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I was forced to watch "Roots" every year as a child by my mother. I got interested in it and actually paid attention when I was 12 years old. Due to being a black American, I thought maybe I'd find a "Kunta Kinte" ancestor I could read about. I have yet to find any African ancestors but have found that my family's story is different from the typical "Roots" narrative of black American genealogy. The only ancestor's I've traced to another continent were Europeans since some of my distant great grandfathers were British and Scots-Irish. All of my known black/mixed race ancestors were born in America or the colonies. Not sure if I'll ever find a "Kunta Kinte" type of ancestor but if not, I'm satisfied by what I've accomplished with my tree.
I read a book about genealogical research when I was 16 and started actively researching at that age. I still have lots of notes and cassette tapes I made when I was a teenager.
I'm glad to read you took an interest early on. Your genealogy posts are very informative. I hope your kids or someone in your family takes such an avid interest in genealogy as you do.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Since childhood. Between age 6 and 11 I lived in the country between an aunt who was really into genealogy and grandparents who were always telling old stories. I'd rather listen to them than play with friends, I soaked it up like a sponge.
About 20 years ago in my late 30's. My wife is first generation American and her parents each came from towns in Europe where their families had lived for centuries. Her father gave her their family tree all printed out and it goes back close to 500 years.
On the other hand my family is a mishmash of countries. I didn't even know my father or half my mother's family. All I had was rumors and stories so I decided to start digging. I sent away for marriage and birth certificates and worked my way back to the first immigrants that fell off the boat in NYC in the 1850's. I've managed to go back about a generation or in a couple of cases even further to their countries of origin - which is at 7 now.
Even though I do a lot of this online now I still like to send away for birth and death certificates and marriage licenses. They're just copies but I like seeing my ancestors signatures and holding these forms from over a century ago.
My mom talked a little and had some scribbled charts and she shared stories with her sister so I heard things early but only got serious at about age 50. My dad's side said they were "German", end of story...so there are still mysteries there. I had a friend who yammered on and on about his ancestry so I started looking, in part, to shut him up. I was surprised at what I found and kept at it. I wanted to know who and when our first "American" was (1609) and found out a lot along the way and kept going. Turns out I'm part Pomeranian (woof woof) and Walloon, Ukrainian and Irish, French and German (AKA mutt). DNA shows a little more including Scandinavian and No. African. There's some presidential cousins, nobility and heads-of-state here and there and the odd Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers. I retired and volunteered at my state archives and answered research queries and also found out more information. I was president of my local SAR chapter for a couple terms. Except for a few mystery people I have a diminished interest in new research now that I have five three-ring binders full of family stuff that needs to be documented in readable form.
Like what age did you first become interested in knowing all about your family tree?
Back when my dad passed Feb 2006 I got someone to translate a few emails to get some family history from his Hungarian speaking brother. I finally made the jump 2 years ago to do something with relatives I knew not only for my parents but for my ex-in laws. My son told me there were a few books put out on a few of the names. There is also Lenni Lenape Indians on his fathers mothers side. My hub doesn't know much history of his mothers mother who left due to domestic violence, leaving both kids; he also didn't know his fathers side so I've been trying to fill in the gaps.
I found a lot all over the place too when I first started out!
One of my great grandmother's was similar to your aunt/cousin as well. She answered all my questions and I discovered that I am eligible for DAR based on the service of one of her distant great grandfathers.
I had heard of DAC and not sure if we would be eligible for DAC but someone told me that you could join based on being granted land. Our Revolutionary veteran ancestor was granted land here in Ohio but not sure if he was the first to own the land officially. A newly found cousin of mine is looking into this.
I've got us back to the 1630's, might be 60's in New York. A numbered GGF was mayor of New York City in 1700 for a year.
On my uncles (by marriage) side ...if I have this right, one of his ancestors came over on a Mayflower...just not THE Mayflower. Who knew there was two?
When I was six, my mother brought my sister and I over to New Zealand (where she's originally from) for a huge family reunion she'd organised. She'd found reasonably close familial ties to a famous singer from New Zealand and she did up this really cool book full of descendants of my 3x great grandparents.
After that I showed an interest and she taught me how she did it. At first it was just copying her family tree from Geni, then when I got a bit older (around ten/eleven) I started researching people myself.
Since then I've managed to get back as far as 900 AD, and found that I'm descended from one of the (or only, not sure) founders of New Hampshire.
She also had in her possession a history of Kankakee County (1853) with my gggrandparents pictured and described. I have researched them for decades, never finding their parents' names or info.
You have their names and the county / state. Check the US Census and find the husband. It'll list him and his wife and kids. It'll also list where he is born and his parents. Good luck.
You have their names and the county / state. Check the US Census and find the husband. It'll list him and his wife and kids. It'll also list where he is born and his parents. Good luck.
No, sorry it doesn't tell all of that. I know he was born "near Liverpool" in either 1827 or 1828, and I know all about his wife. Census records are not very helpful for details and I have spent hours and hours with other types of records looking for him.
In addition, he had 13 brothers and sisters. But there is no information as to what happened to them. I do think he came over from England by himself, leaving them all behind.
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