So I'm 100% born and bred in the United States of America (and proud of it!), but my ancestors came from all over the place! I know I have a lot of Swedish and Viking blood. My great-great-grandfather came to the states as a cabin boy at age 14 and my great-great-grandmother also came. They met and married in the US. My great-great-grandmother on my dad's dad's side was from Germany and my great-great-grandfather (there might be more greats there, not sure) was from Russia. My dad's dad's grandparents (I think) were German as well. (Not sure though) On my Mom's side I'm Swiss and French, but I don't know how far back. A long way I think. 

Somehow I'm related to Hans Herr, but I'm not sure how. I'm not really sure about other famuse people. Only the ones in my immediate family (writers, mostly) who I won't share names for privacy reasons. 

I was really excited to see this topic when I randomly perused the CB!

Genealogy is a topic I've been heavily interested in for a number of years, and something I considered persuing professionally. My family's ancestry has been a topic of intrigue for me and I've spent many years now investigating into our past. Right now I have a box of varying documents, letters, clippings, and other assortments of papers that have helped me narrow things down. My mom also recently took the Ancestry DNA testing which helped significatingly on that side of the family.

I've always known I was strongly Irish and Scottish on both sides. That much was both evident and proven. But for a number of years my family, my all pale with brown hair and brown/green eyes family, have wondered where my appearance came from because, quite frankly, I didn't really look like anyone in particular. I shared some similarities of my parents and grandparents but some of my most distinctive features don't match anybody. I've even gotten asked several times if I'm German or Swedish, because I'm fairer skinned than all my family (my dad tells me I'm a ghost), and nobody else has had my blonde hair and blue eyes. So when my mom took the DNA test, we found out we have strong Scandanavian roots, which explains a lot of my physical appearance.

I also know that on top of Scandanavian, Irish, and Scottish, I'm also English and possibly French. But then again, English roots tend to branch way out into many areas of Europe, so there's potential for other nationalities that didn't show up in the test. I'm also supposedly Native American, and due to my family's geographical history, that would make sense with the tribes from which we supposedly descend. I haven't found proof of that document-wise, but then agian I haven't really gotten that far. Other aspects of my family ancestry have also been highly debated and thus far unproven, such as potential Jewish ancestry.

On the other side of the family, I have some pretty substantial evidence because that family catalogued things a lot. I know I'm related to a pirate and I can trace pretty far back due to a family Bible that has been written in through the generations, listing the birth and death of relatives all the way back to the 1700's. I'm working on deciphering the handwriting currently.

Right now my biggest dilemma that has halted my search has come down to trying to figure out what is just family legend and miscontrued information,  and what is real. I know I could join the DAR if I so choose, I have it proven. But connecting people in between these prominent figures in the line is difficult as many are obscure. Not to mention that again, many things were covered up due to unkown reasons.

Also, if you're interested in genealogy, I strongly suggest the show Who Do You Think You Are? on TLC. It's about celebrities that are chosen to learn their family ancestry. It's fascinating because they show many of the resources professional historians and genealogists use, as well as takes them all over the country and even all over the world. It's both fascinating and helpful and one of the ways I got my start. 

That's awesome you guys! Everyone's mostly from the European/Asia continent, couldn't help but notice.  Also I can't believe I'm the only mostly Russain on here! I guess Russain Americans aren't that common....since we're rivals in all....

Also Giles Cory, this is ironic cause I'm doing the Salem witch trials in my English class right now. t You won't believee how many references to that I've seen this past month.  ;)

Anyway, my ansestory immigration is sorrta a sad one. (I forgat to Include it in the first post, so here it is now) My great great great (i think) grandparents immigrated from Russia during the Holocaust. Most of their relatives.....didn't make it. This is the strange part tho, on my other side of my family, my great grandparents, who were Italian, were also in the holocaust, but on the opposing side. So when it ended they fled to Argentina where my grandma and grandaunts grew up. (Keep in mind my grandma was only 7, that must b really traumatizing) also Fun fact, my grandmas three sisters still live there. So, both of my sides of the family come from the Holocaust. That's my family immigration story. 

Admins, do you want go share yours?

Sure, I will share mine. I am second generation American, which means my grandparents were immigrants, and my parents and I were born in the United States. My mom's family is from Slovakia and my dad's family is from Ukraine. Like @Claaws, our story has some sadness in it.

My dad's parents were forced to flee Ukraine by the Soviets. My uncle was born while they were in a refugee camp, which was very hard for my grandma. But they eventually got to the U.S. and opened a grocery store in a beautiful Ukranian neighborhood in Cleveland.  

My mom's father, my grandfather, came from a family of farmers and goat herders, but he was so brilliant that his village pooled their money so he could get an education. He also got in trouble with the Soviets and had to escape to the U.S. He met my grandma, who had moved to the U.S. as a young child and was a secretary, and he eventually became a college economics professor in West Virginia. 

All of my grandparents have passed away, but they gave us many beautiful Ukranian and Slovak traditions and recipes.

-Admin 

Oh, I've always thought ancestry was such an interesting topic (and I see those commercials all the time, Claaws XD). So, I was born and raised in America, but I have a lot of Irish ancestors on both sides. We actually found out that we and some friends of ours are distant cousins and we have the same Irish last name in our family line (it's complicated. There was a grandma with another spelling of our last name in their family). But even cooler, those friends I talked about went to a restaurant and saw a crest on the wall with that name on it, so basically, we have an Irish crest!  

I also have some German on both sides, but I don't think I'm related to anyone famous.