Has anyone researched their family history or assembled their family tree? I've just started, quickly aware that I'll most likely never know what my ancestry & ethnicities are 100%, it's great too that my mother just told me she lost EVERY sort of family history and record, nice...
I always took for granted that I was this much English, this much Irish etc. but even just as far back as 3 generations I already see significant indications otherwise, the fun little "hobby" sorta feel this had reveals itself as the gruesome undertaking it is, or Henry Jones Sr. spending his whole life on one research topic...
Experiences? Advice? Well, if we all started in Africa, at least I can count on that!
Yes, I noticed that. That's why I didn't close this one but posted the link more as a reference. I need to see where this one goes, if they feel too close to each other, I should consider merging the two.
Geneaology can be fun and very rewarding. It is very much like an adenture in it's own rite. I know of several people who have traveled to other countires to research their ancestry. Although it doesn't sound like fun, once you find a piece of your history there can be a lot of satisfaction. The first place to start is with . . . . . . yourself. I hope you know at least that much. Then work backwards; your parents, their parents and so on and so on. You may want to concentrate on just one side of your lineage, your paternal or maternal side, depending on which interests you most. Talk with your relatives, interview them, ask them about their lives growing up, after all you are creating a family history, it's more fascinating when you have actual experiences to enjoy as opposed to just a name and some dates. There are many resources available for anyone interested in doing family history work. Good Luck!
Yeah I'm sure there's no way else to do this without eventually traveling Europe. That's so far ahead of me now and it's sad none of my grandparents arenalive. My parents' info. is ridiculously limited, I'm still looking for last names on the 3rd and 4th gen. back. What I do know of on my paternal grandmother's side, or at least what's been emphasized enough by people in my family that it's one of the few things I'm confident in, is that her "line" traces to a Mayflower passenger. We'll see...
Excellent!! Ships' manifests are a great resource. Also gravesites, county and federal census information, military records, church baptismal records, the list is quite long of sources of information. Sometimes one tiny bit of info unlocks a great deal of history. Other times it can be very painstaking.
If your relative came across on the Mayflower then you should be able to find some info relatively easy. The Mayflower has been studied to no end.
I for one haven't compiled a detailed family tree, but have been working on it a bit here and there. My sister and grandfather started ones as well that I can thankfully work from. One bit of advice, if you are lucky enough to have elderly relatives close by and still living, talk to them. They'll be some of the greatest resources you'll have.
What I know so far is, that I have two sets of great gradparents, of which 3 of the 4 came over from Ireland. The 4th is mixed of German and Irish descent, so that throws me off the trail a bit. Also, from what I've gleaned from my family crest history and through researching Irish and Celtic history, there's a good chance my family who lived in Ireland and still lives there today, came over from Scotland in the 1700's. So thus far, all I know is that I have Northern European roots with predominant Celtic lineage and some Germanic.
Me and my grandma tracked my moms side of the family to coming over to america in 1791. I also had family fight in the civil war. Theres alot of others stuff but we cant seem to get back further than the 1700s.
