How much do you care about your ancestry?

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Beyond my grandparents, I don't care, as I don't recall ever meeting any body further back in line. And if I never met them, I don't need to care about them. My wife, OTOH, is fascinated by her ancestry.

How about you?

 

[minkydog]

Not too much. But I have to admit,when we took a trip to Wales I understood things about my family that I never understood before. Like, why my mother and her sisters have olive-skin and brown eyes, given that their parents came from the British Isles. Turns out that a LOT of Welsh people have that same coloring. My father's family comes from England & Ireland several generations back. Out of the 5 of us, 4 have light eyes and brown or blonde hair. Only my brother has that olive complexion.

DH's family is from Greece. He is more interested in his heritage primarily because of his grandfather's story. Papa came over on a steamer at the age of 17 with no American money, no friends, and no English. He found work in a restaurant and slept on the floor in the kitchen becuase he couldn't afford a room. Eventually he saved enough to buy the restaurant. After he got a house, he married an American girl, bought up some rental property, and even had enough money to send some back home to Greece during WW2. It's a real American Dream story. Interestingly, Papa forbade his children to speak Greek or join the Greek Orthodox church. He felt that becoming completely American was his goal and that meant raising American children in an American life-style. THerefore, none of them really know much about their ancestors. DH and one cousin have done some digging and both of them cook
Greek. They both took classes at Greek School, so they speak a smattering of Greek, enough to get through a Greek Orthodox service, anywy.

 

[disneybound2010]

I would lovwe to know more about mine. I think it is fascinating and while doing some research on my Mom's side, I was able to connect with some distant, very distant, relatives down the line. They were more than happy to share family stories and were happy to hear the ones I had. Unfortunately, I hit a wall with a big chunk of Mom's side.

The only info I have on my Dad's side is what he has told me. I am trying to keep track of everything he has so that one day I might be able to start researchign that side.

 

[Feralpeg]

I love it. It is my own personal connection with history. I've been tracing my ancestry for about two years now. I have managed to trace some branches in my family very far back. Whenever possible, I find out what they did for a living and if they played any notable role in history.

My most exciting find was that my 13th great grandmother on my mom's side was Mary Tudor (sister of Henry VIII). I've traced all the various castles my ancestors lived and/or died in. I've done research on these places. It's fascinating, but I love history.

I will keep doing this for as long as I can. I hope, that when I am no longer around, my family will continue to document what happens.

 

[Music City Mama]

I don't care about my ancestry.

My DH isn't really into his or anything either, but he knows a lot more about past generations and has more of an interest than I do. Then again, he has an interesting background on his mother's father's side -- to my knowledge, I have nothing fascinating in my family -- and I don't really care to find out.

 

[Happy Mom2]

I was never into mine until I had children. My grandmother who recently passed away at 91 years of age spent the last 30 years of her life researching our ancestry. I am going to do my best to keep up her work. I feel she left us an amazing gift.

She has traced my PawPaw's side to one of the 27 survivors who came over on the Mayflower. I think that is really cool. Then again, one my ancestors is also the outlaw Jessie James' sidekick. I think all of this will be really neat when my kids study the Mayflower and other stuff in school. My grandmother's side came from Scotland, and her generation was the 1st to be born in America. We still have a lot of relatives in Scotland.

I'm also interested in my husband's side of the family, but his has been much more difficult to trace. They came from a small down in southern Italy, and DH is the 2nd generation born in America. His father died when DH was barely a teenager, and he is estranged from his father's side of the family. Only recently (as in the last few days) have I been in touch with his family, and have been able to get some information on DH's ancestory.

 

[WDWBarb]

I honestly didn't care until I signed up for Ancestry.com to research the history of another family (long story but it was really about a house I lived in). Once I got started, I was addicted. Unfortunately, I can't go very far back on most of the "branches" of my tree. But I keep trying! It's really interesting to know where you came from and to think that if these people never existed, you wouldn't either. And did they ever imagine far into the future and think about what their great, great, great, great grandchildren might be like? It's really cool when you start putting it together.

 

[DawnM]

I think it is great to know your family history. I was adopted at birth and know a lot about my adopted family, but nothing about my blood relatives.

Dawn

 

[Tracy Savage]

I love it. I found out that I am descended from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. You may kiss my ring now.......

 

[ElizK]

I'm fascinated by it. We know quite a lot about certain branches: one maternal branch were plantation owners in Virginia. One paternal branch settled in Sandwich, MA in the 1670's! And my great-great grandmother was a full-blooded American Indian.

I can't find any info about my father's paternal line. Not sure if there was a name change in there, or what, but I wish I knew more.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My dad's side of the family emigrated in the early 1900's (one story is that one of them came to America on Sept 6, 1901, the day McKinnley was shot). My great-grandparents on my father's side emmigrated from Ireland and the Ukraine. On my other's side, I know I have some English, Scottish, and German ancestry, but I don't know how far back they have been in the US.

I would like to find out WHERE specifically my dad's family came from originally. So at some point I will be doing that research. But it's not a pressing urge at the moment.

 

[plutotek]

I have relatives that have researched various branches of our family, and I hope to do the same someday, as in a hobby I can do when I need more sit down time than exercise. There are rumors that some of my relatives were people pretty much hated and despised in their time and beyond, but it's their stories that make the history interesting; grandfather worked in gold mines, great-great grandfather sailed over from Scotland, great-uncle had a bit part in Buck Privates (Abbott & Costello). Those are the kinds of things that make history interesting.

 

[cassiez76]

i'm fascinated by it! my mom's side is documented to the 15/1600's france. in the big family history book, my mom's listed as being born before her parents were married...a big shock in those days!

i know very little of my dad's side and i think that's were the juicy gossip is! i have half cousins that don't know about my side because my great-grandfather didn't tell his kids he had a daughter (my grandmother) from his 1st marriage.

i have a half cousin a few times removed that's a big federal judge in the area and i know he doesn't know...i'd love to go visit him and let him know about me.

my dad and grandmother would never write anything down for me. so now it's up to me to find out the rest of the story and let my son know (just how crazy that side is!)

 

[torinsmom]

I have traced my ancestry back to the 1600's on both my mom and dad's side. It is really fascinating to me!

 

[Angelhalo]

I have an Aunt who is really into geneology and ancestry. I couldn't possibly care less. I don't look at it as good or bad. It just doesn't interest me.

 

[hopemax]

I had an aunt and a cousin on my Dad's side of the family who were interested in genealogy while I was growing up. So I was always "around" it. Over the last few years, I have been doing my own research about my Mom's side of the family. This last year, I finally found out where in Italy where my grandmother's maternal and paternal ancestors came from. That's the part that my DH and I are fascinated with. The locations. I have one line that was in the US from the 1600's, but everyone else immigrated during the late 1800's/early 1900's. To me it makes history more real, than it would have otherwise been. And it has given us a list of places that we would like to visit. Like in Italy, my great-grandfather came from Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which is where the ancient city of Capua was located. And also, we can be watching something like Spartacus, and then I feel a tiny bit of a connection.

 

[charming23]

I am lucky to have family members who are as interested as I am because we have a ton of our ancestory traced. I find it fascinating and by reasearching I have found out the on my mom's side I am related to Patrick Henry, Betsy Ross, and Martha Washington's family. On my dad's side I am a decendent of the Wright Brothers.

 

[tvguy]

You just should be prepared for what you might find. My wife's cousin researched part of their common heritage and found from 1800 to 1900 and found a great great great great grandfather was a bigamist, married 5 times, never got a divorce, and had 6 children, none with women he was ever married to. Be a great TV show, kind of a cross between Sister Wives and the Girls Next Door.

 

[Buckalew11]

I think it is like hunting for buried treasure and it is a lot of fun when a door opens and you discover something new about your roots. I'm only into my dad's side (mom's been done for me). My dad's family isn't linked to anyone famous but there is some kind of connection one feels to these people that is unexplainable.

I found a far off cousin (?) of my grandfather's and it took my breath away when I saw the man's picture. He looked just like my grandfather.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I am very proud of my ancestary, my grand parents line includes "greats" who fought in the revolutionary war, founded the Ohio branch of the underground railroad, recorded the Lakota language and save thousand of Indians from extermination, served along Hudson Taylor in China and more. We have 5 generations of Ministers/missionaries/social activists on my mother's side.It inspires me all of the time not to be the generation who does not live up to the ideals our family stands for.