This week's topic: random family tree facts. Let's see if I can dig up a few.
1. My dad's mom is Mexican and Scotch-Irish. She's lived in Colorado her whole life. Her father died when she was young, in an avalanche. Her mother remarried, to a Mexican man, so some of her siblings are 100% Mexican.
2. My dad's dad is Mexican and Native American. His grandmother was Apache (we think), and was found by his Mexican family when she got split up from her tribe. She ended up marrying one of the sons.
3. My mom's mom (Nana) was Scotch-Irish and Danish. Her mother's family had the name Lorensen, but changed it to Lawrence when they came to the US.
4. Nana's mom was a seamstress who worked in the mills of Lowell MA when she was younger.
5. Nana's dad worked for Pratt & Whitney in Hartford CT.
6. Supposedly, Nana's Scottish family can trace their roots back to the real King Macbeth. Double, double, toil and trouble...
7. My mom's dad (Papa) was German and English (I think). His ancestors came over to the US a wicked long time ago, and settled in the Carolina area. I still have a lot of family in the Carolinas.
8. Some of my Papa's family fought in the Civil War, on both sides.
9. Papa was a Pearl Harbor survivor, and served in the Navy during WWII.
10. Nana was a secretary at General Electric, but always wanted to be a news reporter. Her father believed that women could only be homemakers, teachers, or secretaries, so she never had the chance to try for that dream. But she taught me to always believe in my dreams, and often told me to remember that I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, despite my gender.
Nana and Papa were very interested in history, and passed that along to me. Add to that my love of my family, and my genealogy has always been something I've wanted to further investigate. I would love to join a site like Ancestry.com, but they are so expensive. Maybe someday, I will spring for it, though. I also need to scan and archive all of my family's old photos. We have some gems. :) Someday... when I have more time.
It sounds like you don't need Ancestry.com, you've got it all figured out!
ReplyDeleteI totally loved that your Nana was such an influence (positive) on you. Those words are so powerful when we are growing up. I try to remember that to my own self now that I am a grown up. Pep talk can help sometimes too. But most importantly, my own kids.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
www.mamaandthecity.com
I love learning more about your family. That is the best thing about America,we are all such interesting cocktails :)
ReplyDeleteYou should write these down for your little boy to have. Having it on a blog is a great start. Also what are you doing, posting on a Monday?! I thought we had a system? Just kidding, congrats and extra brownie points this week :)
I struggle with posting Monday Listicles on Monday, too! But I made it this week. Interesting family tree list - I might be near some of your family here in the Carolinas :)
ReplyDeleteYour Nana was very smart and I am glad I found your journal through Monday Listicles...nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteThat's some lineage - a pathwork of all kinds of stuff from all over the map! I tried to go up on ancestry.com yesterday after another blogger rec'd it but you're right - it is kind of pricey. So I'm just kind of waiting around til it becomes a free website. (-:
ReplyDeleteAdo@ The Momalog (-: