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Anybody here played around with geneology?

Smeagol

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I'm fascinated with my famly's oral history and if I can ever justify it financially plan to do a DNA database profile. There are a couple of shows I always record: Who Do You thing You Are formerly on NBC, now on TLC I think and Finding Your Roots with Professor Henry Gates on PBS. They both do extensive genealogies on celebrities.

Singer/Actress Vanessa Williams is of 23% Ghanian descent, more than any other group. Not sure if she plans to take it that far but the nation of Ghana gives African Americans fast track citizenship due to an historical claim of their ancestors being taken from Ghana and its vicinity by force. I'm sure there are some economic reasons too. There's a movement in America the lobby the US government to give blacks permission to become dual citizens of both Ghana and the US similar to Israeli-US dual citizenship. Former American Poet Laureate Maya Angelou lives in Ghana have of the year.

Actress Vanessa Williams Explains How DNA Powers Her Family Tree | Ancestry.com


Here's the Martha Stewart, Margaret Cho, and Sanjay Gupta episode.
http://video.pbs.org/video/2230372774
 
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I'm interested in my geneology, but not the DNA aspect of it. My mom's family was especially good about keeping written records from the time that family initially immigrated here in the mid-1700's. My dad's family wasn't quite as thorough, or good at recording names, dates, and anecdotal information, but overall, I have a pretty good bit of information on where and whom I came from.
 
I have quite a collection of family history, genealogy records, bibles and journals, photographs and charts on both maternal and paternal lines.

DNA doesn't interest me. The stories and provable facts about the individuals do. There are quite some colorful stories in the line, some well documented.

One line goes back to Germany traceable to the 1400's. Another is the Dutch line, don't remember the dates but prior to Peter Stuyvesant.

I guess to what degree you want to take it is the key to if you include the DNA.
 
I know my family history on my mothers' side till the late XIXth century. Basically the oldest I know is from the 1880s, in personal stories that is. I can trace the lineage up to the early 1800s on my mothers' side.

On my fathers' side, the communists did an amazing job of wiping out any chance of my grandfather ever finding out his roots early on his life.
 
I knew there was something I liked about you!

:lol:

Seriously, a few months ago, when I was doing some googling on my family history, I came across a man in New York who is distantly related, and he has done an amazing job of tracing the family that we have in common (from Germany) back to the 1400's. It was pretty darn cool, and he also knows my great-uncle that I used to see every year at the family reunions, and I was able to fill him in on some personal info regarding the family dynamics that he wasn't aware of.
 
:lol:

Seriously, a few months ago, when I was doing some googling on my family history, I came across a man in New York who is distantly related, and he has done an amazing job of tracing the family that we have in common (from Germany) back to the 1400's. It was pretty darn cool, and he also knows my great-uncle that I used to see every year at the family reunions, and I was able to fill him in on some personal info regarding the family dynamics that he wasn't aware of.

That's what I love about doing the genealogy.... I made contact with an older man in Long Island about 10 years ago, a distant cousin, who had bits and pieces of lore for our common ancestor that I wasn't aware of, and I shared what I had. He and his wonderful wife were coming down to Raleigh so the made a 5 hour detour to come meet me. They are a terrific couple, we had a lot of fun. We've stayed in touch by email and Christmas cards over the years.

On my Mom's side, by chance I looked up a name on rootsweb.com that I had searched for multiple times with no hits (brick wall), and surprise, someone had posted a collateral line that included him and his parents and back.... there is such a huge satisfaction from finding things like that. I sent her an email and thanked her profusely, and she responded that she almost didn't post it because it was a collateral line. Lucky me!

What software do you use for your record keeping?
 
What software do you use for your record keeping?

I don't- I just have it all written down. I'm not enough of a computer savvy woman to even know about software for keeping records, lol.
 
I don't- I just have it all written down. I'm not enough of a computer savvy woman to even know about software for keeping records, lol.

I have a friend who traces his ancestry back the the Mayflower. He also claims to be part of the British Royal family, distantly through a branch that he says has more of a legitimate claim to the monarchy than the House of Windsor.
 
I have traced my family back to before 1086 in England. There are some breaks here and there, but the name is recorded in the Domesday book, so my ancestors were around England before William I, and I carry their name. Fun. Never considered any DNA testing. The record is pretty complete as it is. It's nice to know where one comes from, but in reality, we all came from the same place and we've all been around for a long time. Especially in dog years.
 
I'm fascinated with my famly's oral history and if I can ever justify it financially plan to do a DNA database profile. There are a couple of shows I always record: Who Do You thing You Are formerly on NBC, now on TLC I think and Finding Your Roots with Professor Henry Gates on PBS. They both do extensive genealogies on celebrities.

Singer/Actress Vanessa Williams is of 23% Ghanian descent, more than any other group. Not sure if she plans to take it that far but the nation of Ghana gives African Americans fast track citizenship due to an historical claim of their ancestors being taken from Ghana and its vicinity by force. I'm sure there are some economic reasons too. There's a movement in America the lobby the US government to give blacks permission to become dual citizens of both Ghana and the US similar to Israeli-US dual citizenship. Former American Poet Laureate Maya Angelou lives in Ghana have of the year.

Actress Vanessa Williams Explains How DNA Powers Her Family Tree | Ancestry.com


Here's the Martha Stewart, Margaret Cho, and Sanjay Gupta episode.
Video: Martha Stewart, Margaret Cho, and Sanjay Gupta | Watch Finding Your Roots Online | PBS Video

All I was able to trace was the fact I'm a "Fraser" (Fraser Clan) Clan Fraser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm half Sicilian and I don't know much about my dads side other than it was mafia.. The Sicilan side is pretty "hush-hush" when it comes to investigating linage. I've asked and get no answeres.

My moms side tho - they were pretty successful and I found that I'm related to many successful people (second cousins and 3rd cousins)...
 
I have traced my family back to before 1086 in England. There are some breaks here and there, but the name is recorded in the Domesday book, so my ancestors were around England before William I, and I carry their name. Fun. Never considered any DNA testing. The record is pretty complete as it is. It's nice to know where one comes from, but in reality, we all came from the same place and we've all been around for a long time. Especially in dog years.

I was able to trace myself (half) back to Simon Fraser..

When I read about him, it was almost like reading about myself.

He's my great-great x5 grandfather however he was what we would call a "libertarian" of his time (he was eventually executed - he was actually the last man executed in the Tower of London).

I enjoy reading about him and his ideas...
 
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I was able to trace myself (half) back to Simon Fraser..

When I read about him, it was almost like reading about myself.

He's my great-great x5 grandfather however he was what we would call a "libertarian" of his time (he was eventually executed - he was actually the last man executed in the Tower of London).

I enjoy reading about him and his ideas...
It is fun and interesting to see character traits shared with ancestors. There are some "eccentric" people in my family tree - some of them quite well known, as well as others known for more serious endeavors. The thing is, this is there for everybody. It may not be as easy as it has been for me personally, but everybody shares a history in common with their ancestors and we can all learn a lot from them. I had one ancestor in England who was hung, drawn and quartered. Popular guy. Cromwell did it, but unlike yours, he was hardly the last killed for "political" crimes. We've advanced so much that now we make those guilty of political crimes just wish they were dead.
 
It is fun and interesting to see character traits shared with ancestors. There are some "eccentric" people in my family tree - some of them quite well known, as well as others known for more serious endeavors.

That does seem to be true. Many of my ancestors were preachers and farmers. I most definitely have a religious streak in my nature, and my love of the land and of growing things runs strong, and I am quite the ornery character just as one of my grandfathers was, and have a quiet introverted nature just as the other one did.
 
I have traced my family back to before 1086 in England. There are some breaks here and there, but the name is recorded in the Domesday book, so my ancestors were around England before William I, and I carry their name. Fun. Never considered any DNA testing. The record is pretty complete as it is. It's nice to know where one comes from, but in reality, we all came from the same place and we've all been around for a long time. Especially in dog years.

Good morning, humbolt. :2wave:

The Mormon Church in our area offers geneology tracing... maybe they all do. My brother is quite interested in having it done, but he hasn't followed up yet. Since the Church is close to where I live, maybe I'll go myself. All we know for sure is what our parents have told us about their parents, all of whom came from Europe. My mom's father was known as the strongest man in the village, and her mom was a blonde beauty. I guess I take after my father's side of the family, as all were dark haired. Of my children, only one is blond. At least we know what Country they lived in, and that they were farmers. That's probably why I enjoy gardening so much! :thumbs:

You certainly have an interesting heritage. Do you think that your love of working with wood is genetic?
 
Good morning, humbolt. :2wave:

The Mormon Church in our area offers geneology tracing... maybe they all do. My brother is quite interested in having it done, but he hasn't followed up yet. Since the Church is close to where I live, maybe I'll go myself. All we know for sure is what our parents have told us about their parents, all of whom came from Europe. My mom's father was known as the strongest man in the village, and her mom was a blonde beauty. I guess I take after my father's side of the family, as all were dark haired. Of my children, only one is blond. At least we know what Country they lived in, and that they were farmers. That's probably why I enjoy gardening so much! :thumbs:

You certainly have an interesting heritage. Do you think that your love of working with wood is genetic?

I've been to the LDS genealogy center up where I used to live. Believe only a bit of what they have, since they have my grandparents married in the wrong place and no children, which my father might have objected to.

Basic information from both internet and other sources, unless you have actual documents in hand, should be taken with a grain of salt. They can give you some good leads though.
 
I've been to the LDS genealogy center up where I used to live. Believe only a bit of what they have, since they have my grandparents married in the wrong place and no children, which my father might have objected to.

Basic information from both internet and other sources, unless you have actual documents in hand, should be taken with a grain of salt. They can give you some good leads though.

Good morning, GottaGo. :2wave:

Thanks for the heads up! I know enough about my ancestors to know if I am getting the correct initial information, so that might help! Geneology is interesting, though, isn't it? I am curious, so I hope I'm not disappointed. :thumbs:
 
Good morning, humbolt. :2wave:

The Mormon Church in our area offers geneology tracing... maybe they all do. My brother is quite interested in having it done, but he hasn't followed up yet. Since the Church is close to where I live, maybe I'll go myself. All we know for sure is what our parents have told us about their parents, all of whom came from Europe. My mom's father was known as the strongest man in the village, and her mom was a blonde beauty. I guess I take after my father's side of the family, as all were dark haired. Of my children, only one is blond. At least we know what Country they lived in, and that they were farmers. That's probably why I enjoy gardening so much! :thumbs:
In my experience, the Mormon Church will only get you so far. Ancestry dot com seems to have the rights to everything now, and of course they require payment for their service. I can see your grandfather's strength in you. I find it very interesting that some family traits are passed along unspoken - by example. I truly believe we don't stray far from them in spite of changing times and differing life styles. I am the only child in my immediate family with green eyes. I learned of a distant cousin in England who apparently looks incredibly like me - so I'm told. Poor fellow.

You certainly have an interesting heritage. Do you think that your love of working with wood is genetic?
I don't know Pol. I do know that all that I have listed in my profile are things that have been done by others in my family for generations. There's certainly a predisposition, much like you and your family. A good friend of mine who's family is from Poland recently discovered one of his ancestors a few generations back was a distinguished Prussian General. When I look at him and think about it, it's easy to see.
 
Good morning, GottaGo. :2wave:

Thanks for the heads up! I know enough about my ancestors to know if I am getting the correct initial information, so that might help! Geneology is interesting, though, isn't it? I am curious, so I hope I'm not disappointed. :thumbs:

Good morning, Polgara. :)

My parents did the initial work, I expanded on it. But several things I've inherited along the way, such as journals and family bibles, and even my grandparents wedding invitation engraving plate, all serve as provenance to prove against what I find out there on the great wide web....

The genealogy has been fun, though I've not been active with for a while. I was able to put together books for my siblings and other family members at a reunion a few years back, so the information has been shared and enjoyed. Makes it all worthwhile!
 
Good morning, Polgara. :)

My parents did the initial work, I expanded on it. But several things I've inherited along the way, such as journals and family bibles, and even my grandparents wedding invitation engraving plate, all serve as provenance to prove against what I find out there on the great wide web....

The genealogy has been fun, though I've not been active with for a while. I was able to put together books for my siblings and other family members at a reunion a few years back, so the information has been shared and enjoyed. Makes it all worthwhile!

What a nice thing to do, and a gift that can't be duplicated! :thumbs: Maybe once I learn all I can, I'll follow your example, and do the same for my siblings and family. I know that if someone had done that for me, I would have been delighted and fascinated! :thanks:
 
What a nice thing to do, and a gift that can't be duplicated! :thumbs: Maybe once I learn all I can, I'll follow your example, and do the same for my siblings and family. I know that if someone had done that for me, I would have been delighted and fascinated! :thanks:

Do you use software to keep track? Or have you not gotten that far?

The original software I used by Parson's Technologies won't load on my newer computer, so I'm on the hunt for new software....
 
I have a friend who traces his ancestry back the the Mayflower. He also claims to be part of the British Royal family, distantly through a branch that he says has more of a legitimate claim to the monarchy than the House of Windsor.
I am related to Lady Jane Grey..

BBC - History - Historic Figures: Lady Jane Grey (1537 - 1554)

Through the Earls of Dudley and Warwickshire..

However I am also related to Mary Bacon who was hung as a witch..

In 1645..under the auspices of Mathew Hopkins..(Witchfinder General)..
 
In my experience, the Mormon Church will only get you so far. Ancestry dot com seems to have the rights to everything now, and of course they require payment for their service. I can see your grandfather's strength in you. I find it very interesting that some family traits are passed along unspoken - by example. I truly believe we don't stray far from them in spite of changing times and differing life styles. I am the only child in my immediate family with green eyes. I learned of a distant cousin in England who apparently looks incredibly like me - so I'm told. Poor fellow.

I don't know Pol. I do know that all that I have listed in my profile are things that have been done by others in my family for generations. There's certainly a predisposition, much like you and your family. A good friend of mine who's family is from Poland recently discovered one of his ancestors a few generations back was a distinguished Prussian General. When I look at him and think about it, it's easy to see.

Ironically enough, I always adored my grandfather! Though he spoke only broken English, I never had a problem understanding him when he often took the time to sit me down by his rolltop desk and explain to a five-year old what he had done that day in his business, and the reasons for his decisions. It was probably natural for me to enter the business world as my career. I already had years of experience! :shock: :thumbs:
 
Do you use software to keep track? Or have you not gotten that far?

The original software I used by Parson's Technologies won't load on my newer computer, so I'm on the hunt for new software....

No, I haven't gotten that far...I'm just tired of waiting for my brother to do something, so maybe I'll start searching myself. Let me know what you learn about software. My computer guy won't let me upgrade beyond Windows 7 until they iron out their bugs, so I'm using Windows 7, if it matters.
 
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