My Sicilian family migrated to the United States from the province of Agrigento, in the interior of Sicily, where I have been able to trace them back through official records to about 1715. Thanks to recent research in DNA, I was able to do some genetic genealogy to trace them back even further.
There are sections of our DNA that are dormant; these sections don't seem to hold the key to any specific function any longer. Mutations in these dormant sections seem to occur at a predictable rate. The changes that occur in these dormant sections identify common descendents of the person with the mutation. This is how we differentiate one group of descendents (haplogroup) from another, allowing us to trace our family and their movement through time.
Our mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is passed from mother to child, while the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son. Unlike the rest of our DNA, both Mitochondrial DNA and the Y-chromosome are not recombined at conception (no mixing of this stuff between mother and father). This allows us to trace back and identify our maternal and paternal lineages.
It is important to note that these mutations do not follow ethnic, political or social boundaries. They tend to cluster around geographic regions, but they share that region with other groups. The mutations show us our migration as we shared the paths with other families, and even Neanderthals.
By having my Y-chromosome mapped, I have identified my paternal line (Spoto) as belonging to haplogroup E1b1b1c1a. My maternal line is Belgian.
Ramesses III (E1b1a) | Nelson Mandela (E1b1a) | Desmond Tutu (E1b1a1g) |
Lyndon B Johnson (E1b1b1) | Orville Wright(E1b1b1a2) | Wilbur Wright (E1b1b1a2) |
Male Lineage in Africa: The Father of all Fathers (the FoF or Y-chromosome Adam), lived in Africa at least 275,000 years ago (A). Everyone living today inherited his DNA from him, which makes him our oldest common grandfather. FoF Adam is not the earliest male, nor is he Adam from the Bible, or Noah’s son. He is one of a number of males that grew on the human family tree. The other males’ branches died off. FoF Adam is the only male branch still attached and producing fruit on the human family tree.
As mutations occurred in the DNA passed down from Grandpa Adam, haplogroups (family tree branches) were formed. Grandpa Adam appeared in Africa about 275,000 years ago. Haplogroup DE-M145 (B) mutated from Y-chromosome Adam about 76,000 years ago. Another mutation 3,000 years later created haplogroup E-M96 (C). This is the group that migrated to Asia.
Return to World MapMale Lineage in Asia: Haplogroup E-M96 arrived in Asia from Africa. During our stay in Asia, we mutated once more and became haplogroup E-M123 (D) about 20,000 years ago. It is probably during this time when we met and mated with Neanderthals. Then, group E-M123 migrated into Europe(E).
NeanderthalIt is most probable that in Asia, my family was intimately introduced to Neanderthals. The Neanderthal were a group of humans closely related to modern humans. They left traces in Asia and Europe as early as 600,000 to 350,000 years ago. When modern humans migrated out of Africa, the Neanderthal welcoming party was waiting. Though the Neanderthal went extinct about 30,000 years ago, we lived side by side for tens of thousands of years. My DNA analysis indicates about 2% of my DNA is a result of interbreeding with Neanderthals.
Return to World MapLocation of my Sicilian Family from at least 1715 until 1898
Male Lineage: It was most likely in eastern Europe when the final mutation into haplogroup E-L29 (E) occurred.
At this point, bacause of the history of Sicily, migration is more difficult to pin down. Though Sicilians may have stayed in place, other peoples occupied Sicily from time to time: Africans, Greeks, Phonecians, Arabs, Spaniards, the French, and even the Germans. This is what makes Sicilians so unique in the world. Our home was in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, a position that encouraged immigration and many different cultures.
My Spoto ancestors have been traced back to Santo Stefano Quisquina. Then in 1781 Pietro (b 1755) married a woman from San Biagio Platani and the couple settled in her village. My family stayed in San Biagio Platani until Alfonso emigrated in 1898.
Adolf Hitler (E1b1b1) | David Attenborough (E1b1b1) | Richard Attenborough (E1b1b1) |
Albert Einstein (E1b1b1b2) | William Harvey (E1b1b1c1) | Napoleon Bonaparte (E1b1b1c1) |
Migration to the United States of America came from 1898 to 1905. My Sicilian grandfather, Alfonso Spoto, sailed to New York (F) and continued by rail to Hastings, Colorado (G). Hastings was a coal town in Las Animas County.
Alfonso accompanied his sister-in-law and her children. Alfonso's first wife, Concetta Messina, and their two daughters arrived in 1900, along with his youngest brother.
After the death of Concetta Messina, Alfonso sent to Sicily for his second wife, Accursia Interrante. She arrived in 1905. While they remained in Hastings, the couple had two more children: Eleanor (Apolonia) and Joseph.
In 1910, the family moved to West Tampa, Florida (H). This is where Alfonso and Accursia both learned to roll cigars. This is also where the next three children were born: Jean (Concetta), Frank (Francesco), and Al (Alphonso aka "Babe").
It was in 1920 when the family moved to Chicago (I), where Alfonso and Accursia remained the rest of their lives.
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