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View Poll Results: What is your ethnicity?
White, primarily 26 60.47%
African American, primarily 3 6.98%
Mixed (explain) 5 11.63%
Asian 1 2.33%
Middle Eastern 0 0%
Hispanic 7 16.28%
Other 1 2.33%
Voters: 43. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 03-19-2017, 07:18 PM   #121
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Some people are just curious, I guess. It might contradict my love for History, but never particularly cared about my family's history beyond my grandparents. And since I'm not close to the father side of my family whoever my paternal great grandparents were is irrelevant to me tbh.

I don't know much about my family past a couple of generations or so and never bother to research it. I don't think it matters much once you go too deep, especially into relatives your parents didn't even meet. Who truly matters to me are the people who raised me/I grew up around. Those are my family. My parents, my brother and maybe my maternal grandmother are the only people I'd actually call "family". The rest don't mater to me. And if I had ancestors from another/other country/countries it wouldn't make a difference to me since they're not my culture. Not saying it's the case of anyone ITT but it's kinda funny when someone from the Americas/Australia/NZ claims to be Irish/French/German... and doesn't even know much about those places or their culture or speaks their language. If your father is Italian OK, but if your great great great grandfather was German and didn't pass any cultural traits down to your other relatives then meh.

It seems some people from the Americas get a bit "hurt" when they go to, let's say, Republic of Ireland and people don't care that their grandfather was Irish and just view them as "American/Canadian/Argentinian/wtv".

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My curiosity was sparked, but not too much. For all I know my great grandpappy could have been part of The Great Train robbery of 1886, but it won't make a difference to me. Hell speaking of that, most of our ancestors are probably murderers or criminals, because that's how people lived back then.
If we go back 600 hundred years or so then definitely, but just about 100-150 years? Doubt there's any shady people in my family tree.
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Old 03-19-2017, 08:42 PM   #122
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It seems some people from the Americas get a bit "hurt" when they go to, let's say, Republic of Ireland and people don't care that their grandfather was Irish and just view them as "American/Canadian/Argentinian/wtv".
Yeah, I think anyone doing that is just trying to seek an hereditary identity that sounds cooler and more meaningful to them than their simple nationality. Which, lets be honest, in countries that are very much a "melting pot" as this one is and has few meaningful real traditions all its own, a national identity is pretty superficial. I can kind of understand, but they forget that their own ancestry may not be interesting to everyone. Esp if they run off and visit a place where that heritage is common and the least interesting topic of conversation. lol





Through the genealogy research I've done and the numerous documents available that I've poured over, no, I can't say I have found any murderers or criminals at this point... So far the family sounds to have been pretty much the same average, hard working family it is in this day and age.

The nearest I've got is one who was arrested for working at his mill on Sunday in the 1820s. Poor guy. lol A big offense then, but kind of hilarious looking back on it from this century. Wish there was more info on it.
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Old 03-20-2017, 10:29 AM   #123
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My curiosity was sparked, but not too much. For all I know my great grandpappy could have been part of The Great Train robbery of 1886, but it won't make a difference to me. Hell speaking of that, most of our ancestors are probably murderers or criminals, because that's how people lived back then.

No, most of them really weren't. Dunno where you get that idea but most people no matter what point in history, were simply hard-working farmers ir laborers craftsmen or the like. Criminals in one's family tree are rare. That said, there is a suspected tie in mine to the James gang, and according to my uncle, my biological father (who was half Cherokee through his mother if my uncle's account is true- my mother is suspiciously evasive on his identity which if my uncle was telling the truth I can see why) was apparently tied to a local branch of the Mob or something. I say WAS because the man my uncle named has been dead for YEARS, buuuut..... He married and had kids with someone else which means I may have half-siblings I've never met!


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Yeah, I think anyone doing that is just trying to seek an hereditary identity that sounds cooler and more meaningful to them than their simple nationality. Which, lets be honest, in countries that are very much a "melting pot" as this one is and has few meaningful real traditions all its own, a national identity is pretty superficial. I can kind of understand, but they forget that their own ancestry may not be interesting to everyone. Esp if they run off and visit a place where that heritage is common and the least interesting topic of conversation. lol

Through the genealogy research I've done and the numerous documents available that I've poured over, no, I can't say I have found any murderers or criminals at this point... So far the family sounds to have been pretty much the same average, hard working family it is in this day and age.

The nearest I've got is one who was arrested for working at his mill on Sunday in the 1820s. Poor guy. lol A big offense then, but kind of hilarious looking back on it from this century. Wish there was more info on it.

It's true some people (mostly USA) do just look at it as a way to give themselves some sort of cultural identity more interesting than just their country of birth, but finding that cultural history can often lead to a desire to learn more about that land and its people and traditions. It certainly has for me- enough so that I have acquired several books (e-books) to learn Irish Gaelic language. Partly I wanted to learn more about my heritage, and partly because I love Irish Celtic music and want to learn what the words to some of my favorite Celtic tunes mean.
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Old 03-20-2017, 10:56 AM   #124
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The issue with using one's Nationality as an identity is that it tends to overshadow the fact that people move. People have always moved. Our genes aren't beholden to borders, and if they are...then that too is an interesting story.
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Old 03-20-2017, 11:29 AM   #125
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The issue with using one's Nationality as an identity is that it tends to overshadow the fact that people move. People have always moved. Our genes aren't beholden to borders, and if they are...then that too is an interesting story.
I think if someone can't find a foreigner/immigrant in their family tree, at least in the last few generations, they won't have any doubts regarding their nationality.

But I also depends considering some countries have more defined national identities than others do. Like I've said, countries like Germany and Italy as we know them are fairly modern creations. A Sicilian is quite different from a person from Tuscany as is a Bavarian from a Hamburger.

In several countries you have regions where a big portion of the population wants independence. It's complicated.

If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say the most culturally homogeneous European countries where national identity is the strongest and where there's pretty much no regional separatism sentiment are Portugal, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Ofc you'll find some differences between people from different regions inside those countries but compared to other's but those differences are so minimal compared to the differences between a Dutch speaking Belgian and a French speaking Belgian.
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Old 03-20-2017, 12:22 PM   #126
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My heritage sucks. Spanish music sucks, spanish traditions are dumb. The only good part is the food.
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Old 03-20-2017, 02:16 PM   #127
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My great grandparents were born in Russia. Haha, I wonder if they said things like, "Da!" and "Comrade" and "Mother Russia."

Ahahaha. Just thinking that I have family from the 1800's from Russia, they are from the motherland. Hahahaa, I wonder if they knew Stalin.
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Old 03-20-2017, 03:08 PM   #128
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Originally Posted by CyberCubed View Post
My great grandparents were born in Russia. Haha, I wonder if they said things like, "Da!" and "Comrade" and "Mother Russia."

Ahahaha. Just thinking that I have family from the 1800's from Russia, they are from the motherland. Hahahaa, I wonder if they knew Stalin.
They probably said "Da" as it means yes, the others are English words, why would they speak English, why would they know Stalin? Very odd questions.

My ethnicity is just British, bit boring I know, nothing too interesting I don't think.
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Old 03-20-2017, 03:13 PM   #129
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Don't all Russians speak like that? That's what TV and movies have taught me over the last 30 years.
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Old 03-20-2017, 04:01 PM   #130
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Not everything from TV and movies is true though, Cubed.
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Old 03-20-2017, 04:50 PM   #131
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Not everything from TV and movies is true though, Cubed.
True. Reminds me of a scene in the first episode of the Original Cartoon

Raphael: Don't we worry April we know all about humans!

April: How?

Michealangalo: We watch alot of tv

April: We're in Big trouble....
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Old 03-20-2017, 05:40 PM   #132
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Originally Posted by CyberCubed View Post
My great grandparents were born in Russia. Haha, I wonder if they said things like, "Da!" and "Comrade" and "Mother Russia."

Ahahaha. Just thinking that I have family from the 1800's from Russia, they are from the motherland. Hahahaa, I wonder if they knew Stalin.
There's probably a good story there. Why did they leave Russia? Did they disagree with the revolution? Were they proletariat? Or Jewish?

Could be a fascinating story.
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Old 03-20-2017, 06:20 PM   #133
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Don't all Russians speak like that? That's what TV and movies have taught me over the last 30 years.
Stereotypes exist Cubed. Doesn't make them true just because they're on TV.
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Old 03-20-2017, 06:58 PM   #134
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Yeah, in 1800's Russia, their lives likely sucked. It was the time of the Tsars, long before Communism was a thing.

You might as well be basing their lives off Fiddler on the Roof.
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Old 03-20-2017, 07:06 PM   #135
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There's probably a good story there. Why did they leave Russia? Did they disagree with the revolution? Were they proletariat? Or Jewish?

Could be a fascinating story.
Cubed has mentioned before he has Jewish relatives. He's a New Yorker, after all.

Honestly, Cubed really gives me a Larry David vibe, now that I think about it. Just watch some Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes and tell me if you don't get the same feeling.
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Old 03-20-2017, 07:38 PM   #136
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I wish I could trace my family’s history. Unfortunately, like many African Americans, it’s a bit difficult to do. Some are lucky and are able to, but for some, maybe they can only go back a generation or two. I envy those who actually can go back centuries, knowing where they came from or lived and imagine what they could’ve gone through during that particular time in history. I didn’t start thinking this way until maybe my mid-20s.

For my mother on her mother’s side, we can go back as far as my great great grandmother. She was born in 1881. Not sure about my mother’s father’s side.

As for my father’s family, I have nothing. My father’s relatives were all pretty old so they died out before I even had a chance to start questioning it. All I know is that my grandparents were originally from North or South Carolina, but moved to New York. My grandmother died when my father was 19. My grandfather died when I was 11. My father also said that when he was very young, his grandfather was “taken away by white men” and never saw him again. No idea what all that’s about and neither does he.

So yeah, I would just like to know this for my own personal knowledge. Where is my family from? Where did I get my name, aside from the obvious (slave owners probably)? I have an Irish last name.
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Old 03-23-2017, 05:16 PM   #137
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Sucks enough when there is a roadblock you can't find any way past, that's got to suck that much more when prejudice probably made records all the more scarce sooner in the paper trail. (Not to mention the older the records the less helpful they tend to be anyhow...) Bad enough that women's maiden names have often been disregarded and get lost.

edit: Than again, have you considered doing that DNA test via Ancestry someday? That it may be able to link you with unknown cousins, it might be able to connect you with some folks who might have some info on parts of the family you don't know much about.







I love the challenge of researching genealogy though, and the rewards when you piece something together.

I made the mistake of hunting around for clues on Ancestry.com and elsewhere yesterday evening...and didn't finally make myself go to bed until after 9am. Luckily I didn't have any plans (ok.. so I'll run to the store tomorrow instead) and slept until 2:30pm.

IF the info is accurate, I ended up managing to trace one branch back to the late 1500s, back to England. (That would be a set of 11x great grandparents!) The info gets a bit cloudy around then, so I'm not sure about the accuracy, but late 1600s on forward looks pretty sound. So that was a surprise.

Esp when on the flip side I've always had a great grandmother, my father's own grandmother, I can't get past, for all the years I have dug into this stuff. This woman may as well have just magically appeared on Earth at age 15 with no prior existence or relatives. Both fascinated and frustrated by this mystery and what little is known.

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Old 06-12-2017, 12:06 AM   #138
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American by Birth but Mexican by the grace of God and a little something called dual citizenship. Both my folks were born in Mexico, and even though I'm a Chicagoan by birth, I'd love to move to Mexico one day, especially Morelia.
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Old 06-12-2017, 12:32 AM   #139
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My father also said that when he was very young, his grandfather was “taken away by white men” and never saw him again. No idea what all that’s about and neither does he.
Yikes ! Though...to be honest, it's obvious what happened .
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