My ancestry is a jigsaw puzzle -- dating back to pre-Revolutionary War days on one hand with constant infusions from immigration since then otoh -- reflected in a DNA pool of swirling question marks that only adds to the mystery. How could one not be fascinated as to the circumstances and decision making that led to some of the migrations?
The biggest unsolved piece is where my paternal grandmother's parents actually were from. I know they immigrated from Baden in the early 1800's, even have the manifest listings on the ships they came on. Have what most likely was a wedding photograph of my great-grandmother from a professional photography studio in Baden, the gilded name of which is embossed on the photo. I know they were married in Baden, she was still a teenager, and he immediately left for America saying he would send for her. Talk about trust! But a year later he did, and she worked as a maid during the intervening period.
But where either orignally came from remains a mystery. You have to realize that at the time Baden was considered an international city, much like Casablanca during WWII. At various times it had been claimed by the French, the Austrian Empire, and the emerging German nation with the duchy switching allegiance depending upon which way the winds were blowing. My great-grandpa unabashedly saw the impending Franco-Prussian war coming and was fleeing before he was conscripted by either side. I have his naturalization papers from when he became a U.S. Citizen in which he renounced his allegiance to Emperor Franz Josef, suggesting he came from the Austrian side, but not from where. Both may have been local kids who grew up in Baden and had ties to both sides. Or they may have come to Baden since it was considered an International City, and was a gateway to America, where U.S. companies actually had recruiting offices seeking immigrant labor. My great-grandmother had a maiden surname suggesting East European Jewish, which would explain that little piece in my DNA. But Baden has been a dead-end on that ancestral trail for me.
Yes. I should ask my parents next time I see them. I sometimes watch documentaries or just watch people talk about things online. People talk about their great great grandparents and where they lived and where they traveled to and work and I'm like 🤔 Where did mine work. I just know Grandma was a seamstress and wanted to open a business related to it. All I know about my other grandma is that she was mean as hell. Hated going to her house and getting dropped off 😅 I know nothing about my grandpa's. One died before I was born and the other when I was a little baby. I have seen just one picture and realize I look alot like him.
Yeah. My G-G- grandfather was born in Tennessee and is buried in an unmarked grave about 15-20 miles from here(in Alabama). As near as I can figure all his siblings as well as his father ended up buried in Texas.
One of the odd things I recently learned is that GG grandpa bought land that had belonged to one of his brothers in Tennessee ( the brother was already living in Texas) about 1866. I'm not sure if he had planned to move back and never got around to it, or he just got it for a good price and resold it. I'm not sure what happened to that land, my best guess is that some of the family in Tennessee ended up with it.
I am a bit. I found it a little sad that all the women on my mom's side of the family had been servants/maids before getting married. All lived in extreme poverty for a portion of their lives.
And, in looking into my ancestry, on my mother's side, every other generation lost their mother. My mom lost hers, so I didn't. But, if the pattern had stuck, My children should have lost me when they were quite small, or one of my two cousins should have lost a wife. But this hasn't happened and is the first in many generations.
I've traced mine as far back as Viking era; there's been a lot of crossover/confusion between historical figures & norse mythology; but the earliest record I've found for someone bearing my last name was a Viking/Swedish king who himself was a descendant of Ragnar Lothbrok
I understand the curiosity behind wanting to know more … sure
My Nanna was a landgirl’ during the time of WW2 … the stories she would share fascinated me … that’s how I got into reading Tolkien’s books also how special jam sandwiches were back then lol bless her beautiful heart 😌🌹
