OT: I'm Canadian! Sort of!

[Darkstone42]

I will have to trace mine back if i get time. I did find out after my mother passed away that i am somehow related to this man on my mother's side of the family.

Pretty cool...

Alexander Hays - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You're related to that beard?


Awesome.

 

[elocomotive]

Well, after a few...hours of research (not proud people), I finally hit the jackpot. I'm the 11th great-granddaughter of John Turner, who died in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 after riding over on the Mayflower...that is after signing the Mayflower Compact. BOOM! AMERICA!

Phewwwww.... you just avoided a really awkward conversation with your parents.

 

[pixburgher66]

I will have to trace mine back if i get time. I did find out after my mother passed away that i am somehow related to this man on my mother's side of the family.

Pretty cool...

Alexander Hays - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'll have to look closer at the siblings, but I'm pretty closely related to a Hays family...in fact, it was that line that took me back to John Turner. One of Turner's descendants married a Hays in the late 1700's. But Hays, as well as Turner, were quite popular names.

 

[SLY]

I shall look into this, sounds like fun.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

when i was a kid on one of our summer long family trips to the homeland we did a road trip to rome. We have an uncommon surname. I can count on my 2 hands the number of "us" (that arent immediately related to me) in North America ... theres an unrelated chick on facebook with my surname who looks to be a real slut - but anyways ...

went to see the Vatican Museums and theres a long hall that has 16th century maps of the different regions of Italy frescoed on the walls. So im looking for my parents region ... Treviso/Veneto ... and the spot where my dads hometown is is my fuckin surname ... blew my fuckin mind

 

[SLY]

I thought my surname was rare for the longest time, I guess there are quite a few Germans who share my last name. Wisconsin has a town with the same name and Georgia has a County with my surname. I believe it originates from the Schleswig-Holstein area in Northern Germany, my last name meaning is "fish seller/blackthorn berry seller". Nothing cool...

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

How much can you really get from ancestry.com for free??

I may check it out.

 

[SLY]

How much can you really get from ancestry.com for free??

I may check it out.

I guess there is a trial period.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I guess there is a trial period.

That's what my parole officer told me too....


ZING!!!!:clock:

 

[Darkstone42]

when i was a kid on one of our summer long family trips to the homeland we did a road trip to rome. We have an uncommon surname. I can count on my 2 hands the number of "us" (that arent immediately related to me) in North America ... theres an unrelated chick on facebook with my surname who looks to be a real slut - but anyways ...

went to see the Vatican Museums and theres a long hall that has 16th century maps of the different regions of Italy frescoed on the walls. So im looking for my parents region ... Treviso/Veneto ... and the spot where my dads hometown is is my fuckin surname ... blew my fuckin mind

I think that's a common thing in Italy. Same thing is true of my family. I think it's a concept where they just got rid of the "of." So Alfredo of Florence would just become Alfredo Florence.

 

[elocomotive]

The trial period appears to give you everything they have. They just start charging you after two weeks. I can see why too, it's pretty addicting. Thanks a lot, p66!

I've definitely found out some cool stuff already like my mom's side lives forever. I had a grandmother born in 1842 who lived until 1940! That's insane for that time period. She was probably one of the oldest people living in the U.S. at that time. Also found out I have a great great great grandfather whose first and middle name were Isaac Newton (funny). Have found civil war photos, all kinds of cool shit. I'm a fan.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I think that's a common thing in Italy. Same thing is true of my family. I think it's a concept where they just got rid of the "of." So Alfredo of Florence would just become Alfredo Florence.

this is true ... its just blew my mind because like i said my name is uncommon even in other parts of italy and it doesnt appear as a placename on current maps. Ive never looked into the history of why,how or when they would have changed the town name because its a hamlet of 5000 and close to 400 have my last name. They certainly resisted the concept of diaspora -lol

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I think that's a common thing in Italy. Same thing is true of my family. I think it's a concept where they just got rid of the "of." So Alfredo of Florence would just become Alfredo Florence.

btw would have become Difirenze

 

[Darkstone42]

btw would have become Difirenze

I need to get out of this country.

EDIT: Ideally, I'd like to go to places my family is from. Like Cuneo, Italy. But I don't know where anyone else is from, so I'd have to do some research.

 

[dare2be]

I got information going back to the mid-1800s just using the free parts...I haven't taken the plunge on the free trial as I want to set aside 2 weeks where that is all I focus on, so that I get the most benefit out of those 2 weeks.

I also got a lot of information using Google's Archive News search (images of old newspapers).

 

[puckhead]

I went with my father to the place in France when his father was born.
stone and mud house, middle of nowhere (Bretange), still standing.
We are standing in the road taking pictures and stuff, and a little old lady from the house across the street (there are probably 8 houses in the whole 'town') asks us what we are doing. So we tell her, and she turns out to be a relative. Invites us in for some beer, chat about the family line, etc.

nothing exciting, we have been dirt farmers for as long as there has been dirt. But it was neat to run into a long-lost relative from the homestead.... and get some beer, too.

 

[pixburgher66]

For those interested in looking at it, here's a hint: make sure that you click "World Deluxe Package" and NOT US Deluxe. I sadly did, and it really puts up roadblocks when you get into Census' and Birth/Death Records from other countries. But you have accesss to EVERYTHING you would if you paid. Just make sure you remember to cancel and find a way to save the names and stories, otherwise you'll be charge a buttload of money. Also, as someone said, make sure you can devote the time to it, otherwise you're one distracted person...trust me. I have a big test today, and yet I spent 6 hours on it yesterday. Didn't even realize how long I was on it.

 

[Comeds]

A couple years ago my wife traced back my fathers family as a gift for him, and for something for her to do at a boring job. She traced his family back to the early 1800s in Wales where it became very difficult because my last name is one of the major ones in Wales. What she found was that there were generations of my family who worked in coal mines. Then in late 1800s my great grandfather moved to Ohio and for years they appeared to move around Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and finally Maryland where the mill jobs were.

Nothing exciting, in some ways the typical immigrant story. It was eye opening but not unexpected to see the boys that were older than 12 or so listed as colliers too. I cannot imagine doing that job back then (or now) and couldn't imagine doing it as a kid.


BTW your local library may have software and records to help you all on your searches.

 

[Darkstone42]

A couple years ago my wife traced back my fathers family as a gift for him, and for something for her to do at a boring job. She traced his family back to the early 1800s in Wales where it became very difficult because my last name is one of the major ones in Wales. What she found was that there were generations of my family who worked in coal mines. Then in late 1800s my great grandfather moved to Ohio and for years they appeared to move around Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and finally Maryland where the mill jobs were.

Nothing exciting, in some ways the typical immigrant story. It was eye opening but not unexpected to see the boys that were older than 12 or so listed as colliers too. I cannot imagine doing that job back then (or now) and couldn't imagine doing it as a kid.


BTW your local library may have software and records to help you all on your searches.

This prompted me to do some research on how common my last name.

It's not.

Also, Palindrome post 4114!

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

I thought my surname was rare for the longest time, I guess there are quite a few Germans who share my last name. Wisconsin has a town with the same name and Georgia has a County with my surname. I believe it originates from the Schleswig-Holstein area in Northern Germany, my last name meaning is "fish seller/blackthorn berry seller". Nothing cool...

Memorized and stored.