Genealogy...a study of fornication.

Day 4 of the 80 ways card game: Search on the Internet for a bit of information about your family history - the town your grandmother was born in, or the bar your grandfather told stories about. How about none of the above? I already know this!


My father, when he was living, had traced our lineage back to the religious wars in France in the 1500's. His most recent ancestry findings were of distant family in Sicily. Dad was always interested to find a familial connection. Our last name is not common in the Latino universe so chances we were related to others with the same name were pretty high. When he traveled to new cities he would pull out the phone book and look up our name then call the number. We have found many distant cousins this way. This is what I know of my father's blood lines...

Dad claims we are of royal blood. Not sure how close we were tied to the French monarchy but he stated on occasion I was a Duchess. There was talk we came by way of Anna of Brittany, daughter of Francis II the Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Couldn't tell you how we are connected but it's still fun to think I may be royalty and my Queen Bitch mentality and attitude are completely normal. The Italian influenced family left France during the religious wars. We are Roman Catholic which was frowned upon. Migrated through Italy until we ended up on Sicily were the family flourished. My great grandfather took his family to Puerto Rico to run sugar cane and the family I know remains there. Some family came to the U.S. ending up in California or New York, some New Jersey. I have uncles, a couple aunts, and some cousins but have lost touch over the years. Dad was the youngest of seven children and really the mortar of the Orlandi clan. Since his death nearly ten years ago we have all faded into our respective lives.


Mom is from Vietnam and born during the French occupation. Yes, her daddy was a French Army Captain. We call him Cooper since we know nothing about this man. No amount of searching and digging have we been able to locate even a tidbit about him. Apparently, Cooper had fair skin and red hair. To look at my mother you would think she was more European than Vietnamese. She still speaks her language fluently and cooks like a Vietnamese angel but she looks Franco. I have inherited those European traits from her, having reddish tones in my hair and fair skin that burns and freckles. Yes, I can eventually tan but then the freckles just get darker or multiply. Mom has recently told me that there is even a little Chinese in us. OMG! Can you say, "mutt?"


So there you have it. Today's card just made me reflect a little on my heritage. My first reaction was to smile when I read the card. Why you ask? I get to stay in and drink wine for dinner!


The Duchess Margaret, signing off.