Doppelgangers and Similarities

Inherited Traits:

Doppelgangers, Look-a-likes, and Similarities

We often hear “he has his father’s eyes,” “she has her mother’s lips,” or “the poor dear has her grandfather’s nose.” Yet our inherited traits function as more than casual conversation. They serve as visible markers of ancestral inheritance, an archive of lineage. While some characteristics clearly reflect their immediate source, others quietly preserve genetic influences from more distant or forgotten families, revealing connections to histories we never knew shaped us.

Allyah and Vickie Jean Reaser Carpenter (grandmother)

Isabella and Patricia Ellen Reaser McQuaig (grandmother)

Chrissy and Margaret Rauenzahn Rhoads (mother)

Billie Jean and Patricia Ellen Reaser McQuaig (mother)

Sunshine and Jacquelyn Rauenzahn Bodey (mother)

Nicholas and John Warren Reaser (grandfather)

Zachary and Alfred Lee Majors (grandfather)

Chad and Randy Price (father)

Justin and Michael Obadiah Majors (father)

Sarah and Estella “Stella” Jones Johnson (great great grandmother)

Jenelle and Sallie Mae Nice Southworth (great grandmother)

Kelly and Angela Anna Maria Buda Esposito a.k.a. Mary Yetto (great grandmother)

Carmyne and John Warren Reaser (great grandfather)

Ross and Oliver Ellsworth Rauenzahn (great grandfather)

Jamie and Maria Giuseppa “Josephine” Buda Gallo (great grand aunt)

Mark and Francis “Frankie” Anthony Yetto Jr. (great grand uncle)

Nicholas II and William Jarman (great great grand uncle)

Shane and Robert Reaser (grand uncle)

Natosha and Jacquelyn Rauenzahn Bodey (grand aunt)

Sometimes recognizing a reflection of ourselves within our families can be difficult. Yet, when we look closely, we often uncover connections we once assumed didn’t exist. Genetic traits manifest themselves regardless of gender or socially constructed notions of race, and in this case, Ellen Ryan Rauenzahn (Natosha’s great-great-grandmother) makes her presence known. Her name is carried forward by a few of her descendants, but her genetic characteristics remain visible in others.

Nellie, as she was known, was born in England to Irish parents (through DNA testing, the Ryan’s originated in the Muenster region of Ireland). The freckles reappear among selected family members across generations. Thus, even as our family expands and evolves, there remains a tangible, embodied connection to our shared past.