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This stuff has always fascinated me, and I really went into it a few years ago.

My paternal grandfather died before I was born, and my Dad never talked that much about him or his childhood. I knew my Grandmother on his side, but not much about the rest of the family. I wanted to learn as much as I could about things nobody ever told me about. Also, I have a pretty famous last name, and wondered if I was related to somebody you all would know, but after several years of research, I still can’t say.

I have a huge tree set up on Ancestry now, and did the DNA test last year. Here is what the test came back.

Europe 97%
Great Britain 38%
Ireland 22%
Europe West 21%
Italy/Greece 11%
European Jewish 2%
Scandinavia 1%
Finland/Northwest Russia 1%
Iberian Peninsula < 1%
Europe East 0%
America 0%
Native American 0%
West Asia 3%
Low Confidence Region
Caucasus 3%

Apparently my grandmother on my dad’s side said we have Native American Blood. My DNA test says that I don’t. My sister had the test done also, no Native blood. This distressed my Brother, who wanted to claim kinship to the Indians. Also, the 2% European Jewish didn’t please him I don’t think, he believes all sorts of Jewish conspiracies and post pro-Palestinian stuff on Facebook now and then.

The Italian Greek threw me for a loop at first, then I realized that my great grandparents came from Austria, specifically from the Tyrol area, which is on the border with Italy. (maybe I should check my Neanderthal DNA too after ready some posts above)

Just doing the research I have learned so much. I didn’t even have a picture of my grandfather, but I learned a lot about him, and even found pictures of his father and grandfather. My great great grandfather was one of the founding member of what was called the Iron Molders Union founded in 1859, now part of the AFL-CIO. His son also was a union man, ended up as a senior exec in the union around 1900, then quit to be a foreman at an Iron Works near Cincinnati.

My grandmother’s family on my Dad’s side came down from Canada in the late 1700s to Vincennes Indiana. They were descendants from some of the earliest French settlers in Quebec, and through them I am probably related to half of Canada. Which also makes me distant cousins to Justin Beiber, Madonna, Celine Dion, Jack Kerouac, and sadly Hillary Clinton.... I have also found that I distantly related to Ernest Hemingway and Robert Redford.

The most intriguing story to me is that of my Great Great grandmother on my Dad’s side. I had a hard time tracking info on her down. I knew she and my GG grandfather were married by 1860 but hit a dead end at first. Then found a clue about her maiden name, and started putting the pieces together. Found out she was married once before she married my GG Grandfather and already had a daughter. Found out she had married a Doctor about 1850, but I assumed he must have died or something. About a year later, I found out that he had not died, and didn’t die until 1866. In his will he mentions his daughter and what he wanted to leave her, if she was ever found.....He was living about 30 miles from her in Ohio at the time. I assumed they got divorced, which would have been a scandal back then, but maybe just left him and ran away? Through her, I can trace my ancestry back not quite to the Mayflower, but at least to the early settlers of Massachusetts.