Ancestry (Where are you really from...?)

[Mikegarveyblues]

I've been thinking about my family history a lot recently.

I consider myself English through and through but my ancestry points away from that. My Mother is Scottish but was adpted and we know nothing of her real parents except they too where almost certainly Scottish. My Father is also English but his parents where Irish (Garvey being an ancient Irish surname) and came over to England to work in the coal mines of northern England. There's rumours of Spanish ancestory on my Grandmothers side but I haven't yet delved that deep but i'm certainly interested in knowing my roots.

So what about you guys? Have any of you traced your family trees or thought about doing it?

 

[garrettb]

A few years back my Dad was dealing with a bout of unemployment. Never being one to rest on his laurels, he started tracing our ancestry. Amazingly, he was able to track our line of fathers all the way back to the Domesday book in England (that's early years of the 9th century!). Beyond that, based on our surname, we would be Norse.

He also found that an ancestor of his mother was an Irish Colonel in the revolutionary war. He was sympathetic to the American cause, so on the way over he convinced his men to mutiny and they ended up fighting on the side of the colonies.

 

[justmund]

We've got a website in Aus - ancestry.com.au while allows you to search a bunch of records. It didn't really help me, I was after records on my fathers mothers side, but anyway:

Dad's side:

Ancestor was originally from Gloucestershire, and was a marine on the "First Fleet" (the one that brought all the convicts from the UK to Australia for "white settlement" back in 1788), before that, I couldn't find much out. We've got a bit of a family history of war, Dad served in Vietnam, G-Dad in WWII, GG-Dad in WWI, myself Iraq (and Afghanistan apparently, but come on, it's land locked!). Hopefully that all stops with me!

His mother was an Irish orphan, she came over at some stage and lived in a convent. It doesn't help that no-one actually knows her last name (then again she probably didn't either), so the tracing pretty much stopped there.

Mum's side:

Mum is full-blooded Chinese, however she was born in New Zealand, as was her father. Pretty sure her father went back to China at some stage and brought back her mother. My family on that side is originally from the Guangdong province, not exactly sure of the village (mum knows and has been back there). I doubt if I could find much out past then, maybe one of my family on that side knows a bit more.

So that makes me 1/2 Chinese, 1/4 Irish, 1/4 white Australian

 

[slowro]

My fathers side is scottish and my mother is Irish that moved to Wales. I know so little about both sides and I want to start digging about and find out. My grandfather on my fathers side wouldn't tell us much saying they weren't nice people so I'm not sure what I will find.

I know my surname is from an Ayrshire clan, don't know where to start to be truthful!

 

[jfb]

I started this thread a while ago about 23 And Me, but it didn't get much love. There are a lot of people using this service for tracking ancestry. I think it's a pretty swell deal at $99. Check the site out. 23 And Me

 

[Shawn@PRS]

I've been able to trace my father's family back to England in 1477. The first ancestor came to America before 1640. He came over as an indentured servant at approximately 9 years of age.

My mother's family is Italian and since I don't speak or read Italian, it's tough digging up information. I was able to find some of her family in the database of Ellis Island. For those not familiar, Ellis Island is a small island in New York Harbor where most immigrants were "processed" into the US. It was active from 1892 -1924. The Statue of Liberty stands near Ellis Island in the same harbor. It has been immortalized in several movies, books and TV shows.
A few years ago I was able to go to Sicily and find the birthplace of my grandfather. It's a small town in the foothills surrounding Mt. Etna, with cobblestone streets, a picturesque piazzas and some damn fine espresso.

 

[cwhenke]

On my mom's side, we go back to 16-something (I have it written down somewhere). Dad was executed for religious practices, son was sent to what would become South Carolina for imprisonment. After 10 years of hard labor, he was granted freedom. He went back to Scotland for his family and returned to the States. I find it meaningful now that I am a South Carolinian...ironic when I'm told I'm not from around here.

 

[László]

If you get out the Good Book, and follow all the begttin' and all the begattin' you get to Abraham, my ancestor-pappy. And right thar in that book, why you can read all about how he was from a city called Ur of the Chaldees, which my Sunday School teacher said is smack dab in the middle of a place called Mesopotamia!

Yes sir!

So that thar is where my family is a' comin' from. We's Messapottamies. Whatever that is.

And all along, I thought we wuz Amurcans.

 

[Egads]

I'm the über Mutt: Italian, Austrian, French, English, Scottish, Native American. As far I know, there may be some Antarctican in there, too.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I'm 50% Sumerian and the other half has been genetically modified by the reptilian overlords from the fourth dimension.

 

[jfb]

I'm 50% Sumerian and the other half has been genetically modified by the reptilian overlords from the fourth dimension.

Ooh me too me too!!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Ooh me too me too!!

We all are brother. :beer:

 

[thieves&foxes]

English, Scottish, German, Dutchman, with a hint of the Irish.

 

[jfine]

My dad was first-generation American-born--his parents were Jews from eastern Europe; Poland or Russia, depending on whose army had won the most recent battle. They were from the same area, but didn't meet until they came to America in the 1890's. They lived in Portland, OR, where my dad was born. My mother's side of the family were German Jews who had been in America since around 1850--they lived in Richmond, VA. Mom and Dad met in San Francisco after World War II, and that's where I grew up.

 

[veinbuster]

French, Indian (or whatever the politically correct term is for the ones that were in America when the Europeans came), Transylvania and various other bits. I was the first in 6 generations born outside of the great white north.

 

[Albrecht Smuten]

Czech through and through, but there's some speculation, that my father's family was originally jewish. And MAYBE there's a little gypsy blood on my mother's side...

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Posts deleted. This is a discussion about geography, not theology

 

[vchizzle]

No idea really. I'm adopted. It's not high on my list of priorities. My [adoptive] parents are awesome, I've never had any desire to know anything more.

 

[crgtr]

On a boat from England as far as I can tell. Both sides of the family.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

No idea really. I'm adopted. It's not high on my list of priorities. My [adoptive] parents are awesome, I've never had any desire to know anything more.

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