Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Discovering Who You Are

“Who Do You Think You Are?” (http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/) is not only a popular NBC TV-show where celebrities trace their family history, but also a valid question. I was always told I was a quarter Finnish, a quarter Swedish, a quarter German, an eighth English and an eighth French (Canadian). In other words, as my brother says, a mutt. 
As I tracked my maternal grandfather’s family through census and nationalization records, I discovered that my mother had neglected to mention another nationality: saints and begora, I was also Irish. While both of my grandfather’s maternal grandparents were born in Quebec, only his maternal grandfather was actually French. His mother’s parents were both born in Down County, Ireland, and moved to French Canada with their parents as children.
Somehow that small bit of what I consider important information never got passed along. To be honest, I don’t think my mother had any idea. I’ve had to readjust, reconfigure, rethink who I am, because Irish had never been a part of who I thought I was. Now, I can rightfully celebrate St. Urho’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
Who do you think you are?
Discover your roots and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.
For more information on Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com
and click on Family History Research.