My father's Y chromosome DNA matches, now confirmed at 111 markers, were fantastic -- if you were a male descendant of a certain paternal ancestor who settled the Eastern Shore of Maryland the late 1600s and carried his surname. My father, an only child, had a different surname -- that of his beloved father of record - and did not know of any relationship he may have had to this old, well-documented Eastern Shore family when he submitted his Y DNA for testing in 2006, shortly before he passed away.

From his 67 and 111 marker Y Chromosome DNA matches, I knew what my paternal grandfather's actual surname would have been and I was able to discover the general geographic locations of his patrilineal ancestors. While my father's Y chromosome DNA test results gave me targets for my research, it was my Autosomal DNA that revealed a paternal great grandmother family connection that led me to discover who my father's biological father truly was!

This same paternal great grandmother connection also helped me find out why I had so many strong Autosomal DNA connections, in my 23andme results, my My Heritage results, my Ancestry results, and my Family Finder results, to Eastern Shore families out of Somerset County, whose surnames, prior to DNA testing, were not known to be a part of our ancestry!

My discovery of my biological paternal grandfather required TWO types of DNA tests: a Y chromosome DNA test for my father (which he took in 2006 shortly before he passed away), an Autosomal DNA test for me (first with 23andme then with Family Tree DNA, Ancestry, and My Heritage) and TWELVE YEARS worth of patience while I waited for his Y DNA matches and a pivotal "first cousin once removed" Autosomal DNA match to come in.

Following his passing, my father's Y DNA and my Autosomal DNA continued to work together over the next dozen years to solve a mystery he had only started to research during his lifetime. My father was concerned about his Y DNA results -- that at 25 markers he no longer matched men of his surname. His true biological cousins, who shared his actual patrilineal ancestry, had not had Y DNA tests at this time. I had no explanation for his lack of surname matches but had advised that over time more matches could come in which could answer our questions.

​When I search online, I still find my father's questions which he posed on various genealogical websites in the years prior to his death. I have paper copies of the records that he was able to collect through a private investigator he had hired to research his paternal line. While I shared that information with a researcher of my father's father of record (to whom we are not biologically related), these old family artifacts that include colorful letters, wills, and deeds have no bearing on my own family research today. If only my father had lived a few years longer, I could have helped him find his answers!

Men, have that Y DNA test and let it be a gift to yourself that you can pass to your children and grandchildren -- as my father did for me. Thanks, Dad!

Update July 18, 2018: After reading my recent social media post about how a close MyHeritage match helped solve a 12 year-old family mystery on my father's side, a MyHeritage representative contacted me for an interview about my experience using their product and then posted a blog with all the details. Enjoy! Read "Pure Gold: A First Cousin Match Helps Solve a 12 Year Mystery" Pure Gold: A First Cousin Match Helps Solve a 12 Year Mystery

I received this wonderful and unexpected Maryland General Assembly citation when presenting the story of Acadian exiles in Maryland at the Nabb Research Center at the University of Maryland in Salisbury on the 19th of April, 2018. The "Acadians in Maryland" sign, installed in 2013 at the Manokin River Park in Princess Anne Maryland, is located in Somerset County, Maryland, which is Senator Jim Mathias' home district.  Thank you for recognizing the history of our people, Maryland!

​For details: http://www.salisbury.edu/news/article.html?id=7886

Acadians Were Here Maryland Historical Trust 2018 Excellence in Media and Publications Acceptance Speech delivered by Marie Rundquist [email protected] February 1, 2018 at the Maryland Senate Office Building in Annapolis, Maryland. Reference: http://acadianswerehere.org for Dr. R. Martin Guidry, Contributor and Historian, Greg Wood, Author, Contributor and Historian, Marie Rundquist, Author, Contributor and Website Developer

"The website, Acadians Were Here, which receives today the MHT award for Excellence in Media and Publications, delivers the lesser-known history of Acadians in Maryland to new audiences: tourists and tour guides, researchers, historical societies and organizations, journalists, documentary producers, family genealogists, and regular people interested in traveling to the places where over 900 Acadians were exiled after being forcibly removed from their lands in Nova Scotia in November of 1755. They travel by bus, by car, by bicycle and on foot to visit the areas around the Chesapeake Bay where Acadian families lived – and they connect to the Acadians Were Here website from the US and Canada to plan their trips. 

Thank you, Maryland Historical Trust for this excellent recognition of the Acadians Were Here organization and thanks to all whose support and endorsement we are so grateful to have received, and thanks to our guests today, Lynn Wood, Sean Carney, and my husband Edward Nowicki for their support. We honor Nell Ziehl and the Maryland Historical Trust Program staff for elevating the vital role of Acadians In Maryland’s history to the mainstream, and through this MHT award, recognizing our project, and that Acadians Were Here."
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About the Maryland Historical Trust 2018 Awards: https://mht.maryland.gov/awards_2018.shtml
Press Release: ​2018-0201-press-release-2018-md-preservation-awards.pdf
Slideshow: mht.maryland.gov/awardsphotos2018.shtml

For information about the sash worn by site developer and contributor, Marie Rundquist,  pictured here (https://acadianswerehere.org/about-the-authors.html) on the Acadians Were Here website, please visit the following website: ​http://acadiens-metis-souriquois.ca/index.html where you will find the history and culture of an acadien-metis people discussed at length.