North America is based on immigrants. That means that all North Americans actually comes from another place (if you go back long enough). I'm just curious if you people know your ancestors origin. I know there were a lot of scandinavian people who left to this "land of plenty" during 18th and 19th century, and I think many of them settled down in the mid-west. (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Kansas, Colorado). So many of you have kinship to people with guts and an adventurious spirit. (Not bad )



My own family is basically farmers and fishermen from each side. And I have roots to Sweden as I have 2 great-grandmothers who is Swedish.



So - do you know where your ancestors originally came from?

My Mother was born in germany. My father was born in the united states, but his family was also from germany.

My uncle traced my geneology back to the Spanish Conquistadors on one side, hence the spanish last name.

I had one grandmother that was 100% Greman, though.

My italian ancestry is logged at ellis island, but the other half of me is so "american". German Irish Welsh English, Scottish, you know, the whole mixed european deal. Difficult to trace to far back on either side.

Tracing one's roots is a fascinating journey. Been working on my family's history for over 30 years, yikes!

The thing a lot of folks don't think about is how many ancestors we have as we go back the generations. It's exponential. In other words, with no adoptions or other things to complicate it:

parents - 2
grandparents - 4
great grandparents -8
g g grandparents -16
g g g grandparents -32
g g g g grandparents - 64

You're not even getting back very far at your g g g g grandparents, probably born somewhere between 1790's - 1850's, yet at that point, your lineage contains 64 people to trace farther back, doubling again the farther back you go.

It's a shame then that some people only focus on their surnames, Jones, Smith, etc. That's one little stream, in a mighty river that makes up each one of us.

My lines that I know of, a couple came from Schleswig-Holstein in the 1600's, several are from England in the 1600's <-- all of these came to america late 1600's to early 1700's, one line so far from Ireland early 1800's, and etc. All european for now.

However, genealogy is tricky, because what you research may not be, probably is not, totally true. Every generation has some family skeletons in the closet, some minor -- Johnny was adopted and we never told him, Aunt Susy had those four kids already when she married Uncle Fred and now the kids think they are all descended from his line. Some pretty awful -- use your imagination. So what we think is our line probably has a curveball in it somewhere, lol.

Good topic. Thanks for posting it.

Burn is of Spanish origin? Yaknow, just when you think you know everything, something new comes along.





German on my father's side, I believe my grandfather was an immigrant (Karl and his wife Olga). My mother's side was a mixture of German and Norwegian.



-Pain

I can't get past the early 1800's in North Carolina but think we came from England the generation before that. Scary thing is my grand father, g grand father, and gg grand father ALL died on Jan 17th. Also have a grand mother on my mom's side that died on Jan 17th (with in mins of my grand father on dad's side 500 miles away). From now till eternity you will find me isolated with a full medical staff on Jan 17th

From the UK

Only have to go back to 1960. My father emigrated to the US from Italy that year at the age of 20. My mother was born here but her mother was from Siciliy.

Mother's side is from Germany/Poland

Father's side is from Wales/Netherlands

my ancestors moved to America from Ireland and were one of ten original owners of Nantucket island , they were wailers. it is believed ,that from my ancestors wailing vessel , the fable of the white whale came about and eventually became the novel moby dick ,it is documented as well as other events in history .

My dad and mimi and pipi we're born in Valdour Quebec. Moved to Windsor when my dad was a youngster and when my pipi returned from the war for the great automotive industry.

My mom...Windsor-- and my grandfather Scottish, my Grandma Canadian.

I always thought I had a little mexican in me as I love tequila, mexican food and get a wicked tan... but my parents disagree. I'll have to check with the mailman....LOL

T/A6Pak

My Family came from somewhere in Germany and from Gronholt Denmark. My wifes family is from France (Cajun) and Lebanon.





Where at in N.C.??



You're from Gadsden? used to know a girl from Gadsden,Melinda, married to a guy named Steve Humphries.

My father's side is an mix of Irish and Scottish, mostly Irish. My mom's family is a mix of Irish, Polish, and German. Hence my affinity for a certain class of beverages as exploration of my cultural roots.



Unfortunately I don't have any Mexican because I really like tequila.

German on my father's side, I believe my grandfather was an immigrant (Karl and his wife Olga). My mother's side was a mixture of German and Norwegian.


-Pain

[/quote]

A little Viking man



http://www.olavsrosa.no/en/redaksjonelt.aspx?id=146731

From a little irland in Norway on my fathers side, one of my uncles did some digging (many years - like Steel I guess) and my ancestors had the same name in the 1500's (1517 is the earliest we know of)
Mothers side: Sweden and Suomi Finland

this is a very intersting topic. im wondering if anyone has family web sites? we were very lucky that all my great granfathers kept alot of documented info so it made it easy to trace our tree back to the 1500s as land owners with coat of arms in scotland.



now we have a family web site which is a part of the family tree so you can easily add pics and info to your self and siblings . all of our family history is on the homepage and you have a tree option which you can click on anyones name and it brings up the pics and what they do etc... its really cool.

My mother is from Tromso North of Norway, my father is from Valdres in South of Norway. My mothers ancestors are from Sweden and Denmark. I think my fathers ancestors are from Norway

My last name is Wolf, Those Wolf's spelled with a "e" on the end, [WOLFE] came from England. Normal Wolf's came from Germany.



I'm also 1/8th Delaware Indian

4th generations back to Germany on my fathers and mothers side. So 100% Germany. From there, who knows.

My ancestors settled in Virginia in the mid 1700's from south central England. Come the american civil war, my great something grandfather fought with the red coats (don't hold that against me) and land was given to him in Nova Scotia for 'service' to the King after the war. We have been Canadian and/or loyal subjects ever since...

revolutionary war against the reds , also the reason why were having a cook out today ,civil war came later . whats interesting is we had settlers in nova scotia as well help wonder if its around the same time period.

Very interesting that so many of you are German. I didn't realize that so many Germans came here. I thought there was more Italian, Polish, etc. immigration than there appears on this post. I actually am a redman. Cherokee indian to be exact. Just need to get registered so I can hop on all those tax breaks and reparations.

A big thank you to the white man's tax dollars!

Feel free to blow all your money at my casino!

Ah, so your another one of us who has been fighting illegal immigration for a couple hundred years.

Mothers side German and Romary gypsy....Fathers side Italian..

My father's mother was from Armagh, N. Ireland. Her mother worked a Cunard line between Liverpool and New York. My mothers parents were from Sicily. My great uncle was at Pearl Harbor. My step grandfather (or something) was at Iwo Jima. My uncle was a MASH surgeon who didn't speak for years after coming home from Nam.
I know no stories about any of them because we don't talk about bad times in our family.
It's all roses and what not whey I'm told our history, except for the things we can't talk about, like Pearl Harbor or Vietnam....

Sorry, the wife's grandfather has told me LOT'S of stories about Iwo Jima. He totally rocks. He still takes "marine" showers, even when he comes to visit. 5 seconds of water... a few minutes later followed by 5 seconds of water.
This is neither here nor there.

Hey Axel, you ever hear of the Lowerys? Lumbee indians from Robenson county? I used to be best friends with james lowery's GG Grandson. He's the one who defeated the homeguard in Robenson. theres a book out about them called "Nowhere else on earth". He was just as crazy as they say is GG granpa was.

My family has been fighting terrorism since 1492.


And Keystone, I have heard of the Lumbees, but am not familiar with them. As for for the Lowerys, I know nothing about them.

I have 2 cousins that have done extensive research on this matter.

My grandparents, on my fathers side, came to the U.S. from Isle Verte, P.Q. Canada.

But before that, my great x8 grandfather came to Quebec City, Canada from France around 1630-1640.

My mothers side is also french canadian.