Family History
My husband is 100% Polish. One grandparent and all of his great-grandparents were born in Poland. Even a relative who may have been born in an area that was once part of Russia listed "Polish" as his native language. Polish traditions are still pretty strong in his family, and I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of their cultural heritage.
What is my own ethnic background? In short, I don't know exactly. When I was younger, my parents always told me I was Irish and German. They were a little vague on the percentages of each and when my ancestors came to the United States. Additionally, we don't have any explicit traditions linking us to those particular cultures. I sometimes joked that I was a "mutt" waiting to be adopted by a more specific tradition.
I have recently begun to research more of my family history. I have verified that at least a few relatives came from Germany, probably in the 1800s. Another line seems to go back to Wales; that family most likely came over in the 1700s. Everyone was here before 1900. I have to find better documentation, but family lore has it that I have some Native American ancestry and that a very distant relative fought in the Revolutionary War.
There are certainly some interesting details there. While other people search for service records from one of the World Wars, I have relatives who fought in the Revolutionary War and some who fought in the Civil War. I suppose you could say my family is very thoroughly American. That's not a bad thing, because American history is still very rich. We just don't have any distinct traditions left from the homelands.
As I learn more about my family history, I might also learn more about the cultures that make up my background. Then again, since I'm pretty much a blank slate, I could also adopt interesting traditions from other cultures.
Is anyone interested in celebrating Dia de los Muertos with me?
What is my own ethnic background? In short, I don't know exactly. When I was younger, my parents always told me I was Irish and German. They were a little vague on the percentages of each and when my ancestors came to the United States. Additionally, we don't have any explicit traditions linking us to those particular cultures. I sometimes joked that I was a "mutt" waiting to be adopted by a more specific tradition.
I have recently begun to research more of my family history. I have verified that at least a few relatives came from Germany, probably in the 1800s. Another line seems to go back to Wales; that family most likely came over in the 1700s. Everyone was here before 1900. I have to find better documentation, but family lore has it that I have some Native American ancestry and that a very distant relative fought in the Revolutionary War.
There are certainly some interesting details there. While other people search for service records from one of the World Wars, I have relatives who fought in the Revolutionary War and some who fought in the Civil War. I suppose you could say my family is very thoroughly American. That's not a bad thing, because American history is still very rich. We just don't have any distinct traditions left from the homelands.
As I learn more about my family history, I might also learn more about the cultures that make up my background. Then again, since I'm pretty much a blank slate, I could also adopt interesting traditions from other cultures.
Is anyone interested in celebrating Dia de los Muertos with me?
I'm a little jealous of your ability to trace your family back so far. I can only go back to my grandparents on my dad's side and not much past my great grandparents on my mom's. Happy hunting!
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