- This topic has 15 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by
.
- Posts
My biggest interest is my genealogy. I have traced my family back to several kings, queens and other royalty including Charlemagne and Queen Elizabeth II. I go back to Rollo the first Viking b. 842 (?). Lizzie Borden, several US presidents. Edward Doty b. 1598 of the Mayflower.
I have done DNA test through Ancestry and FTDNA and have found several cousins and ancestors. I’ve been doing my genealogy, on an off since 1959. Who else enjoys family research.
Sa – man – tha,
If you ever decide to do DNA I suggest you do it with Ancestry unless you want to follow your paternal Y-DNA line then you have to go through FTDNA. If you do a YDNA test do a minimum of a 37 marker test or else it is not worth doing the test.Kathleen
I’ve been working on my family history actively on and off for maybe 12 years, seriously for the last 5 or 6. I had a major breakthrough a week or two ago. My 4th ggf and two of his sons lived in Indiana but married women in Clermont County, Ohio. For nearly a decade I wondered what was up with Ohio. I just figured out what was up with Ohio. (Inlaws I had failed to notice, one of whom was the richest man in the county at the time.)
The biggest surprise in my tree was the large group of ancestors I have that got caught up in one role or another in the Connecticut Witch Hunts and the Salem Witch Trials. Unexpected!
Second biggest surprise was that my ancestors weren’t all mid-19th century German immigrants. My Mom’s side is that way. On my Dad’s side my 4th ggf and 4th ggm were Gerrmans that immigrated in 1834, but the women in my paternal line below that are quite different. My 3rd and 2nd ggm both trace back to the Great Migration (1620-1650ish), my 1st ggm has some lines that trace back that far, with some lines that “only” trace to the 1700s, and my grandmother has mostly Southern lines going back to the 1700s. Thank God for the ladies!
Dee
ps ggf=great grandfather ggm=great grandmother. My 2nd ggf is my great great grandfather and so on
Hi Kathleen,
I too find genealogy very interesting. Started looking up my family history when I was in high school. I did research on my dad’s side and what I found was fascinating. I also love to sit and talk with my paternal grandmother and my maternal aunt and record the stories they know of our family history. I’m currently looking up my mother’s side of my family. My great grandfather came from Germany in the early 1900s. He left Germany by himself at the age of 12, became a cabin boy for a merchant ship and later became a Captain of his own ship. Not much is known about his life in Germany and I can’t find much in German records, but I find his life fascinating. He would take my Grandfather down to the docks in Pensacola, Florida, and talk to the German immigrants when they would get off the boats and help them out any way he could. He’s my inspiration. Anyways thanks for sharing, I love talking about this stuff!
Dee, one of my great grandparents was an accusers at the Salem Witch Trials.
I’m the one in the family interested in genealogy. I have a 3 great grandfather who fought in the British Egyptian campaign of 1801 against Napoleons’ forces. He wrote a little poem about an engagement which I have the original (and verified the action and outcome through online searching). I also found 3 online sources that mention his name and rank. Through another ancestral line I discovered that my great grandfather served in the Civil War, his son in WWI, my father in WW2, me during VietNam and my son during the 1st Gulf War. And we are not a military family – enlisted or drafted and were discharged. Our daughter bought the DNA test for me and my spouse and she found 3 new 1st cousins she didn’t know she had – nor did any of her known other cousins, a (married) uncle was rather ‘adventurous’. My father’s mother was adopted and nobody knew her heritage, but with the DNA results, I found one set of her grandparents, and I think I know who her natural father was and I’m in contact with several distant cousins. Family is mostly German/English, but you have to go back 5 or more generations to get to Europe, nobody that I know about within the last 160 years
Hi ChloeC,
First thank you and your family for your service to our country. Also thank you to anyone else who is reading this post who have/has also served.
In my family including myself and my father and his brother have served since before the beginning of our country. My family has served in almost every war that this country has been in starting with the French & Indian War up to and including the Vietnam war. There has been a total so far of 35 of my ancestors that have served, most of them were in the Civil War and Revolutionary War.The first one that I have documented was my 8th G G Uncle George Cleveland who fought in the French & Indian War. George was Armorer at Fort William Henry In NY with the army in the King’s service, French and Indian war, he died there 2 Oct 1756 after a battle at the fort.
I also had two more 2nd cousin who fought in the French and Indian War. One of them died in the war from a bullet he took during a fight.Two other cousins died in the Civil War. A 6th cousin died at the Battle of Wildernesas and a 2nd cousin died at Gettysburg.
I have a ton of history in my family on both my paternal and maternal sides. I wish I had paid more attention in my history classes in school.
Kathleen
I should also mention that I have a (multiple) great grandfather who served during the American Revolutionary War. He served on a sailing ship that had 2 names (Hogue was one I believe, I looked it up and it did exist), I suppose to fool port authorities or something. His last name is the same as my middle name, so I feel a connection. Anyway, he apparently had a pistol (you know, single shot, flintlock type) that has been handed down in the family. My grandfather was given it, but he only had two daughters and so gave it to his younger brother who had at least a son as they wanted to keep it in the /named/ family. (that hardly ever works anymore as more and more couples only have 1 or 2 children and chances seem higher now for one or the other to not even marry these days, which includes males). I’ve tried to contact any of my great-uncle’s descendants but no one has ever responded. I would love a least a photo of the pistol, if it still exists.
Because I care about this stuff, I’ve been given various family ‘heirlooms’ such as curved stem pastel colored champagne glasses (a set of 12 with individual plates and a large toastmaster glass, all very ornate) that were a wedding present to my great-grandparents in 1881, a silver very ornate coffee/tea urn given to another set around 1890, gold cufflinks with carved cameo’s from the same era, as well as a book of autographs, thoughts, writings from a great-great grandmother who started the book around 1840 (she passed away around 1899). I have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. I hope at least one of them will be interested in these (and other) items, but ‘kids’ today, if it doesn’t come from IKEA or Pottery Barn, they don’t care for it.
Oh, yeah, about my Civil War ancestor – the story is, he enlisted from Watertown N.Y. (way up there by the Canadian border) in August of 1864 when he was 18 (I have a tintype photo of him from 1856), and wound up serving in the Union Army of Nashville in the Quartermaster Corp. I wouldn’t be surprised if his parents begged the recruiting officers to station him somewhere safe as the war was about over, so knowing the Army, he probably pealed potatoes. He enlisted for 2 years and the war was over before 6 months of his term, so he went AWOL, found his way back to Watertown, discovered his parents had moved to Chicago in the interim and found his way there. All in 1865. No paved roads, no airplanes, very few trains. Amazing journey if you think about it.
Great memories and stories ChloeC. One treasure that I have that was given to my great aunt by her husband on their wedding day in 1907 is a large Mira Music Box which includes 12 music disc. It’s aprox. 21 x 21 x 15. It’s going to go to my brother who has two sons. I also have a watercolor drawing of my father’s father done about 1905 when he was aprox 21.
I don’t know of any potentially famous relatives. My father’s side originated when my great-grandpa’s grandpa immigrated from Grenoble, France in the 1870’s and changed his name to an anglo-saxon one. Both of my mother’s parents were born abroad before immigrating. Her father came from the USSR in 1960, having to bribe both soviet and US officials. He hasn’t said this, but i’m fairly certain he was involved in some sort of questionable activity, so he really wanted to and was forced to immigrate. His younger brother came with him and they have lived in the US ever since. They have an older brother and sister and a younger sister who ive talked to on the phone and on skype my entire life.
My maternal grandmother was born in Belfast and immigrated to escape The Troubles. She has a sister and 2 brothers who come to the states every few years to see us. I’ve never been to Ireland or Russia but i hope to visit both one day!
Isn’t Charlemagne one of those that if you have even the smallest amount of european ancestry you will be related to him. Its just a numbers game. Ceetainly with Europeans once you go back far enough you all just end up with the same ancestors.
Charlotte/ Charley;
Yes Charlotte you are correct. For every generation you go back your DNA is split by 50%. Once you get back far enough the DNA trail is so minuscule and minute that it is next to impossible, for the general public to trace, therefore you must rely on a paper trail. Such is the case with myself and Charlemagne, who is my 38th great grandfather and I have documented a paper trail on my family tree.
There are many records, documents bible, history books etc. that you can find and rely on, but I highly recommend that you don’t rely on someone else’s family tree and you do your own research to confirm your connection to the person back in history.
Kathleen
- The forum ‘All the Arts – Music, Movies, TV and More’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Recent Comments