Anyone with any good ancestry stories?

[Thus Spoke Mainer]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

 

[CF LION]

I subscribed to ancestry.com a few years ago. I traced part of my tree back to a guy named Thor in what is now Denmark around the year 1200. Another part of my tree makes me a relative of General John Fulton Reynolds, a Union Army General killed at Gettysburg.

 

[LionJim]

The original American of my name settled in Chatham, Massachusetts and bought most of Cape Cod from the Natives in exchange for a rowboat. (The other settlers made sure it didn't hold up.)

Also, my grandfather played on the last Catholic University football team to beat Maryland, in 1915.

 

[NittanyLionFan]

I don't know if they are overly interesting, but I'll share two.

1) President Theodore Roosevelt, a distant cousin of mine, interacted with Senator Matthew Stanley Quay, a distant cousin of my wife. I guess it goes without saying that a President and Senator would interact, but the President did ask "pray tell how is Boss Quay doing?" when Quay as on his death bed.

2) I am adopted and have known my whole life (story above is my "adopted" family). I picked up genealogy as a hobby about 10 years ago, when my first kid was born. To keep a long story short, I was able to use a combination of a DNA test, resulting in a few key cousin matches, with some standard genealogical sleuthing to find both of my birth parents earlier this year. We actually hosted my biological mother over for dinner a few times last month as she was visiting PA from FL. As part of that, discovered 6 half-siblings! Unfortunately, my biological family hasn't been as interesting to research as my adopted family (almost all lines of my adopted family extend back in the U.S. pre-Revolutionary War whereas three of my four biological lines are off-the-boat from Europe in the early 1910s - the one that extends back further is pre-Revolutionary, so there's a lot to uncover there!). It has been cool, though, to use DNA to confirm various biological family tree lines (and now many of the surnames make a lot more sense!).

 

[CZM]

My 6th great grandfather came over from Germany in the early 1700's as an indentured servant (fairly common in those days). His fare was paid for by a wealthy land owner in southeastern Pennsylvania. While working for the landowner and paying off his debt, the landowner died unexpectedly. My 6th great grandfather married his widow gaining the land and money!

 

[81b&w]

My 6th great grandfather came over from Germany in the early 1700's as an indentured servant (fairly common in those days). His fare was paid for by a wealthy land owner in southeastern Pennsylvania. While working for the landowner and paying off his debt, the landowner died unexpectedly. My 6th great grandfather married his widow gaining the land and money!

The good old days

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

My family tree has very few branches

 

[Carl Spackler]

That is one sweet deal.

Mine also came over in 1729. Took the "oath" in Lancaster and eventually bought a plantation in Virginia (now WVA). He was a Lieutenant in the Virginia Militia during the Revolution and his son a Sargent with the same outfit. His wife had been captured by Indians and was traded for to gain her freedom which is when he met her for the first time. Lots of stories that are interesting going back into the past.

 

[Creek Side]

The original American of my name settled in Chatham, Massachusetts and bought most of Cape Cod from the Natives in exchange for a rowboat. (The other settlers made sure it didn't hold up.)

Also, my grandfather played on the last Catholic University football team to beat Maryland, in 1915.

Imagine that, early Americans with the family name Lion Jim...

 

[WyomingLion]

Thankfully, Philadelphia began to keep immigration records very early. New York, Boston etc. all began much later than Philadelphia. The records in Philadelphia show my German speaking, Swiss ancestors arriving on October 8,1737 aboard the "Charming Nancy". They were Mennonite fleeing religious persecution. Lived in Berks County until about 1773 when they moved to Bedford County after the treaty of fort stanwix(?) 1768 opened the west to settlement.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

My Great Uncle Patsy (Pasquale) drove for General Pershing. Not sure where, and he is long deceased. He really liked the guy.

Uncle Patsy grew up poor before coming to America with some of his brothers, including my Dad's dad. .

He had a special uniform as driver for the general. When he would go out among the locals to eat, drink, shop or whatever, the locals would salute him.....thinking he was the general. He got a big kick out of telling his nephews, and then his great nephews, all about this over drinks after church on Sunday mornings.

I wish I could remember more of that, but that is the one thing that sticks out in my mind. He was kind of royalty with us nephews and our fathers. Those Sunday mornings at Uncle Patsy's were a right of passage thru 2 generations, when everybody was allowed to drink regardless of age. (Strega in my case, with Italian fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. And, of course, various samplings of home made wines.) (And, that may be why I cannot remember more stories to tell.)

 

[81b&w]

Imagine that, early Americans with the family name Lion Jim...

It may have been even more popular back then?

 

[LionJim]

Imagine that, early Americans with the family name Lion Jim...

The name may have had something to do with the Natives' willingness to part with the land so cheaply, who's to know?

 

[ILLINOISLION]

My family tree has very few branches

Be very very thankful your family tree isn't a bushwood!

 

[Class of 67]

I'm presently researching my ancestry. My father and mother both immigrated from Germany as teens in the 1930s, and then met and married in NYC. I can go back to the 1700s in Germany on my mother's side because of information passed to me by my mother. I haven't been able to go back more than two generations on my father's side. I haven't attempted yet to research German records. My maternal grandfather was in the German equivalent of the merchant marines and jumped ship in NYC. Given immigration laws then, he had to find his way to Canada and for whatever reason could enter legally from there. (No Trump then!) BTW Ancestor .com is free at my library. If so where you live, save a subscription fee.

 

[Mack_Daddy]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

My ancestors originated in an area of the world you people call Africa. I am fortunate to have found a relative named Lucy.

It took many years for my family to make its way from Africa to what is now called Europe.

Africa will always be home to me, though.

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

My ancestors originated in an area of the world you people call Africa. I am fortunate to have found a relative named Lucy.

It took many years for my family to make its way from Africa to what is now called Europe.

Africa will always be home to me, though.

View embedded media

When are you and "Lucy" planning on announcing your engagement?

 

[Ranger Dan]

I am adopted and have known my whole life

I was adopted as well... from birth. My parents told me as soon as I was old enough to comprehend. I don't remember it coming up when my dad was still alive, but the mother who raised us, had encouraged me to connect with our birth parents.. I actually have a twin sister that was adopted with me, and she sought out our birth mother and I chose not to.After some recent soul searching, and reading the book Primal Wound (highly recommended for an adoptee, adoptive parents, and those who gave up a child), I asked my sister for details about my birth parents. She only met the birth mother, but did get some details about the biological father. Apparently, my birth mother was a young woman (late teens/early twenty's) who had a relationship with a traveling salesman. When she got pregnant, it was revealed that the biological father was actually a rodeo cowboy and professional gambler who was married and already had a wife and kids.

I have researched my family history (from my parents who raised me) through ancestry.com. I haven't done any first hand research, just piggy backing on other peoples research. I have ancestors from both sides that go be in America prior to the revolutionary war, and at least one relative who fought in the war. The furthest back I could go was to 1600 in Switzerland. I did find two shocking discoveries... one where I am supposedly related to some English nobility and another where an ancestor was born in Shanghai China. I'm quite dubious about both of these.

 

[Mack_Daddy]

When are you and "Lucy" planning on announcing your engagement?

Just think, you and I could be cousins.

 

[phillybillyreprise]

One of my relatives was drafted into the Northern Army but paid someone to serve for him. He then went west on a wagon train and was attacked by native Americans. He turned back and went to New Orleans. There he took a steamer to Havana. When the ship arrived in Havana, there was a yellow fever epidemic. They did not land in Havana and headed to New York.
He then returned to Lancaster County and clerked in the family store.

If you go on the Lancaster County Library web site, I think you can find a book entitled "Biographical Annuals of Lancaster County. It was printed about 1900. Both sides of my family are in it up to my grandfathers.

 

[LafayetteBear]

My Great Uncle Patsy (Pasquale) drove for General Pershing. Not sure where, and he is long deceased. He really liked the guy.

Did Patsy carry any pig's blood around with him?

 

[Nitwit]

My wife's family was the offspring of a relationship between King Henry II and one of his concubines (of which their were many). These women were afforded some status at that time. After time in England and Northern France, they later emigrated to the USA and served in the Revolutionary War, and she is a DAR member as a result

My own lineage is less interesting. My Grandfather was 19 and switched identities with his 17 year old brother to avoid being drafted into the Czar's army in Russia around 1879. I guess the draft age was 19. During the two years that followed he emigrated to the USA through Philadelphia where he eventually founded a furniture manufacturing company.

I subscribed to one of the DNA testing services but it didn't really tell me much I didn't already know. Rather it confirmed the stories that were passed down to me.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Thankfully, Philadelphia began to keep immigration records very early. New York, Boston etc. all began much later than Philadelphia. The records in Philadelphia show my German speaking, Swiss ancestors arriving on October 8,1737 aboard the "Charming Nancy". They were Mennonite fleeing religious persecution. Lived in Berks County until about 1773 when they moved to Bedford County after the treaty of fort stanwix(?) 1768 opened the west to settlement.

Mine too moved to Bedford County where I grew up on the family farm 15 miles north of Bedford. They were a bit later to Bedford than your ancestors, built a limestone house in 1842. They also sailed from Switzerland/Southern Germany due to religious persecution, Church of the Brethern which is a half step from Mennonite, and traveled to Holland to England to Philadelphia back in 1729 to move westward with my GGGGGGG grandmother moving north from Virginia to Bedford County I don't remember when. So many tales corresponding in some manner to each other, so interesting. My distant grandmother was a Studebaker (the car family) of which some moved west to South Bend, IN and began a wagon building company bearing that name and made a fortune building wagons during the War Between the States. I'm told many period pictures feature Studebaker wagons. Eventually they became a car company although I do not know that history.

 

[Ct. Lion]

My mother's grandparents both came over from small towns in Sweden and settled in NJ. There is nothing much about the family tree from Sweden and they assimilated well here.

My father's great grandfather came over from Denmark from a well established family that left an estate that provided "stipends" to the off-spring until the family tree became so large that the yearly payments became less than $100 dollars per year. We called it our Care Package from Europe. Here in the U.S., descendants were notified by a law firm in Copenhagen yearly about the status of the stipend which required the family to report all births and deaths from within the family. For a few years that was my job until the stipend ran out and there was one last payment. Various family members over the years would visit Copenhagen and meet with the law firm to make sure there wasn't a castle or some vast land holding that we didn't know about but all attempts at fabricating some royal linkage failed.
On my father's mothers side there was lineage through the name Baker that traveled back to early England and Alfred the Great. As you might imagine, with that length of time the family tree was enormous. Some of the U.S. trivia was one group in the tree landed at the end of Long Island and were founders of East Hampton, NY and one was the Gardiners who still own Gardiners Island which lies between the north and south forks of Long Island's east end.
I did not do the research on this but one of my cousins on my father's side (his sister's daughter) is married to a guy who spends most of his retired time doing genealogy and he did the research on my father's side (sounds like the source of a recruiting rumor story that we hear all of the time, lol).

 

[palehorse]

My great great grandfather carried Lincoln's casket. He was chosen b/c of his service record and for being one of the tallest men in the union army. He was wounded in several different civil war battles. He was also a pony express rider(or some equivalent) starting at age 12. Founded the first Fire dept in my hometown. Pretty busy guy. lol

 

[WyomingLion]

Mine too moved to Bedford County where I grew up on the family farm 15 miles north of Bedford. They were a bit later to Bedford than your ancestors, built a limestone house in 1842. They also sailed from Switzerland/Southern Germany due to religious persecution, Church of the Brethern which is a half step from Mennonite, and traveled to Holland to England to Philadelphia back in 1729 to move westward with my GGGGGGG grandmother moving north from Virginia to Bedford County I don't remember when. So many tales corresponding in some manner to each other, so interesting. My distant grandmother was a Studebaker (the car family) of which some moved west to South Bend, IN and began a wagon building company bearing that name and made a fortune building wagons during the War Between the States. I'm told many period pictures feature Studebaker wagons. Eventually they became a car company although I do not know that history.

Hey, very cool! My research shows there are a great many like us. The Holland to England to Philadelphia was quite common. My ancestors settled in what is now Somerset County but it was Bedford County then. Bedford County was huge and several counties were later formed from it. I was amazed at the records from that era. The "Mother Bedford " website has some tax records,census info if you are not familiar with it. Fun detective work!
Oh yes the brethren are close, some of my ancestors later switched.

 

[GastonLion]

We're on a cross-country driving trip and visited the LDS Family Research Center while in Salt Lake City. They are extremely accommodating and my wife and I were each given a volunteer to walk us through their system and answer questions. The LDS have probably the greatest library of genealogy records and the information they provide is amazing.
My wife drew some attention as they quickly traced here ancestry back to an English king and queen of Kent in 493 A.D. The English kept good records of royalty and the nobility so it made for a quick study.
My lineage was harder to trace as all my grandparents came from Eastern Europe in the 1900's and we didn't have time to navigate that trail.

 

[TheGLOV]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

Don't forget you were also dropped on your head as a baby which is why you do not have the necessary high level intelligence to root for Liverpool!

 

[gregoryj95]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

Much of mothers side of the family, actually everyone on my maternal grandmother's side, were Quakers who were brought over in 1683/1684 by William Penn to help found his colony. They helped settle what is now Chadds Ford, PA. My 10x great grandfather John Palmer is listed on a plaque outside of the old Quaker church on Rt. 1. Down the road a bit, the Newlin Mill built by my 9x great grandfather Nathaniel Newlin in 1704, still stands.

 

[Glen]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

In WWi Austria was an empire and not landlocked

 

[MtNittany]

Grandmother's GG Grandfather founded Bucknell.

 

[Obliviax]

Sadly, most of my family's records were destroyed in WW2. We've tried to do some research but going passed 1940 is quite a challenge. Perhaps the DNA thing is a better approach. But it is quite a message seeing how Eastern Europe was simply devastated in the years from 1939 > 1945.

 

[Frabjous]

My family tree has very few branches

Not this, we hope.

http://www.snopes.com/movies/graphics/banjoboy.gif

 

[Pardlion]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

One of my ancestors is Mrs. Leeds. She cursed her 13th child, and it was born as the Jersey Devil. So, the Jersey Devil is my uncle.

 

[LBCnova]

On my father's side, I'm related to Sir Henry Vane. He was one of the first Governors of Mass. Bay colony in the 1630's. He was a big proponent of religious freedom and eventually fell out favor with Cromwell and King Charles II. He was beheaded in 1662.

 

[manatree]

I just discovered that my grandmother came over on the SS Ancona (Italia Line) from Naples in 1913. After the ship returned to Europe, on it's first (attempted) voyage back to America it was sunk by Austrian sub on it's first day out. (Insert question here why a land-locked country has a navy). Not exactly a "close call" but a bit disconcerting if she had taken the same ship on it's next voyage to America.

Austro-Hungarian Empire circa 1914.

 

[MAJoePa]

I do actually. I am a direct descendant of John Hanson, who some argue to has the first President of the United States as he was elected as the president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation. That is obviously not true since the Articles did not account for an executive branch, but its a fun story to tell anyway. One thing you can thank him for is that he was the individual that is responsible for making the 4th Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. So anyway, I am related to a founding father so that is pretty cool, and allows my daughter to join the Daughters of the Revolution when she turns 18.

Another notable member of my family managed to survive Andersonville prison during the Civil War, which was no easy feat as many know.

 

[psuro]

Probably not as interesting as other people's but my maternal grandmother was 13 when she married my grandfather, who was 31 at the time (this was in 1926). He already had three children from his first wife, who passed away, the oldest being 9. So, my 13 year old grandmother was the step mother of a 9 year old.

My paternal grandfather graduated college in 1892; my father was born in 1933, and I was born in 1965. My paternal grandfather was a civil engineer and I have an engineering design drawing from him signed and dated in 1898.

I had, at one time, over 100 aunts/uncles and cousins.....the youngest of all my cousins is 36, and the oldest living cousin in in her late 70's and is a great grandmother.

 

[Obliviax]

my wife is a direct descendent of Lucrezia Borgia. In more recent years, she is a distant cousin of Charles Lindbergh. We are planning a trip to Scotland where her family clan is from, there is the remains of a castle there. As I understand it, it is just the foundation a parts of a wall. You can get the family crest though.

Lucrezia Borgia

 

[manatree]

My Maternal 4x Great Grandfather was a Hessian soldier that remained after the war and settled near Gratz, PA, along with several Hessians.

Johann Conrad Dietz b. 24 Aug 1752 , d. 25 Mar 1819 and is buried at Klinger's Church near Sacramento, PA. He was in the 3rd Minnigerode Co. of the von Knyphausen Regiment. He had the dubious distinction of being captured twice. Once at the Battle of Trenton, after which he was on work release in Lancaster Co. and then was part of a prisoner exchange in 1778. His Regiment was put on ships to head to Canada. His ship, The Triton hit a storm and lost their masts and was captured by a privateer and were turned back over to the Colonials where he remained in prison and work release until after the war. I do not know if he was already in the military or if he was conscripted by George III's relatives.

He got a warrant for 211 acres in 1786, was married and had at least six children. At least four of his neighbors were also Hessians that stayed after the war. His son Johannes, my 3x Great Grandfather, married one of the neighboring Hessians' daughter.

I'm actually more intrigued with researching this ancestor than I am of the ones that fought for the Colonists.