ancestry.com

[XCashier]

Try also FamilySearch.org. My co-worker turned me onto that site and it's FREE.

How does that work? I can find my dad and grandparents' names on there, but no background information. I don't know any names further back than my grandparents. How do you work your way back?

[ShadowBall]

I'd personally like to find out a bit more about my family since I think I am second or third generation American. My grandmother and grandfather on my mom's side both came from Ukraine and I never met anyone on my father's side. From what I was told, his side was a mix of German, Irish and Native American.

I found my grandma on FamilySearch and she's probably turning in her grave. Her listed age at the time of death was about six years older than what she actually was. And according to my mother, my grandma was 39 for many, many years...and when Mom turned 39, Grandma advised her to tell people they were sisters.

[dalesys]

You also find some interesting names...

Out on the limbs of my tree are:
Love Moore
Rhoda Woolf
Harbour Davidson

[teh_blumchenkinder]

I can put names and locations all the way back to the 1450's in my family, on my Dad's side. Don't worry, it's terribly boring, not even a knight in there. I'm second generation American/at least 5th depending on what side you're counting from, Dad's or Mom's. ... Even then, I'm at least a 16th Cherokee... possibly even Melungean (sp), I'm gonna donate my blood to the project they have for looking for those people and find out!
At least you speak English. That makes things easier. I'd call the library and ask too many questions, that's what they're there for after all, and you might be able to get help from the U.S. Consulate in Great Britain. I'm fairly certain that there's local companies there... the parish records is a good idea. At least now you have an excuse to visit England!

[Mytical]

You also find some interesting names...

Out on the limbs of my tree are:
Love Moore


Ok probably a huge coincidence..but I have a distant relative named that...for awhile my grandmothers last name was Moore..and my cousins names still end in Moore.

[telecom_goddess]

Oh trust me I would love to visit England but I don't have a passport and I don't have the money to get my ass over there.

[MoonCat]

Well, you know what town they were from. You can Google it and probably find some info about the area. There might be a library you could correspond with by email, maybe they could give you some idea of where else to look for information, such as local churches, graveyards, etc.

Also check out the site cyndislist. It's full of links to genealogical resources.

[protege]

I don't know much about my mother's side of the family. Other than many of them came from Germany, Wales, and possibly Ireland. Since their name is pretty common over here, tracing things have been difficult. Too many roots, none of which are related. Supposedly too, there's some Native American as well, but I haven't been able to find much about that either. I've been able to piece things together back a few generations, but nothing before that. Records weren't kept of the "common folk" in those days.

Not so on my dad's side. Quite a bit is known--his dad's family originally came from Norway, in 1850. My last name, roughly translated, means "Eastern House." Odd, because the town they came from (Stavanger)...is in the *western* part of Norway They ended up in the little town of Ossian, in Iowa. In fact, the church that they attended...is still there, roughly 160 years later. Grandma's family, on the other hand, is traced all the way back to the late 1600s--about 200 years before Germany itself existed! As if that wasn't enough, one of my great-grandfathers was born in Canada...almost immediately after his parents arrived from Ireland. Also interesting, is that I read somewhere, that some of my Norwegian ancestors might have been in Newfoundland...about 500 years before Columbus. How about that, kicking ass in America for nearly 1200 years

Other than the locations in Pennsylvania, I haven't really been to where my ancestors came from. I still want to head to Norway, the town in Germany, Wales, to try and find the rest of the pieces. But, with limited funds, that's not happening any time soon.

[jnd4rusty]

A lot of my history has already been done by relatives. Mom's Paternal side: great grandpa came over from Germany as a boy and great grandma came over from the Netherlands..anything beyond that is a mystery. Mom's Maternal side: I am not sure what country the family came from but my grandparents have been traced back to at least 1812 where one of my grandfathers fought in the war of 1812 and was a plantation and slave owner, another grandfather fought in the Civil War. Somehow the family made it up north to Iowa after my grandma was born (in Arkansas).

I had no knowledge of my dads side of the family until about two years ago at a family reunion. I don't know much about dad's maternal side except it was traced back to the 1700's. My dad's paternal side, however, has been traced back to 1622 when my family came to America from Hartshorne England. There is no other details but that information. I would like to learn more things and someday when I have the time, I will start some of my own research.

[Gumby30]

My Dad has just discovered this site and I think he's going to sign up for the full membership. He's gotten interested in it because we think that his branch of the family might have some Romany Gypsy links somewhere down the line and he's really keen to try and find out.

Mum researched her family tree a few years ago when my Great-Great Aunt was still alive, mostly as a favour to my Aunt who had always wanted to do this but never had the time. She got quite far back but I think she hit a dead end and didn't have time to do the neccessary travel to carry on. I think she'll take it up again when she leaves work though.

The most interesting thing we found out was that my Great-Great Aunt Florrie was a Windmill girl. The Windmill Club was the first club in London to stage the first nude table girls - and I don't think Aunt Florrie was working behind the bar!

[telecom_goddess]

Well, you know what town they were from. You can Google it and probably find some info about the area. There might be a library you could correspond with by email, maybe they could give you some idea of where else to look for information, such as local churches, graveyards, etc.

Also check out the site cyndislist. It's full of links to genealogical resources.

I will try all of this thanks

[monolayth]

My dad has done a lot of the geneology. His side is english and native american and socttish. apparently the family got kicked out of scotland for being to rowdy. His family was in the civil war as cooks. Have some wild west blood in me too. Dalton brothers and my grandmother was a great grand neice of Pat Garrett.

Mom's side is kinda boring compaired to my father's. Her father immagrated to the US from mexico when he was a toddler. He was native american from mexico. and my maternal grandmother was irish and third generation in this country herself.

I think it was mom's side that had some of her relatives that were in the trail of tears. I know I have relatives in a reservation in Ok.

I am 5 or 6 diffrent tribes. Sioux, comanche, siminole, choctaw, cherokee, apache, and mom says some aztek.

You would think with that much Native american in me I could tan.

[Jester]

He hired a very young George Washington to survey his land in 1751.

Washington would have been 19 in 1751. Young, yes, but not ridiculously young to be doing such work at that time. (Not that you were suggesting he was, mind you.) He was actually the official surveyor for Culpepper County from 1749-1750, and while not officially in that role, did such work for the government in that area for the next two years.

Amazing what you can learn these days just by typing a few words into your computer.....

[telecom_goddess]

I know about the Dalton brothers! Ever been to coffeyville?

You can thank the band the Eagles for that ....their album Desperado from 1973 was all about the Dalton Brothers and such.

[AdminAssistant]

You would think with that much Native american in me I could tan.

I know, right? Two known First Nations ancestors and I'm as a pale as a Scandinavian hermit. My sister and my father both have darker skin, tan easily, dark hair. (My grandfather and, to a lesser extent, Dad, even have the distinctive high cheekbones.) Me? Dirty blonde hair, green eyes, super pale skin. Bleh.