Last Christmas, my inlaws were visiting and I asked some questions of them about their ancestry. The vague and unclear answers set my head spinning - how can someone not know? It inspired me to join an internet genealogy site (am I allowed to identify the popular site? not sure of the rules on that so will let it be), and in my arrogance, I assumed I'd have my husband's lineage figured out in no time.
Imagine my surprise when I traced that lineage, from both his mother's and father's side, back and back and back. Finding veterans from all the 20th century wars, then the Civil War, then the War of 1812, and then the Revolutionary War! There are ancestors who fought on both sides of Civil War and probably the Revolutionary War too - as there were many British immigrants back there with military titles. There were Quakers and I think Pennsylvania Dutch folk from Lancaster PA. I suspect there are connections to the original Mayflower settlers but I haven't gotten there yet. Clearly, now a year later, I am still chasing some loose ends - it's a quest now!
Of interest:
- Where I am entirely Northern European, it really appears that Sean is mostly of Great Britain heritage (including all four countries - England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland) with a dose of German thrown in.
- By the time my ancestors started arriving in the U.S. (earliest in 1870 or 1871), Sean's entire ancestry was in the U.S. (latest immigrant came in 1871).
