Who do you think you are?

There's been a TV program on recently in the UK about Genealogy, your roots and so on and although it does seem like a totally dull subject it can wield some interesting results and more importantly, interesting stories.

So, have you tried to trace your roots? Any interesting characters or stories crept up in the process?

For me, all i've managed to trace so far is my Scottish heritage back to the mid 19thC - all of whom seemed to be engineers and railway workers, a possible great grandparent/ ex-husband of my greatgrandmother who used to play for Newcastle United (does anyone know what C.B.S Team is?) and a possible secret Greek family from my other greatgrandfather's side.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, one of my cousins managed to trace our family history back to the late 17th century back in Norway on my great-grampa's side and any other paternal link. The one story that I really remember about my family, other than the fact that the last name went through a few changes, is a good bit of proof that klutziness is literally genetic in my family.

As far as tracing my roots further, I'm tempted to find out a good deal more about my family and look for more roots on where my cousin forgot to look.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

My mom managed to trace her side of the family all the way to 1700s. It seems like once we came to Alabama in the early 1800s, it ends here. They were born, lived, and died in Alabama (I am doomed!). Actually, it makes it easier on us like that.

I now know that my fourth or fifth (I have it written down somewhere) grandfather fought in the War of 1812 and a third great grandfather who fought in the American Civil War. Where they came from and who is who in my family, well more on my mom's side of the family.
When it came to my dad's side of the family we came to this, in 1850 some drunk irish guys got so sloshed they fell into a boat and woke up in America to become Tennessee moon shiners. Yeah, we're both mean, I don't really like that side of my family. It's hard finding anything too far back in that side of the family.

I found out today the true story about my great great grandfather (again on my mom's side of the family) who was a mail carrier and he happened to be walking pass a mine when it exploded. Long story, but I now know what really happened then the story my great grandmother told us, she was three when died.

I use to not care about these kind of things, but now days I really appreciate knowing this and where we came from.

How ya doing, buddy?

My family history goes all the way back to the Mennonites in Russia, and my great great great grandfather was David Klassen, the leader of one of the migrations to this area of Manitoba. From there it's pretty much nothing but Manitoba boredness...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I've been doing a good deal of this recently too. My mom has some traced back as far as the mid-17th century. One startling fact I found is how one couple really far back shows that one Nth-greatgrandmother didn't have to change her surname because her maiden name was the same surname as her husband. I know this is true (not because that's the only surname listed for her) because her father has the same surname as well. Rather bizarre. I've been trying to find out some info on some Canadian ancestors (Nova Scotians, to be exact) of late, but so far to little or no avail.

How ya doing, buddy?

Dad tried to trace the family history a while back. Mom's side didn't quite keep the records like his side did, but we traced hers back to Canada and Italy, and his side back to Germany.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I've always asked my parents about this because family history fascinates me but with the whole Communist takeover and fleeing to Taiwan, heirlooms were lost and papers were forgotten. My grandparents are too old now to really remember anything and my parents spent their life in Taiwan and never met the extended family in China. My mom once told me that she never asked my grandmother because the memories were too painful, seeing your family die and even now that they were out of the country, wondering if they were still alive. I think my brother asked my grandmother a couple years ago but he didn't get much out, except our ancestors were mostly scholars.

On my dad's side, all I know is my great-grandfather was the mayor of Guilin, this city in China. Both sides of my family fleed China in the late 1940s and before that date, not much is really known. Hell, even my grandparent's specific birth dates are skechy at best.

FELIPE NO

I tried tracing my family back, but we lost some papers when a cellar flooded, and the family bible is missing. (The kind where you mark the births/deaths/marriages of family members.)

I do know that my Dad's mom was a full-blooded Native American, and my Mom's Native American ancestors were in Maryland--thanks to the Civil War. But, since my Dad's no longer alive, I can't ask him about his mother.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by S?ecter

My family history goes all the way back to the Mennonites in Russia

Quite a few Russian Mennonites emigrated to Canada, it seems. My grandparents have several Canadian friends that are Russian descendents and have Mennonite surnames.

My dad's side of the family is easily traced back to the island of Terceira in the Azores, off the coast of Portugal. I'm fourth generation -- but only half. The other half is more intact: I can trace my grandfather all the way back to the 10th century, when my oldest recorded relative was kicked out of Norway for disobeying the King, in the Viking age -- and yes, I'm being serious. My great-great-aunt and uncle did research and commissioned a book of our Geneology to be published for all the Parshalls in the US. My grandmother is apparently related to Davy Crockett through my great-grandfather.

We have a lot of geneology-lovers in our family.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well...my mom traced part of the heritage on her side back to Scottland....then in between the family came to the US got into the plantation business. Then some family member got dissowned by marrying a native american.....that's all I really remember. I could be mixing up both sides of her family and times, though. She really dove deep into her past.....but I can only remember certan things....

My Dad's side is a mystery....other then he's English and Polish and that there's an area in Poland named after his last name....Can't really trace his English side though......

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I wish I knew more about my family history. My mother was adopted, so I really don't know anything about her heritage.

I know that there is Welsh and Cherokee Indian on my father's side, and that some of his ancestors were cotton farmers who owned slaves.

It's all very interesting, but it cracks me up when people say silly things like, "I'm Irish." You're Irish, my ass. We're all so watered-down at this point that most of us don't know what we are.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

My uncle is big into genealogy. because of his research, my father's side of the family has very large SCOTTISH roots. he's traced it back to the Pollack clan. he is now big into the Scottish Highland games, but he doesn't compete.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Simple: Filipino into 3 parts:

Malay - Our ancestors.
Chinese - Grandmother's Chinese and uh.. personal appearance.
Spanish - Last name and the height factor.

How ya doing, buddy?

How does one go about doing this? I've always been interested in knowing.

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My mom has a whole website devoted to geneaology. I could post up that link soon if anyone cares to see it. As to where I'm from, the important things about my past include that I'm related to former Vice President William Rufus DeVane King and the Stewart family of Scotland--yes, the royal Stewart family.

FELIPE NO

Cool, I amazed that you all know the history of your own family. I dont know much about the root since my dutch great-grandfather was exiled from the family. The main reason was because he married with chinese. Since then I never have chance to trace the history of my ancestor. ironic huh. I wonder what my ancestor actually did in the ancient times...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

My uncle on my mother's side did a ton of research on our family and created an enormous family tree. If all is accurate we're related to Thomas Becket on my grandfather's side and Rob Roy on my grandmother's.

Jam it back in, in the dark.