USincognito

a post by Alan Smithee
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Anyone else researching their ancestry?

I have a few ancestors and distant cousins of note, but I'm most satisfied with my 4th great-grandfather. I have both parents, all four grandparents, all eight great-grandparents and all sixteen 2nd greats who are my 8th great-grandparents.
 

Papias

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So many cool stories come to light with ancestors!

DNA is an essential tool, too. Looking into ancestry without DNA is like trying to live today without electricity. The matches are probably the most useful - I got in contact with one who already had a lot of my tree worked out for a great grandparent, going back another 6 generations!

23andme is the company most people I know have tested with (I know probably around 100 people with 23andme results). My one close relative of mine found out that her friend from elementary school was related to us (4th cousin).

With any of them, you can upload raw data to gedmatch.com and get more DNA match emails, as well as a bunch of ancestry data, along with stuff like eye color predictors, and other tools. You can upload to promethease.com to get a very detailed health report for $5.

Cool stuff!

Papias
 
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blackribbon

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When you could still access a lot of stuff online for free, I did most of my husband's family back to the time they entered the US...which meant pre-Colonial days. However, I patched together the work of others and some day I hope to be able to do the research to prove or disprove each of these private researchers. American history comes more alive when you realize what part your family played in it. His family has a private cemetery which confirms much of the linkages because it shows these different people are really related.
 
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USincognito

a post by Alan Smithee
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One of my known "name" ancestors was Susannah North Martin who was executed for witchcraft in Salem. She was my 10th great-grandmother. Just a few minutes ago I was filling in some more branches on Ancestry and discovered a 2nd victim. Mary Towne Easty (or Esty) was also my 10th great-grandmother and she accused and hung as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Eastey

This also means victim Rebecca Nurse, who was Mary's sister was my 11th great-aunt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Nurse
 
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Quid est Veritas?

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I have been following my ancestors back to their arrival in my country. I am trying to build my entire tree back to all the first arrivals in South Africa. My direct paternal line came in 1692. My direct maternal line in 1743. I have other ancestors that came with the first permanent European presence in 1652.

I am white with blue eyes and blond hair yet I have discovered Indonesian, Indian (Tamil and Bengali), Chinese, Arabic, Angolan, Khoisan, Danish, Italian and Malaysian ancestry in addition to the expected French, Dutch, German and English ancestry. This is because the first generations tended to marry their slaves or freedman's daughters before marrying European immigrants thereafter.

Interestingly, my grandmother did much of the groundwork, but doing so during the height of Apartheid, whenever she saw a non-white, she either stopped that line or fudged a white ancestor.
 
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jayem

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What I know about my ancestry is just from family lore. My father's side is supposedly Ukrainian. My mother's is German and Polish. (Kinda odd, since Russians, Germans, and Poles have all hated each other.) Both sides have been here well over 100 years. The legend of my paternal side is that the first immigrant left Russia to avoid being conscripted into the Czar's army. I guess the life of a Russian soldier was pretty miserable back in the day. So AFAIK, I can't claim any notable, heroic, or accomplished forebears. Only a draft dodger. But, as the old saying goes, people who brag about their ancestors are like potatoes. The best part of them is underground. ^_^
 
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USincognito

a post by Alan Smithee
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I have been following my ancestors back to their arrival in my country. I am trying to build my entire tree back to all the first arrivals in South Africa. My direct paternal line came in 1692. My direct maternal line in 1743. I have other ancestors that came with the first permanent European presence in 1652.

I am white with blue eyes and blond hair yet I have discovered Indonesian, Indian (Tamil and Bengali), Chinese, Arabic, Angolan, Khoisan, Danish, Italian and Malaysian ancestry in addition to the expected French, Dutch, German and English ancestry. This is because the first generations tended to marry their slaves or freedman's daughters before marrying European immigrants thereafter.

Interestingly, my grandmother did much of the groundwork, but doing so during the height of Apartheid, whenever she saw a non-white, she either stopped that line or fudged a white ancestor.
My DNA profile is as white as they get, but your story makes me wonder. I have a very complete tree on my mom's side with at least 75 8th greats or older thanks to work done by my aunt, my 84 year old cousin and others. I wonder what would have happened if my dad's mom, who was from the segregated South, had done similar work and found some blacks or Mexicans in the branches.
 
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USincognito

a post by Alan Smithee
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What I know about my ancestry is just from family lore. My father's side is supposedly Ukrainian. My mother's is German and Polish. (Kinda odd, since Russians, Germans, and Poles have all hated each other.) Both sides have been here well over 100 years. The legend of my paternal side is that the first immigrant left Russia to avoid being conscripted into the Czar's army. I guess the life of a Russian soldier was pretty miserable back in the day. So AFAIK, I can't claim any notable, heroic, or accomplished forebears. Only a draft dodger. But, as the old saying goes, people who brag about their ancestors are like potatoes. The best part of them is underground. ^_^
Have you considered doing one of the DNA services to verify your ethnicity?
 
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jayem

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Have you considered doing one of the DNA services to verify your ethnicity?

Not seriously. I might at some point, but as of now, it's not that big a deal to me. My parents lived long, happy lives knowing only the family stories had been passed down. They were always more interested in the present and the future than in the past. I guess I'm kinda the same way.
 
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