Genealogy

agger_rob · #1 03-17-2003, 03:12 PM

How many people out there don't know what nationality your ancestors are? I know I've got some mixture of Dutch, German, Native American, Irish, among others in my blood. But to tell you the truth, whenever someone's asked me, I've always said "American."

SilverTurtle · #2 03-17-2003, 03:50 PM

I love learning about other cultures, so I'm into knowing about my own geneology. I'm mostly Irish & German, with quite a bit of Scotch-Irish and a little bit of Native American as well.

One of my good friends in college didn't have a clue what her ancestory was (her last name didn't stand out as a specific ethnic name, either). Whenever she asked her dad, he just said "American". It drove her crazy. Especially if she had a school project or something ABOUT her history.

I have another friend who knows the ethnicity of her ancestors, but that's it. Her grandpa always says "You never know what branches are hanging off the family tree". Which just totally makes her more curious about it.

cuaphi · #3 03-17-2003, 04:41 PM

My Dad's mom wrote a family history a few years ago. She traced her roots back to Germany through her mom's side and Ireland through her dad. I know a fair amount of maternal grandmother's family as well. Her grandfather set up a homestead in Minnesota that is still family owned. They're all German too. I think most of my family are Ellis islanders who showed up around the turn of the last century.

Unfortunately, both of my parents were raised by stepfathers so I know nothing about that half of my lineage (including my last name.) We're pretty sure they're German, English and Scottish though.

nyrdrms · #4 03-17-2003, 04:59 PM

My father is into building our family tree right now, so far between the two of us, we've managed to trace my mother's family back to the 1400s. As far as ancestry goes, I'm Irish, Italian, Welsh, Dutch, German, Cherokee, and Czechoslovakian (which no longer exists....I think it's the Slovak side??). I just find it interesting to research this stuff for some reason...

lifesaver · #5 03-17-2003, 05:56 PM

Yeah, we had a book published about 1970 about our family history. Of course my stupid ass older sister lost it. Claimed she doesnt have it. I remember giving it to her stupid ass. No one else has a copy. It was good too. Could trace the family all the way back to hamburg, germany, and even details why the original family came to the US. I guess I am glad I at least knwo where in germany they are from. A lot of peopel dont even knwo that.

On my moms side, my grandmother can trace back to the american revolution, but i'd have no idea where those papers are...

#6 03-17-2003, 06:10 PM

My mom's side is simple. She's from the Philippines and all my ancestors are from the Philippines too. If I looked far enough, I'm sure I have a Spanish ancestor somewhere, since they colonized that place centuries ago.

My dad's side is a bit more complicated. I did I project a while back and found out that I have Hawaiian ancestors who lived on the Big Island prior to Kamehameha I uniting the islands. I got my Japanese and more Filipino blood when the first waves of sugar plantation immigrants came at the turn of the 20th century.

My mom did a search on my dad's last name and found a bunch of them living in the Ukraine. ???

To this day I don't know where my last name originated from.

FiReKraCkEr · #7 03-17-2003, 06:13 PM

My dad's side....Spanish and Korean.

My mom's side....Korean and Hawaiian.

So, that makes me 1/2 Korean, 1/4 Spanish, and 1/4 Hawaiian.

sigmadiva · #8 03-17-2003, 06:24 PM

Neat thread!!

Different people on my mother's fathers's side have been researching our family history. I worked on it a bit when I was in Salt Lake City for a conference. I used the geneology library at the Mormon Center. Lots of stuff if you all ever find yourself in Salt Lake. So far my mother has been able to go back to 1852, my great-grandfather's birth. She is hoping to find plantation documents to go back farther.

I think someone mentioned a family name change? Well, I know that on my father's mother's side, my great (or great-great) grandfather changed his last name from Rasmussen, the slave owners name, to Rasmus. So, slight name changes are very possible.

japhir · #9 03-17-2003, 06:37 PM

I'm Irish on my dad's side (and I look it too with my fair complexion, blue eyes and blond hair) and my mom's side were all gypsy's so there's a mixture of everything. Her great-great grandparents settled in what is now the Czech Republic, so that's what the family usually claims to be.

Kevin · #10 03-17-2003, 07:09 PM

Irish/English on my father's side. Mother's side is a little more complicated. Includes both of the above plus black dutch (probably where I get my complexion), French, Spanish, Belgian, Italian and more. That side of the family has been in the US a lot longer and is much more diverse because of it.

librasoul22 · #11 03-17-2003, 07:12 PM

I have a little bit of everything including, but not limited to, Irish, Italian, Cuban, and Cherokee. The strongest blood-wise is the Irish on my mother's side, although I don't have any Irish-type features at all.

OUlioness01 · #12 03-17-2003, 07:18 PM

i have extreme irishness on my dad's side with some german, english, and french randomly mixed in. my mom's side is mostly german with a scattering of french mixed in.

smiley21 · #13 03-17-2003, 10:34 PM

i have scottish, cherokee, portugeese, and african blood all in me

i'd like to thank my parents for my diversity.
arent we all diverse? the term 'multiracial' needs to go away, cause really we are all 'multi' in 'ethnicity'

AchtungBaby80 · #14 03-17-2003, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lifesaver
Yeah, we had a book published about 1970 about our family history.

We have one, too. Unfortunately, my mean old great uncle won't let us have it even though it's supposed to go to my mom...but I digress.

I am the eleventh generation on her side to live in America (my family is originally from Wales). The family has been traced further back, supposedly to a British royal family, but I don't know if we're *legitimately* related or not. As for my dad's family, I have no clue, except that some came from County Cork in Ireland. No idea when. One of these days, when I'm old and rich and have nothing to do, I'm going to trace that side of the family.

White_Chocolate · #15 03-18-2003, 02:07 PM

well, on my dad's side, there's no telling. . .dominican, armenian, hebrew, choctaw, african, scot-irish, polish

on mom's side, there's african, blackfeet, english

i just tell everyone that i'm me. . .because the only proof i have are pictures of gorgeous people, indian robe numbers, and a tattered polish flag. . .and people think i'm lying anyway