What nationality are you?

[Rickitycrate 10]

My mother's people go back to Kent England. Mary Chilton wa a young lady aboard the Mayflower and my mother's side is desended from her. Maternal family names include Chilton, Newton, Chrysler and Farrar, others too perhaps. Me father always claimed the Handy family came from Scotland. I find no proof of this and instead find Handy's are from England as well. Funny since dad put down ma for her being a brit. Dear ol' dad was german on his mothers side I'm not sure of the name. He claimed we were related to Der Kaiser. Another funny point too as Der Kaiser was a member of the British Royal Family.

[Olham 164]

Maybe, in the end it will turn out to have been a big family dispute, that war, Rickity?

 

But well - if we go back real far, we will find, that ALL the human beings today can genetically be traced

back to just ONE mother in Africa, ages ago, when we became mankind. No joke!

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

My Family are from Guernsey in the Channel Islands originally (on my Father's Side) and my Mum was from Manchester.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

My father, Louvert Larson, was 100% Norwegian. My mother, Marilyn (Fagerhaug) Larson, is 50% Norwegian and 50% Swedish. My father's family name in Norway was Albertson, but it was changed to Larson when my great-grandfather came over around 1895. The generally held belief is that the name change was affected due to my great-grandfather slipping away to "Amerika" in order to avoid a twenty-year conscription into the Norwegian army. But who knows. All I know isss dat I'm about as close as yer gonna get tooo a pure-blooded, tird-yeneration Skandahoovian-Amerikan. But I yust kan't deside ef dat's a blessssing or a curssss.

 

Cheersssss!

 

Lou

[scouserlad13 0]

Born in Liverpool, moved all around England, From Liverpool to Norfolk then onto Lincolnshire. And now im on the opposite side of the world in Brisbane, Australia. Funny how much a person gets around in 17 years really.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Fascinating stuff, chaps.

 

My roots, as best can be determined, are Swiss, English and Welsh. Father's side originally from Switzerland, then immigrated to Wales. Married a Welsh lass and eventually immigrated to America in the 1850's. Sadly, either my great-great-great grandfather or his son was killed by Yankees in the Civil War.

 

Mother's side is English. Her family came over sometime before the Revolution. Reputed to be related by marriage to Daniel Boone. My grandfather was the Chief building engineer for NCR corporation and helped oversee the building of a big cash register factory in E. Berlin just before WWII. Mom had a picture of her and a young boy she met while with her father was in Germany. The boy is dressed in his Hitler Youth uniform!

[Gous 0]

Haha Olham I just saw that map you made!

Fill it up with even more names...!

[Olham 164]

The new map will come in a minute - I'll replace the above.

[DukeIronHand 8]

Well, if we are throwing in the family tree too...

 

My mother was born in Germany (near Stutgart - still have family there) and my fathers family came over from Scotland in the 1800's.

 

Been to multiple countries around the world courtesy of the U.S.M.C. and my mother who loved to travel. My father's father fought with the Americans during WW2 (North Africa and Italy) while my mother's father fought with the Germans (Eastern Front). On my last visit to see him many. many years ago he gave me his medals from the war - including a small bronze plaque designating him as his regiments boxing champion.

 

I gotta write all this down so my children will have it when I die.

[Quoth 0]

And a vote for South Wales (the UK one) I notice nobody from France or Belgium!!

 

Q

[JimAttrill 24]

I am beginning to hate this forum as I have replied three times to this thread and nothing happens. This one, of course, will work

[Snoopy syndrome 0]

And a vote for South Wales (the UK one) I notice nobody from France or Belgium!!

 

Q

 

At least one french in here...

Western part of the country, aproximately 400 miles away from the famous "Flanders fields".

But i had lived near Amiens for two years, in the area where take place the great battle of the Somme. Still remained awesome craters and trenches (and military cemeteries) that give an idea of the hell it was.

Also impressing museums to visit. I was born in november 11, the memorial day of WW1; maybe it influenced me a bit to point specialy my interest to this part of History.

[Dej 17]

... Have many of you have tried to trace out your family backgrounds?

 

My surname is a contraction of 'ap Rhys'. 'ap' is the Welsh equivalent of the Scottish or Irish 'Mac' or 'Mc' and appears in many English surnames, e.g. Pritchard = ap Richard, Pugh = ap Huw, Powell = ap Hywel, etc.

 

Anyway, 'Rhys' has no direct translation but has the general conotation of 'lusty'. There are A LOT of 'ap Rhys'! Tracing the name back across the Welsh border prior to the 18th century is like finding a needle in a haystack!

 

 

 

Olham, you'll have to give me two arrows as well. Born in Wales, spent most of my life in Hampshire. If you've never been to Wales, there's an advert here starting at 2:40... (sorry 'bout the subtitles, 'twas all I could find at short notice)

 

[themightysrc 5]

Snoops,

 

Thanks for looking in - if you can give us all a tableau of that area, I'm sure it would be appreciated.

 

There's a direct and very palpable link between Britain and France - ignore the nonsense you might find in populist British papers (usually Murdoch owned) - there's a lot more goodwill than the media might have you suspect.

[Olham 164]

Can do, Dej, but then I need the town/city in Wales, where you come from.

 

I think I was in Wales, in the eighties. Or at least at the border to Wales; in a town, where it's all

about books. Bookshops everywhere. Was there with a teacher who wanted to search for books,

that where hard to find. But I don't know the name of the town anymore.

What I remember, is green hills with lots of sheep, and gentle valleys; cottages here and there -

very peace- and beautiful.

Edited July 11, 2009 by Olham

[Dej 17]

Can do, Dej, but then I need the town/city in Wales, where you come from.

 

I think I was in Wales, in the eighties. Or at least at the border to Wales; in a town, where it's all

about books. Bookshops everywhere. Was there with a teacher who wanted to search for books,

that where hard to find. But I don't know the name of the town anymore.

What I remember, is green hills with lots of sheep, and gentle valleys; cottages here and there -

very peace- and beautiful.

 

Sennybridge, Powys. And you're hinking of Hay-on-Wye, Olham. And yes, Wales is beautiful.

[Ras 0]

My ancestors came from Germany (in the early 1880's) after my Great Great Grandfather fought in either his 2nd or 3 war. I know he was in the war of 1864? and believe it was against Denmark, and possibly other countries. My apologies if I have that wrong, I have a great photo of him but don't have a scanner. It shows him in his uniform and smoking a cigar with three or four medals on his uniform. And he is very MEAN looking.

 

Other ancestors came from Denmark and Sweden. For about 3 years I researched those family roots back to the mid 1600's and found where all had come from, where they attended church, and were baptized, married and buried. In 1991 I took a trip to those two countries and had the most wonderful time of my life seeing where they lived, farmed, and fished. I met some relatives and still remain in contact with some of them.

 

In one case my great grandfather changed his name from Johansson to Berlin because there were so many Johanssons' in the USA and having first lived in Chicago, their mail was constantly getting mixed up. How they came up with the name of Berlin, no one ever knew.

 

Always when I fly for Germany, I used the names of my ancestors, such as Hermann Duesterhoeft, August Seefeld, Wilhelm Borkenhagen and others. I only wish I could give them a little more honor as it seems I cannot make it past about 6 hours with them

[Olham 164]

Hay-on-Wye - exactly! That must have been Wales already, but right behind the border, maybe.

But we went further into Wales, for the landscape - amazing.

 

What did you mean by "advertising Wales" through Black Adder? Did you mean poverty?

 

Ras - is Minnesota the state where the Cohen brothers made "Fargo" ? Cause, in that movie there are all these Swedish names?

Edited July 12, 2009 by Olham

[Hellshade 110]

Not necesserily I'm 59 live in a Golf Community in North Fort Myers, I own my doublewide but Not the Land. In a wheelchair recieveing SSI, it ain't easy, but you do what has to be done. I have my computer in my sunroom, that about drove my Trackir over the edge. Had to build a 6X6X6 Room out of cardboard, to play OFF .

 

Then I'm not far from you my friend. I bought a new home out in Lehigh Acres in 2001.

 

Hellshade

[Duce Lewis 3]

From the State of Connecticut in the US of A

 

50% Ukranian, all from my Dad

Got some Brit, Scot, German and a wee bit of American Indian from Mom's side

 

There was a long family rumor that we were desended from "Mary, Queen of Scots"

My Grandmother's maiden name was Stewart which they said was the royal spelling (Stuart is the common)

Ah but one of the ancester's had grandiose ideas it was ...and 'e fiddled with the spelling 'e did

 

Mom came from Vinalhaven, an island 18 miles off the coast of Maine

Not much industry, mostly lobstermen and jack of all tradesmen

Simple people, but a whole lotta fun to be around!

[Dej 17]

What did you mean by "advertising Wales" through Black Adder? Did you mean poverty?

 

No mate, just humour.

 

I went back to Wales to live in 1997, for four years. Four of the best summers I've known. It only rained when we crossed the Severn Bridge. So we visited some Saesneg friends on a regular basis, just to keep the garden watered!

[Ras 0]

Hay-on-Wye - exactly! That must have been Wales already, but right behind the border, maybe.

But we went further into Wales, for the landscape - amazing.

 

What did you mean by "advertising Wales" through Black Adder? Did you mean poverty?

 

Ras - is Minnesota the state where the Cohen brothers made "Fargo" ? Cause, in that movie there are all these Swedish names?

 

Yes, I think much of the movie was made in Minnesota. We are always made fun of because our accent is supposed to be "different" but we really don't talk like that. You betcha by golly. I recently turned 60 (ouch) but the generations of my grandparents spoke a lot of Swedish, German ( my grandmother was an interpreter during WW2 at a POW camp) or whatever language had been passed on to them. In fact that generation often did not learn the English language (in rural areas of Minnesota, and I am sure most rural areas of the USA) until they were often near the age of about 10 or 12. Unfortunately, very few Americans speak a second language in contrast to Europeans who speak sometimes 2 and 3 or more languages.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Yes, much of Fargo was filmed in Minnesota. Some scenes were shot in one of my favorite restraunts.

[Olham 164]

Hey - the world is small! Which restaurantscene is that, Rickity - must watch it again.

[Cameljockey 3]

My home town Hampton/Varnville's claim to fame is being Forrest Gump's home town. Go here and scroll down to "Greenbow, Alabama" and you'll see pictures of Varnville, SC as it was seen in the movie.

 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...%3D342%26um%3D1

Edited July 12, 2009 by Cameljockey