Ancestry Poll (5/10)

[vcczar]

I am more specific on the European ancestries as I suspect 9/10ths of the forum users are of European descent. 

[ShortKing]

I am my earliest known ancestor to immigrate to the US (technically my parents but I was with them).

[Rezi]

For 1, my 'other' is Dutch, just because I don't know if that counts under German or not.

For 3, I don't know, but all I know is that they were here during the colonial period. When during the colonial period? Not a clue.

[ConservativeElector2]

Well, I know for sure about Austrian German and Czech ancestry. I was told Polish is very likely too. The Czech part could also have lived partly in today's Slovakia. I don't know, but it's possible. Since I was told Polish ancestry is very likely it is also possible that I have Jewish ancestry as well. Although I would highly wish for that to be true, I cannot say so for sure. 

[Hestia]

Answered to the best of my ability. I know the town I am from was settled in the 1860s, but I don't know exactly when the first family members arrived. My best guess would be somewhere between 1880-1910 from northern Germany. 

[ShortKing]

1 minute ago, Patine said:

But what is your ancestry, ethnically speaking? I think that was the question.

I answered the poll, I'm from South America, so my ancestry is mixed Spanish and indigenous

[jvikings1]

My dad’s dad’s side is almost exclusively German decent. Though we don’t know the origin of our last name because my grandpa’s grandpa had a falling out with his family and there are no records of anything past him.

My dad’s mom’s family has a history of prominent families in Kentucky and Virginia. That line originated with French Huguenots who were forced out of France to surrounding countries. Miraculously many of them met up in New Jersey/New York sometime down the road.

Both of mom’s parents have ancestors that goes back to the British Isles. And they first settled in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (including one line that goes back to the Boones).

 

[ConservativeElector2]

4 minutes ago, Patine said:

As a Humanist, myself, I don't see much value in wishing for genetic ties to a culture I had no ties in upbringing or community to. We're all the same species, and the ways we subdivide ourselves

While that's true, we are already subdivided and I seek bridges to other subdivisions. The more the better is my motto here. I would like Irish or Estonian ancestry as well, but I just stated what's more likely.

[vcczar]

1 hour ago, Rezi said:

For 1, my 'other' is Dutch, just because I don't know if that counts under German or not.

For 3, I don't know, but all I know is that they were here during the colonial period. When during the colonial period? Not a clue.

I just forgot to add Dutch

[vcczar]

1 hour ago, ConservativeElector2 said:

Well, I know for sure about Austrian German and Czech ancestry. I was told Polish is very likely too. The Czech part could also have lived partly in today's Slovakia. I don't know, but it's possible. Since I was told Polish ancestry is very likely it is also possible that I have Jewish ancestry as well. Although I would highly wish for that to be true, I cannot say so for sure. 

You could take DNA test.

[vcczar]

My earliest ancestor to the US arrived in 1628. I think I have a few on the same boat. They arrived in Salem and were considered the first of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which dominated MA almost immediately, since the Mayflower Passengers were few and many of them died. Also, the Puritans were different from the Pilgrims. 

It is possible I may discover Mayflower ancestry at some point, but who knows.

I was proud to have been a Southern-born person with almost no Southern ancestry because I thought that it meant I'd have zero ancestors that owned slaves. However, I have DE, NJ, and MA ancestors that owned at least one slave before it was abolished there. The DE ancestor (who was MA born) was Quaker and she freed the slaves as soon as she inherited them from her 4th husband. The NJ person had 1 slave, according to a will. Two of my MA ancestors had slaves, of which one who died in the 1720s was said to have "many," which was probably not many by Southern standards but owning one enslaved person is a total embarrassment. 

[Pringles]

While it's not confirmed by me. I probably do have Turkish blood in me simply because of how long the Ottomans ruled over the area. Hopefully I'll get it confirmed one day.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Pringles

[SilentLiberty]

Don't know when my first ancestor immigrated. I know the most recent one was my Grandpa following WW2. Prior to that he lived in his native Denmark.

[vcczar]

1 hour ago, SilentLiberty said:

Don't know when my first ancestor immigrated. I know the most recent one was my Grandpa following WW2. Prior to that he lived in his native Denmark.

My first known is 1628 to Salem, MA. My last known are my Czech great-grandmother and her Czech and Moravian parents in 1907 to Galveston, TX and thence to Kansas. My great-grandmother never got citizenship until 1960.

[Ich_bin_Tyler]

The earliest known member of my family were colonists in MA and later CT. 

Farthest I've been able to trace back is to early 17th century France, specifically Alsace, but that line immigrated later.

The last family members to immigrate were my great-great grandparents who left Finland in the 1910s due to disagreement with Russification, being communist/socialist, and recruitment by companies in MN that offered land in exchange for development of the Iron Range. 

[vcczar]

I'm curious to see a list of @jvikings1 and @Ich_bin_Tyler's colonial Massachusetts ancestors to see if we are cousins. I think I remember @jvikings1 telling me some of his ancestor's names. I remembering finding out that @jnewt and I share, I believe, Simon Willard. 

[Ich_bin_Tyler]

12 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I'm curious to see a list of @jvikings1 and @Ich_bin_Tyler's colonial Massachusetts ancestors to see if we are cousins. I think I remember @jvikings1 telling me some of his ancestor's names. I remembering finding out that @jnewt and I share, I believe, Simon Willard. 

The MA members are Nathaniel Rust and Mary Atchinson. Fort the rest that I've been able to track in New England, I can only make it to CT and they're the Stoors, Gurleys, and Pierces.

[vcczar]

Just now, Ich_bin_Tyler said:

The MA members are Nathaniel Rust and Mary Atchinson. Fort the rest that I've been able to track in New England, I can only make it to CT and they're the Stoors, Gurleys, and Pierces.

I have two branches of Pierce. One goes back to Dorchester, MA and the other, I think, to Watertown, MA. Most CT colonials got there via MA. We could meet up then. If you give me the names of the earlier Pierce couple and the dates, I might be able to determine a connection 

[Ich_bin_Tyler]

5 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I have two branches of Pierce. One goes back to Dorchester, MA and the other, I think, to Watertown, MA. Most CT colonials got there via MA. We could meet up then. If you give me the names of the earlier Pierce couple and the dates, I might be able to determine a connection 

The only information I have is his name was Enoch Pierce (1749-1828) and lived in Windham, CT. His wife was Experience Stoors Pierce (1750-1789).

[vcczar]

46 minutes ago, Ich_bin_Tyler said:

The only information I have is his name was Enoch Pierce (1749-1828) and lived in Windham, CT. His wife was Experience Stoors Pierce (1750-1789).

Ok, I found a book. https://archive.org/stream/piercegenealogyb00pier/piercegenealogyb00pier_djvu.txt 

Do a keyword search for Experience Stoors. You'll find Enoch Pierce's parents. From there you can figure out his ancestors. Your earliest MA Pierce is Thomas Pierce of Charlestown Village, which becomes Woburn. I don't connect to this Pierce, but I am descended from Woburn's first minister. We might link up as cousins somewhere besides the Pierce lines, possibly through a spouse of one of the Pierces.

[MrPotatoTed]

My wife got me a DNA test kit for Christmas, I just now got around to sending it in.  Should have the results in 8-10 days.

I primarily know my paternal side of the family (though my wife has researched every branch of all sides, going way way way the heck back -- that's her hobby, while I AMPU. Ha).  We've traced my paternal ancestors with my last name back to Switzerland in the 1600s.  They made their way to the equivalent of Germany, before eventually sailing to the New World.  They lived in New York, and were Loyalists to the British Crown during the Revolution.  For fighting for His Royal Majesty, they were awarded land in Ontario, where a town now shares my last name.

We remained in Canada until after the Civil War, heading down to Missouri then heading east to the Pittsburgh region, where they've remained ever since.

For a long time, it seemed my own branch would change that, as my daughter was born in Maryland and then we bought our "forever home" in Ohio.  But now that we're moving back to Pittsburgh next month, we're merging right back in to where my ancestors have been for at least six generations (including mine and my daughter's).

[vcczar]

34 minutes ago, MrPotatoTed said:

My wife got me a DNA test kit for Christmas, I just now got around to sending it in.  Should have the results in 8-10 days.

I primarily know my paternal side of the family (though my wife has researched every branch of all sides, going way way way the heck back -- that's her hobby, while I AMPU. Ha).  We've traced my paternal ancestors with my last name back to Switzerland in the 1600s.  They made their way to the equivalent of Germany, before eventually sailing to the New World.  They lived in New York, and were Loyalists to the British Crown during the Revolution.  For fighting for His Royal Majesty, they were awarded land in Ontario, where a town now shares my last name.

We remained in Canada until after the Civil War, heading down to Missouri then heading east to the Pittsburgh region, where they've remained ever since.

For a long time, it seemed my own branch would change that, as my daughter was born in Maryland and then we bought our "forever home" in Ohio.  But now that we're moving back to Pittsburgh next month, we're merging right back in to where my ancestors have been for at least six generations (including mine and my daughter's).

Let me know your dna results when you get them. 

[jvikings1]

21 hours ago, vcczar said:

I'm curious to see a list of @jvikings1 and @Ich_bin_Tyler's colonial Massachusetts ancestors to see if we are cousins. I think I remember @jvikings1 telling me some of his ancestor's names. I remembering finding out that @jnewt and I share, I believe, Simon Willard. 

When I get some time, I'll look back at the things I found and let you know

[Hestia]

I found out through my grandpa on my father's side (who has taken an ancestry test) a few things that I didn't know before

- There is likely a fair amount of Swede in us (before we thought it was mainly Norwegian)

- It's fairly likely there is a considerable amount of Polish as well

- There is a miniscule amount of Jewish, but it registered as 3% on his test - it's been said though through the generations that there was a little bit in there from somewhere, so this bears it out to a degree.

That's what more I've found out 😄 

[OrangeP47]

Did some looking in this subforum and saw this thread.  Don't have much unique to add, except that my surname, despite appearing English, may or may not (I honestly don't know and the records aren't there) come from a distant branch of the family that in modern terms would be about 2% of the make up that was Welsh-Jewish.  I don't actually have any pure-English heritage, though, so an English sounding surname had to have an interesting "in" somehow.  Welsh and Irish are right next door, though, so there's that.