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My Maternal Puerto Rican Ancestry

 

My maternal grandfather's maternal grandfather Joseph John Ocasio was Puerto Rican.  He was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico and died in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California. His parents were Juan Bautista Ocasio-Ramos and Maria del Carmen Afanador-Baez.  He was married to  Maria Pereira who was a Hawaiian born daughter of immigrants from the Atlantic archipelago Madeira which is an autonomous region of Portugal. They relocated to Sonoma County where my maternal grandmother's mother Marion Isabelle Ocasio was born.  Great Grandma Marian married my Great Grandfather Peter Andrews (originally Andrade) who was born in Yolo County, California. His parents immigrated from the Atlantic archipelago Cape Verde before it gained its independence from Portugal. 

2nd Great Grandpa Joe's known ancestral surnames: 

Ocasio, Afanador, Ramos, Baez, Maldonado, Rivera, Guzman, and Mercado


2nd Great Grandpa Joe's brickwall ancestors (ancestors with parents unknown)

his paternal grandmother Catalina Ramos-Mercado

his maternal grandmother Candida Rosa Baez-Guzman

his maternal grandfather's father Juan Bautista Afanador-Maldonado

his maternal grandfather's mother Maria Monserrate Rivera

his paternal grandfather's father Diego Ocasio

his paternal grandfather's mother Estefania Maldonado



The Maldonado Connection

I am certain that 2nd Great Grandpa Joe was a descendant of Lupe Maldonado de Leon who helped founded Utuado and was one of its first mayors

My mother has a total of 8,279 paternal AncestryDNA matches that have ancestors born in Puerto Rico

Rivera - 2,872 

Ramos - 1,258 

Maldonado - 828 

Mercado - 598

Guzman - 369

Baez - 229

Ocasio - 212

Afanador - 15



Puerto Ricans are an ethnic group native to the Caribbean archipelago and island of Puerto Rico which was a former Spanish colony.  They've been US Citizens since 1917.  

The average Puerto Rican (regardless of racial self-identity) is about 64% European, 21% African, and 15% Indigenous American. Puerto Ricans' Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups are 60% Indigenous American, 25% African and 15% West Eurasian. Puerto Ricans' Y DNA haplogroups are 85% West Eurasian and 15% African. 

The average Puerto Rican has well over 100,000 AncestryDNA matches.  Puerto Ricans are a very endogamous community. Researchers use Puerto Ricans to study endogamy. "We are all cousins." are a common saying in Puerto Rico.

The ancestry of the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico are Taino Amerindian people, who called the island Boriken. 

Spanish, Portuguese, Irish, English, Scottish, French, and Corsicans migrated to Puerto Rico before the 19th Century.

From the beginning of Spanish presence in the Americas, West Africans participated as voluntary expeditionaries, conquistadors, and auxillaries. African slaves were brought mainly from the areas of the present-day Ghana, Togo, Beinin, and Nigeria which are located in the Gulf of Guinea area which was also known as the Slave Coast. The large majority were Yoruba and Igbo, ethnic groups from Nigeria, and Bantu from the Guinea.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264007008_Genetic_Diversity_in_Puerto_Rico_and_Its_Implications_for_the_Peopling_of_the_Island_and_the_West_Indies

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/28/dna-portrait-of-puerto-rican-ancestry/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI4d7w9uBN8&t=139s





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NnpLt9cgYw


AncestryDNA Ethnicity Estimates of my mother and me

https://diversegenes.blogspot.com/2024/10/my-ancestrydna-ethnicityestimate-update.html


My 2nd Great Grandparents Joe and Mary's marriage record shows that they married on Nov 17, 1909 in Honolulu, Hawaii

shows that he lived in Hawaii for 9 years

his parents are listed as being Batista Ocacio and Carlma Fernadora


Joe's Social Security Draft Registration Card has his parents as Batist Ocacio and Carmelita Afanador



Joe's Social Program Correspondence Record has his parents as Baptista Ocacio and Carmelita Beias


Joe's Death Record has his mother's maiden name as Decarmen


Joe's World War 1 Draft Registration Card


Joe's Obituary



Joe 1930 Census

                                          


Joe 1940 Census


Joe 1950 Census



1894 Death Record of Juan Bautista Ocasio Ramos was born on 1844 and died on September 28, 1894

showed that his wife was Maria del Carmen Afanador Baez and parents were Pedro Jose Ocasio Maldonado and Catalina Ramos Mercado


'


marriage record  December 8, 1902   

parents were Bautista Ocasio and Carmen Afanador

Pedro Afanador Maldonado 



marriage record of Maria Ocasio Afanador married on Feb 25, 1916 

married to Jose Ruiz Paz

parents were Bautista Ocasio and Carmela Afanador


death record of Francisco Ocasio Afanador was born in 1872 and died on March 27, 1900

parents were Juan Batista Ocasio Ramos and Maria Carmen Afanador Valle



death record show Juan Monserrate Ocasio Afanador was born in 1876 and died on November 9, 1953

parents were Bautista Ocasio and Carmen Afanador

wife was Dolores Maldonado


my maternal 4th Great Grandfather Pedro Jose Ocasio Maldonado's christening record shows that his parents were Diego Ocasio and Estefania Maldonado and his godparents were  Ramon Cenaro and Maria de Jones  

other people on record are Roman Ancapaz and Nicolasa Maldonado




my maternal grandfather Everett 



My Great Grandma Marian (left) and her sister Agnes (right)



My 2nd Great Grandparents Joe and Mary with their children 




My 2nd Great Grandparents Joe and Mary with a daughter or grand daughter










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