Do Americans know where their families are from?

[YoungGun21]

I'm American. That means I'm from America. Dumbass.

 

[Bateluer]

Yes, older generations typically pass that information on the younger generation. Its just that young people don't care, and won't care until they reach a certain age.

 

[RossGr]

50-50 English-German.

My German maternal grandfather came to the US through Canada in 1895 when he was a teenager. They took a train across Canada and settled in Oregon with friends from Germany. A few years later my Great grandmother followed with 2 other brothers. Seems GGPa and GGma did not get along to well, something about the oldest son. After a struggle where my grandfather took a pistol way from father or brother, GGma took the boys and went to a neighbors, GGpa burned the cabin, took a shotgun, went up on the hill side and shot himself. The relatives back in Germany coujld not or would not help. So I suspect that GGma had a pretty tough row to hoe.

A few years later ~1820 the older brother was shot by a neighbor in a squabble over the use of a pasture. You might say that was and immigration gone wrong.

My Maternal Gma was born in Bowie Station Arizona in the same time frame that Geronimo was captured and send East on a train from Bowie Station. Her Gpa (my GGGpa) had joined the Mormons in Missouri and was in the first Mormon move to Salt Lake city. That side of the family fought in the Revolutionary war, they came from England pretty early.

On dads side, his Gpa, dad and 2 uncles were running the Mora county Ranch in New Mexico from about 1900 - 1920. Three cowboys, all well over 6' tall with a short dad in Mora county NM. Does that ring any bells for anyone? No, my name is not Sackett, but maybe it could be! Dads paternal side came from England in about 1830 settling in Iowa.

Dads Moms family is harder, it it is also German and English, Gma was born in Colorado, her grandfather was in the Colorado 7th cav and may have participated in the disgraceful massacre at Sand Creek.

 

[Turin39789]

iirc, english-spanish-german-french-amerindian

hildebrand-blandito-vorderstrausse-faudi-possiblemtyhthateveryfamilyhas

 

[Arkaign]

My family is traceable back to the 10th century in one trail from my dad on back. I am related to Max Von Sydow as well.

Dad direct : Swedish Dad, German Mom
Mom direct : Old scottish family that came in the 1700s

 

[RedArmy]

Britain and Germany reppprreesseenntttt

 

[Asparagus]

I know I'm part German, English, and Danish...and probably a mixture of a bunch of other nationalities since I know nothing about either of my grandfathers. None of the lineage has been traced back beyond my great grandparents.

 

[Ruptga]

I'm a Viking! Well sorta anyway, my last name is scottish, but there's also english, irish, german, and cherokee in there in various amounts (and those are just the ones I can remember), and I am 6'4" with blonde hair

 

[SsupernovaE]

50% Greek
25% German
12.5% Welsh
6.25% Irish
6.25% Cherokee

 

[Perknose]

50% French, 25% Irish, 25% English, with a soupcon of Welsh.

My mom's French mom's family goes back to the late 1700's, both in Canada and in New England.

I'm not precisely sure about the roots on the Irish side, except that they are at least from the 1840's or so. My cousin Dennis found a Timothy R. who was a Union soldier prisioner in the notorious Southern prison of Andersonville, whose pre-war residence was in Brookline (part of Boston where I still have relatives) in the National Archives, but no second, independent confirmation that this guy was from our family.

My Dad's mom was a French survivor of the Titanic (1912), who married an English immigrant and settled in New York city.

My Dad went to Stuyvesant High School in NY (Bed-Sty, anyone?) when there wasn't one single black, but there were 5,000 students, all male.

 

[Linflas]

Italian on my mothers side and English on my fathers side. Italian grandfather came over by himself in 1908 when he was 12 from Cosenza/Mendecino. On my fathers side I have traced back to the late 1700's when my ancestors moved from Delaware to what is now Wicomico County MD.

 

[herm0016]

yes. my grandfather/dads family is from Baden Baden Germany, my grandmother on my fathers side is nearly all Irish with some french in their. my moms family i know less about, but they are English and french and dutch mostly, with some native American mixed in.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
I'm a Viking! Well sorta anyway, my last name is scottish, but there's also english, irish, german, and cherokee in there in various amounts (and those are just the ones I can remember), and I am 6'4" with blonde hair

Do you like Techno music? Can you dance? Are you intense?

 

[darkxshade]

100% 'uman

 

[BW86]

75% German
15% Italian

 

[compman25]

Heinz 57 here.

 

[adairusmc]

100% Oregonian here.

 

[KillerCharlie]

A lot of families in the US keep a detailed family tree. I'm personally not extremely familiar with my lineage (though my parents are and have it written down).

- between 1/4 and 1/2 Norwegian (grandfather is 100% Norwegian and was the third generation born in the US)
- <1/4 Serbian
- A whole mix of other stuff (thanks to my Mom's side, especially her mother's side)

 

[jackace]

I'm a mut myself, but I do know that my great grandfather on my dad's side was full blood German. My grandparents have done a lot of research on our ancestors and the majority of them come from England and Germany.

 

[HardcoreRomantic]

My dad's side of the family is Norwegian, and we still still keep a few traditions (we make some damn good lefse, kransekake, and krumkake... thankfully not the lutefisk). On my mom's side, we're English and Irish. My great uncle (grandma's youngest brother) has done some pretty extensive research into our English lineage. I think it's really cool.

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
I'm a Viking! Well sorta anyway, my last name is scottish, but there's also english, irish, german, and cherokee in there in various amounts (and those are just the ones I can remember), and I am 6'4" with blonde hair

Do you like Techno music? Can you dance? Are you intense?

ehh, a little bit, but if mixing those three will make me look like this guy I think I'll steer clear.

Edit: cain't speel

 

[timosyy]

Heh ... Taiwan. I'm the first generation here -.-

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Carlis
Considering that America is a young nation that was intensively migrated to during the 19:th century and perhaps even into the 20:th century, does Americans know where their families/ancestors are from? Do elders tell their grand children these things?

my last name is english

my family is a mix, heavily english, some irish, tiny bit of native american. my paternal grandmother has spent a lot of time doing genealogical research on the family name and a simple google search can bring up the coat of arms

 

[Leros]

I know my father's father's father came from Italy in the 1890s. My mother's father changed his German name to something English sounding during WW2, but he wasn't the first generation.

I'm somewhat Italian and somewhat German, thats all I know.

 

[Jumpem]

Not a clue, though my last name is Welsh.