My Ancestry

Posted on September 25, 2024

Several years ago, my eldest sister Sue, who passed away a year and half ago, came to my residence asking me to do an Ancestry DNA test. At first, I was not sure what this all entailed so she explained why she wanted me to do the test. As the historian of the family, she wanted to know what my DNA showed as to where and what countries the results would fall in. Truthfully it is a very easy test to do at home. First you have to get the ancestry DNA test kit. Inside it there is Q-tip in a small glass cylinder that you use to swab inside one of the cheeks in your mouth. Once that is done you put the Q-tip back in the small vial and mail it back to the ancestry lab where they run tests to see what your DNA test results will be. Usually, it takes several weeks to get your results back. Once you receive your results you can start your own ancestry search on Ancestry.com. You can do a lot on that website like setting up your family tree, look up family history, use your results to find other family trees you might be connected to, look up different census years to find out more about your ancestry family histories, and so much more.

What is Genealogy? Genealogy (from the ancient Greek yeveo Aoyia (genealogies) the making of a pedigree) is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages of genealogical. Genealogists use oral history, interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. The field of family may include history is broader than genealogy. It covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography. The record of genealogical work may be presented as a ‘genealogy” , a “family history “, or a “family tree.” It traces the descendants of one person, whereas a “family history” traces the ancestors of one person, but the terms are often used interchangeably. A family history may include additional biographical information, family traditions, and the like. The pursuit of family history and origins tend to be shaped by several motives, including the desire to carve out a place for one’s family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations, and self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling . Genealogy research is also performed for scholarly or forensic purposes , or to trace legal next of kin to inherit under intestacy laws.

Here are the results of my ancestry DNA

· Germanic Europe 23%

· Scotland 17%

· England & Northwestern Europe 15%

· southern Italy 13%

· Sweden & Denmark 9%

· Eastern Europe & Russia 8%

· Wales 7%

· Norway 4%

· Ireland 3%

· Greece & Albania 1%

Family Name History: Hassell

Orpheus with his lute made trees and the mountain – tops that freeze Bow themselves when he did sing (Shakespeare)

It was only in the Middle Ages that the use of surnames became common in England. Before then people used as second names the first name of their father, the name of the place in which they lived, their trade or profession or a personal characteristic. However, with the growth of towns and the stabilization of societies, a better system was needed to distinguish one family from another and the use of hereditary surnames spread to all. The English surname Hassell is local in origin, being one of those names derived from the place where a man once lived or where he once owned land. In this instance it has two possible sources. One is in the place Hassell, in country Oxford and the other is that it refers to someone who lived literally “at the hazel”, that is somewhere near a particular hazel tree. The name dates to the thirteenth century when records of one John de Hassell and one Oliver de Hassell are found in the Hundred Rolls in

1273. Records of emigrants from England include one William Hassell, age 24, who left for Virginia, aboard the “Safety in August 1635.

Blazon of Arms: vert three adders erect argent

Translation-Vert signifies Hope, Joy and loyalty. The adder represents Health and Wisdom. Argent means Peace

Crest: A dexter arm erect, habited vert, cuffed argent holding in the hand a branch of laurel all proper

Family Name History: Aiello

The Italian surname Aiello, also found Ajello, is toponymic in origin, being derived from the place where the original bearer once dwelt or held land. In this case the surname can be traced back to the Catin word “angelus”, meaning a “small holding’ or peasant farm, and the original bearer was thus one who dwelt at a small farm or who made his living as a small – holder. the name Ajellois also borne by a small Neapolitan town in the province of Calabria, a town which is reputed to be situated on the site of the ancient Tilesis, some nine miles from Cosena. The original bearer of the surname may also have been, ,therefore, one who dwelt at Ajello. the surname is indeed particularly numerous in the region surrounding Naples and Calabria. Other possible sources of the surname may be the villages of Ajello near Salerno, Aquila and Goriaia. The surname has several varient forms including Agello and Gello in Tuscany, Azeglio, Zello and Zelliin the north of Italy.

The surname is first documented in the sixteenth century when on Antonio Aiello, Provost of the Chapter and head of the Order of Chieti (Ordine Teatino) was created Bishop of Acerno in the year 1593. In the seventeenth century Pietro Aiello of the same family, a Celestine abbot, was made head of the order

in Italy. another noble family of this surname lived in Messin, originally of Naples; towards the end of the eighteenth-century Francesco, Vincenzo and Cetterio Aiello were awarded the privilege of wearing the ceremonial toga of the Senate.

Blazon of Arms: A bend sinister azure charged with three mullets of the field

Crest: A lion rampant

I am of German English ancestry on my father’s side of the family and Italian on my mother’s side of the family.