Who Else Wonders?
So who is fascinated by their family history? Or by their ancestry and how they lived in other words.
31-35, F
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
dancingtongue · 80-89, M
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.
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.