My Heritage
Our family always joked about being Heinz 57, which is just another way of saying our ancestors came from a lot of different countries. Some might even say we are “mutts”. Before starting my family tree, I had been told we were mostly English, Irish, German and Potawatomi (a tribe of Native American). My grandmother used to tell stories about her mother being Native American and that her family was on the Baker Rolls, which was a kind of census of the Native Americans.
A couple years ago, I did my Ancestry DNA test and my results came back with the following ethnicity estimate:
After working on my family tree, I discovered that my family has been here a long time. Some of my immigrant ancestors came to this continent during colonial times. My French ancestors came to New France, which later became Quebec, as early as 1648. And my Dutch ancestors came to New Amsterdam, which later became New York, as early as 1656.
I have many patriotic ancestors. They fought in the American Revolution, fought for the Union during the Civil War, fought in WWI and WWII, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. They were pioneers, farmers, fur-trappers, shoemakers, carpenters, and barrel makers. Some worked for the railroad and some were ministers.
My ancestors have lived in states from coast to coast. My fifth-great-grandparents died in a cholera epidemic in Maryland in 1832 leaving 6 orphan children.
I am glad that I started researching my family tree. I find the stories and history of my ancestors very fascinating. I think it is a good thing to know where you come from. I am proud of my ancestors and their patriotic, pioneering spirits, and hope to pass that spirit down to my own descendants.
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