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QOTD #89: What does your heritage mean to you?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Sep 29, 2016.

  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    What does your heritage mean to you?
    Are you connected to your roots in any way?
    Do you remember your parents' parents' names?
    How far back can you trace your roots?
    Do you have a connection to your cultural heritage?

    What does it mean to you to be whatever-you-are?

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This question has weighed deeply on my mind the past few days.
    My mother was very interested in family history and genealogy. She kept extensive records of our family's heritage, and constantly sought out more. She was partially motivated by her Mormon faith, but mainly she pursued it because she was so interested in making that personal connection to history. This connection helped her to speak passionately about historical events to her students, and gave her a drive to always learn more.

    All my life I heard the story of "The Trunk". It was an old chest filled to the brim with family history, locked in this guy's attic. It was a mess of stuff that one guy had collected about his family history, he tried to put it into a book to sell, but he couldn't find a publisher. In that guy's will, he stated that he wanted it to never leave the attic, never wanted it to see the light of day. Manuscripts of that book made their way to my mother, and she made photocopies for all of her cousins. She dreamed of going to that attic and looking through The Trunk. Unfortunately she couldn't track down the attic (or the trunk) for decades. She hit dead end after dead end. Eventually, thanks to the internet, she tracked it down. She and my dad went on an epic trip (while she was battling breast cancer!) that included several weeks of printing and photocopying and scanning the treasure of documents in that trunk, visiting grave sites and finding the old property lines... But she only touched a fraction of what was there. Seeing as how I only live one state away at this point, I'm pretty sure a visit to The Trunk is in my future.
     
  2. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    I'm a mutt.
    Scottish/Cherokee on dad's side (that I know of...)
    English/French/German on mom's (that's I know of...)

    Don't know much about dad's...he's terrible with stories and records.
    Mom's I know on grandmother had John Adams and John Quincy Adams as ancestors...going back to Plymouth.
    Mom's grandfather's family were immigrants from Europe.

    I have plans to do a genealogy investigation with DNA analysis when I get some spare time and cash.
    My aunt did some...but it was kind of slap-dash and focused only on one side.

    It's interesting.
    But I don't define myself by it.
    Just one more piece to the puzzle.
     
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  3. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Years ago I read the McCullough book that was the basis for the HBO series. I didn't think Adams ancestry led back to Plymouth? I was thinking it was a couple decades later?
     
  4. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC

    No, not theirs...my grandmother's
    I have no idea where it diverges or merges.
    They're just part of the scattered trail going back...it's not linear.
    Genetics & ancestry is a maze.
    Sorry to not be clear.
     
  5. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    What does your heritage mean to you?

    Besides the gratitude and (reserved) pride I feel for my country, my heritage doesn't mean a whole lot to me. I don't put much stock in it. (Without going into a lot of detail, this is related to my anti-nationalism.)

    Are you connected to your roots in any way?

    As far as I'm concerned, my roots are "Anglo Eastern Canadian." Looking at it that way, I suppose I do have a connection to that. I'm familiar with the trappings of those roots, especially from a more rural historical perspective. (I didn't grow up in the big city.) I am more familiar and comfortable with the Eastern Canadian heritage as far as Ontario and Quebec is concerned, but the cultures of the Maritimes and Western Canada remain largely unexplored to me.

    Do you remember your parents' parents' names?

    Yes. I even know a bit about my ancestors further back. At least two men on my father's side fought in WWI. My mother's father was a tail gunner in WWII, and was shot down and kept on a prison farm by the Germans. But he was among those instrumental in liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. I remember my grandmothers most, because I've spent a lot of time with them comparatively. My mother's father died when I was a preteen, and my father's father died young. (My mother never met him.)

    How far back can you trace your roots?

    On my mother's side, a book was written about 30 years ago about how the family was the first to settle north of Kingston, Ontario (my hometown). I think it was around Sydenham or Harrowsmith. I don't recall. Beyond that, I don't know much. For example, I don't know exactly where in Europe they came from. I'm guessing the UK, but I don't really know.

    On my father's side, this is a bit of a mystery, and much of this might be speculation. Our family name is rare, and there is little on the public record (i.e., easily found online anyway) about us.

    As far as the story goes, there are two slightly different versions: 1) an Irish orphan was adopted by a French captain when coming across to Canada, hence the French name and Irish roots, 2) an Irish woman married in Quebec, and they moved to Ontario, hence the French name and Irish roots.

    Either way, I think we've traced this person back to Tipperary, Ireland (east of Limerick), and the McLaughlin/MacLaughlin clan. I don't know how far back this goes. It's several generations at least.

    Do you have a connection to your cultural heritage?

    To Ireland? No. To France? No. To Quebec? No. As an Anglo Ontarian? Sure. Much of that has a French/UK feel to it, but it is much removed. If you understand the problems inherent in the "Canadian identity," you'll understand this.

    What does it mean to you to be whatever-you-are?

    As I hinted above, I'm anti-nationalist. I'm basically a humanist with Buddhist tendencies. I also have shades of socialism (and maybe a bit of Marxism) in there. So I guess that's more what "I am." I call myself Canadian, but I don't know if I'd identify as "a Canadian." There is too much diversity here for that to have any meaning. There is too much baggage attached to the Euro/Anglo aspects of being Canadian to feel any unfettered pride for that.

    All in all, I don't feel that my heritage, no matter how you define it, plays much into my identity.
     
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  6. Fangirl

    Fangirl Very Tilted

    Location:
    Arizona
    What does your heritage mean to you?
    It means less and less as time goes by.

    I have a long-written family history of my Scots-German Ontario Canadian paternal side coupled with a late-in-life discovery of my orphaned mum's mostly English Ontario Canadian side. It was pretty interesting to drop half my roots when I was nearing forty. Mom was thrilled that her genealogy research gave her bluer blood in her opinion, from Scots to English.

    Are you connected to your roots in any way?

    Not really connected to my roots beyond the Ontario Canadian aspect of an expat Canadian of 50 years. It seems to annoy some border crossing guards. My cultural identity has long been caught between the US and Canada. I am more aligned with some Ontario/Canadian ways but am otherwise immersed in America. I consider myself a humanist and a socialist.

    Do you remember your parents' parents' names? Yep. Frank and Alice and James and Inez.

    How far back can you trace your roots?
    Simon Fraser, the Canadian explorer, is my uncle on my paternal side but actually, I'm more thrilled that my dad's dad was a Toronto police sergeant. Frank was an awesome dude.

    Do you have a connection to your cultural heritage?
    Just to my place of birth, Ontario, Canada.

    What does it mean to you o be "whatever-you-are'?
    It means that I'm not truly a Canadian nor an American but
    despite appearances, I'm not average, either.
     
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  7. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    My cultural heritage is disconnected for me. I identify as an American. I'm not Filipino. I'm not Fil-Am. I'm not dual citizen. I'm American to the point of getting sent to the principal's office as a 1st grade child because of my insistence of being American. (Can you imagine the viral indignation today?)

    I have some sort of pedigree family. It's intertwined into politics and history books. I've met "important" people in my childhood and adulthood.

    It means little to me but I keep the family tree at the moment. I seek out documents and stories from family members. I haven't really written them down. Most of them are video interviews. I really need to do more with it.
     
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  8. ralphie250

    ralphie250 Fully Erect Donor

    Location:
    At work..
    To be honest with you I don't know what my heritage is. I know its bad that I don't know but after reading this thread it makes me want to find out. Would be nice to be able to show my daughter a family tree so she would atleast know.
     
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  9. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    My heritage, namely a long family line of dirt farmers on both sides, doesn't really interest me. I'm a little curious about the possibility of Native American blood via my paternal grandmother, but not that curious.

    Many decades ago a family member did a history on one side of the family. The only interesting thing--not on the positive sense--about those dirt farmers is at one point they had enough money to own a samll number of slaves. That is most certainly s not something to be proud of, but it does mean at some point they were successful enough to afford, or somehow managed to secure a loan for, slaves.

    One of my cousins was doing a more recent and broader family history on my father's side, but I have no idea how far she got with it.
     
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  10. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    What does your heritage mean to you?

    Not much, I have an ethnic name; but couldn't be more indifferent. I find it odd when people expect me to speak Polish.

    Are you connected to your roots in any way?
    Do you remember your parents' parents' names?

    I knew 3 of my 4 grandparents and know all 4 names.

    How far back can you trace your roots?

    A long ways, on my father's side, one aunt was really into it with a several hundred year tree. On my mother's side, Hitler did it for her. Some German royalty; but no Jewish ancestry.

    Do you have a connection to your cultural heritage?

    I'm really fond of German and Polish cooking; but hate polka.

    What does it mean to you to be whatever-you-are?

    I'm Polish/German. It is what it is, doesn't mean much of anything to me.
     
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  11. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    My heritage to me is mostly my parents and what they raised me to be. I don't really feel strongly about any of the ethnic groups in my genetic background.

    I can't really say I am connected in any way I can think of, other than my last name being a clue to my main ancestry. My uncle did get married in a kilt, and all of his groomsman wore kilts. His wife was also presented with our family Tartan during the ceremony. It was pretty cool to have some accurate Scottish traditions represented.

    I do remember my parents' parents' names. Three of the four were still alive until I was a teenager. My father's mother died when he was a little boy. I also knew both of my mom's mom's parents, who were alive when I was a child. My mom's dad's mom was still alive, and I believe my dad's dad's parents died when I was very young. My wife still had two great-grandparents alive long after we were married, and all four grandparents were alive. Three of her grandparents are still alive even though she's nearing 40.

    We have a family tree put together back to the 1500s on my father's father's side. Lots of my ancestors fought for the Union army (various regiments from southern IL, where most of the family was located at the time). Further back one, with my last name, signed the Declaration of Independence and was one of the men who served as President of Congress during the Revolutionary War.
    On my mother's side it is a bit more cloudy. Lots of poor Appalachian folks and fewer written records. My mother's mother's father, who was still alive when I was a child, emigrated here from England around 1912 or so. My mother's father's mother's mother was supposedly 100% Native American. I remember my mother's father's mother passing away when I was probably 8-9 years old.


    I don't really have a strong connection to my cultural heritage. On my father's side it is mostly Scottish, with some German. Some of the Scottish stuff is cool, but I don't have super strong feelings about it. My mother's side is a mix of mostly German and English. As I said, I'm more concerned with my parents and siblings being people I'm proud of than the more generalized idea of an ethnic background being a big deal.
     
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