper, and that just wasn't good enough for me.  I wanted to know more.  I wanted to know who these people were.  What was their world like?  What made them who they were, and what about them remains in me?  It's the Big Question.  Who am I and from where did I come?  So I started Googling names, visiting libraries, going to Heritage Hall at Calvin, and doing lots of research.  Three years later, I had increased the number of names in my family tree to around 750 (I don't know for sure- haven't counted).  At one point, I was able to find my earliest ancestor, "Jarich Hainga", who was born sometime around the year 1380.  So that just begged the question: "What was life like for Jarich?" The only answers would be found in what was left of the historical record through sciences such as archaeology.  And before that?  Anthropology and...genetics?  I'd hit a wall at the year 1380, and I wanted to know more about Jarich's ancestors, too.
     With the advent of population genetics, one is now able to estimate what route their ancestors took out of Africa, as well as what people share most of your DNA.

     It came in the mail the other day.  The project on which I have wanted to work for almost 2 years now.  It's called the Genographic Project by National Geographic.  https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/lan/en/index.html
     After working on my family tree for a while now, I can say with some confidence that I am 100% Dutch/Frisian.  However, there may be a surprise or two in the results, which should arrive on my doorstep in approximately eight weeks.  If there is a surprise, such as some Native American or African markers, I will be....surprised, but intrigued at the same time.  It's another puzzle for me to figure out, and I love me some puzzles. 
     My academic record is abysmal.  I have ADD and didn't know it until I was a junior in High Shool.  It went untreated, and I continued to fail at school.  So it may be understood that, until I started work on my family history, I was unsure as to whether I possessed a fair amount of intelligence.  My successes in this area boosted my confidence to the point that I went back to school to pursue a B.A. in History, and I hope to get a Master's (or, dare I say it?  A Doctorate?) also.
      So, with a new-found focus, I made the Dean's List for the first time in my life, with a GPA of 3.898- something I would never have thought possible.  A friend pointed out to me the other day that I have my ancestors to thank for this.  She was right (thanks Terri).