Your Ancestry
- Thread starter vanthebaron
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Well I'm part German, Irish, and Welsh. I might be a bit English and Scottish but I don't know for sure. Although I guess the only interesting part of my heritage is that I'm part Amish as my grandfather was born in the Amish community. I can follow my Amish heritage all the way back to the 17th century and I know that I'm a 9th generation American. Probably not too impressive for those living in Europe, as I figure most of you can trace your ancestries back even further, but here in the US (or the rest of the Americas as well I guess) that's not too shabby.
I'm... not all that sure about my exact ancestry for... certain reasons, only that I'm more or less Irish/Scottish on my mother's side.
As for famous ancestors, ah, there's an interersting tale. Everyone knows about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, but do they know what happened afterwards?
To recap, his assassin, John Wilkes Booth (and no, he is not my ancestor, thank goodness), after shooting Lincoln, jumped from the theater balcony, breaking both legs, but managed to escape on horseback, eventually finding my ancestor, Doctor Samuel Mudd (no snickering, please.)
Dr. Mudd patched him up, and was later arrested for aiding and abetting a wanted criminal, even though he didn't know he was the murderer. (Though he probably would have still helped him, being a doctor and all.)
He did get pardoned years later, but it's... altogether a rather dubious honor, to be sure.
As for famous ancestors, ah, there's an interersting tale. Everyone knows about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, but do they know what happened afterwards?
To recap, his assassin, John Wilkes Booth (and no, he is not my ancestor, thank goodness), after shooting Lincoln, jumped from the theater balcony, breaking both legs, but managed to escape on horseback, eventually finding my ancestor, Doctor Samuel Mudd (no snickering, please.)
Dr. Mudd patched him up, and was later arrested for aiding and abetting a wanted criminal, even though he didn't know he was the murderer. (Though he probably would have still helped him, being a doctor and all.)
He did get pardoned years later, but it's... altogether a rather dubious honor, to be sure.
Not sure about much in the way of significance, but one of my ancestors was one of the founders of Barrie, Ontario.
my PA means "Pennsylvania"Ryokai said:
MagnetoHydroDynamics said:
funny thing is out ancestors probably knew each other.CrazyGirl17 said:
Most of my known "pre-colonial" predecessors were inventors and farmers.
Not really all that interesting.
With one exception. My great-great-great uncle (or such) fought in Napoleon's army, and is one of the VERY VERY FEW who served from the beginning to the end and survived to return to America.
Yes, he survived the botched invasion of Russia. So at least one of my ancestors was a badass.
And yes, he was a combatant; he came back wounded but alive.
The story goes, his mother built a church in his name as a manner of thanking God for his safe return.
Apart from that, I'm your generic American-Euro mutt.
By bloodline, it's mostly these three though:
1) German
2) Scandinavian
3) Scottish
Not really all that interesting.
With one exception. My great-great-great uncle (or such) fought in Napoleon's army, and is one of the VERY VERY FEW who served from the beginning to the end and survived to return to America.
Yes, he survived the botched invasion of Russia. So at least one of my ancestors was a badass.
And yes, he was a combatant; he came back wounded but alive.
The story goes, his mother built a church in his name as a manner of thanking God for his safe return.
Apart from that, I'm your generic American-Euro mutt.
By bloodline, it's mostly these three though:
1) German
2) Scandinavian
3) Scottish
edit: Also one of my ancestors was a portugese sailor which explains why most of my mums family is ginger and then there is one with darker skin and black hairEl Poncho said:I don't know any specifics but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Mackenzie
It's spelled differently but not many people could spell back then
edit2: Fail, I quoted myself instead of edit:|
Through my father's mother, I am a descendant of some Indian War/Revolutionary War heroes who served twice under Washington. The father and both his sons served, and I am a descendant of one of the sons. My father's father's family is more iffy, as my great-grandfather stowed away to get here and suddenly appeared in Pennsylvania with no real documentation. Before anybody can get up in arms about that, he paid his dues: he served this country shortly thereafter in the first World War. Through him comes my Czech ancestry, and we share a last name with a famous composer, but that composer did not have sons, so no real idea if there's any relation.
My mother is a Lee, a descendant of one of Robert E. Lee's brothers. A lot of people claim relation to the General, but we actually are documented. Through that side comes marriage to Cherokee and Choctaw peoples, making my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my mother and uncle, and myself, the recipients of land grants from the U.S. government as reparations. It's all desert, so basically I own a lot of rocks and lizards.
My wife's father actually has Abraham Lincoln as a cousin to one of his ancestors on his mother's side, making my son a relative of both Lee and Lincoln. Kind of a historic irony, though one I know is rather common (famous North/South combinations of relations).
My mother is a Lee, a descendant of one of Robert E. Lee's brothers. A lot of people claim relation to the General, but we actually are documented. Through that side comes marriage to Cherokee and Choctaw peoples, making my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my mother and uncle, and myself, the recipients of land grants from the U.S. government as reparations. It's all desert, so basically I own a lot of rocks and lizards.
My wife's father actually has Abraham Lincoln as a cousin to one of his ancestors on his mother's side, making my son a relative of both Lee and Lincoln. Kind of a historic irony, though one I know is rather common (famous North/South combinations of relations).
Jewish merchants from Italy who went to the Iberian peninsula, converted during the Inquisition, mingled with the French and Spanish, of which a couple hopped on a boat with some Colon guy, then mingled some more with the Taino and Africans brought into the Caribbean as well as sailors from who-the-hell-knows-where.
Apparently, there's a very small chance that i'm related to Robert Burns and/or William Wallace. Dunno if it's true or not though.