Something interesting about you and/or your family

[Volgadon]

My father's side comes from Eastern Europe, mostly from Czernowitz (Chernovtzy), an old town in Ukraine, not far from Moldavia. Used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. My ancestors, part of the Chasidic movement, left Galicia during the early 1800s because of the restrictions placed on Jews by the governor. Czernowitz was a lot more open. We know very little about them but my grandmother's great-grandmother used to earn some extra money by cleaning for the Polish troops billeted in their street. She would sweep all the dust and rubbish into the fireplace, but one day she failed to notice a cartridge that one of the soldiers had dropped, and it exploded in the heat, killing her.
A few years later, my great-grandfather, sick of the crowded ghetto-atmosphere and of chasidism, left to homestead in Montana. He came back in 1914, only to discover that his fiancee had married his best friend. My great-grandfather and one of his brothers joined the Austrian army. After the war he married his elder brother's daughter, something quite acceptable in Judaism at the time. They left for Montana as the Civil War broke out. He was an atheist, as well as being sick of the close-mindedness of Chasidism. In the 1940s, hearing a very strong old-country accent, people would ask them accusingly if they were German or not. My great-grandparents would reply. 'No, we're Hungarian.'
His elder brother (and father-in-law!!) and son were medical orderlies, and were sent by the Germans to work in one of the camps. Nothing is known of their fate.

[Mara]

I'm not quite sure about the history of my American relatives, only that they're decended from Sweden (grandmother's branch) and Irish/Scots (grandfather's branch). My aunt is still trying to trace their lines but has some difficulty especially with the Scots line.

On my German grandfather's side I'm descended from a French noble family of Huguenots, who had to flee to Germany, changing their original name (unknown) in the process. My German surname literally means 'high noble'. At some point later, they turned Catholic, though. Not sure whether out of conviction, marriage or convenience. Some of the men were gamblers, though, and my great-grandfather apparently lost the family's fortune. He also left his family to their own devices, with no money. I'd love to trace the line back to the French origins. Who knows, I might have a title...

[ellenjane]

Nothing terribly interesting on my side - I'm descended from Theophilius Eaton, the first governor of Connecticut, and can trace another line back to some minor lords in Scotland.

My husband's great-great-great grandfather, though, was the first person to file under the U.S. Homestead Act. There's a national monument in Nebraska on his land. He had quite an interesting life - he was a Civil War spy, brought one of the first court cases for separation of church and state, and appears to have been quite the character - Daniel Freeman. Maybe a good source if I ever decide to try my hand at writing my own HF!

[michellemoran]

I am a large mix of races, from Serbian to French, and a large mix of religions, from Jewish to Catholic. As a very young child I went to a Christian church on Friday, Temple on Saturday and Mass once in a great while on Sundays. On one side of the family was an Eastern Orthodox bishop, on the other side were devout Austrian Jews who founded the Koret Foundation in the Bay Area (an amazing organization that deals in grants).

I shudder at the thought of doing a family tree. It would probably cost a fortune.

[michellemoran]

I love reading these! Great post Alaric!

[Telynor]

Well, lessee, on both sides of my parents' families, I'm descendant of early settlers, have both conferderate and Union troops among my ancestors. My mother was an aeronautical engineer before women were accepted in that sort of thing. So I grew up in a lot of different places as she did her time in the military.

When I moved to NY, I started digging back into my genealogy and discovered that many of my ancestors came from this area before heading off west. It's pretty spooky to see your many-time great-grandparents graves. I've managed to trace several lines back to England, including an interesting pack of marcher barons by the name of Giffard.

I read a lot, worked my years in newspapers as a graphic designer, try to paint, do an awful lot of handwork, and lately, been sleeping far too much.

[pat]

For me, my history is mainly on mums side. Dad dis-owned his side but that is another story..!

My grandfather was stranded in Egypt as the R101 Airship blew up on the trip that was due to collect him and others.

My nan was in service as a young lady and saved her mistress from burning. Nan was cleaning when the Lady went to the fireplace and her skirts caught fire.

My aunt dated a famous singer in the 50's! Cant remember who he was, I think it was a Frankie but not sure!

Would you believe it, I have a very large extended family and we have no one famous in it!

[donroc]

For got to add, while doing research in grad school on Leon Trotsky, I saw a photograph of him with his supporters who were named in the caption, and confirmed one of them, Sosnovsky, was a cousin sevral times removed. He was executed by the Stalinists in 1929.

[Leyland]

Lt Col William B Travis, a heroic defender of the Alamo, was the older brother by a year of my ancestor, Nicholas S Travis.

Another ancestor, Rev James Fontaine, the Fighting Chaplain, was a Huguenot who led an adventurous life after he escaped to England during the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and and wrote a fascinating memior. At one point he and his family took up arms against an attack from a French privateer on his holdings at Bear Haven, Ireland. My ancestor, his son Francis, graduated from Trinity College in 1716 and became Professor of Oriental Languages at the College of William and Mary in 1729, as well was rector of York Hampton Parish. His brother, Rev Peter Fontaine, another of James' sons, was well known to William Byrd in Virginia and is mentioned a bit in Anya Seton's Devil Water.

[sweetpotatoboy]

Nothing particularly exciting. On my father's mother's side, we are descended from very prestigious rabbinical stock, into which a lot of genealogical research has been carried out. But on all sides, large parts of the family were wiped out in the Holocaust, so, as with others, a lot is lost and the stories that have survived are sad beyond belief.

Because of marriage breakups, my father was estranged from his paternal family since he was a child. However, many decades later, he has met up a large group of first cousins who are all in their seventies or eighties and who haven't seen each other in 60 to 70 years, after their respective parents (all long dead now) cut off contact. They are all very close now and are constantly phoning or emailing each other.

Not family, but my only claim to fame is that I went to school with Sacha Baron-Cohen (aka Borat etc.) and Matt Lucas (of Little Britain). Both were a year or two younger than me but I remember them both distinctly and they were already incredibly charismatic.