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Post by thebaffledking on Dec 19, 2016 3:05:47 GMT -5
I have a rough idea of where everyone's from (Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Norman French, and German), but my dad's side is a little mysterious. My great grandfather was adopted at age 12, in Germany, took their last name, and was then sent to America (possibly under indentured servitude)....so I'd like to know what happened there.....did his mom and dad expire somehow? What gives? This won't answer those Q's, but it will give me some rough notions for further research.
One of the big DNA companies has half off right now on their basic package. To avoid seeming like a link-posting shill, if anyone's interested PM me and I'll direct you to the co. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 22:18:00 GMT -5
I have. I've been searching for a maternal first cousin and paternal half brother since I found about them in 1990. They were both born in the late 1960s. Any information about my cousin died with my mother and my aunt won't give me the information I need to find her. I was hoping ancestry DNA testing would help me find them. So far, nothing.
I know what it's like to have questions about what happened, why, and how. My great-grandfather was born in Raków, Poland in 1878. Sometime between then and 1903, he spend time in Minsk, Belarus as a day laborer. What gives? Why did he do that? What prompted him, in 1903, to make his way to Germany and board a ship to America?
If money were no object, I'd spend time in eastern Europe figuring this stuff out. I hope you get your answers, my friend.
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Post by thebaffledking on Dec 19, 2016 22:58:02 GMT -5
I have. I've been searching for a maternal first cousin and paternal half brother since I found about them in 1990. They were both born in the late 1960s. Any information about my cousin died with my mother and my aunt won't give me the information I need to find her. I was hoping ancestry DNA testing would help me find them. So far, nothing. I know what it's like to have questions about what happened, why, and how. My great-grandfather was born in Raków, Poland in 1878. Sometime between then and 1903, he spend time in Minsk, Belarus as a day laborer. What gives? Why did he do that? What prompted him, in 1903, to make his way to Germany and board a ship to America? If money were no object, I'd spend time in eastern Europe figuring this stuff out. I hope you get your answers, my friend. Andie, it's all incredibly fascinating to me! Have you ever watched the show 'Who Do You Think You Are?' |
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Post by obobfla on Dec 19, 2016 23:17:48 GMT -5
I am fortunate that much of my family comes from Ireland. I haven't visited, but others in my family have and looked up what records they can find. They have even met some second and third cousins there. Plus, we all speak the same language. There were some baptismal records in the local parish there, but unfortunately the church where my father's family is from burned down in the 1750s.
For geneology, I have heard that one of the best resources has been the Mormon church. Since member want to have their ancestors baptized as Mormons, the Church has developed a comprehensive geneology database that they share with others (although not necessarily for free). They often have immigration and census records to help in the searches.
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Post by baza on Dec 19, 2016 23:27:14 GMT -5
As I understand it, DNA testing will for a woman (with XX chromosomes) give you your geographical and racial mix. But it won't give you your actual links to actual people.
In other words, it won't prove your grandfather was your grandfather.
For that, you need the DNA of a blood male relative (with X and Y chromosomes) as well, to establish a link to another person.
Ms enna has had HER DNA done.
But, her father is dead, so is her only brother, so she needs DNA off another male from her fathers side. She has two nephews who fit the bill fortunately who will be able to help her.
My eldest brother has always been into genealogy, pre DNA, by physical research over many years and has compiled a fantastic family history going back 700+ years.
Personally, I couldn't be arsed doing the work he's done, but I love reading about my forbears and the known anecdotes about them.
There sure have been some dipshits in my lot.
For example, my paternal great great grandfather appears to have been in an ILIASM deal back in his day.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 0:00:19 GMT -5
I am a big fan of genealogy, wondering who my ancestors were and I have had my DNA tested through the company '23&me'(not a plug either, this is one of the oldest, but I think all the companies are probably good) . My father tried to do a lot of ancestry research the old fashioned way, through the Mormon church, newspapers, etc. He died in 2008. I have his notes and he was able to go back over 120 years.
What was amazing was I able to contact through the DNA research registry, a relationship match with someone who was identified as a possible "third to fifth cousin" on my fathers side. It turns out he was a "fifth cousin", but he did the genealogy on our shared family all the way back to our same common ancestor born in 1747.
I wish my father was alive to see it, and also so dad could spit into the vial. But we can deduce the DNA he passed to me because I bought a kit for my mother also. So what I did not inherit from her, they deduce I inherited from my father.
On my mothers side, her father was born in Starokostiantyniv, Ukraine. And my mom's grandfather was born in Warsaw, Poland and grandmother Kaunas, Lithuania. It is amazing how many DNA matches we have on both sides.
It is fascinating if you are into that sort of thing!
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Post by thebaffledking on Dec 20, 2016 1:27:39 GMT -5
@wingman, I've heard really good things about 23andme........... ftdna had 'Holiday pricing' on their kits, so I have tried them. Just sent my cheek scrapings back today........
There's more weird stuff on my dad's side..... when I was in my mid-20's, I dropped everything and shipped a touring bike with panniers on my super-cheap flight from Newark to Brussels -- it was a $99 one-way on the old Laker Airways (-:
Anyway, so I'm riding all over Europe and get down in to Bavaria where my dad's people came from. I was staying at a youth hostel in Munich, and literally flipped through a phonebook at a phone booth. Our last name is very rare, there are less than 10 of us in the world, 2 or 3 families who don't know each other......I found ONE match, wrote down the address and pedalled out to see who answered the door. It turns out this neighborhood was right next to Dachau -- and I'd gone there a few days earlier to 'tour' the place (pretty much bawled my way through it - the photos of the horrors that they have in the museum really get you when you're standing right there).....so I finally found the address....it was a walk-up flat on the second floor. I knocked.......and a very very old man answered.....he spoke zero English.....I started saying my last name, pointing at him and then to myself, and then I whipped out my U.S. passport and started trying to show him the name inside.....the guy FLIPPED OUT!!!!!!!!! He got the most terrified look on his face and started sputtering in German.....I don't know what he said, but then an old woman in the background somewhere starts in, this very angry, alarmed, shrill whatever.......the guy then slammed the door in my face. I could hear them loudly jabbering still, almost panicked......I left. I have always wondered about that incident, so close to Dachau. Had he worked there? I hope not, but even if he did his last name is actually not my 'ancestral' name due to the adoption issue of my great grandfather......whose was born with the last name Bauer. Lineage-wise, I am a Bauer, but still carry the adopting family name of my great grandfather who stopped being a Bauer at age 12 back in like 1873. I want to know what happened!
The man met his end on a wintry Pittsburgh sidewalk after downing some bad 'bathtub gin' during Prohibition.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 6:14:32 GMT -5
Actually baza, I found hundreds of third-and greater cousins without any male blood relatives tested. One woman and I share a common ancestor born in 1816 France. thebaffledking it is truly fascinating. With America the melting pot that it is, most of us have heritage from somewhere else. What I found interesting is I had always been told my heritage was Polish, Irish, and French. My DNA ethnic makeup included traces of Greek and Italian. I'm dying to know where that came from. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 12:18:26 GMT -5
As I understand it, DNA testing will for a woman (with XX chromosomes) give you your geographical and racial mix. But it won't give you your actual links to actual people. In other words, it won't prove your grandfather was your grandfather. For that, you need the DNA of a blood male relative (with X and Y chromosomes) as well, to establish a link to another person. Ms enna has had HER DNA done. But, her father is dead, so is her only brother, so she needs DNA off another male from her fathers side. She has two nephews who fit the bill fortunately who will be able to help her. My eldest brother has always been into genealogy, pre DNA, by physical research over many years and has compiled a fantastic family history going back 700+ years. Personally, I couldn't be arsed doing the work he's done, but I love reading about my forbears and the known anecdotes about them. There sure have been some dipshits in my lot. For example, my paternal great great grandfather appears to have been in an ILIASM deal back in his day. @andie baza is correct in pointing out that females that do not carry the male y chromosomes will not know their paternal 'haplogroup'. I got a kit for my sister and it was explained that they gave her my paternal R-P311 haplogroup (which is probably hers also and is made up of Irish, Basques, British, French) because she does not carry the y chromosome. Baza also is correct in saying just because you are in the same haplogroup that does not mean you are necessarily closely related at all. My mothers haplogroup is K (Ashkenazi, Druze, Kurds) with the same common ancestor 35,000 years ago. They can tell generally if someone is closely related to you by how many closely your DNA matches. I cut and pasted this from the DNA site to try and explain. Read this if you are having trouble falling asleep. The science is staggering! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 12:28:10 GMT -5
@wingman, I've heard really good things about 23andme........... ftdna had 'Holiday pricing' on their kits, so I have tried them. Just sent my cheek scrapings back today........ There's more weird stuff on my dad's side..... when I was in my mid-20's, I dropped everything and shipped a touring bike with panniers on my super-cheap flight from Newark to Brussels -- it was a $99 one-way on the old Laker Airways (-: Anyway, so I'm riding all over Europe and get down in to Bavaria where my dad's people came from. I was staying at a youth hostel in Munich, and literally flipped through a phonebook at a phone booth. Our last name is very rare, there are less than 10 of us in the world, 2 or 3 families who don't know each other......I found ONE match, wrote down the address and pedalled out to see who answered the door. It turns out this neighborhood was right next to Dachau -- and I'd gone there a few days earlier to 'tour' the place (pretty much bawled my way through it - the photos of the horrors that they have in the museum really get you when you're standing right there).....so I finally found the address....it was a walk-up flat on the second floor. I knocked.......and a very very old man answered.....he spoke zero English.....I started saying my last name, pointing at him and then to myself, and then I whipped out my U.S. passport and started trying to show him the name inside.....the guy FLIPPED OUT!!!!!!!!! He got the most terrified look on his face and started sputtering in German.....I don't know what he said, but then an old woman in the background somewhere starts in, this very angry, alarmed, shrill whatever.......the guy then slammed the door in my face. I could hear them loudly jabbering still, almost panicked......I left. I have always wondered about that incident, so close to Dachau. Had he worked there? I hope not, but even if he did his last name is actually not my 'ancestral' name due to the adoption issue of my great grandfather......whose was born with the last name Bauer. Lineage-wise, I am a Bauer, but still carry the adopting family name of my great grandfather who stopped being a Bauer at age 12 back in like 1873. I want to know what happened! The man met his end on a wintry Pittsburgh sidewalk after downing some bad 'bathtub gin' during Prohibition. Fascinating story thebaffledking ! It is just too bad you have no idea what was said. All the effort you made to locate them and then they had that reaction. How disappointing that must have been for you. |
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Post by greatcoastal on Dec 20, 2016 17:01:53 GMT -5
My STBX did extensive research on her family history. Interesting things were found but no trace to her over seas origin. She did find a name very similar to hers, of a man who was with the Lost Colony discovered in America. Dating back to the late 1500's early 1600's.Very little is known about this handful of people or their origin. Long before Columbus.
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Post by baza on Dec 20, 2016 19:36:38 GMT -5
After reading this thread, I was sitting on the couch with our dog.
I must have been looking somewhat bemused, because Ms enna said - "What are you thinking ?"
So I disclosed my thoughts to her, saying - "I was just thinking if this was a few million years ago, I would be an ape sitting on the couch, and next to me would be a wolf, and there'd still be fuck all worth watching on the tv".
Next thing, Ms enna re-appears, says "Here's dinner then" and gives me a banana !!
Fuck it was funny.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 5:26:57 GMT -5
@boulderbob that is some interesting reading (and no, I'm not being facetious.) Now I want to do more research on it. Not that I don't believe you, but once something becomes fascinating to me, I HAVE to become a subject matter expert on it. I guess it's in my DNA. 🙄
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