Ancestry?

GTOgirl1969

OK, the Viking thread got me wondering. Are there any people out there who really aren't sure who their ancestors were, or where they came from? My dad was adopted when he was three weeks old, and I know nothing about his bio parents. I do know that I have British, Irish, and German ancestors on my mom's side, and my grandma was a full-blooded Cherokee.

(The German and the Cherokee explain why I'm so willing to kick a*s in order to get something done, I guess:bigsmile: )

GTOgirl1969

OK, the Viking thread got me wondering. Are there any people out there who really aren't sure who their ancestors were, or where they came from? My dad was adopted when he was three weeks old, and I know nothing about his bio parents. I do know that I have British, Irish, and German ancestors on my mom's side, and my grandma was a full-blooded Cherokee.

(The German and the Cherokee explain why I'm so willing to kick a*s in order to get something done, I guess:bigsmile: )

kerrilucko

I was always told I was a European Mutt (there's Irish, Scottish, French, German and Polish mingled in there) but very recently I found out that my great grandmother was a full-blooded Mohawk Indian. Apparently she wanted it kept secret..... I guess things were different back then.

Kaybay37

My Dad's side was a mix of German and Polish. His dad was German and his mom was Polish/German mix. My Mom 's was strickly German right down to the blue eyes. I guess that makes me 3/4 German and 1/4 Polish? IDK, but the ditzy must be in that little quarter!

I love that you found out about your great grandmother! That is really cool. And you're right about it being a different time for her.

OomarianneoO

I'm a bit of a mutt myself. My mother is of Malaysian descent and is Filipino. My maiden name, I'm told by my father that on his side is French and my great-grandmother x 2 is full blood Cherokee. My maiden name is supposed to be French - DePew.

PhotographerOfNature

I'm an Irish Cherokee. Explains the temper and the stubborn streak I have.:bigsmile:

girldeese

I am finish canadian...apparently alot of people from Finlad move to canada?? But my dad moved here, US, when he was 10 and is a naturalized citizen. --That's on his side....my mom's side is all american from what I know......hummm......got me curious!

lyla29

I was always told I was a European Mutt (there's Irish, Scottish, French, German and Polish mingled in there) but very recently I found out that my great grandmother was a full-blooded Mohawk Indian. Apparently she wanted it kept secret..... I guess things were different back then.

That sounds a lot like my grandmother's side ( the Indian part, only she was part Indian). My father is 1/2 Norweigian and 1/2 Swedish, and my mother is English, French, German, Scottish, and I think some more, so yeah, I'm a "mutt" too. :laugh:

Kaybay37

I think all the ancestry stuff available now is awesome. I have an aunt who's into it big time. She knows her family all the way back to the early 1800's.

I'm not that dedicated, but it is interesting.

I love the "mutt" stuff. :laugh:

I don't know about Canada, but I watch Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. There's a lot of talk on there about the Norwegian/Finnish ancestry onboard the fishing boats there in Alaska, so that would make sense, right?

ali106

My dad was all Italian...so as far as he was concerned so were us kids LMBO, I grew up around all my Italian family and I speak it fluently and cook it etc........my mom is 1/2 Irish, 1/4 Scottish, and the other quarter is Native American and Swedish....so its much easier to go w/ the Italian thing LMBO...:drinker:

It is interesting finding out about your ancestry though...we are trying to do a family tree it takes a lot of research though! My Son is 1/2 Puerto Rican and then 1/2 of me LOL..poor guy he's got a fiery mix! lol

hugs!

briblue72

My dad's mother was German, his father was Irish.
My mom's mother was Lakota Sioux and her father was adopted.

Actually, he was abandoned in a field in Nebraska (moses-style).... so he has no idea what nationality he is. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, so that narrows it down somewhat!!

Livi_Loves_Pink

I know that my maternal Grandma is full Norwegian(her parents immigrated from Norway in the early 1900's), and I think my paternal Grandmother was at least mostly Norwegian. I'm not sure about my Grandfathers though, I know some German and maybe French, possibly other stuff too.

I'm most interested in my Norwegian background, I suppose because that's the part of my family I feel closest too.

SoupNazi

I am Irish, English, Welch, Dutch and German. I have discovered from my father, who I'm not sure why he never told me, that we are related to the late war reporter Ernie Pyle.

Cool topic GTO!

shorerider

I've done a lot of research into both sides of my family.

Scots/Irish/English/Native American on both sides--plus Egyptian way way back on my dad's side (Egyptian shipwreck survivor in 1752 landed on the Outer Banks of NC and become my great-grandaddy x like 25 or 30 or so).

I'm also cousin 9 times removed from George Bush and 11th cousins with Lucille Ball!

My great-great- great- and so on and so on and so on (you get the idea) granddaddy on my mom's side was in the second boat that landed at Jamestown!

JeremyInvincible

Welsh, Scotch, German, Cherokee.

Jones is welsh, though we traced it to the viking invasions in the mid to late dark ages. (Johannes)

Shew was changed from 'Shaw' after the Culloden defeat in 1746. They fled from Scotland to the New world and changed it to escape the British persecution.

Culler was my grandmothers maiden name, it was originally Kohler, very german. Her family were Hessian landowners in SC, they lost it all after George the III was defeated in the Revolution. They moved to NC and changed it to Culler.

My greatgrandmother was full blooded Cherokee. Her name was Barfoot (Bearfoot). We know very little about her family history aside from that she was from the Cherokee reservation in southern NC.

Phoenix_Rising

Irish (before Americanization, last name was O'Hurley) and Catawba Indian (via the Cherokee nation, who took in the remnants of my tribe after a smallpox decimation). It's likely I also have black relatives since my great-great-great-great grandfather owned a plantation. I said likely-- no one knows for sure, not anyone who is alive to tell us anyhow.

magichatter06

My aunt did an ancestry project where she traced some family all the way back to the mayflower, how sweet is that?:drinker:

That is on my dad's side, he's German and my mother is full blooded Italian..

we found out that there was a "von" in front of my last name but it was dropped, I guess to sound more American?

I think I have a little bit of other things too...french, english maybe??

Eve23

Good topic. I like this topic.

Well my dads side is Scottish though his mother was 3/4 Cherokee. My moms side is a little more complicated. My great grandmothers family were German who originated from Prussia. My great grandfathers family were Norwegion and the only thing that I am sure of is that they changed the family name at some point.

My husband on the other hand is adopted and we can't be sure of anythin for him as the records are sealed and it would be rather difficult and expensive to look into. The only things we know are he was given up because the woman was young. The families were catholic and protestant and very Irish if what we understand is true. He was in an orphanage till he was 9 months old.

alifelessevident

Lets see, great topic, i love family histories :happy: actually just found out some more due to the viking thread, went searching and asked a few more questions of my parents

Well my mom's parents:
grandma- her father was first generation Irish, his father was killed by a train and his mother went looney- he was then sent to live on a government funded work farm. he would never admit to being irish- the time and place was not the best for irish, last name was Robinson.
Her mother was a Shawcross and was of mostly English and Scottish descent.... I think I need a kilt of my own
My grandfather- his mother was a Danforth- English- nothing crazy there except she lived to be 101, and lived in the same house for like 99 years, and had the road she lived on named Parker, Which brings us to his father. We can trace that line all the way
to around the time of the Mayflower(supposedly came over on the second ship called the Mayflower as well) which may or may not make it english or dutch as the ship likely carried mostly people from Leiden in the netherlands. that line sprouted off into MA and founded some towns, also Captain John Parker was the leader of the Lexington militia when the battle of Lexington occurred.

now my dad's parents-
my grandma is first generation swedish 100% Anderson
My grandpa is a different story- The last name is Sheppard, and it is the same spelling as the scottish Sheppards that came over and settled in eastern Canada on the run from the law- which matches up with the stories that Sheppard itself may not even be our real name due to lawful matters.... there is also most likey some french-canadian and some Native American in there as well from the stories we've been told, although straight answers don't come easy from my dad's side of the family, lots of weird things, like hauntings, witches, shamans, and some odd "relationships" with some of my great grandparents...

But yeah now i need a kilt... but which tartan

dang i learned alot more about my family history due to this and i already knew a bunch about it... cool

cecilsmom

I'm heinz 57 of the human race also know as dutch, Irish, English, German that's from dad's side. And cherokee and creek from mom's side.

My grandma's twin sister died on the trail of tears. And I am like 5-6 cousin to Porter Wagner

calatibo

last name was Robinson.
Her mother was a Shawcross and was of mostly English and Scottish descent.... I think I need a kilt of my own

But yeah now i need a kilt... but which tartan

Robinson, like me (Wilson) is a sept of the Gunn clan (or the Robertson clan on, depends on where in Scotland) http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclangunn.htm (nothing for Shawcross, must be Irish?)

lets see, my mother is 100% Scottish, a McLeod from Orkney i believe, don't think there is anything outside of Scotland in that blood.

My father's mum was English and he was born in Newcatle (but claims to be scottish due to his father being scottish and he has lived all barring the first few weeks of his life in Scotland). My fathers great gran was Norwegian (and a giant apparently).

So, i am Paul Wilson, descendent of Gunni, grandson of Sweyn Asleifsson, the “Ultimate Viking” hero of the Orkneyinge Saga...here me roar :laugh:

shorerider

last name was Robinson.
Her mother was a Shawcross and was of mostly English and Scottish descent.... I think I need a kilt of my own

But yeah now i need a kilt... but which tartan

Robinson, like me (Wilson) is a sept of the Gunn clan (or the Robertson clan on, depends on where in Scotland) http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclangunn.htm (nothing for Shawcross, must be Irish?)

lets see, my mother is 100% Scottish, a McLeod from Orkney i believe, don't think there is anything outside of Scotland in that blood.

My father's mum was English and he was born in Newcatle (but claims to be scottish due to his father being scottish and he has lived all barring the first few weeks of his life in Scotland). My fathers great gran was Norwegian (and a giant apparently).

So, i am Paul Wilson, descendent of Gunni, grandson of Sweyn Asleifsson, the “Ultimate Viking” hero of the Orkneyinge Saga...here me roar :laugh:

A Scot-Viking, huh? Hmmm, so does that mean you hunt down and kill your own wild haggis and eat them raw?

Hey Cal,

My great-great grandfather was a shipwreck survivor who washed up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and stayed there. Anyway, family letters say he was a "Scot Highlander" whose last name was Rolinson (and he seems to have spelled it with 1 L). I haven't been able to find out much on this side of the Ocean as to what clan he might have belonged to--you got any idea there, my hagis-eating MFP brother?

chipper15173

my DH's 6th great grandfather is suppose to be Stonewall Jackson. haven't been able to research that far back yet. not many left on his dad's side.... his sister is doing his moms side, which i don't really care about

chipper

butterjoy

HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE JEANNY WILEY PARK IN PRESTONBURG, KENTUCKY? THE PARK WAS NAMED AFTER A LADY CAPTURED BY THE INDIANS AND SOMEHOW ESCAPED. ANYHOW, HER BROTHER IS MY 5th GREAT GRANDFATHER THEREFORE, SHE IS MY 5th GREAT AUNT!! WHAT AN HONOR.

JOY :flowerforyou:

MargieM

My mom was Swiss and German. I was able to trace my Grandmother's family (Johns --> Johnstown, PA) to when they came over from Switzerland in the 1700's, and my Grandfather's family (Schlabach) to Germany when they came in the early 1800's. Amish and Mennonite every one of them.
My dad came to Canada from Denmark and then to the states when he married my mom. So, he is full Dane. All of his family is still in Denmark. It was harder to trace his family because up until my great-grandfather, their last name was based on their Father's first name. So, children of a man named Jens had the last name of Jensen, Hans = Hansen, Lars = Larsen, and so forth. But the government made them pick a family last name and stick with it.

So, like in the viking thread... I'm a viking pacifist. Crazy huh?

jamerz3294

Wellllllllllllllllllll..................... since ya ask....
My adopted family's heritage (yes I was adopted as an infant) is mostly Scottish and Italian.
My genetic heritage (yes, as an adult I was blessed with the miracles of finding both birth mother, and father! So, I have just enough German to be stubborn, just enough Scottish that I look great in a Kilt (Clan MacKay), just enough Dutch that I love to explore, just enough English that my dentist is delighted, and just enough Swedish that my wife is also delighted :devil:

yoginimary

Slavic & Ukrainian on one side. Irish & French Canadian on the other. I even have a great aunt, who was canonized in my lifetime with a wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Bourgeoys - not that I inherited any of her saintliness.

BEFORE

I was raised by wolves.

pecksun8

I was raised by catholics, a lot like wolves.

My Dad's Mom was born in Poland, my Dad's Dad was from England. My Mom's Mom was Irish, German and My Mom's Dad was Irish and French Canadian.

So another American Mutt.

alifelessevident

last name was Robinson.
Her mother was a Shawcross and was of mostly English and Scottish descent.... I think I need a kilt of my own

But yeah now i need a kilt... but which tartan

Robinson, like me (Wilson) is a sept of the Gunn clan (or the Robertson clan on, depends on where in Scotland) http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclangunn.htm (nothing for Shawcross, must be Irish?)

lets see, my mother is 100% Scottish, a McLeod from Orkney i believe, don't think there is anything outside of Scotland in that blood.

My father's mum was English and he was born in Newcatle (but claims to be scottish due to his father being scottish and he has lived all barring the first few weeks of his life in Scotland). My fathers great gran was Norwegian (and a giant apparently).

So, i am Paul Wilson, descendent of Gunni, grandson of Sweyn Asleifsson, the “Ultimate Viking” hero of the Orkneyinge Saga...here me roar :laugh:

I looked deeper into Shawcross and it is originally English- the family name came from an ancient stone cross that stood in the Hiigh Peak forest in the parish of Shacklecross, in Derbyshire. from there a small group ofShawcrosses made their way to western scotland- Argyll county, thats as far as i have been able to find so no tartan for them...

and it bums me out because my last name is Sheppard and their tartan is more occupational, because they never really formed a clan per se that i know of, which fits my family lol. so yeah Robinson= thanks for the website, good info.

SoupNazi

I was raised by wolves.

That, my friend, explains soooooo much!:laugh: