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Marie Rundquist knows that genealogy is about much more than just the names and dates that fill in the blanks on a two-dimensional family tree.

The Gaithersburg author believes where you come from and what your ancestors did are critical building blocks for self-esteem. Knowing what your ancestors did to survive not only makes your own struggles more livable, but also gives you an invigorated sense of purpose to carry on in life.

Rundquist dug deep into her own family history to write "Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine American Heritage," her book with surprising findings. She traced her family history back 12 generations to a woman named Anne Marie, who lived in Nova Scotia in the mid-1600s. The book details both the history of social and political strife in the area at the time and the contemporary use of DNA to trace ancestry.

The book project began in earnest when Rundquist saw National Geographic documentary about The Genographic Project, which was using DNA samples to determine people's earliest family origins. She decided to participate and purchased a $99 mail-order kit. When the kit arrived, she swabbed the inside of her cheek as instructed, sealed and then submitted it. The results were not at all what she expected.

Rundquist was sure she had Native American origins. Based on what her family had told her, she believed she was 100 percent European French.

"It was a total, absolute heart attack-level shock," she says.

Through extensive research, Rundquist discovered that Anne Marie was a Mi'kmaq woman living in Nova Scotia who married a French settler.

Rundquist says that her family, at some point, decided to align solely with their French heritage, likely because it would have earned them more respect.

"Over time, people choose to align themselves with other groups," she points out.

Driven by a desire to bring her ancestors to life from the pages of historical documents, Rundquist embarked on an extensive journey of research that included census reports, church records, historical reference books and town assessment rolls. She traveled to Nova Scotia and followed the path her ancestors took as they moved from settlement to settlement.

"I longed to discover Anne Marie's footprints on a sandy northern beach and compare them with my own," Rundquist writes. "I sought to look into the eyes of seventeenth-century Nova Scotia and find Anne Marie's staring back at me."

Rundquist admits she became consumed with tracing her ancestry.

"I almost felt like I had this grandmother after me to tell people about her," she says.

She believes her need for information about where she came from was organic.

"It was a fundamental need that I had," she says.

The book contains maps of Nova Scotia, and pictures and drawings illustrating ancient Mi'kmaq tools, medicine and art.

Publishing a book on ancestry came naturally to Rundquist. Both her father and her maternal grandmother have published genealogy books, and the enhancement of people's sense of self-worth that resulted from her grandmother's book inspired her.

"I was destined to write," says Rundquist. "It was just a matter of finding my voice and my interest."

Rundquist learned of the resourcefulness and resilience of her ancestors, many of whom a local British military government forced to leave Nova Scotia. They were deported on prison boats to Snow Hill, Md., where they remained for 12 years before resettling in Louisiana.

"I hope people read this book and they're inspired to learn about their own heritage, whether they think it's hidden or not," she says.

Knowing family history is particularly important for children, Rundquist says, because it helps them feel grounded in history. Ancestry gives people a purpose and a place in the world, and encourages them to continue the good work their ancestors started.

That's a solid enough reason for everyone to consider a similar journey.

"Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine American Heritage" is available for purchase online at www.Amazon.com.