Background

My name is Zachary O’Hagan, and I am a linguist based in Oakland, California. I study an indigenous language called Caquinte, spoken in the tropical lowland forests of southeastern Peru by a few hundred people. I am also a genealogist and play the French horn. I got into genealogical research over 10 years ago, as part of learning more about my own family. Since then I have done similar research on dozens of other families, bringing me experience in family histories based primarily in Europe and North America, including Mexico.

I have made exciting discoveries along the way, for example, learning that my paternal great-grandfather changed his surname in 1906. This allowed me to unlock the history of a large branch of my family that had previously been a mystery. You can read more about how I distill this information out for my relatives at my personal family history blog, Backroads.

To get in touch directly, please write to me at onatogenealogy@gmail.com.

Great-grandparents Vernon Wise (1899-1953) and Erline Jay (1907-1997), 1930s