Genealogy: in pursuit of family stories

Well this post ran afoul of the forum's "paragraph police" software and wouldn't let me post it, even with chopping it all into little tiny pieces. So I saved it as a word document and is attached. Let me try this again:

Continuing on with this line of ancestry, which is on my paternal side: I had a lot of information about my paternal grandmother's folks, my dad's 2nd cousin did extensive research and published a book, which I have a copy of. Those folks were all solid Germans, my immigrant ancestor arrived in Philadelphia in 1737.

But, on my Dad's father's side, the bearer of our surname- I wasn't sure of the nationality, could be German, French, English or from any one of a number of countries.

For a while I was operating under the assumption that this line was German, because in genealogy circles the clues to nationality are usually that if a person lives within a group of Germans(for example), does business with Germans or marries Germans...they are generally themself German.

Indeed, my g.g.grandmother who died the same day as dear old g.g.grandfather Levi was certifiably German, this I know from published works by a distant cousin of mine.

However, Levi had 2 previous marriages, the wife he had before my g.g.grandmother had come from a Welsh settlement in Md. Welsh? That ex-wife of Levi was not a genetic ancestor of mine, but does at least casually connect my Levi to...Welsh. Welsh? Not on my radar, but OK...worth some investigation.

To make a long story short, I used the information available on geni.com and found the original immigrant ancestor, who was born in Llanmadoc, Glamorgan, Wales in 1638, and died in Port Tobacco, Charles County, MD in 1688.

If it was worth money to me(LOL) I would want to see birth certificates, grant deeds and wills to establish a paper trail, but I'm satisfied, as there are no indications that would point in a different direction.
 

Nathan said:
Well this post ran afoul of the forum's "paragraph police" software and wouldn't let me post it, even with chopping it all into little tiny pieces. So I saved it as a word document and is attached. Let me try this again:

Continuing on with this line of ancestry, which is on my paternal side: I had a lot of information about my paternal grandmother's folks, my dad's 2nd cousin did extensive research and published a book, which I have a copy of. Those folks were all solid Germans, my immigrant ancestor arrived in Philadelphia in 1737.

But, on my Dad's father's side, the bearer of our surname- I wasn't sure of the nationality, could be German, French, English or from any one of a number of countries.

For a while I was operating under the assumption that this line was German, because in genealogy circles the clues to nationality are usually that if a person lives within a group of Germans(for example), does business with Germans or marries Germans...they are generally themself German.

Indeed, my g.g.grandmother who died the same day as dear old g.g.grandfather Levi was certifiably German, this I know from published works by a distant cousin of mine.

However, Levi had 2 previous marriages, the wife he had before my g.g.grandmother had come from a Welsh settlement in Md. Welsh? That ex-wife of Levi was not a genetic ancestor of mine, but does at least casually connect my Levi to...Welsh. Welsh? Not on my radar, but OK...worth some investigation.

To make a long story short, I used the information available on geni.com and found the original immigrant ancestor, who was born in Llanmadoc, Glamorgan, Wales in 1638, and died in Port Tobacco, Charles County, MD in 1688.

If it was worth money to me(LOL) I would want to see birth certificates, grant deeds and wills to establish a paper trail, but I'm satisfied, as there are no indications that would point in a different direction.
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Hmmm, I have been to Port Tobacco many times---have friends there.
 
jujube said:
My biggest break-through came in one of the least "low-tech" manners. I got started by spending a day at the Morman genealogy facility in Salt Lake City. The workers there were extremely helpful and helped me find a lot of stuff.

A few years later, while on a road trip, I was able to visit the little mountain town in Virginia where my grandfather was born and lived. A visit to the cemetery didn't yield much info but when I talked to the man mowing the cemetery, he suggested I go into town and talk to the town clerk, who was in charge of the cemetery.

We went to the town hall and luckily she was in. I told her the names I was looking for and she said that a few weeks before, someone else had called and asked about those names. She was sure she had that person's name and phone number somewhere. She looked and looked and finally emptied her wastebasket out onto the floor. It was apparently my lucky day, because she found a crumpled up Post-It note with the name and phone number. Another day and the basket would have been emptied.

She said she couldn't give me the name or number but that she would called him and give him my phone number. She did and I was contacted almost immediately by a man who turned out to be a third cousin and who was a "rabid" genealogist.

Luckily, he lived only about 45 minutes away and set out on the spot to meet us for lunch in the small town. We met and yapped for a couple of hours and then headed to the cemetery again, where he walked me around and pointed out everyone I was related to. He also sent me heaps of picture, documents, etc.

What had thrown me off for years was that somewhere between 1905 and 1910, my branch of the family changed their last name and split up for different points. My great-grandmother took some of the kids and headed for Indiana; my great-grandfather took the rest and headed for New York. I was looking for everyone under the "new" name, not the "original" name.

The mystery of why this happened has not yet been solved but there are theories being entertained. The most believable one is that my family ran afoul of a famous clan of very dangerous people and got the hell out of Dodge before the whole thing blew up. My grandfather's sister married into this clan and then ran away, leaving two children behind. This could have triggered some reprisals. Who knows?
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What a great story! You solved the difficulties.
 

I've mentioned this a ton of times before in regards to Genealogy...

How come you are told you are related to a Nobleman, a wealthy Merchant, a Politician or a Prince? But you are never told you were related to that guy who shoveled the elephant poop at the Circus.
 
Beezer said:
I've mentioned this a ton of times before in regards to Genealogy...

How come you are told you are related to a Nobleman, a wealthy Merchant, a Politician or a Prince? But you are never told you were related to that guy who shoveled the elephant poop at the Circus.
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The elephant poop scoopers are a private lot, and keep to themselves, cherishing their anonymity and peaceful existence.
 
My younger sister got really all hot and bothered about genealogy for the past 12-15 years, she actually signed up and paid for an account from me so that I would be on the ancestry.com register.

She knew if she paid for it everything's okay because I sure as heck wasn't about to Shell out $119. I did find out that we came from Mennonite group out of Pennsylvania I believe and we were disfellowship twice (we are very crazy bunch)

My fathers side of the family came originally from Czechoslovakia, which now of course doesn't exist so basically, we were canceled Czechs (remember you're supposed to laugh at that joke)

Ever since the last time I saw my younger sister I haven't found out anymore of our lineage, and to be honest I really don't care, never did. I did it just to appease her, but that only went so far, because she still wanted more I guess and I just wasn't willing to give it.
 
Nathan said:
My genealogy "quest" began in the late 90s when my great aunt revealed that her grandfather(my great grandfather) was orphaned at age 3. Great Aunt Pearle sent me a nice one page document outlining life in Salisbury, NC around the turn of the 19th/20th century. That gave me time and place, two important parameters in genealogy research.
My primary mission was to answer an obvious question: Was the surname my g.g.f. carrying the surname of his birth family, or the adoptive family? My Aunt Pearle probably could have given me all the details, but she was quite elderly, lived far away and didn't seem able to negotiate a telephone call.
Three months of searching microfilm at the local LDS Family Library yielded valuable evidence. I found my g.g.father on the 1860 Census, that of course yielded his father and mother's names, which became the basis of a more broadened search in the coming years.

This isn't a personal diary, but I will be adding more posts to this thread. Feel free to share stories of your genealogy quest, if you like.
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The LDS database was the only place I found the 1st brick in my wall of finding my Father. They have awesome records.
 
Family stories and history always fascinated me. At family gatherings I always begged the Great Aunts and Uncles to tell me "Bout the Old Days".
(no tablets or I-Pads then) I received a lot of information about my Grandfather's side from them and him. Fortunately, all their stories and info turned out to be correct when I began my genealogy seeking, it just gave me the missing accurate dates.
Their last name however, was tricky to maneuver in searching through Census records. It usually was depending upon the census taker and how they incorporated the sound of the name to the actual spelling. So first names were vital to follow the branch. I found 4 variations of that spelling.
Grandma's side was certainly trickier. She herself knew not much more than, they came from Ireland and she grew up in Tennessee and her Father traveled for work in coal mines throughout Tenn. and Oklahoma. Her Mother died when she was 3 years old and her oldest sister raised her. When I got on the right track of her family finally, it saddened me. It turned out her family had some pretty interesting history I wish she had known about. It would have made her smile.
I was raised to believe my sisters father was mine. He didn't adopt me but Mom used his last name anyway on all my records after they married. The stigma of an unwed mother I think made that choice for her. When I was 14, I stumbled across my birth certificate and there....what I always felt deep inside was the truth.
When I was 18 I began to really want to learn about my Father. I knew he was a Marine during the Korean war. So I began calling VFW Halls in areas it was assumed he lived. One fella really tried to help me find any info but he came up blank also. Then I went to the public library and looked up every phone book where he may live. Yes I had a large phone bill back then, but no leads.
Years later after Ancestry and My Heritage had went dry. I had actually joined the LDS Church before I knew they had this humongous database.
What an added pleasure this was! And my assigned Home Teacher was the main Genealogy Instructor for our ward. She was such a warrior in this research, she lead me to that brick to pull that would crack my wall so I could feel the thrill of opening it myself, not just telling me where to find it.
My mother said he was from Tenn., turns out he wasn't. He was born and raised In Independence, Mo and returned there after the Marines. My late husband was from Missouri and my first trip there I fell in love with the state, which was 1973. We moved there from California in 1979. I found out my Father was from there in 2006. Coincidence or heritage traits? My Father lived in Chicago for awhile in his teens, I had moved there in 1998. I felt like I traced his steps backwards as now I am back in Missouri. My father died in 1971 from a fall off a scaffold in Kansas City, Mo. His family owned a window washing company. I missed my chance to meet him.
Then DNA comes into it. I posted my DNA on ancestry and saw I had siblings, 2 sisters and a brother, still in Missouri. It was a cousin though who reached out to me in 2022 and she, myself and my sister met in person after I moved back to Missouri in 2023. My sister and I could be twins but she's 12 years younger. I learned about my Father, was given photos and a tour of his past neighborhoods. Even an outdoor dining patio he built for a restaurant as he did mason work also.
So a lifelong search from age 18 to 70 came to be. I was so afraid it was never going to happen. I learned he was one terrific Dad and I have many of his talents inherited. For me the genealogy began as a history lesson and turned into a "Who am I" search. Genealogy can serve more than one purpose.
 
Paco Dennis said:
What a GREAT REAL story. :) What an exciting journey. May I ask where in Missouri you are? I am near Rocheport, and live on a farm with my friend. :)
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Up off I-44 in Villa Ridge. That search was on my bucket list for so long I tell you! So nice to check it off and so many coincidences between my father and I, I didn't cover them all. Thank You
 
WOW! This is one of the best turn outs. I found 5 brothers and one sister in my family when I began. I didn't meet my half sister till we were 72 and then she died of covid. You really stuck to it and it is a lot of work; I am so glad you got there. Thanks for sharing.
 
I have a sister who was big into that but I can do without it. I don't feel my information should be available without my consent so I joined a few sites to have my information blocked when possible. I even removed every photo of me in family photo albums.
 
Oldeagle66 said:
I have a sister who was big into that but I can do without it. I don't feel my information should be available without my consent so I joined a few sites to have my information blocked when possible. I even removed every photo of me in family photo albums.
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I can understand that. If I hadn't began my search when I did I may well have been hesitant to begin it now for sure.
 
If a person starts doing genealogy, would it be a good idea to do a DNA testing kit? Something like doing a 23 and me kit or one of the others out there on the market.
 
Been There said:
If a person starts doing genealogy, would it be a good idea to do a DNA testing kit? Something like doing a 23 and me kit or one of the others out there on the market.
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I would think if you are looking to find immediate family (a parent, siblings) you never met, the DNA would be helpful IF they have theirs or someone close in relationship to you in the database
If you are looking back further than Great-Grandparents for a family tree or such, just genealogy sites would be fine as their DNA would be partially traces by now and be showing up as distant cousins, etc. . Once you get past Grandparents branches sprout off everywhere. So in the beginning stick to your branch or you get over whelmed.
When you file your DNA if matches are on the database they pop up for you to see pretty fast. As others submit theirs they will show up. All depends how many related to you have summitted theirs. The matches will show your most likely relationship to a match like, sibling, cousin, grandparent, etc.
Mine showed on my half-sister as Most likely sibling/ first cousin. Some sites maybe do it different, this was Ancestry for DNA. Others may have more advice for you so hang on a bit.
 
IrishEyes said:
I would think if you are looking to find immediate family (a parent, siblings) you never met, the DNA would be helpful IF they have theirs or someone close in relationship to you in the database
If you are looking back further than Great-Grandparents for a family tree or such, just genealogy sites would be fine as their DNA would be partially traces by now and be showing up as distant cousins, etc. . Once you get past Grandparents branches sprout off everywhere. So in the beginning stick to your branch or you get over whelmed.
When you file your DNA if matches are on the database they pop up for you to see pretty fast. As others submit theirs they will show up. All depends how many related to you have summitted theirs. The matches will show your most likely relationship to a match like, sibling, cousin, grandparent, etc.
Mine showed on my half-sister as Most likely sibling/ first cousin. Some sites maybe do it different, this was Ancestry for DNA. Others may have more advice for you so hang on a bit.
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Thanks for the information. I hardly know any of my family. I have considered doing a genealogy search or family tree for quite awhile. I guess I should stop procrastinating and do it.

Do you suggest or know which one is best or have a recommendation?
 
Been There said:
Thanks for the information. I hardly know any of my family. I have considered doing a genealogy search or family tree for quite awhile. I guess I should stop procrastinating and do it.

Do you suggest or know which one is best or have a recommendation?
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I use LDS, Acestry, 23 and Me, and a couple more when I am really searching. Bear in mind hat these sites will give you as much as they have--you have to be able to think outside the box and be creative. Good luck, you'll be glad yo did it.
 
Been There said:
If a person starts doing genealogy, would it be a good idea to do a DNA testing kit? Something like doing a 23 and me kit or one of the others out there on the market.
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Doing a records search, starting with the present and working back in time, investigating any known relatives. Of course if you know of any older living relatives they would be a wealth of information, and would probably be pleased to talk.
Edit: a DNA test might turn up something useful, a long lost first cousin of mine contacted me when our DNA matched on FTDNA.
 
I don't see the value of genealogy and tracing ancestors, unless of course you have too much time to waste and are bored to death, in which case you may as well trace which breed of monkeys is closest to you. :rolleyes:
 

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