I read about this in the newspaper… you can send in a swab from the inside of your mouth or a sample of blood to an organization that will extract from it specific genetic traits that are found only in certain ethnicities… thereby giving you a list of nationalities/ethnicities that you’re descended from. It’s expensive, though… several thousand dollars. I’ve always wanted to try this.

I can’t remember what the name of the organization is… it’s still in it’s “beta” stage, they have a waiting list a mile long.. I’ll have to look it up.

I saw an Oprah show that was speaking of the wars in Africa and genocide, she was curious as to what her origins were, so she had her DNA tested and traced back to find out if she was a Tutsi or Hutu origins…She was found to be of Tutsi origin ..

So if you are curious as to the how it is all done and expense involved I would speak to your doctor and see who they know that performs this.

Here are links with some info. I had a similar issue with a grandfather. He never knew his father and his mother gave him several last names at different times. When he was old enough he went to the court house and took the last name Smith, it was a good as any name so why not. I’ve looked for years to try and solve that little mystery. DNA is no help without someone to compare it to. Good luck in your search.