I have Cossak Blood: Share your oen lineage!

[NinjaStylerobot]

One of my ancestors was a kozak.

Wow.

edit:

Apparently other people have interesting ancestry as well! EVERYBODY JOIN IN! :smallbiggrin:

[Cikomyr]

It does explain your "Barbarian in the Playground" subtitle.

Outside of this, I am sure a lot of people around here have a lot of different ethnic ancestry. Is Cossak special?

[Bhu]

It does explain your "Barbarian in the Playground" subtitle.

Outside of this, I am sure a lot of people around here have a lot of different ethnic ancestry. Is Cossak special?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks

they have a colorful history

[NinjaStylerobot]

I know! Im also jewish!

[Spiryt]

Time to get really drunk and dance to death singing obscene songs after pillaiging some poor village on the steppe, I guess.

[Cikomyr]

I guess they are an interesting group of people of histry. I'd like to see someone who has certified Janissary ancestry.. which I believe would be hard to find as up until the near end of their existence, they weren't allowed to have family.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I don't think I have Cossack blood... I think the Cossack's had my ancestor's blood though. Like, splashed on them. Actually, one of my teacher's grandparents would tell him about how the Cossacks would raid her village when she was a child from across the river.

The Cossack's are interesting because they truly are a unique culture. I mean, they're ethnically Slavic, generally escaped serfs and criminals, who adapted completely to the lifestyle of the Muslim nomads they replaced. However, despite their free-stylin', free-roamin', generally freedom-lovin' ways, they were religiously EXTREMELY conservative.

[noparlpf]

One of my ancestors was a kozak.

Wow.

I'm not sure what kind of Russian my mum's side is but it's some kind of Russian. So I may very well have Cossack ancestry too.


I know! Im also jewish!

Same here! Also from my mum's side. My dad's side is German/Lutheran.

[NinjaStylerobot]

My great great great great grandpa was named Kozak, slavo pekar.

[ForzaFiori]

My great grandmother was Magyar. I don't know a huge amount about the culture and history, but what I have read was pretty interesting. I also have Italian, German, and English (all from my dads side), and 50% of me is a big "?", because my mom is adopted (all I know is that it's probably something considered "northern European" based on how she looks).

[Ursus the Grim]

I'm a little jealous.

1/2 German
1/4 Italian (Likely Sicilian)
1/8 French Canadian
1/8 Scottish

No clear family lineage as my father (the mixer of the two) was adopted and only recently met his thoroughly American and drug-addicted mother and my mother's side speaks poor English. That, and I don't think my stereotypical sauerkraut of a grandfather is keen on talking about his past or that of his parents.

Now, my father's adoptive parents were descended from Swedish horse thieves. That's a little badass, but its still no Cossack blood.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I've mostly got Polish Jewish blood with possibly a bit of Russian Jewish heritage splashed in there. And I'm going to be the first doctor in the family. :smalltongue: Actually, at least a few of my ancestors were innkeepers and tavernowners--that's what my last name means, anyway. And I know that there's a large hotel near Times Square that my great-uncle(?) founded, though it's no longer in the family.

[Solaris]

German and black Irish for the most part, a little bit of Swiss, French by way of the Irish (they were exiled to Ireland, family legend has it we're related to Dierdre of Sorrows), and a splash of Blackfoot for color.

This made having a Crow in my squad kinda fun. Mwahahaha.

[Elemental]

Wow. My ancestry is so dull and boring in comparison.
Just the standard mix of English, Welsh and Cornish (mostly English), plus some Russian nobility far back on my Mum's side.
I'll have to ask her for more details, but my family's been Australian for over one hundred years on both sides, so, not much to tell.

[NinjaStylerobot]

Its pretty cool cause I can say "The blood of my ancestors flows through me! I will chop off your head whilst being on a horse! :smallfurious: "

[Kalmageddon]

I'm proudly Venetian and still angry at Napoleon.

[The Succubus]

Is it bad that my first thought on reading the thred title was "Russian Charlie Sheen, is that you?"

[Sneaky Weasel]

My great, great grandad was a troll who lived in Norway. Shunned by the other trolls for his lack of warts and his small stature, he eventually found love in the form of my great, great granny, a woman shunned by the human community for her huge size and horrifically ugly appearance. Their children, half trolls, sailed to America, hoping for a home where you didn't have to eat fish every day. As the troll blood thinned through the generations, it became barely noticeable, except for a resistance to cold climate and a dislike of sunlight. I'm justly proud of my trollish heritage, and if there are any trolls reading this then high five, troll brothers!:smallamused:

[dehro]

uhm... my mum is dutch and jewish
her father was born near Bielsko Biala, Poland, and migrated to belgium and holland as a child..long before ww2. HIS mother was born in the same village, but back then it was autrian/ austro-hungarian.
her mother was born in holland and moved to indonesia 6 months later, where her father had a teaching position until the war. they spent the war in a japanese concentration camp (for being white, more so than for being jewish)..then migrated back to holland
they've mostly been merchants or farmers, with a couple of military figures inbetween.

on my father's side, italian and catholic all the way back, from Piedmont. my father has the distinction of having been born in the kitchen table of the only house in Asti that was bombed later in the war.
his father was a soldier during the war and a merchant before and after it. when they gave him summer equipment and clothing to invade Russia with (this really happened..apparently in a mix up, someone sent crates full of winter-clothes to Africa instead), he decided he'd seen enough crap, dumped his rifle and walked back home from Jugoslavia. he got there weighing half his original weight.
my dad's mother was born in a farmer's family with some military tradition.
also, apparently, a mad scientist who got filthy rich, squandered it all, got in with the fascists and died young (natural causes)
family lore says that during the first world war one relative was attached to the duke of Aosta (brother to the king of italy) as a rifle instructor in his africa campaign.

one funny bit of family history says that one relative per side fought on each side of the battle between Radetzky's army and the italian forces.
of course they both survived or I wouldn't be here.
it is also said that the guy on the winning side, a lowly soldier, was at some point the last surviving (by force of old age, not extermination) of Radetzky's veterans, and was therefore granted permission to spend his final days eating at the very farthest end of emperor Franz Josef's table .
the veracity of this tale however remains to be seen.
anyhoo.. as far back as I possibly can go, jewish farmers in poland, jewish merchants in holland and catholic farmers in italy

[Draconi Redfir]

Leseee now...

Irish from both sides of the family (Grandmother on my dads side, not sure about my mom's side)

Mohawk aboriginal tribe from my Mother's side (Great-great (great?) Grandmother was a Mohawk)

Hungarian from my mother's side (Grandmother's... something or other,)

British from more or less everyone (By Grandfather on my father's side is directly British i believe)

Albertan by birth (First and so far only member of my family born outside of Ontario and Qubec in canada)

Aaannd... Not sure what else. Think maybe some French from a distant relative of my father, likely some Norseman to explain my red hair, but yeah.

Canadian Irish Hungarian Mohawk :smallbiggrin:

[Castaras]

I'm Norman, as far as I recall. Slight scottishness in me, but I'm pretty much Norman and other such english heritage.

[Traab]

Going back to my great grandparents I have in me english, dutch, german, italian, irish, scottish, french, and I think, swiss in me. Basically, I have the ethnicity of half of europe, but not enough to qualify for any sort of scholarships. Which rather sucked when it came time to work out how I would pay for college.

[pendell]

-- Cherokee , 1/16th.
-- Irish. Family symbol a goat with a spear through its neck.
-- Scandinavian.
-- English. Last name Pendell, so it may be some relation to these guys in lancashire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_witches).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Oh, if we're doin' this whole thing, I'm half British mongrel, half Ukrainian. Of the Ukrainian side, I'm half Galician Jewish, and half Kiev-outskirts.

[Feytalist]

Fairly straightforward French/German background here, albeit a few generations removed. Standard in that my country is essentially made up of French, German, Portuguese and Dutch descendants.

My (French) family name can be traced back to the French Royal House, but that's apparently nothing special. Lots of bastards running around in those days.

[GolemsVoice]

I only know my grandparents, but I'm as German as they come. The father of my mother got the Bundestverdienstkreuz, which is something. Not hereditary, sadly.

[Aedilred]

I'm British (English) in both directions for several generations. However, my great-grandmother on my dad's side was of Sephardi background although I don't think her family had practised for several generations and I don't know when they left Iberia.

My dad's family also have some ancient Norman ancestry, which accounts for my Norman middle name.

[Tengu_temp]

I come directly from a line of nobles with around 500 years of history and its own coat of arms. We used to own several villages, but lost them due to the partitions of Poland in late XVIII century and the following events. Today Poland doesn't even have nobility, but the blood remains.

[Crow]

Norwegian/Danish (hard to track) and Manx.

No coat of arms or anything cool like that. My ancestors were probably the bastard children of Norse invaders.

[GolemsVoice]

I always find it incredible how Americans can track their lineage and always know which percentage of their blood has which ancestry. It's likely a cultural thing, but if I asked here in Germany, most would say "Well, uh, German, I guess? My grandfather's from this village and my grandmother from that."

[Crow]

I always find it incredible how Americans can track their lineage and always know which percentage of their blood has which ancestry. It's likely a cultural thing, but if I asked here in Germany, most would say "Well, uh, German, I guess? My grandfather's from this village and my grandmother from that."

I think most people just outright guess.

What I find funny is how everyone and their mother around here claims to have native american ancestry. At least in SoCal where I grew up. Like it's the cool thing to be.

[Pokonic]

I always find it incredible how Americans can track their lineage and always know which percentage of their blood has which ancestry. It's likely a cultural thing, but if I asked here in Germany, most would say "Well, uh, German, I guess? My grandfather's from this village and my grandmother from that."

Diskworld put it nicely: The farther away you are from your peoples homeland, the more you feel the need to play out the traditinal sterotypes. Its funny, realy.

Anyway, I am...Hans Chinese all the way down. In hindsight, the only time any member of my family married outside of the general ethinic group was when my uncle had a absolutly scandel-filled relationship with a Manchu women, and they never had kids. Then again, it was said that she had some royal blood in her, but everyone and there mother can say that there decendents of some emporer or another, and this includes americans who like to claim that they had a Scottish lord in there lineage or something.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Italian and English (and I guess some other stuff mixed in with the English), but mainly Italian, because that's the one that matters. :smalltongue:

My dad's parents came over here from l'Aquila sometime after WWI and both of my mom's side can trace back directly to William Bradford. Mom's mom's side has a coat of arms and stuff.

Woo?

[Klose_the_Sith]

I always find it incredible how Americans can track their lineage and always know which percentage of their blood has which ancestry. It's likely a cultural thing, but if I asked here in Germany, most would say "Well, uh, German, I guess? My grandfather's from this village and my grandmother from that."

My Grandmother is from Belm and my Grandfather is from Wohlsborn :smallwink:

EDIT: Oh yes and I can definitively trace my family back to both sides of those two wars that happened in the first half of the twentieth century (occasionally sharing campaigns, but I don't think any battles).

[Partof1]

Well, I have a baron in my ancestry. A little blue blood never hurt. I thought he would've been a great great grandmother's cousin or something, but nope, straight back up the tree.

[Madara]

Mine was Napoleon's cabby, and saved his life, earning one of those french metals. annd I'm related to Charlemagne

and yes, Americans love to trace our lineage, because its so exciting. My mom is really into ancestry, but the fun part for me is realizing that I should live up to their lineage.

[Crow]

Americans love tracing their lineage because most of our ancestors came here from somewhere else first, at some point.

As much as everyone likes to call America a melting pot, it never really was. The idea behind the theory was that the various cultures would blend and mix together over time. In some ways, they are. But much slower than the originators of the theory supposed.

The flip side of this, is that without any solid American 'identity', we Americans look to our ancestors, and the places we came from to identify ourselves with a culture we can call our own.

[TechnoScrabble]

I'm descended from a family of Irish Celts who became one of the first celt groups to expand into Asia, a group of Irish celts who eventually became English nobility, cossacks, and the viking family that settled in and named russia. And those are just the ones I have family heirlooms from, I'm sure there's more with how genetically diverse modern humans are.

Pretty much every one of my bloodlines has been very military and wanderlust oriented.

EDIT: Oh, and I've lived in Ireland, Japan, Russia, France, UK, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, and will soon move to Australia for a short period of time.

[Malfunctioned]

I'm Jewish, from both sides, though one sides if mostly Sephardic and the other completely Ashkenazi. Aside from those general bits I'm mostly Russian with a big spoonful of Spanish and Portuguese, along with some Welsh mixed in there. The rest is English most likely.

[Ursus the Grim]

Americans love tracing their lineage because most of our ancestors came here from somewhere else first, at some point.

As much as everyone likes to call America a melting pot, it never really was. The idea behind the theory was that the various cultures would blend and mix together over time. In some ways, they are. But much slower than the originators of the theory supposed.

The flip side of this, is that without any solid American 'identity', we Americans look to our ancestors, and the places we came from to identify ourselves with a culture we can call our own.

Pretty much this. America's less a melting pot and more a salad bowl. Everyone is taught to value their heritage. Hence things like the "Smorgasbord of Nations" I had to do in elementary school. . .

*Old chip on my shoulder*

[BayardSPSR]

Mostly Polish on one side, mostly Scots-Irish on the other, with a bit of German in there somewhere. Of course, if you go back far enough, I'm African, just like everybody else. :smallwink:

[Orzel]

1/2 Grenada
1/2 Misc Slave Trade African American

[Serpentine]

All British of one sort or another.

I recently found out that I am, at the moment, right smack-bang in the middle of maternal family history. We even supposedly have a "family castle" - although it has been pointed out that just because my ancestors were McLauchlans and there's a Lauchlan Castle, that doesn't mean the two are related, but I just don't know; I just have to wait for my mum to send me more information.

My father was born in Kent, England, but he's really dark. He had an afro when he married my mother, a colleague of his keeps telling him "how good it is to see more aboriginals in government positions" (he doesn't have the heart to correct her), and he looks uncannily like a friend of my sister's who is South African, Polynesian, Maori and a bunch of other bits and pieces - to the extent that our mum is uncomfortable around him.

The oldest ancestor we know is on my mother's side, and was a convict. Was charged with handling stolen goods, was pregnant and gave birth on the ship, got pregnant again while on the ship, was a housemaid to an ex-convict whom she never married but who adopted her children (we still carry his name) and had more children by him (I'm from the adopted branch; apparently the non-adopted side is a bit snobby about that). My sister has vague plans to write a historical romance based on her.

[Roxxy]

I'm German, Irish, British, French, and Dutch by birth, and Italian by adoption. I also have no idea what my mother's father was, so I could be anything on that side.

[Roxxy]

I think most people just outright guess.

What I find funny is how everyone and their mother around here claims to have native american ancestry. At least in SoCal where I grew up. Like it's the cool thing to be.I have, like, 1/16th or 1/32nd or some incredibly small percentage like that of Sioux from my father's side of the family. I generally don't even mention it unless the subject of Native American lineage comes up, and I don't claim to actually be Sioux since it's such a tiny percentage.

[Solaris]

I think most people just outright guess.

What I find funny is how everyone and their mother around here claims to have native american ancestry. At least in SoCal where I grew up. Like it's the cool thing to be.

I usually only claim it when I'm messing with tribals. If memory serves, it was a great-great-great grandfather.
It's also worth noting that many Americans do have one tribe or another in their lineage. We interbred a lot, after all. It's all a question of whether or not someone knows about it. This makes certain claims really, really funny.

[dehro]

Pretty much this. America's less a melting pot and more a salad bowl. Everyone is taught to value their heritage.

I kinda thought as much..then I went on a guided tour of Harlem, NY..and the guy, a local, about 60+ years old, was telling us all about how "here's where this happened.." "here's where coltrane played.." "here's where the historical clyb/landmark/venue you've read about was..." "here's where that happened..".. and would invariably end the phrase with.."but we've torn it down and built a.. skyscraper/shopping mall/something else" in it's place now..
got me all mistified and a little depressed.

[Iferus]

I'm 1/64th Swedish, and an uncertain part Spanish (1/64, 1/128 or 1/256). Rest of it is Dutch.

[Lyndworm]

Ooh! A lineage thread; I've never seen one of these before.

I've never really felt like I should have to live up to my heritage, or that anyone else should, either; every person should be judged purely on their own merit, without things like genealogy and ethnicity getting in the way. However, I am quite interested in in history and foreign cultures, so I like to keep track of my family's development. It's not easy, so I don't have much, I'm afraid. Culturally, I identify as an American, but that's about it. I don't feel like I need to brand myself with a location of origin, so I don't worry about it too much.

My blood is extremely mixed, and I like to refer to myself as either "3/4th redneck, 1/4 hillbilly" or "(mostly) Caucasian mutt" depending on my mood. I do actually have some non-Caucasian features, despite my creepy-paleness and blue/green/gray eyes; most notably, epicanthic eye folds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicanthic_fold). Mine aren't very noticeable, but my whole family has them (it's fairly common in the part of Kentucky from which my family hails), and my youngest brother's almost Oriental-looking (not that that's a bad thing).

I'm afraid that I can't give exact measurements, but I know that I contain blood from England and Germany, though mostly from Scotland (though I can't give more precise geographical references). Additionally, I'm several parts Native North American on at least three sides of my family (though quite far removed), one of which is more-or-less confirmed Cherokee, another presumed Blackfoot (the man claimed to be from "out West" and wouldn't go into it; strangely, this is the one I know most about because he's my great, great, great grandfather, I think), and the third completely unknown to me. Finally, it's been suggested on multiple occasions that I contain large amounts of Melungeon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon) (An interesting read!), partially due to essentially my entire family coming from the Floyd (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_County,_Kentucky) area.

So, to break it down:

Dad's Dad: Irish and Scottish, Native American (unknown) (probable Melungeon)
Dad's Mom: Scottish and German, Native American (possibly Blackfoot) (probable Melungeon)

Mom's Dad: English and Scottish, Native American (likely Cherokee) (probable Melungeon)
Mom's Mom: English, Irish, and French Canadian

Although I contain no Polish blood, my familial habits are more in line with those of Polish immigrants than any of the above cultures. My mom's mom's stepdad (the man my mother considers to be her "real" grandfather) was Polish, and my great-grandmother (83 and still going strong!) absorbed a lot from him. We have a lot of great Polish recipes (kolaczkis and guampke come to mind), and we have a habit of touching and kissing dead people (which I'm told is a Polish tradition; something about saying goodbye like they were still alive keeping them out of your dreams).

Please try not to quote me on by genealogical history, as it's quite likely that I'm a little confused (it being 6:40 AM and all). I'll come back once the sun has decided to rise and update the post with whatever my mom says (she's into this stuff too, for the same reasons).

[Solaris]

The flip side of this, is that without any solid American 'identity', we Americans look to our ancestors, and the places we came from to identify ourselves with a culture we can call our own.

Claiming Americans don't have any culture or identity of their own is... well, kinda comical. Our culture touches everywhere on this globe, and people can tell when you're an American. America is very much a melting pot. Just look at the origins of the various food dishes you eat on a regular basis for starters. It gets worse from there.
It's just that part of our culture is to absorb cool things from other cultures. We're like sociological Tyrannids.

[Galileo]

annd I'm related to Charlemagne
That's not surprising. After all, he's everybody's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sTzLXtojo) daddy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arkTwmmPn4s) (Second one about 14:00 in.)

I'm Chinese and Scottish on my mother's side, and probably Irish on my father's. I know the most about my Chinese side, so that's what I mostly consider myself to be.

[Yora]

One of my grandfathers was Pomeranian, but that's not really that special for Germans.

[pendell]

I always find it incredible how Americans can track their lineage and always know which percentage of their blood has which ancestry.

In my case, it's because we remember my family history. My great-great-great-great grandmother Farley was the sole survivor of a village which was destroyed in Oklahoma. By Europeans or by other Native Americans, I cannot say. Only that it happened. Her adoptive family found the baby in the wreckage. She grew up and married a European-descent guy, who was the grandfather of my grandfather. 1 to one half to one quarter to one eighth to one sixteenth. It's a fairly straightforward progression.

I can neither confirm or deny that her father was missing his right eye, nor can I confirm that the village she survived was burned down by a lich and his ogre henchman, nor do I know anything about this scarlet cloak that's been handed down through the generations. Maybe someday I'll put it on.

Just kidding about that last part, but it makes a good story!

At any rate, this stuff is important because the Cherokee nation cares about such things (http://www.cherokee.org/Services/TribalRegistration/Default.aspx)



To be eligible for Cherokee Nation citizenship, individuals must provide documents connecting them to an enrolled lineal ancestor who is listed on the Dawes Roll with a blood degree. CDIB/Tribal Citizenship is traced through natural parents. In cases of adoption, CDIB/Citizenship must be proven through a biological parent to an ancestor registered on the Dawes Roll.


See also here (http://www.allthingscherokee.com/articles_gene_121100.html).

Of course, since my g-g-grandmother would be unable to prove herself on the Dawes roll that means I'll never be able to claim that part of my heritage. I'll settle for being an all-American mutt :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[TheThan]

Americans love tracing their lineage because most of our ancestors came here from somewhere else first, at some point.
As much as everyone likes to call America a melting pot, it never really was. The idea behind the theory was that the various cultures would blend and mix together over time. In some ways, they are. But much slower than the originators of the theory supposed.
The flip side of this, is that without any solid American 'identity', we Americans look to our ancestors, and the places we came from to identify ourselves with a culture we can call our own.

Very true this (I’m glad I’m not the only one that realizes it).


Ok this needs some clarification. Many people that immigrated to America did so because they were fleeing something (law, dept, religious persecution etc), or simply wanted to start over. For many of them that meant changing their identity and losing their racial/ethnic heritage. so someone with a last name of O'hare, for instance, would eventually drop the "O" and become simply Hare.

So what we end up with is people who have no real idea of where their family comes from. So people have been starting to dig into their family's past and try to find out. this is stuff that generally isn't told to us as children. Most parents aren't telling stories about their families because, they don't really have any to tell.

I think some people that have no real clue, simply make it all up. they want to be Irish or somesuch, so they decide they're Irish. even though they have no real proof of it.


Anyway I’ve got an Irish and Scottish heritage. My mom’s side is Irish and my dad’s side is Scottish. Legend has it there’s a hint of Cherokee in there somewhere, but nobody knows for sure. However one of my ancestors was a pirate. ARRRG!

[Yora]

My grandfather used to be a sailor and a firefighter, that's enough for me. :smallbiggrin:

[Serpentine]

It seems like it's only recently that Australians are starting to be proud of our convict heritage. I'm glad.

[TheCountAlucard]

It seems like it's only recently that Australians are starting to be proud of our convict heritage. I'm glad.Are you glad that they're showing pride, or that it's only recent? :smallconfused:

[dehro]

One of my grandfathers was Pomeranian, but that's not really that special for Germans.

be honest..is this him?
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6065/6072522575_eeb4e0a669_z.jpg

[Yora]

The outfit is silly. But the face kind of looks like him.

Though he really looks a lot more like Yoda.

[Serpentine]

Are you glad that they're showing pride, or that it's only recent? :smallconfused:The pride bit. It's good that we're finally both acknowledging and seeking out our convict heritage. I think my own Elizabeth Thomas sounds like a very remarkable woman, and I'd love to know more about her.

[Mono Vertigo]

I'm Belgian.
On my mother's side, I am certain I have French and Dutch ancestors. I'm also very, very vaguely related to the Belgian royal family, and my family tree directly includes the writer Simenon.
On my father's side, my grandparents were Jewish Polish. Only my grandmother lives today, lost her whole family after fleeing to Belgium during the Holocaust, and still doesn't know what happened to them exactly (though we have a pretty clear and horrible idea).
Retracing my lineage farther or more accurately than that would be pretty difficult. I'm still proud to be the granddaughter of a survivor.

[Cobra_Ikari]

I am of German, Cuban, Italian, and Spaniard descent.

As for the Americans knowing their background thing...in my case, my mother is the only person in my ancestry to have been born in the US, so I grew up with stories of growing up in other countries and people speaking other languages. The idea of not knowing your background just seems odd to me. *shrugs*

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

I'm pretty much straight up Irish/German.

I know my lineage because it's still fairly recent. Only about four generations ago my father's side of the family had just come over from Ireland. And then the History teacher wants you to research your family tree, and that's the side with the most documentation since they've spent the past three generations in the same area (actually pretty much on the same plot of land), and it happens.

I know significantly less about my mother's side of the family, but it's still fairly recent German descent.

[Halberd]

Let's see, if I put it into fractions...
1/4 Chinese
1/4 Scottish
1/8 Italian
1/8 Austrian
1/4 Other

[Siosilvar]

Fractions?

1/2 German
1/3 Norwegian
1/4 Scottish
1/4 Irish
1/5 French (to get the last name)
1/10 English (probably)
1/10 Cherokee
1/3 the rest of northern Europe

Adds up to... 2 and a bit. Sounds about right.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I'm Irish on my father's side, and apparantly Scottish and Northern England via my mother's.

I'm bitterly disappointed that nobody in the family tree dallied with anyone from Wales, 'cause then I'd have the full set...

[John Cribati]

Both mother and my father are Jamaicans with a Scottish great-grandfather (not the same great-grandfather. At least, I hope not:smalleek:). As I am apparently the least Jamaican Jamaican on the face of the planet... you could probably guess the joke that I'm going to make.

[Bhu]

Im told my family has a mix of italian, welsh, creek indian and a hodgepodge of others. Apparently we were quite accepting of other cultures until the modern day. We also apparently contain long lines of thieves, liars, murderers, and madmen...:smalleek:

[Morph Bark]

My grandmother has got our family tree stored somewhere, which is done so well that by this point it goes back to the days of the Roman Empire and includes over 50000 people. While I quite like delving into my lineage, I will simply say that I am just Dutch with sprinkles of Spanish nobility (thanks to the Napoleonic Wars).

[The Durvin]

I wish I had some interesting ancestry, but no; the biggest mixing of bloods in my background is when my mostly-English dad married my Scotch-Irish mom. However, I do get bonus points for the fact that my family moved to America from England in 1680 and lived on the same farm until the 1930's. There's also some evidence of Asperger's heritage; my great-grampa probably had it. He got angry--not peeved, genuinely ANGRY--at people that weren't ambidextrous like he was.

Oh, and thanks to my Aspie uncle's obsessive love of genealogy, we know that the sailor that came over in 1680 was one William Darwin; the family he left back home would eventually sire a certain Charles you may have heard of.

[Talya]

Online geneology sites (which I trust as much as I would a generic politician) all trace my maiden name back to Eber Finn. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eber_Finn) Of course, he may never have existed.

[Pokonic]

Im told my family has a mix of italian, welsh, creek indian and a hodgepodge of others. Apparently we were quite accepting of other cultures until the modern day. We also apparently contain long lines of thieves, liars, murderers, and madmen...:smalleek:

Well, gee, you will fit right in here!:smallbiggrin:

[NoobForHire]

I'm sadly nothing exciting. 100% Dutch. Ayup.

And I live in a Dutch community. So Dutch that any business within city limits has to have a Dutch facade.

Anyway, my great grandparents all came over from the Netherlands. At least, I think so, could be a generation off. I do know that my grandma only spoke Dutch as a child, so yea.

[dehro]

I'm sadly nothing exciting. 100% Dutch. Ayup.

And I live in a Dutch community. So Dutch that any business within city limits has to have a Dutch facade.

Anyway, my great grandparents all came over from the Netherlands. At least, I think so, could be a generation off. I do know that my grandma only spoke Dutch as a child, so yea.

and here I thought that other than in Suriname, maybe Indonesia and of course Holland, dutch was a pointless language to know

[Feytalist]

and here I thought that other than in Suriname, maybe Indonesia and of course Holland, dutch was a pointless language to know

And South Africa.

Afrikaans is a bastardised form of Dutch (with a bit of German thrown in) but we can understand each other well enough.

[ArlEammon]

English, French, Irish, Cherokee,

So I should be good at Magic, Diplomacy, Melee, and Archery ! ;)

[H Birchgrove]

Swede on father's side, Slovak on my mother's side. Don't know my family farther than my parents' grandparents, and then only vaguely.


I know! Im also jewish!

So you're a Jewish Cossack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Cossacks)?

Or are you Cossack on one side of the family, and Jewish on the other (I assume the mother's side)?

[dehro]

And South Africa.

Afrikaans is a bastardised form of Dutch (with a bit of German thrown in) but we can understand each other well enough.

you're right of course.. I remember reading a few prayers and other bits written in Afrikaans in a book or another, and getting most if not all of it.

[Morph Bark]

and here I thought that other than in Suriname, maybe Indonesia and of course Holland, dutch was a pointless language to know

Don't forget Belgium. :smalltongue:

I've actually heard that for a long while Dutch was even spoken in the now-in-France city of Lille.

Speaking of Afrikaans though, reminds me of the time someone from India or Shri Lanka showed up on my grandma's doorstep claiming to be a distant cousin.

[Fr33ze]

On my mothers side we can trace my family all the way back to the vikings here in Denmark.

On my fathers side it stops rather quickly. My Great granparents was Tarters aka a type of gypsies from middle europe. It's not like those guys had social security numbers or, in some cases, even last names.

The most exciting part is that we have pretty good reason to suspect that some of the viking guys from the family were on the boats that sailed to north america. We can't prove it beyond doubt since thos guys really got around, both explore wise and begetting children wise.

I am sure that the viking blood that runs trough my veins is responsible for my great enjoyment of beer, mead, women and fighting with swords. Not in that order. That would be stupid. It's drinking, then fighting, then drinking again, more fighting and then the women

[Altaria87]

On my father's side I have rather boring heritage, Northern English all the way up as far as we can go (so that would imply some Danish or Scottish ancestry, but too far back to matter).
However, on my mother's side, we can't go back further than great-grandparents, but they include and orphan raised by irish parents, and a Spanish aristocrat who illegally immigrated during the Civil War to be with her 'irish' boyfriend.

[Feytalist]

Speaking of Afrikaans though, reminds me of the time someone from India or Shri Lanka showed up on my grandma's doorstep claiming to be a distant cousin.

Why does that remind you of Afrikaans? Were they speaking Afrikaans? In which case, they were very probably from South Africa. :smalltongue:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

On my fathers side it stops rather quickly. My Great granparents was Tarters aka a type of gypsies from middle europe. It's not like those guys had social security numbers or, in some cases, even last names.

The Tartars weren't really Gypsy, not ethnically, and not life-style wise either, really. They were basically the last remnants of the steppe-nomad life-style that dominated the steppes of southern Russia since the beginnings of history. Not the same as the various Traveller peoples, like the Roma/Gypsies, or the Irish Travellers, who were outcasts living outside an otherwise sedentary lifestyle.

[dehro]

Why does that remind you of Afrikaans? Were they speaking Afrikaans? In which case, they were very probably from South Africa. :smalltongue:

it sounds kinda similar..



someone from India or Shri Lanka showed up on my grandma's doorstep claiming to be a distant cousin.
ha..that's confusing.. my grandma grew up in Indonesia, before the war..and to this day she still calls it India

[Fr33ze]

The Tartars weren't really Gypsy, not ethnically, and not life-style wise either, really. They were basically the last remnants of the steppe-nomad life-style that dominated the steppes of southern Russia since the beginnings of history. Not the same as the various Traveller peoples, like the Roma/Gypsies, or the Irish Travellers, who were outcasts living outside an otherwise sedentary lifestyle.

nice to see that somebody actually knows something about them. I'm so used to blank stares when i tell people where i come from that i just try and explain it that way. They are really difficult to track though.

[Maxios]

I've actually been researching my family a bit, and I've found out some crazy stuff:
One of my ancestors traveled with Brigham Young
I have a cousin in the band Lifehouse
I have a cousin who is a news reporter in London
Centuries ago, my family held a seat of power in Welsh and owned a large manor (or something similar)
My family motto is Virtue Against Difficulties
The family once owned a large railroad company in England (it even has a page on Wikipedia)
I also found a picture of my first ancestor who arrived in America.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

nice to see that somebody actually knows something about them. I'm so used to blank stares when i tell people where i come from that i just try and explain it that way. They are really difficult to track though.

History. It's what I do. :smallbiggrin:

Um, one of my ancestors, who was himself descended from a Polar Bear, sailed from Norway or something to Orkney, killed a dragon, met a different dragon, and then an old man told him to find a raven banner, so he went to England and the King of England said "Hey, I like you, you should be the second-most powerful man in England", and gave him the northern half, and then my ancestor decided that he didn't like the King of Scotland, so invaded, kicked out Macbeth, and put his own guy on the throne.

When he heard his son died in battle against the Scots, he asked "Was the wound in the front or the back", and when told it was in the front, said "I'm cool with that."

Siward was an interesting guy.

[danzibr]

Purest I am: 1/4 Swedish, though you wouldn't guess by looking at me.
Beyond that, quite the mutt (European, though).

[Lyndworm]

My family motto is Virtue Against Difficulties
My dad figured out ours many years ago, but it seems like no one in our direct lineage still uses it. "Sauviter sed Fortiter," in Latin, but I've seen in translated two different ways into English. The first, "Agreeably but Powerfully," seems to be more literal, while the second, "Softly yet Firmly," seems to be more appropriate; I have very, very little experience with Latin, however, so I can't tell you which is closer or even if either one is right at all. I do hope that the second one is passably accurate, though... I could translate it as "Hold on Loosely, but Don't Let Go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJtf7R_oVaw&ob=av2n)" then, and that thrills me beyond words. :smalltongue:

[dehro]

the closest thing I identify as a family motto is "a dirty mind is a joy for ever"
this is what my mother's grandad used to say...and she's told it to me a lot too..
only after I grew up did she tell me the story behind it, which makes it less funny, as family mottos go.

apparently my great-grandad was castrated or otherwise rendered unable to perform during his time in a japanese prison camp in indonesia, during the war... so a dirty mind was pretty much all he'd been left with.

somehow this adds, for me, a lot of meaning to the saying and gives it more gravitas.

[Moff Chumley]

I'm Jewish, from both sides, though one sides if mostly Sephardic

Knew it knew it knew it knew it.
First time I saw a picture of Mal, I was like, "damn, sephard all up in here" and I was RIGHT.

I'm Polish and Hungarian Jewish.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Knew it knew it knew it knew it.
First time I saw a picture of Mal, I was like, "damn, sephard all up in here" and I was RIGHT.

I'm Polish and Hungarian Jewish.

Ukrainian/Galician Jewish. That's Galician as in Polish/Slovak/Ukrainian border, not Galician as in Iberian. And that's Iberian as in Spanish, not Iberian as in Georgian. MAN THIS IS CONFUSING.

[dehro]

Ukrainian/Galician Jewish. That's Galician as in Polish/Slovak/Ukrainian border, not Galician as in Iberian. And that's Iberian as in Spanish, not Iberian as in Georgian. MAN THIS IS CONFUSING.

your people were just too lazy to come up with a name of their own :smalltongue:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

your people were just too lazy to come up with a name of their own :smalltongue:

Well, in Ukrainian it's more like Halych than anything else. Perhaps from words for "salt", perhaps after the jackdaw, perhaps after a people, the Khwaliz, who lived there, perhaps after a leader of legend, Halychyna, perhaps it was a celtic settlement and has the same name roots as Galatia, Gaul, Galati in Romania, and yes, Galicia in spain.

...

I also do words. It's what I do.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Is the massive typo in the title bugging anyone else?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Is the massive typo in the title bugging anyone else?

Aye, Cossack should be spelled thusly :smallamused:

No worries, spelling ain't the OP's strength, and that's ok.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Well, in Ukrainian it's more like Halych than anything else. Perhaps from words for "salt", perhaps after the jackdaw, perhaps after a people, the Khwaliz, who lived there, perhaps after a leader of legend, Halychyna, perhaps it was a celtic settlement and has the same name roots as Galatia, Gaul, Galati in Romania, and yes, Galicia in spain.

...

I also do words. It's what I do.

That whole area was also called the Pale of Settlement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement) In any case, it's where Gwyn, Moff, and I (along with probably most people with Ashkenazim ancestry) at least partially (though fully in my case) come from.

[The_Admiral]

Both sides Hakka (Hokian). My great grandfather was a gangster.

[dehro]

I'm ashkenazy by blood, Poland and Holland being the "blood source" and sefardic by education, having had most of my education in Italy

[AshesOfOld]

I'm from half Aristocratic Germanic/viking tribes and half germanic really poor people.
And were only 50% percent sure, but maybe I'm related to the guy who wrote the first danish history, and worked for the biggest danish pope, which is kinda cool. He's basically the reason that danes are remembered for being vikings too, and not just Iceland/Norway. His name was Saxo Grammaticus Lange.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Saxo Grammaticus Lange.

That is a freaking awesome name. :smallbiggrin:

[AshesOfOld]

That is a freaking awesome name. :smallbiggrin:

I think so too! :smallsmile: There's just no way to find out whether we're related or not, because there's a hole in my lineage.

[Elemental]

I'm related to no-one historically important!
Huzzah!

Well... Except that one governor of Tasmania...

But still, that's far back on my mother's mother's side.
My own last name has no famous bearers.
Huzzah!


Well, no one I know about, and I would know about it, because everyone in Australia who shares my last name is related to me. Whether they like it or not.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I wish I had asked my grandfather more about my family lineage before he died, and even he didn't know too much, but here's what else I know about my relatives and lineage.

My great-uncle (I think) fled what's now Poland around the turn of the 20th century and went from sleeping on a bench in Central Park to founding this hotel, (http://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/) though it's no longer in the family.

Most of my relatives live in the US, mostly in the northeast and Florida. However, I do know that I have a distant relative who's a veterinary professor in the midwest and that I've got distant cousins in South Africa.

I highly doubt I have any living relatives in Europe. Nearly everyone on my dad's side of the family immigrated by about 1910, but a large chunk of my family on my maternal grandmother's side was still in Poland when World War 2 broke out. They sent letters overseas to the portion of my mom's family that was in New York when Germany initially took over Poland, they sent letters when Russia took control, but when Germany took Poland back the letters stopped coming...I know one distant aunt made it out, but that's because she was fluent in German and managed to bluff her way out at the last possible moment.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

A relative of mine co-founded Qantas Airlines in Australia.

[Maxios]

Realized that in my last post I forgot to actually state my lineage:

On my Maternal side:
Irish
Austrian
Italian (from Sicily)

On my Paternal side:
Spainard
Cherokee
Welsh
Scottish