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1. Jenna Prengle
Impacts of my Ancestors
The person who I chose to interview for my research paper was my grandmother, Lilian
Boolat. She is currently 94 years old and resides in an assisted living home in Delaware. During
our interview, we discussed topics such as significant events in her life, her ancestors, and her
opinions about new technology and depression. The rest of this paper will go into more detail
about our conversations and her responses as well as two anthropological concepts that can be
used to understand my ancestors.
The first question which I asked her was, “How old are you, where were you born, and
where did you grow up?” She told me that she is currently 94 years of age and was born in
New York City, New York. She grew up in a middle-class household with her parents and her
siblings. She described the apartment they lived in as “railroad style,” which she later clarified
meant an apartment with a long main hallway with the bedrooms coming off of it.
The second question I asked was, “Did you or my ancestors ever migrate from another
region of the country or world? Can you explain specific acts of bravery and perseverance
during this time that might have been shown?” Her response list consisted of the Ukraine in
Russia, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, and Germany. She said that our family is basically
just a big melting pot of all of the countries because there are so many different origins in our
past, but the ones she listed were the main and most prevalent ones. She said that her
ancestors had fought in the French Indian War and World War 1. Our family last name at one
point was Simone, and it had been for many decades. Drafting was going on for the war, and a
man who had been drafted, with the last name Jessie, contacted my family and said he would
like to purchase our last name in replacement for his. This was his plan to not fight in the war.
My family agreed to this and sold him our last name, so we became known as the Jessie Family.
The third questions which I asked my grandmother was about racial groups. Her
response was that her racial group was Caucasian/white. She listed many achievements and
experiences of that racial group, including fighting in World War 1, fighting in World War 11,
and fighting in the Korean War. She also mentioned coming home after the Depression Era,
standing on bread lines for food in the evenings, and trying to find work as a laborer. We

2. Jenna Prengle
discussed fighting for women’s rights and suffrage, and she said that women did not have the
right to vote for the longest time back then. She brought up white men flying fighter pilots in
the air force because they were the only gender and race allowed to fly them for a very long
time. She stated that Native Americans were well known for introducing new foods to settlers
in the new America and for making beautiful clothes and jewelry. Jews were known for being
killed by the Germans in Auschwitz. Italians were known for introducing new Italian foods to
the region. Mexicans were known for providing cheap labor. She said that many of them were
migrant workers who were working on farms for a lot of work and very little pay. Americans
were known for opening their arms and hearts to immigrants from various foreign countries.
Japanese Americans were known for introducing their customary food to our country.
The next question which I asked my grandmother regarded national heroes The first
name which she responded with was Theodore Roosevelt, who was the president of our
country. She mentioned Martin Luther King Jr as well, and described his heroic acts to fight for
the rights of black people. She also mentioned Rosa parks and her acts to end discrimination.
She said there were many heroic people in her time and that people in the community really
looked up to them. These people gave other Americans the hope that there was a chance to
see change in society. Many heroes at this time made massive changes and improvements
which have shaped our society today. We would not be as evolved as we now are without
these influential heroes.
The next question that I asked her was about common practices and rituals while she
was growing up and about an important material object. She took a few minutes to
contemplate about what the significant material object in her life was, and her final response
was that it would have to be her Army Corps dog tags. These reminded her of her time serving
in the Army and of all the responsibility she held there. She stated that courtship and marriage
were much more proper in her time in that boys would ask a girl on proper dates and ask their
father’s permission. She said that once a boy and a girl had been on a few dates, it was
customary for the boy to give the girl a ring to wear on a necklace, which symbolized that they
were going steady. Some marriages were also prearranged in her time, where the parents
would choose who their child would marry based on how it would benefit their family.

3. Jenna Prengle
Formal education at that time was much less extensive than it is today. She said it was
customary for people to get a high school degree and then go right into working in the factories
in order to provide for their families. Today she said she sees many people going on to further
their education in college after they graduate high school. Teachers were also more strict in her
time. They would beat children if they did not listen and cooperate, so there was a much
higher level of discipline and respect. She stated that she felt religious worship was much more
intact and intense back then than it is now. She said people do not really commit to their
religion in today’s age, whereas in her time, she was at church every Sunday morning and
Wednesday evening.
My grandmother stated that men had many more rights than women. Men were able to
vote and have a respected position in their workplace. They were also always the head of the
family. It was ultimately the man’s decision what happened in a household. She said that she is
happy to see women having many more rights and striving for equality in today’s world.
Parental child disciplining practices were much more intense while she was growing up. Her
parents would beat her with a belt if she did not behave. This goes hand and hand with how
teachers physically disciplined students. In the past, it was more accepted to use physical
brutality as a learning and respect technique.
Christmas was more of a time of religious celebration, and less about presents. She said
that today people seemto forget the meaning behind Christmas, and only celebrate to receive
presents. Many people then worked in factories and plants, such as electric factories and oil
plants. These are more of blue collar jobs, while today many people are receiving degrees and
able to obtain white collar jobs in place of working in factories and plants. Technology and
communication grew immensely during her time, including the telephone, the television, and
cell phones.
The next question regarded DNA tests available today. My grandmother discussed that
she did not really like the ancestry DNA kits that are on TV today. She stated that growing up,
everyone in her family would sit around in a circle together and discuss where they all came
from. This is how family stories and traditions were passed down from generation to
generation. She said today people do not care where they came from which is shameful. It

4. Jenna Prengle
gave her pride to know where her family came from by listening about her own family heritage,
so she said she has no interest in the DNA kits. She said she already known where she is from
and does not need a stranger telling her things that might not even be true.
The final question which I asked her was about how common anxiety and depression
are today. She stated that depression and anxiety are extremely common today. She said that
younger people have anxiety about graduating school and college, then finding a job, then
trying to pay off student loans. She said older people experience depression because they go
through phases of loss and need time to grieve. She lost her husband a few years ago, and
disclosed that she finds herself feeling depressed frequently. She said possible solutions which
she uses are exercising by walking around, socializing with friends and family, and patience that
ultimately all problems will be solved. She said she is not a supporter of medicines because
growing up, not many people took them and she thinks they are just made up ways for drug
companies to make a profit.
Biological Anthropology is defined as the branch of anthropology concerned with the
biological and behavioral aspects of human beings. An anthropological concept form this
branch is human variation, which includes questions about how and why human populations
vary biologically. My ancestors came from all around the world, so I have their gened in my
body today. I can see some features in myself from the places which my grandmother said our
ancestors came from, which is very interesting to see. For example, she stated that some of
our ancestors were from the Ukraine. I researched Ukrainians and discovered that my nose
shape is very similar to that found there. These physical characteristics have been passed down
many generations in the form of genes to reach me.
Cultural anthropology is defined as the branch of anthropology concerned with the
study of human societies and cultures and their development. A concept from this branch is
related to Ethnology, which seeks to understand how and why people today and in the recent
past differ or are similar in their customary ways of thinking or acting. A perfect example of this
is that in my grandmother’s era, men would ask women to dance in order to meet them. They
would do swing dancing and other forms of romantic, proper dancing. Today, guys at a bar will
just come up and dance with a woman in an inappropriate way to meet them. This shows that

5. Jenna Prengle
since the recent past, we as a species have begun to lose our manners and social norms are
drastically changing.
Growing up, I always knew that my family was a big melting pot of many different
ancestors. I remember learning a little about them when I was younger, but never in as much
detail and clarification as in this project. For the past few years I have been extremely
interested in traveling to all 7 continents and seeing as much of the world as I can so that I can
better understand. I see a connection here in that my ancestors came from all over the world
and now I am drawn to explore these parts of the world in order to learn their cultures. In
anthropology, we have discussed how humans return to where they first came from. Humans
were first living in deserts, which is why we need sunlight. So perhaps I am drawn to see more
of the world because that is where my ancestors came from. There will always be a small part
of them in my genes.
Another large cultural change from the near past to now has been women’s rights. As
my grandmother stated, women had slimrights during her time. Today women have equal
rights as men according to the law. There is still progress to be made for women, such as
closing the gender wage gap. Perhaps my great great grandchild one day will be writing a
similar anthropological essay as I am, and perhaps at that time women and men will truly be
equals in every way. It is interesting to think about ways in which culture can continue to grow.
I think it is especially interesting to see how much has changed from just 94 years ago when my
grandmother was born to now. It makes one contemplate what our world will be like in
another 94 years.
I learned a lot about the past and my ancestors through this research project. I have a
lot more respect for the past and the people who came before me after understanding their
ancestors. I am thankful for this experience to grown my knowledge and to be able to
understand my family’s heritage better. I thanked my grandma for allowing me to interview
her, and plan to go back and have more conversations like this with her in the near future. One
of the most interesting things I learned through this project is how quickly culture can change.
The level of social and cultural changes seen from my grandma’s generation to my generation
are truly substantial, and I look forward to seeing where the next generation will he heading.