Have you guys ever wondered.. (Family History)

Where did your family start?

I was watching Who do you think you are? on TV and it got me wondering, I wonder where my family came from. Of course some people know there nationality (is that the right term?), but then some really don't. For me example, I'm American. But clearly most who live in America had ancestors who were from other countries. I've always been fascinated with ancestry and the question what were your great-great-great-great grandparents like?

I know this is probably the most random topic ever but it's just so fascinating to me. XD

well I know I had ancestors on my dad's side who came over on the Mayflower. My great-Grandfather fought Feannians ( I think) here in Ontario. I have a great(great?) uncle on mom's side who worked on Pinocchio. On mom's side mom's mom's ancestors came over from Ireland(?) because of the Potato Famine and some of my mom's dad's ancestors were Loyalists.

Actually, yes. My Grandparents on my Dad's side also asked this question, but since they're retired, they did something about it.

They managed to chart our family tree back to about four different countries. The family name originates in Northern Ireland, with most of our ancestors actually being from Scotland. The third most prevalent relatives are German, while there's a small portion of them originating around Sussex in England. I also had one Swedish ancestor, who's genes apparently were pretty strong. His blue eyes from seven generations ago were inherited by every male child since, up to my older brother who got my mother's eyes.

My mom's side of the family is from Southern Ireland and Germany only, as far as we know. There hasn't been as much research done on her side. My mother's surname (Lynch, incidentally) is a lot more obviously Irish than my father's, so it was fairly simple to track down the first few relatives.

Oh yes, and we've tried to trace our family back, but it's been very hard. It's turned out to be fairly easy on my mothers side, but my dads has been very difficult. I know I have relative, on my mothers side, that born in France. I know my great-grandfather and great-grandmother were from New Brunswick then moved to Maine and my grandfather was the first US born citizen in my dads side of the family, but my dads mothers side...we can't find anything beyond her immediate family.

It's interesting how you may wonder, what if this person didn't marry this other person.. I could be a whole different person.

I also love reading old letters.. my dad collected stamps as a child and collected this old letters, some as old as 1910. Many, Many were to this lady named Edith. The man writing to her was telling her how he wanted to marry her and talked about how much he loved her. Then there were post cards from relatives of my dad and they were from all these different places.

The entirety of my dad's side of family is Irish. My grandma had a family tree done a long time ago, and I was looking at it recently- I'm related to some important Irish church people from way back when. And I suppose before Ireland existed, my family would have been Frankish, and before that Romans.

My mom's family is (eastern) Indian- she moved to the US for college. They're all Brahmin, which is the highest caste, so I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to trace her side if I ever tried.

All I know is there is Cherokee Indian on my moms side (shes like 25% or something, and Im not sure about the other 75%)

And there is Irish on my dad's side. I think I am mainly Irish, a small percentage of Cherokee Indian, and I'm sure I'm mixed with some other stuff but I don't know. I dont really look Irish though. I have dark hair, green eyes, and kind of medium complexion. Most Irish people I have seen have light hair and are very fare skinned, kind of like my dad. I guess I get the dark hair and darker complexion from my mom.

Thats about all I know about me.

A brother of my grandma once checked his side of the family tree- my fathers family ( motherside, obviously ) came from Scotland sometime around 1800.

The rest, including all my mothers ancestors, apparently have been living in what now is Germany since the have been wearing bear hides or suchlike

Most Irish people I have seen have light hair

Really?! All the Irish I met so far had very dark hair

Ooh I'd love to find out "where I'm from" I watch Who do you Think you are and I find it very interesting.

Well, all I know is that my Mam's side and my Dad's side are purely Irish.

But my second name is very rare, I don't know anyone else outside my family who has it. And it's not exactly an Irish name, I don't think. It doesn't sound Irish anyway. But perhaps it was "changed" from an Irish name when the Normans or the English came over and stole our land!

OH! Go on this website: HouseofNames (.com) - it's very good. My name has come up.

Oh wow this is interesting. It says my Second name was first recorded in Connaught - the west, where land isn't the best and is everly desolate, in the Middle ages that's where bad people went if they were to die hehe - the original version of my name means: "son of the devotee of the saints"

It says that many people of my 2nd name moved off to Australia, America and UK, which I presume is because of the English and of course The Famine.

And it shows my Family Crest, with the Latin words: "Lucrum Christi Mihi" - Withut Christ, there is no light.

I have to say, Paige, thanks for this thread. I'm very interested in History and now my family roots. I always knew even my great-great grandparents were irish - but before that? Hmm.

My moms side can be directly traced back to Ireland
but my dads side is difficult because his mom was from Italy and his dad is from a mish-mosh of places
My last name is actually Scottish and stuff xD

I went on that house of names website, and my dad's side has a coat of arms o.O I guess I should have expected it, because they're so Irish, and all. I'm descended from an Irish saint.

Hm... you know, guys, I seriously considered checking my grandma´s maiden name on that website...

but I guess "Black" plus "Scotland" might not come up with anything usefull

Do it Anna!

(Chat box!)

I just checked out my last name on that "House of Names" site. They actually have about 4 direct relatives of my dad's side listed on the page. His family name originated in Banff County, in Scotland.

Funnily enough, my grandparents on my dad's side started exploring my mom's side, recently. My mom called me over to look at an email from my grandparents, yesterday evening. In the email, they gave some basic information about their findings, including the fact that Jane Lynch, of "Glee" fame is my distant cousin. The name Lynch was first found in County Galway as early as 1172.

Well, quite an eclectic bit of info that I've found.

All I know is that my Mom's side is Irish, and my Dad's side is northern Irish.
On that House of Names website, they said my second name is English, and comes from an old English word, that means rabbit O.o

Hmmm...I went to houseofnames.com and according to that site, our last name is Scottish (which I think my dad has told me before), with some ancestors moving to Ireland, then the US in 1745! The first person with our last name to migrate to the US was 60 years old when he did it. Earliest known name is from 1190 AD (wow, long time) in Lancashire.

Interesting site...wish you didnt have to pay them to get more info though...

I looked up Conor on HouseofNames, I got - "From the Middle English "connen", meaning "to be knowledgeable, to be able, intelligent". Also from the Celtic, meaning "wisdom", and from the Irish, meaning "king"."

Being American I figured I was too much of a mixture to claim one heritage. But I just found out a few years ago (should have been paying more attention!) that my grandpa on my mom's side was 100% Finnish. So that makes me 25%! I was shocked to think that I'm that much of any!
I actually think it's pretty cool.

But my last name is German so I know I've got some other mixes in there somewhere, too.

Something else that I recently noticed is that I actually look a lot like my grandma when she was my age. All throughout growing up everyone said my sister looked like my grandma. But I just saw younger pics of her and I really felt like I was looking at myself (just slightly different)!

When I looked up my last name it says that a different name that my last name most likely derived from is from a small village in Shropshire on the Welsh Border. But some other variations came from different places in England.

Then my first name just means attendant. Thanks Mom and Dad. Haha.

I know we have a binder of relatives that I just need to look through although.. it doesn't date back that far.

hmmm, all I know about my family ancestry is that a lot of my moms is from Japan, and my dads is pretty much all from Europe.

All I know is that I have burrito in me. And that makes me happy. It came from the local taqueria. I think it has Mexican nationality.

Cheers.

Mcbean

I know my dad's mum's side is english and and bit italian and my dad's dad's side is scottish and irish. But my mum's side is just english, I think.