What was it like visiting birthplace of your ancestors?

[Anonymous]

Have you visited the place/s from where the generations before you came? How was it --as you expected? Challenges? Could you see yourself (and possibly your family) living there?

Sometimes there is news of people buying cheap properties in other countries (think Italy or Costa Rica). Doesn't appear they are from that area but they plan to move there. What about the places from where your family moved/fled from: how was it visiting?

[Anonymous]

How do you figure out which ancestor to even use? The one whose last name you have? I’m from at least 8 countries and then also different cities in several of them. I went to the city where my maiden name ancestor came from. It was neat opening a phone book and seeing hundreds of my last name. I didn’t feel any ties to that place though.

When I go to the city and state that my parents grew up in, I feel like I’m home.

[Anonymous]

South Carolina--it's ok not a lot of high paying jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you figure out which ancestor to even use? The one whose last name you have? I’m from at least 8 countries and then also different cities in several of them. I went to the city where my maiden name ancestor came from. It was neat opening a phone book and seeing hundreds of my last name. I didn’t feel any ties to that place though.

When I go to the city and state that my parents grew up in, I feel like I’m home.

Any of them I guess. If you have resources to make it to each place. Trying to find the exact village can be challenging now that the area has changed compared to 100+ years ago

[Anonymous]

A Native American reservation. where the members look at you confused: you're a Native Amrican?

[Anonymous]

Can’t Hitler wiped it out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A Native American reservation. where the members look at you confused: you're a Native Amrican?

If you were American Indian you’d know it either by your CDIB or your tribal card.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't exist. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is no more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can’t Hitler wiped it out

I visited what is left of the Jewish quarter in Latvia. That whole way of life was destroyed and even if I could go back, I would not want to.

[Anonymous]

My last name may or may not be from the part of England around Salisbury.

The first known location of a proven ancestor is London (departure port).

I didn't go to Salisbury for a heritage tour. But I just loved the two days I spent there. I've been to many medieval European cathedrals and associated towns. But I had a wonderful couple of days there.

I would love it if future genealogists could prove a connection. The chance is slim but it's not impossible.

[Anonymous]

We visited the ancestral home of our paternal line, and it was quite clear why they left. It's beautiful, but extremely remote with cruel weather. I could probably live there today in a house, but they didn't even have houses, just makeshift shelters. We actually had "good" weather for most of the time we were there except for the 1 hour when we stood literally on the spot they lived and the skies opened up and the wind went crazy. We joked that the spirits of our ancestors were mad, saying "We left here for a good reason, why are you back here????"

[Anonymous]

OP, you have to be careful buying property in some locations if no one is going to live there, especially tiny rural towns. They can have fairly closed economies and a piece pf property sitting vacant for part of a year means lost income to other residents because you are not using the good and services sold by your neighbors. Every household matters in a tiny economy.

[Anonymous]

PP. Another side of my family is from Lutheran Western Slovakia. I have never been to visit but through genealogical research, I've come to understand phenomena that impacted the immigrant experience and my family. I value that. Many of my distant relatives appear to have also moved from peasants to college educated people in their country (engineers, dentists, etc.). That has necessitated leaving the little village. It still looks like a nice place to live but is small, rural, and there probably aren't many good-paying jobs there. I can watch their church services on Facebook and see the church where my relatives were baptized 150 years ago. That is very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A Native American reservation. where the members look at you confused: you're a Native Amrican?

If you were American Indian you’d know it either by your CDIB or your tribal card.

Not everyone has one if you don't live there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. Another side of my family is from Lutheran Western Slovakia. I have never been to visit but through genealogical research, I've come to understand phenomena that impacted the immigrant experience and my family. I value that. Many of my distant relatives appear to have also moved from peasants to college educated people in their country (engineers, dentists, etc.). That has necessitated leaving the little village. It still looks like a nice place to live but is small, rural, and there probably aren't many good-paying jobs there. I can watch their church services on Facebook and see the church where my relatives were baptized 150 years ago. That is very interesting.

That is cool to be able to watch online