The two are quite capable of mating and producing fertile offspring. Most of you Brits can.

The war between those families has been over for a long time. The Windsors won, although that wasn't their house name. Don't sweat it.

Most Americans in California who go back far enough can find at least one relatives who fought for the North and at least one who fought for the South, during our Civil War.

Also, "My grandmother's uncle said" isn't exactly an unimpeachable source, unless he has devoted years to the subject and has three citations for every fact.

Google "Name change" plus your county and state. Look for a .gov site. The "Sponsored" sites - .com - will SELL you the same form the county will give you, then direct you to fill it in and give it to the county clerk along with the fees.

It varies all over the map. People ask this about 3 - 4 times a month. The highest I can recall is $400 plus the cost for 4 legal notices to run once a week for 4 weeks; that's in California. Some place back east, which may have been Tennessee, was only $129, and one legal notice.

You could also call your county courthouse during business hour and ask.

You have to be 18 or over, or have both parents' permission.

You are an American citizen of mixed Hispanic ethnicity. "Ethnicity" here is "ethnic heritage", not the your language, religion or customs. You'd still be of Hispanic heritage if you moved to Germany, became a Lutheran, forgot your Spanish, and ate nothing but potatoes, sausages and cabbage.

The second kind of ethnicity - cultural - comes from the language you speak at home, the foods you eat, the religion you follow, holidays you celebrate, and so forth. That may or may not be Hispanic.

My great grandmother was pale as a sheet and 100% Italian, could this indicate that we were closer to the north? My (potentially incorrect) understanding is that you'll likely find darker skin the further down the boot you are.

The surname of my Italian ancestors was "Marmarosa", changed to Marmarose when we came to America.

The only other person who I've ever seen with our last name is Dodo Marmarosa, a bebop pianist from Pittsburgh, and I have no idea where he was from in Italy either. We also live in Pittsburgh coincidentally enough; could we be possibly distant cousins? It doesn't seem to be a common surname.

Thanks in advance.