Sunday, April 1, 2012

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Ancestry & Connection

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Hello! Welcome to my very first Blogging from A to Z Challenge entry. Not just my first entry for the year, my first entry EVER. I'm a total newbie this year. As soon as I read about it, I knew immediately what my A entry would be. It's an idea I've toyed with writing on my blog, but I didn't know if it fit. But I think it's a great way to start.

A year or so ago, I started thinking about my ancestry and my connection to the cultures of my ancestors. My dad is obsessed with genealogy so I can tell you that I'm a American-born European mutt. I'm pretty sure the list of what I'm not is shorter than what I am. Please don't make me list everything that I remember him saying we are because genealogy makes me go cross-eyed and fuzzy-brained. But the point is, that while I'm probably related to every person in Europe, I don't feel a connection to most of the cultures of my ancestors. They're just words on a page; they don't mean anything to me. But I do feel a connection and a curiosity two definite cultures from my ancestry: the French and the Irish.

I've always loved Paris. I love pictures of Paris. Reading about Paris. My favorite book is set in Paris (come back for my E post). There has just always been a connection to France within me. I got to go to France after I graduated from high school and our tour guide showed us a statue of Charlemagne. And as I looked up at it, I remember thinking "I came from him." That was the first time I felt a real connection to a name from my dad's genealogy research.

But I'm really drawn towards the Irish ancestry. I want to see Ireland. I want to see where my ancestors lived, how they lived, how they worked. What clothes did they wear? What were their favorite colors? Their favorite songs? Did they play the fiddle, the bagpipes, the flute? Did they dance? I can't even really explain it. It's beyond wanting to know all those things. It's a need to know about them.

Does anyone else have that? Where you have ancestors from many different cultures but you only feel a connection to one or two?

20 comments:

  1. welcome to A-Z - you'll have a fab month.
    Interesting post, and a great start. I'm never really one to look back - there are a lot of dead ends in our family history not very far back. The stories surrounding these have preoccupied me more than the older history
    Lx

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    1. Thanks Laura. There's not much mystery on my family tree because so many relatives are interested in geneaology. I'll leave it to them.

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  2. Mine are from Russia and I feel no connection. But I am curious now to go and see what is left of the little villages.

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    1. I have some Russian too. Never really been drawn that way though.

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  3. My grandpa used to say he was a duke's mixture- meaning a mix of everything.
    Though my one grandma was Dutch so I identify with that.
    Good word to start out the challenge.

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    1. Haha. I've never heard that. Have heard Heinz 57 a lot though.

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  4. I love Paris, too. I'l definitely have to return for your E post.

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  5. I don't have as wide a mixture as you, but yes, I am interested in knowing where I began. I am sorry that I never asked certain questions when I was younger, now it will be very difficult to find a lot of this stuff out. My mother's memory is gone - mostly. My dad is passed away. Wish I would have asked.

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    1. Wendy, that's too bad. I'm not extremely interested but at least if I ever do get interested I'll have my dad's papers.

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  6. My Grandmother has put together volumes after volumes of our family history. The German side of the family has always caught my interest. Specifically the changing of our last name, it sounded too German so it was changed. I'd rather they hadn't changed it. As a kid my last name was too easy to mess with. You have no idea how many times I've heard the phrase "How many cokes can you drink in an hour".

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    1. Jenn, I don't understand the name changing thing either. And kids are stupid.

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  7. Hi KC - Great first post for the A to Z Challenge.
    Ancestry is a great "A" topic...we are all from somewhere and some of us are from everywhere...like you!
    I was born to Austrian parents, in Canada, by virtue of this I have dual citizenship - which I like!

    I look forward to seeing what you post about next.

    Jenny @ Pearson Report
    Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

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    1. Jenny, I've always thought that it would be fun to have dual citizenship.

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  8. Last year I joined ancestry.com so I could discover more about my heritage and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. AS far as being attracted to parts of my ancestry? Absolutely! I love all things Irish and Swedish!!

    Great first post!

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    1. Thanks Heather! Did you see that there's a Swedish theme at the blog called Life is Good? http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/ there's a link if you hadn't seen it

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  9. Mmm yeah it's the same with me. I've also got a lot of Europe in my ancestry and I also have this attraction pulling me to France. :-)

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    1. It's interesting how some people feel it and some people don't.

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  10. I've always felt this pull to Scotland, which is wierd because I have no Scottish in me that I know of. Maybe in another life? Thanks for your comments on my blog...much appreciated :)

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    1. Gerri - I think sometimes it's a mindset rather than a genetics thing. I enjoy your blog, so you're welcome

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