How can i determine ethnicity?

Question

i know im half mexican(on my dads side)but i know nothing of my moms side of the family.neither does my mom or grandma and my grandpas been dead for like 30 years and my aunt hates us and wont talk to us and the only person i could talk to that has some knowledge is my uncle who lives in arizona!(i live in ohio).my grandmas maiden name is taber.i think its german or scotish but im not sure.and my moms maiden name is robertson(my deceased grandpas name).i just know im some spanish aztec boy!how can i determine my ethnic background on my moms side if nobody knows anything?

Answer 1

It is physically possible but will take more time and money than you want to spend, I suspect.

You can find or buy obituaries, death certificates, marriage licenses, birth certificates, SSN applications, cemetery records, funeral home records. Any or all may tell you the person's parents. If you get back to 1930 and are close enough to bicycle to a Mormon church with a Family History center, you can dig through the censuses from 1930 back to 1850.

The SSN application is the best and the most expensive, at $27 each, with NO restrictions on who can buy them. Marriage licences are great because good ones tell you both people's parents, but some states restrict who can buy a copy.

You should try for your grandparents' marriage license first. If you get it, and it was from a state that asked for parents, you'll have the four names of your great grandparents.

If you keep tracing back, sooner or later you get to someone whose birthplace is somewhere in Europe, sometimes. Sometimes you hit a dead end first.

If you know your uncle's address, you can write to him with a stamp and an envelope. He'd probably be happy to hear from you. He might not, if the only time you write is to ask for something. Some nephews are a joy to their uncles in their declining years, and some are a pain in the patootie.  

If he knows his grandparents' names - and maiden names for the two women - you have your GGPs for 41 cents.

Write if you want details on how to do any of this.

Answer 2

Try a DNA test...I used www.familytreedna.com