Bonjour from Paris! I had the opportunity to travel to Paris, France with my mom to learn more about her grandmother’s family. The first person who traveled to France was my great-granduncle, DeWitt Robinson who served in World War I. DeWitt was known as Uncle Bud to my family.

During the war, my Uncle Bud met a beautiful woman named Camille in France who my mom was named after. It seemed only fitting to stay in the heart of Paris at this beautiful hotel called the Hotel Camille in the 12th Arrondissement.

It was our first time visiting France so we visited all the popular sites during the stay and even did some research at Le Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and Les Archives nationales de France.

On the last day of the trip, we met with our French cousins who travelled over 100 km to come see us. One of our cousins just celebrated his 95th birthday a few weeks ago. I presented my cousins with a family history book that I wrote after researching historical records from the United States, France, and the French West Indies.

It was enlightening to learn more about the history of France and to see first-hand the diverse backgrounds of people throughout Paris. Our cousin, Mr. Pierre Port-Lis was born in Guadeloupe located in the Caribbean. He was a math professor who lived all over the world including in Dakar, Senegal. We have been talking to his daughter and granddaughter on social media since we connected on MyHeritage.

Before taking this test, we did not know anything about having family in Paris. MyHeritage’s DNA test is very popular throughout the world especially in Europe. When I logged into the app, I saw that I have a cluster of DNA matches from France whose ancestral ties are originally from Guadeloupe. The island of Guadeloupe is known for their beautiful beaches, delicious dishes, and their rich history.

We were excited to visit an Afro-Caribbean restaurant called Le Soixante Douze in the neighboring arrondissement. The food was absolutely delicious. It has been truly emotional and life altering to meet with family nearly 4,000 miles away thanks to the advancements of science particularly genetic genealogy.

Throughout my studies, I have learned that scholars in my field have conducted archaeological excavations in Guadeloupe to better understand the history of slavery throughout the African Diaspora.

Now I am inspired to embark on a long-term research project to uncover more about how families have been split apart due to the transatlantic slave trade. Thank you again to “ma famille française” for making this trip truly memorable!