Your ancestors and you

[SilentCom]

Just because I am curious, do you guys know who your ancestors were and how much do you think it has affected you?

For me, I have ancestors from Japan and Germany. My German ancestors were immigrants who moved to America in the 1800s (dad's side of the family) but supposedly, I have a little English, French, and Irish in me. At least that's what my dad told me. My mom's side are pure Japanese (maybe came from the Korean peninsula thousands of years ago?).

Even though I'm technically more ethnically asian, I find myself to be more western culturally.

Also, I find myself pronouncing some words with a slight German accent, I don't usually notice this but people will give me wierd looks like I'm from somewhere else. For example, I can't pronounce the th sound. It comes out like a z sound XD

 

[DefinitelyPsychotic]

My ancestors (both on my mom and dad's side) immigrated to the United States in the very early 1900s.

On my dad's side, they are pure Italian, coming from Naples and Foggia.

On my mom's side, they came from Ireland and Hungary. My mom's father was Irish and my mom's mother was Hungarian. Unfortunately I don't know where in either of those countries they came from though...

But considering my first and last name is Italian, and everyone I speak to (including my family) say I look very Italian, I would say I'm more Italian in my ethnicity than anything else!

Although I never find myself pronouncing any words differently, no offense.

Also, as far as it "affecting me", I don't really think it has. I am proud of who I am and what I've done, regardless of my heritage.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

I had ancestors on both sides of the Franco-Prussian War.

I also had ancestors from somewhere in the British Isle who were drafted into the British army in the Revolutionary War and defected to the U.S.

Hasn't really affected me, though.

 

[SilentCom]

I had ancestors on both sides of the Franco-Prussian War.

I also had ancestors from somewhere in the British Isle who were drafted into the British army in the Revolutionary War and defected to the U.S.

Hasn't really affected me, though.

That's pretty cool. My grandparents fought on both sides of WWII. It's a good thing one was a fighter pilot in Europe while the other fought in Manchuria. I would not have been born if one of my grandparents killed the other =(

 

[viranimus]

I have Irish/Scotch/German/French Heritage (oddly enough Im not a big drinker, go figure) Only notable relative I have is an extremely distant relation to the Marquis de Sade. I suspect thats where I get my evil tendencies from. Past that... I pretty much make my own way, so if there is any sort of ancestral influence on my life its either coincidental or one I simply am unaware of.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

That's pretty cool. My grandparents fought on both sides of WWII. It's a good thing one was a fighter pilot in Europe while the other fought in Manchuria. I would not have been born if one of my grandparents killed the other =(

Both sides of my family in the first case already had kids (I think the French one had 8, which is why his wife had to give the kids up for adoption after he was killed in action).

The second one just makes me laugh.

Yours is really interesting. Good thing they never got remotely close to one another, huh?

 

[Canid117]

I'm at least half Irish maybe even more. Not %100 sure though because the farthest back my fathers side of the family I am aware of is a civil war veteran. (From Michigan I believe but I don't remember)

 

[Phlakes]

I have ancestors from all over Great Britain and Ireland and a bit of Central Europe.

Basically, I'm as white as possible.

 

[Dimitriov]

On my dad's side Scots/Irish: His father was of Scottish descent but my family has been in Canada for quite awhile, since around the mid 1800's, I am the seventh generation on that side of my family to live in Canada (not bad for here in the New World). His mom was Irish, my great-grandparents moved to Canada from Londonderry sometime in the early 1900's.

On my mom's side I am not too sure as she was adopted, but her biological parents were something like English/Scots/Welsh descent and maybe some French. Adoptive parents (my grandpa) are of Scots descent as well.

So yeah Pretty much Scots/Irish with a bit of other western European.

 

[Merkavar]

pretty sure my family came from ireland and scotland and have been in australia for 50-100 years.

 

[ZydrateDealer]

As far as I know I'm a Welshman with Welsh parents and Welsh grandparents, though my mum thinks that her mum's family had French people in it somewhere...I've never seen a family tree, though I'm interested now so I may go look it up. I'm probably just you're average Brythonic Celt. I wonder what my ancestors would make of me sometimes...I'm slightly dejected that there is no afterlife where I can meet them, but I suppose what matters more is meeting my descendants.

 

[CobraX]

My dad's Parents immigrated from the Ukraine (Part of the Soviet Union) when their where about 7 or 8.

My mom came here ("Here" being Canada) from England when she was 13.

I'm Ukrainian/British

 

[tkioz]

I'm a true blue Australian mutt. I've got blood from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, and Native Australians in me, along some others, and that's just the last 200 odd years. With one side of the family I can go back a bit more, but it's a bit blurred around the 1700s.

Honestly I'm a little proud of being so mixed.

 

[Srrrh]

Oh, my Mum loves doing the family tree, she's come up with a couple of gems recently...

- In my home county, up in the hills, there's a place known to everyone as Dead Woman's Ditch. All my friends know of it because we did training up there, and we'd spook each other out with stories about how it got its name. Witches was most popular.

In fact, the cousin of my great great great etc grandmother was in love with a woman, but had to marry another. His wife would taunt him about it, along the lines of "Haha, you can't have her, you're stuck with me" and one day he lost it and killed her...dragging her body to a ditch...Dead Woman's Ditch. He was also hanged on a tree I've gone past fairly often. I thought this was pretty cool.

- My childhood home is in a tiny little village in the middle of Somerset that no-ones ever heard of. None of my recent family have ever lived there or even particularly near it - my parents just chose it as a quiet little place out of the way of everywhere to raise the kids.

However, my mum's found out that actually, my 7xgreat grandmother was born there and her father probably fought in the Battle of Sedgemoor, the last battle on English soil, as everyone in that village rebelled with Monmouth against the King. We've grown up with stories about it, every kid's gone to see the "haunted battlefield" - never did I think my ancestors fought in it because like I say, that's not the part of the county my family come from.

I find it cool

 

[Apollo45]

My mom's side of the family is primarily of Scotch descent, while my dad's is mostly Russian/Polish.

Don't know if it's connected, but I like bagpipes and vodka. Also, I like blowing things up, shooting things, and generally causing a ruckus.

One thing I'm almost certain is related: Freshman year of high school I could grow a beard that would make many grown men envious.

 

[DesiPrinceX09]

I am of Indian/Pakistani/Hindustani descent (from dad's side), I come from a long line of businessman from the Gujarat province of India. One of my most notable ancestors was a Muslim emperor of the Mogul empire who married a Rajput (Hindu) princess, so I have family on both sides of the conflict (Muslims of the Mogul empire and Hindu Rajputs).

 

[Ranorak]

Nope.

But I wouldn't hold any great value to it.
I mean, sure it'd be interesting, but I'm not going to embrace some lost heiratige.

 

[RuralGamer]

My mothers side of the family has Viking ancestry; they're Scottish and have been for generations, but apparently they are descendants of Norwegian and Danish raiders who settled in Scotland.
On my dad's side, his dad is English (Mancunian to be precise), but from what I gather, may be descended from (possibly Welsh) farmers who migrated to Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. My Grandmother is Belgian; they met during the war in a small town in the South of the country.

So that makes me;
Half Scottish (Scandinavian roots)
quarter English (possibly some Welsh in there)
and quarter Belgian (Walloon to be more precise)

Pretty awesome mix if you ask me.

 

[Jonluw]

I don't know much about my family further down the line than my grand-grand-grand-grand parents, I think.

The family has lived in Norway for as long as I know at least, so I think my ancestors were vikings.

 

[GrimTuesday]

I'm of Irish and Finnish decent, it's never been a big deal besides making me hate all the motherfuckers who are suddenly Irish on St. Patrick's day, I feel bad for people who are actually from Ireland, that shit must get old really quick.

A fun little fact, Jesse James (the famous American outlaw) was named after my great great great grandfather.