Where Are Your Ancestors From?

[Skylights]

My ancestors came out of africa. (has that been used already? )

[Stargazer]

Polish/Irish/English

[Wilson Creed]

Dad's side: Northern Canada

Mom's side: Somewhere in Mexico

 

I'm Hispanic-Canadian!! (was that politically correct? I'm always bad with those kinds of things. Please don't hate me.)

[Jack Frost]

If we stop at the 1800s... then...

 

Dad: England, Slovakia, and Ireland.

Mom: Wales, England, Scotland, Quebec, and Germany.

 

If we go back before the 1800s... I can trace my roots to the colonization of New England (1630s) and Pennsylvania (1720s).

 

I'm related directly to the English royal family (King Edward III), so that brings my roots all the way back to Anglo-Saxon England and many monarchs in medieval Europe.

Edited January 2, 2011 by Jack Frost

[Frostina]

I'm boring. Welsh all the way through on both sides of the family way back. So far gone back to 4th generation. THere is one English woman but that's an anomaly we don't talk about

 

I'm here to join Nephy's Boat... only a diff colour.. lol

Indian, rather A Bengali ALL the way from both mom and dad's sides...

However, since Bangladesh is now a diff country... well I dont know. my ancestors have ALWAYS lived in India, dad's grandparents(or great grandparents- not so sure) moved away from the parts in Bangladesh( East Bengal then- thanks to the Brits) during the partition of bengal, when their land was razed.. WAY back in 1905. So...

 

Bored enough??

[Tipdin]

This thread brings up several ideas and question for me.

 

In my family, genealogy and heritage issues were not a big deal. (I changed all that.)

I'm mostly Scottish, with dashes of French, Czechoslovakian, Italian, Irish, Norwegian, and Native American.

 

My great grandfather died when I was about 20 and we were very close - he patiently answered all my genealogy and family history questions. Neither set of my grandparents were very helpful, in fact one grandmother was downright dishonest about her family. It's taken me decades to uncover the truth! And I've spent a great deal of time and money teaching what I've learned to my family, especially the children. I went as far as having a coat of arms created and even a big 'ol ring that can be passed down through generations.

 

As a gay man, I have lived and felt like I was outside the crowd. I never fit in. Hell, even among my gay friends I was chided for being so 'un-gay.' For me, genealogy and my family history has provided me with that feeling of belonging. I have a sense of place that has nothing to do with where I live, but everything to do with who I am as a human being, not a gay man. I can document my ancestry, (some of it back to the tenth century) and am proud of it, even the not-so-great parts; but to me, shadows simply serve to emphasize the light.

 

Here's my question: Do you care about your genealogy and family history? Does it have much relevance to your family and your life?

Here's my answer: In many ways, it has defined me and my life; giving me purpose and direction.

[Skyline]

My ancestors came out of africa. (has that been used already? )

 

It has now

 

Half Nigerian,

 

Half an eclectic mix of euro-based caucasian, mostly scottish and italian.

[3clips3]

My ancestors would be from China.

[Zolia Lily]

I'm Australian.

My closest non-Australian relative (because seriously- unless you're an aboriginal Australian, you have to have come from somewhere) was my mum's grandfather, who was Irish.

Before that, all Irish / English the generation before.

 

We're not really sure, but it seems like most of our relatives were Irish, although have lived in various places in Australia, Wales and Ireland and also in Sheffeild- just to confuse the trail.

My mum is big on family history... and we're still looking for more. (we haven't managed to get back to the 10th Century yet!!!)

and i'm with you, Tipdin. My mum's mum is staying with us at the moment (she doesn't normally live close by). Hearing about her parents and grandparents and all she knows about our family history and even just the history of the area she grew up in is amazing. It makes me feel closer to my family (most of whom i hardly know) than i would have though possible.

 

 

 

[colinian]

Irish on both sides, all the way back to Ireland: My Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Great-Great-Grandparents, all in America, then my Great-Great-Great-Grandparents on both sides came from Ireland. According to my grandparents on both sides.

 

I have no doubt about this. Of course, it's all true. They're Irish!

 

Colin

[Tipdin]

I'm always amazed at how many people I talk to that have no clue about their own history or genealogy. It seems so foundational to me.

[John Doe]

I'm am 100 percent of what I am (I'm not disclosing... since my world is very small). I will say that centuries ago, my ethnic race can be traced back to China, though we are not Chinese. We spoke a different language (and I don't mean dialect, completely different language) and have different customs. Ancient China persecuted us and as the minority group we went south. So these days when I get asked where in world region I say Southeast Asia though I have to explain in depth more cause my ethnic group is not Thai, Lao, or any of the major countries though we could be of those nationalities (not ethnicity). Today it's a general SE asia, from southern China to Burma, Vietnam, etc...

 

Though I was born and bred in the United States.

 

My question for any one - how much one's family beliefs or history survived the long years?

 

My parents can't tell us children or my nieces or nephews about family history before their own parents

It does spell a break in the family line and in some families out there .. there is a reason why

 

But then there are some families just adopt a modern view of their family and lose contact with their ancestry

 

Hence that is why we have genology.com or ancestry.com but really those can be just another form of social networking.

 

genology.com and ancestry.com is completely useless for me. As stated, as a minority group, my ancestors had to live in areas not liked to be habitied by the majority group, and that lives on today. The villages today don't have electricity still and they are still farmers and what not. I can go back about 6 generations orally. But I know that in the US (as with those in France, the UK, and Australia) those that are first generation born (like me) is it. The later generations are losing to the main culture and customs of their respective "host" countries. I have nieces and nephews who don't even know our "native" language. Studies have shown that by the 4th generation in US borns, the lagauage will be about 80 percent lost and I believe it. I grew up with struggling to be "American," had hardcore issues with it, clashed with my family, deserted many things which I am picking up again and putting value in... and it's not enough. I live in an area where I can't converse in my other native tongue and I find that I'm forgetting simple words... like the term for older sister, or a term for my cousin's wife or husband, or my uncle from my mom's side. There are a lot of these familial terms, ones I shouold know and did know but I forget them since I don't use them often enough. Tradiationally, it's used oftened. You never call your cousins wife by name but by that term and since I haven't lived near my family for years I lose what I don't use. Another popular thing these days is kids moving out of parents' home when they come of age, etc, which can attribute to a lack of lineage knowledge. Before in the old days families stuck together (in both eastern and western worlds) and thus the knowledge of one's heritage was well known. Also families stayed in one place for decades and even centuries. Hence I liked the South and small town New England for that matter. Old Mr. Johnson down the street has been living in his home for 80 plus years and that house has been in his family for 5 generations, etc....

 

and maybe I spoke too much here, but I like these kinds of discussion...

[Hamen Cheese]

I was under the distinct impression that we all had one common ancestor...

 

Myr from whom all good things come.

 

Or was it old bob?

[Sendraguy]

First, I'm not on commission to them, but for those of you who are dead keen on this check out www.Ancestry.com. You get the first fourteen days free, usually enough time to hammer the US censuses and find out if your gt grandfather is Al Capone....

[Tipdin]

Though I am not member of it, I would also endorse Ancestry.com. The information available there is mind boggling.

 

I can trace most of my lines of ancestors back for over 500 years, one line nearly 1000 years; however, the vast majority of the information consists of only forgotten names and dusty dates. To me, what puts the leaves and flowers on the family tree is the history not contained in names and dates. Tell me about my great, great grandparents; what was their most mundane day like? It would be completely foreign to my way of life today.

 

My great grandfather was alive until I was almost 20 years old, we spent a great deal of time talking. He talked about when electricity was invented, (the lightbulb used to be considered evil) and then when people with money started putting water in their house, and even what he called an indoor outhouse, (which was consider the absolute epitome of UN-healthy ideas)! He remembered when the iceman lost his job. (Do most people even know what that means?) Horseless carriages were really amazing to him in his youth, but watching another human walk on another planet was WAY more amazing.

 

Give me the stories, the events, the reactions, the most boring, the most simplistic; I don't care what it is! Give me the information that makes people of today snore - that will be what raises eyebrows tomorrow. I'm lucky in that one of my lines of ancestry actually did keep some records that consisted of more than who lived and when they married. I can read accounts from my 10th great grandfather and what a typical day was like for him - serving the King of France...!

 

Everyone I talk to about this stuff, I tell them to write about anything and write about everything. It doesn't have to be great writing - just accurate. Let the generations of the future know what life is like for you. Give them your perspective - I especially tell that to my gay friends, or what I call my imported friends, who can document their journey from one country to another and compare the two.

 

Just think about how we today, have been learning information about the past. We have to dig in the dirt and try to correct the guesses that were made before our own. We have to try testing and patching together snippets of knowledge gleaned from here and there over decades of investigation. Make it easy on the future generations - they'll have plenty of other things to sweat over, why make them sweat over information that we can so easily provide?

 

I document everything I can, in as many ways as I can. Writing, photos, video, official documents, you name it. The more, the better. My grand nieces and nephews are loving all this "olden time" stuff - from the 80s! They giggle at the music and the clothes and the hair styles. I'm still listening to that music! Ok, I threw out the clothes - I wouldn't fit into them anyway... And most of the hair is gone, damn it. But the point is, they learned and enjoyed the learning. The past isn't a nebulous concept to them, it's real, concrete and, well... alive!

 

Most people here are writers - so go forth and WRITE!

Edited January 4, 2011 by Tipdin

[Venkman]

English, Scottish, Scandinavian.

[dannydanny77]

Mine is from the movie scar face!

[sucre]

My family history has been messed with and unclear for many generations now, but I do know that I was manufactured in some obscure village in the Apennines. I also have some Scottish, Ukrainian, and Dutch blood in me from both my mother's and father's side of the family.

[mskdm20]

England, Ireland, Wales and Native American.

[mskdm20]

England, Ireland, Wales and Native American.

[drakeenus]

I live in California, was born and raised in Alabama.

 

I have traced my fathers direct line to England they came over to the US round about the year 1700. Prior to that i can trace the name back to 1399. The other branches on that side include French and Dane up to and including Prince Gottfried of Denmark who married Princess Gisela of Lorraine. Princess Gisela was the Great-Great-Granddaughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles Charlemagne whose ancestors were Kings of France, Dukes of the East Franks, and Kings of both the overall Franks and the West Franks going back to the year 15 AD approx.

 

I know there is also a lot of Irish and Native American in that side of the family i just have not been able to pin down the where and when for those even though my grandmother is half and half (like several others on here we don't speak to each other for various reasons)

 

My mothers family is still being researched all we know is that one of the branches is Scottish going back to dealings with Robert the Bruce as one of his most trusted generals. Beyond that all we know is that there is a meshing of Dutch, Irish, English and Native American.

 

By the way Tipdin I do believe that a Holy Roman Emperor outranks a Scottish King sorry, mate.

[Tipdin]

I live in California, was born and raised in Alabama.

 

I have traced my fathers direct line to England they came over to the US round about the year 1700. Prior to that i can trace the name back to 1399. The other branches on that side include French and Dane up to and including Prince Gottfried of Denmark who married Princess Gisela of Lorraine. Princess Gisela was the Great-Great-Granddaughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles Charlemagne whose ancestors were Kings of France, Dukes of the East Franks, and Kings of both the overall Franks and the West Franks going back to the year 15 AD approx.

 

I know there is also a lot of Irish and Native American in that side of the family i just have not been able to pin down the where and when for those even though my grandmother is half and half (like several others on here we don't speak to each other for various reasons)

 

My mothers family is still being researched all we know is that one of the branches is Scottish going back to dealings with Robert the Bruce as one of his most trusted generals. Beyond that all we know is that there is a meshing of Dutch, Irish, English and Native American.

 

By the way Tipdin I do believe that a Holy Roman Emperor outranks a Scottish King sorry, mate.

 

Hang on....

 

 

Let's get something clear - NOTHING - outranks simply being Scottish. Being a Scot simply MEANS being on top. (OK people, this is sarcasm...! It's a JOKE!)

 

Actually, you and I may be related. I can document my father's lineage back to Charlemagne, my mother's lineage back to Robert the Bruce. And being that you, a fellow Scot may be related to me, - a Scot - then that elevates you to the top as well! Welcome!

Edited January 20, 2011 by Tipdin

[drakeenus]

Hang on....

 

 

Let's get something clear - NOTHING - outranks simply being Scottish. Being a Scot simply MEANS being on top. (OK people, this is sarcasm...! It's a JOKE!)

 

Actually, you and I may be related. I can document my father's lineage back to Charlemagne, my mother's lineage back to Robert the Bruce. And being that you, a fellow Scot may be related to me, - a Scot - then that elevates you to the top as well! Welcome!

 

My Scotts line is from the Lockheart family which was entrusted with the key to Robert the Bruce's heart casket when it was carried to the Holy Land. Here is the Wiki link about my line:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Lockhart

 

We are still trying to get access to the family archives in order to confirm the geneaology lines match up with our research but it is sealed and controlled by the Lockheart family in their private collections and they rarely give permission to anyone to use their records.

[Cyhort]

Irish, German and some kind of eastern European country that we've never been able to figure out. We tried doing the genealogy thing in my dads side but we never got any farther back than Ellis Island.

[Tipdin]

My Scotts line is from the Lockheart family which was entrusted with the key to Robert the Bruce's heart casket when it was carried to the Holy Land. Here is the Wiki link about my line:http://en.wikipedia....i/Clan_Lockhart

 

A fine read, indeed!

Robertson is the clan to which I belong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Donnachaidh

 

 

We have documented the family lineage back to the year 950. Currently, I'm researching what it would take to have The Court of Lord Lyon grant me armorial rights. Even though I am an America, I would like to have an official coat of arms.