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What's your nationality? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jamny
- Start date
chet
Footballguy
Joe Summer
Footballguy
I am a hodge podge of mistaken identities. One grandfather thought he was half Irish and half English, but he was actually 1/4 Scottish and 1/4 Welsh plus various Euro ethnicities (no Irish or English at all). One grandmother thought she was Jewish, but she was just German with a jewey name. Another grandmother never knew her grandparents but was pretty sure they were English (but DNA tests indicate they were French).
Mjolnirs
Footballguy
Father's side - surname - great great great great great great grandfather was a French Huguenot fleeing France around 1700. We are pretty sure that guy's son married a Cherokee.
*my great great grandparents on my grandmother's side were from Germany and came over around 1850
Mother's side - I can find Germans about 4 generations back, along with English and Irish.
So, western Europe. Germans most recently, with French, English and Irish mixed in.
*my great great grandparents on my grandmother's side were from Germany and came over around 1850
Mother's side - I can find Germans about 4 generations back, along with English and Irish.
So, western Europe. Germans most recently, with French, English and Irish mixed in.
DallasDMac
Footballguy
Parents were born here and so was I, so I guess I'll stick with American.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Sullie
Footballguy
Germanic Europe - 40%
Eastern Europe & Russia - 30%
Ireland & Scotland - 18%
England & Wales - 7%
Baltic States - 3%
France - 2%
Paternal Side - My Father was born in Ohio - Grandfather was born in Ireland / Grandmother was born in Pittsburgh but her family was from Germany
Maternal Side - My Mother was born in Ohio - Grandfather was born in Czechoslovakia / Grandmother was born in Pittsburgh but her family was Serbian
Eastern Europe & Russia - 30%
Ireland & Scotland - 18%
England & Wales - 7%
Baltic States - 3%
France - 2%
Paternal Side - My Father was born in Ohio - Grandfather was born in Ireland / Grandmother was born in Pittsburgh but her family was from Germany
Maternal Side - My Mother was born in Ohio - Grandfather was born in Czechoslovakia / Grandmother was born in Pittsburgh but her family was Serbian
chet
Footballguy
na·tion·al·i·ty
/ˌnaSHəˈnalədē/
noun
1.
the status of belonging to a particular nation.
"they changed their nationality and became Lebanese"
synonyms:citizenship;
the right to hold a passport
"individuals seeking British nationality"
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
AFAIK...
Norwegian
German
Swiss
French
Norwegian
German
Swiss
French
bigmarc27
Footballguy
Apparently I’m a direct descendent of Myles Standish - hes my great, great, great... .... ... Grandfather.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Standish
I’m a mutt of most of Europe with some Native American mixed in. Basically, I’m a white guy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Standish
I’m a mutt of most of Europe with some Native American mixed in. Basically, I’m a white guy.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
My grandparents were from England/Ireland/Scotland but I've always considered my nationality Canadian.
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
My fathers dad was born in Scotland and was a national type rugby player, my wife and her mother were both born in Spain. My grandfather died in an accident so I never saw him but in pictures he looks like a bad ###. 6-2 220 built like a tank and that was before weight training. I asked my grandmother what he did as a hobby and she said he liked to go to the gym on weekends and train with boxers and spar.
Buckychudd
Footballguy
American
But otherwise German, Irish, English, and probably some other stuff as well.
But otherwise German, Irish, English, and probably some other stuff as well.
Jayrod
Footballguy
Dad is 100% German (he's 2nd/3rd generation American)
My mom was a mix of Northern European, with the bulk being Norwegian (maternal grandmother was 1/2) and a touch of German. There is some British as well, which I only know because of my mom's maiden name. My maternal grandfather was fairly estranged from his family and I know very little about that family's ancestry.
I usually say I'm over 1/2 German when a quick answer is best.
My mom was a mix of Northern European, with the bulk being Norwegian (maternal grandmother was 1/2) and a touch of German. There is some British as well, which I only know because of my mom's maiden name. My maternal grandfather was fairly estranged from his family and I know very little about that family's ancestry.
I usually say I'm over 1/2 German when a quick answer is best.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
high school "Punching Team" - lettered 3 yearsDa Guru said:
Eephus
Footballguy
When I was growing up, I didn't appreciate how different my circumstances were from the ones she experienced. I suppose that's true for every generation but there are particularly big differences between growing up in an immigrant home than an American one. I mean this in a cultural sense so don't MAGA me.
Zow
Footballguy
My wife and I adopted a baby girl and her ethnic background is completely unknown to us and, honestly, we aren't sure how to address this question if/when it comes up later in her life.
Would you mind a pm asking for some insight?
bigbottom
Footballguy
Very interesting for you I’m sure. I didn’t really have the immigrant experience as both of my mom’s parents were born in the U.S. (or a U.S. territory at least, as Hawaii was not yet a state). That said, I did sort of have a crazy cultural experience as my mom’s culture was a mish mosh of Hawaiian and various Asian cultures, my grandfather was Buddhist, and I was a military brat who lived all over the place during my childhood (including in Japan).
Mister CIA
Footballguy
French and Welsh.
A cousin of mine worked the roots of my father's side of the family back to Swansea. My mom's maiden name, and her mom's maiden name too, are both French.
A cousin of mine worked the roots of my father's side of the family back to Swansea. My mom's maiden name, and her mom's maiden name too, are both French.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
Wow, Zow!
That is F'n wonderful; really!
PM me anytime - or, I don't mind public discussions on this either - if you think it may help others in our situation.
I have nothing regarding this, that is uncomfortable or difficult to share (eh - other than my typical difficulty in speaking / typing) I have felt "special" (in a good way) my entire life irt my adoption.
Fire away, Man - I enjoy helping anyone on our path, in any way I can.
Congrats & thanks!
Zow
Footballguy
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Zow
Footballguy
That’s certainly an option. I guess my wife and I have thought that that’s not entirely our call.
I think we can make some educated guesses as to the ethnic background of my daughter’s biological mother. But her father has never been identified/known. I can’t entirely articulate why but I think that’s part of the hesitation too.
Zow
Footballguy
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Congrats to you, your wife and your new little one - how old is your new one? How did you guys come to the decision to adopt and what was the process? Did you adopt locally?
We adopted a little girl from China 13 years ago (she was a little over a year old when we got her) and it's the best thing we ever did. We already had a 9 yr. old boy - they have always got along and are very tight.
Zow
Footballguy
I chronicled a bit of this in the "trouble getting pregnant" thread and the "dealing with a loss of a child" thread. My wife and I began fostering locally about 3.5 years ago. Our first foster child was a newborn boy that we got out of the hospital. Four months after that we took in a foster daughter who was about the same age then as our foster son. Two years later, after a relatively brutal rollercoaster of a process our foster son went back to his biological mom and it was probably the hardest thing I've ever been through. A couple of weeks after that we adopted our foster daughter. She's 3.5 now. About little less than a year ago we took in a four month old girl and had a very easy process to adoption. We adopted her this past December. She's the one whose ethnic background is a near total mystery. I haven't said much on here because I figured that'd also prompt an update about my foster son and I went through a long stretch where I didn't want to even talk about that.
Three weeks ago we were notified that our foster son came back into care. For thirty minutes we were coming back to us only to get an indirect text message telling us he wasn't. Oddly, that's prompted me to be more willing to discuss it and talk about my kids.
Zow
Footballguy
How old were you when you began to wonder about your background? How did your parents deal with the issue?Wow, Zow!
That is F'n wonderful; really!
PM me anytime - or, I don't mind public discussions on this either - if you think it may help others in our situation.
I have nothing regarding this, that is uncomfortable or difficult to share (eh - other than my typical difficulty in speaking / typing) I have felt "special" (in a good way) my entire life irt my adoption.
Fire away, Man - I enjoy helping anyone on our path, in any way I can.
Congrats & thanks!
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Sorry to hear about not getting your foster son back. I don't think we could do that for the very reason you all experienced ...the heartbreak. But thankfully there are people like you guys out there that are willing to take that on.
As for the genetic testing ...seems like a personal call. Seems like a pure curiosity thing at this point. She may want to know later on and you can do it then.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
Short answer: I always knew the story of my adoption background/status - from my very 1st memory - as my parents had explained everything to me over and over and over...from a time before I have any memories.
However, I only knew that I was adopted, and that we knew nothing about my background before the adoption.
The above may sound kinda foolish to state, but I had two female friends in grade school, who were adopted, but did not find out until they were around 10 and 12 years old. They had a much harder time than I, dealing with their situation. So, little as I knew, I at least knew all that there was to know.
I hope that makes sense, and I think that was the most important thing that my parents did, to deal with the issue. They were always - always - up front about everything and told me everything that there was to know, from the very beginning. I expect they began telling the story before I could even speak - that is how dedicated we were to having no secrets.
Now, as to when I began to have questions about the ethnicity of me and my family...well, that is a little more complex. I am going to have to think about it for a while, and I will add more later. For now, I just wanted to get back to you with something. And to be honest, I think the most important advice I have to offer, is here.
Be upfront & honest about everything you know - from now on. Obviously, truth must be couched in age appropriate terms and techniques - but - you can do it. I know this for a fact.
More later, and please ask for clarifications or any - any - further questions.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
As I was thinking, I re-read this quote of yours.
I think this is wise.
I don't have any data on it, but I agree that this kinda of thing is personal, and I was thankful that my parents let me make this decision for myself.
I decided to test for nothing involving heritage/ethnicity. If I ever need a DNA test (or similar) for medical purposes, then I will do it immediately.
But testing just for ethnicity - nah - I did not want that. I was also concerned that any over zealous investigation into such things would/could signal to my parents something negative.
In retrospect, I think that I was wrong on that part. I now believe that my parents were secure enough in their knowledge of my love for them, that such a thing would not have negatively impacted them.
But - who knows?
And, when so little is known, I agree with your opinion that it is not entirely you and your wife's call. And - as noted above - this does not apply to any medical needs. Today, it is too valuable of a resource (when needed) to pass up.
Final disclaimer: On this, I am only offering my experience, and I could be swayed by other/stronger arguments.
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Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
As I stated earlier, I believe the most important issues I covered in my first post/reply. But, in order to be complete, I will now try to share how my family dealt with the "ethnic" aspect of my adoption.
NOTE: I am not a spokesperson for the adopted nor for people in a "mixed-ethnic" family. Honestly, I am a little confused about race/ethnicity/etc. these days.
1) I am not sure what terms are considered pc any more. I have no problems with political correctness, but I am 50 and have not been super great at learning all of the most up to date terminology. Thus, if I say something that offends, it is not my intention.
2) As a scientist/engineer, I often focused too much on the "science" of these kinds of things. As I have gotten older, and my "old family" has gotten smaller (lots of young'ins, but they are not really impacted by this as much anymore, it seems to me - our bloodlines have mixed more, and they are viewed by society as white - as far as I can tell.), I have come to think of "ethnicity" more as a "culture" than a "biological variable". I am not saying one view or the other is right or wrong. Rather, this way of thinking has been the most effective on my path in life - in my family. Thus, I DO NOT want this to become a debate of race/etc. This thread does not deserve that.
3) What I am about to share speaks only of my own personal experience. I expect that many others have a very different perspective than I. That is part of being human. I respect varying opinions. In return, I ask for some respect for mine. I do not mind questions, differing opinions or sincere discussion. I only ask - as I did in #2 - DO NOT make this into a debate. That is not what Zow has asked for & that is not what jamny created this thread for.
OK. My very first memory in regards to ethnicity, was when one of my pop's older brothers got drunk (he was always drunk) at a holiday party. He made some ugly remarks about me not being a true Sorrow - I was only a fake Sorrow. His boys, in fact, were the only true Sorrow men left to carry on the family name. My pop's other brothers only had female children or no children at all. Thus, even though we were a very large family, the particular Sorrow name was being slowly whittled away. That bothered some in my family. I never really understood it, to be honest - but it is what it is.
Now, after the party, my parents felt that they needed to explain what happened. I learned that my pop & this brother always had issues. And, a significant part of it, was related to physical features. All of my pop's brothers fought in WW2 (my pop was too young - he is 84 now).
Well, this brother was the only one that got assigned to a "colored unit". The other (older) brothers were more Cherokee looking, and even that was hard to determine for sure (they, like my father were 1/2 Cherokee - from both mother & father). Thus, they all fought in a "white unit". This really began a rift in some ways. The sisters ranged from Cherokee looking to a very light skinned African American look. But, this uncle was the one that faced the most racism of all the siblings. He took it hard.
So, my pop, being the youngest - and also the least "colored - lookin" (more Cherokee like other bros) - got spoiled when my Grandpop died (my pop was only 7) - by the oldest brothers when they returned from the war. This really bugged the uncle who did not like me. And, when I came in all lilly white, he really did not like it. Thus - the incident at the family get to together.
This is what my parent explained to me: All Sorrows carried the same genes obviously, but - each expressed those genes differently. Sad as it is, that expression affected each life differently - unequally - unfairly - because of society opinions/views, not because of the genes or their expression - or, most importantly, the person. Further, my genes - which were obviously different from theirs, in NO WAY made me less of a Sorrow.
(Note: From a purely biological perspective, this is not entirely accurate. The Sorrows did not carry all the same genes. But, they inherited their genes from the same source. My parents did not know the difference, but it did not matter; the spirit of the explanation was accurate.)
In fact, I was a very Special Sorrow - as I was CHOSEN by them - when they need not have chosen me. I, therefore, HAD to KNOW that I was WANTED & LOVED. I was no accident or ooopsie. Nor was I any lower than my cousins.
(That stuck!!! Use it!!!)
And, my uncle, who was a very - very bad alcoholic, sometimes lost his perspective when drunk and feeling low. Therefore, I should not take it personally. Things like this happen in families. It is the staying together after such an incident that makes us a family - a tribe. I understood. I did not feel anger at all after that. Rather, I felt the need to get to know my uncle better & try to understand his life experiences better as well.
He died young - from the alcohol & diabetes, but, before he died, he agreed to let me have the Sorrow family signet ring. Yeah, it was a cheap glass stone that my Grandpop got before he fought in the Spanish American War - but - it was the Sorrow Stone. And it was important it be maintained.
Now, all these years later, I still have that Sorrow Stone, but I have no children. Thus, when I die, the stone shall go to his grandkids - my cousin's kids (2nd/3rd cousins????) I don't know how that works, but in my family - everyone is a "cousin or closer" - all those 2nds & 3rds have no place or meaning.
Also, it is important to state: My younger sister (also adopted) & I benefited from white privilege all of our lives; more than any other member of my family up to that point in time. As stated previously, the younger generations of my family are all viewed as white now also, as far as I can tell. So - please - do not read my story as a, "I am a minority" piece - I am not.
So, that is my 1st memory story & how my family dealt with it. I think it worked out ok. I hope it can be of use to you in some way - or maybe others here.
And finally, thanks for asking. I like to share stories, and sometimes it can be hard to do, when it does not seem like it will be useful here.
Good luck, Zow. I think you can do great at this. And thanks fer adopt'n. We needs lots of it!
OH - one final thought-----humor! We used lots of humor. As I said earlier, I was adopted on Halloween. That led to some pretty good shtick (E.g. Trick or Treat, Found in Punk'n Patch, etc). My favorite shtick was this:
I was their "little spook"
Think about it - me bein' nearly transparent and my other family relations....
...it worked for us, but one always has to be careful how loudly such shtick is spoken.
Lter.
P.S. While I stated that I do not want debate, I don't mind shtick directed at me. That was part of how we all dealt with the matter. Just don't offend anyone else.
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Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
One other thought - just to put out there - I have no real advice on this yet, but - if your child may be viewed as being of a different ethnicity than the rest of the family, find a way to prepare them for racism against loved ones, by those who do not know the family situation.
Some of my hardest moments were trying to decide how to handle "ethnic jokes" in an all white crowd who knew nothing of my family.
If this could be helpful to you, let me know, and I will try to put together some thoughts on how I handled it.
Some of my hardest moments were trying to decide how to handle "ethnic jokes" in an all white crowd who knew nothing of my family.
If this could be helpful to you, let me know, and I will try to put together some thoughts on how I handled it.
msommer
Footballguy
My nationality is Danish.
My family (before me) came from Denmark (min 600 years on my fathers side), my mothers side has Danish, German and French (that we know of, no genealogy nerds on that side).
My daughters are dual citizen Danish/Brazilian - from their mothers side it's a lot of Italy and some Portugal (25%) - again no genealogical research
My family (before me) came from Denmark (min 600 years on my fathers side), my mothers side has Danish, German and French (that we know of, no genealogy nerds on that side).
My daughters are dual citizen Danish/Brazilian - from their mothers side it's a lot of Italy and some Portugal (25%) - again no genealogical research
BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
Scot-Irish
Stompin' Tom Connors
Footballguy
This is the problem I have with this thread.
Based on the OP question, this should be one answer -- what nation are you currently a citizen of?
Everyone is answering as if the question is, What is your heritage/ethnic background/ancestry?
My nationality? Canadian. I've lived in the US at this point longer than I've been in Canada, but am a Canadian passport/Green Card holder.
My heritage? Eastern European as all Ashkenazi Jews are (in my case, Polish and Romanian to be precise).
I mean, my grandmother's family had a quick stop for a generation in Scotland, which is where she was born, but I never claim my heritage to be 1/4 Scottish or whatever.
I am very fortunate when it came to knowing my ancestry.
My wife and I submitted our DNA through Ancestry.com and got our results on Christmas Eve this past year.
My curiosity peaked, I simply Googled my last name and attached the word "ancestry" to it.
Low and behold, a page popped dedicated my family name's ancestry.
There was a space to type in my name (which I did). I hit "return" and my name, birthplace, and date of birth showed up along with my wife's name and our children. All included our birth dates and locations.
Below my name was my "supposed" (being skeptical) father's name along with all the same information including that of my brothers and sister.
Click on that and it showed his father's name again, with all the same information...and all of it was correct! I had a pretty good idea of my dad's family up to my great-great grandpa having visited my great grandma many times when I was younger.
Wanting to know more, I kept clicking on the names of fathers and the chain ended with an ancestor (9th Great-Grandfather) being born in Crispenhofen Germany in 1590. Not much else is known of him except that he was married twice.
I contacted the owner of the website and it seems that he is a genealogist and has been tracking our family for years and that his and my family trees split during our great, great grandfather's life (1838-1908).
My dad's side of the family immigrated to the US, docking on September 25, 1751. The Ship "Phoenix" was captained by Captain Spurrier and debarked its passengers at Philadelphia having sailed from Rotterdam and Portsmouth. Amongst those passengers immigrating, was my 5th great-grandfather (George), born in Sindringen Germany in 1718 and his son (Valentine, my 4th great-grandfather), born in Sindringen, Germany on 02/14/1743.
The court entry reads: At the Court House at Philadelphia, on Wednesday, the 25th Day of September 1751. Present: The Worshipful, the Mayor. The Foreigners whose names are underwritten, imported in the Ship Phoenix, Capt. Spurrier, from Rotterdam & Portsmouth.
My 5th great-grandfather died in 1786 in Belews Creek NC during the Cherokee-American Wars (not necessarily a casualty of it...I'm not sure).
My 4th great-grandfather died in 1820 in St. Clair, IL
My family's first-born American (Henry Valentine my 3rd great-grandfather), was born in Claiborne, TN in 1799 and died on 05/14/1857 in Blount, TN.
On my mom's side of the family, immigration didn't take place until my great-great grandfather made the trip (details unk.). He (Johan) was born in Telemark, Norway on 09/14/1821 and died in Renville, MN on 07/27/1904. This side of the family's first born American (Edward), was born in Fillmore, MN on 01/09/1869 and died in Renville MN in 1960 at the ripe old age of 91.
What I found most amazing is that every single male head-of-household on my dad's side that I saw on a census , listed their profession as "farmer"...until my dad.
He hated farming so much that he ran away from home at 16 yrs. old, lied about his name, lied about his age, and joined the military "for an easier life".
He was found out and discharged. He enlisted again when he came of age where he spent his entire career until being rendered 100% disabled in the late 1950's.
My ancestry:
England, Wales, & Northwestern Europe........47%
Norway..............................................................38%
Ireland & Scotland............................................12%
Sweden...............................................................3%
My wife and I submitted our DNA through Ancestry.com and got our results on Christmas Eve this past year.
My curiosity peaked, I simply Googled my last name and attached the word "ancestry" to it.
Low and behold, a page popped dedicated my family name's ancestry.
There was a space to type in my name (which I did). I hit "return" and my name, birthplace, and date of birth showed up along with my wife's name and our children. All included our birth dates and locations.
Below my name was my "supposed" (being skeptical) father's name along with all the same information including that of my brothers and sister.
Click on that and it showed his father's name again, with all the same information...and all of it was correct! I had a pretty good idea of my dad's family up to my great-great grandpa having visited my great grandma many times when I was younger.
Wanting to know more, I kept clicking on the names of fathers and the chain ended with an ancestor (9th Great-Grandfather) being born in Crispenhofen Germany in 1590. Not much else is known of him except that he was married twice.
I contacted the owner of the website and it seems that he is a genealogist and has been tracking our family for years and that his and my family trees split during our great, great grandfather's life (1838-1908).
My dad's side of the family immigrated to the US, docking on September 25, 1751. The Ship "Phoenix" was captained by Captain Spurrier and debarked its passengers at Philadelphia having sailed from Rotterdam and Portsmouth. Amongst those passengers immigrating, was my 5th great-grandfather (George), born in Sindringen Germany in 1718 and his son (Valentine, my 4th great-grandfather), born in Sindringen, Germany on 02/14/1743.
The court entry reads: At the Court House at Philadelphia, on Wednesday, the 25th Day of September 1751. Present: The Worshipful, the Mayor. The Foreigners whose names are underwritten, imported in the Ship Phoenix, Capt. Spurrier, from Rotterdam & Portsmouth.
My 5th great-grandfather died in 1786 in Belews Creek NC during the Cherokee-American Wars (not necessarily a casualty of it...I'm not sure).
My 4th great-grandfather died in 1820 in St. Clair, IL
My family's first-born American (Henry Valentine my 3rd great-grandfather), was born in Claiborne, TN in 1799 and died on 05/14/1857 in Blount, TN.
On my mom's side of the family, immigration didn't take place until my great-great grandfather made the trip (details unk.). He (Johan) was born in Telemark, Norway on 09/14/1821 and died in Renville, MN on 07/27/1904. This side of the family's first born American (Edward), was born in Fillmore, MN on 01/09/1869 and died in Renville MN in 1960 at the ripe old age of 91.
What I found most amazing is that every single male head-of-household on my dad's side that I saw on a census , listed their profession as "farmer"...until my dad.
He hated farming so much that he ran away from home at 16 yrs. old, lied about his name, lied about his age, and joined the military "for an easier life".
He was found out and discharged. He enlisted again when he came of age where he spent his entire career until being rendered 100% disabled in the late 1950's.
My ancestry:
England, Wales, & Northwestern Europe........47%
Norway..............................................................38%
Ireland & Scotland............................................12%
Sweden...............................................................3%
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Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
pretty cool opie. There is a guy that is tracking my dad's side of the family but it's most only one generation back. Really don't know much about my family - AND the county courthouse burnt down in the late 40s ...no more records.
![[scooter]](/data/avatars/m/22/22287.jpg?1659477690){kind=avatar}
[scooter]
Footballguy
If your dad or grandfather was in the U.S. in 1940 then you should be able to find him in the 1940 census, which you can search for free here (type "1940" in the search box and then scroll down to United States Census 1940). Once you've got a name/DOB/POB, then you can search for the person in previous censuses or in other records (here).
