What was it like visiting birthplace of your ancestors?

[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 necessarily. My family is legally African American, but I have white and Native American —probably Muscogee Creek — ancestors as well. Due to the one drop rule, it was economically beneficial to the whites of the day to deem people like my ancestors Black, so, unfortunately, I don’t have cultural or familial ties that go back beyond African American communities in the Late 1800s. I have visited places where my grandparents and great grandparents and their extended families lived in Alabama and Georgia. My grandparents all lived in DC by 1920, so, seeing small cities and towns in the Deep South was a shock to my very urban teenaged self. I was curious about these places, but didn’t feel strong connections to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Mine are from Britain. Not too much cheap real estate.

[Anonymous]

I grew up on the west coast. I always felt a pull to New England. Was delighted to find out about all my ancestors from Salem, Boston and Maine. Have made several visits. In Maine found their wonderful old gravestones. I've done a lot of genealogical research and I feel like I know some of these people.

[Anonymous]

Two lines of my family are from remote Irish islands that are no longer habitable. One near Galway has a Facebook group of descendants from the island, which has been interesting to follow. Apparently you can get someone to row you over to it and see the ruins. So we couldn't live there if we wanted to, and it is clear that life there was very challenging, but stories are of happy childhoods and a close knit community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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????"

Tell us, where were you?

Ireland-- Inishkea Islands, County Mayo "God help us." No longer inhabited.

I highly recommend including the Wild Atlantic Way and the Sculpture Trail on any visit to Ireland, especially if you like hiking and birding. Though when we told the driver where to take us, he said "Ach, no one goes there." You drive hours through uninhabited bog, cross an isthmus onto a peninsula, then hire a boat to the island if the weather cooperates. It's only a 4.5 hour drive from Dublin, but those directions make it remote for Ireland. It was lovely and not touristy at all.

[Anonymous]

All 4 of my grandparents were from Ireland. I have visited and met up with family members. It’s a beautiful place to visit, but no, I don’t have any interest in living there.

[Anonymous]

My grandparents were from northern Korea before the Korean war. I have never seen them (not even pictures) and I can't go back. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I've visited the Scandinavian countries where family is from. In one, some relatives still live there and have a co-owned property on a lake. I was overwhelming devastated that my side of the family left particularly in this rife moment of American history. I'm nearly certain our family would have been successful and comfortable in those countries as well. Would move back in a second if a job was available..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family lives in occupied Palestine going back many generations. Yes, I have been. I think you probably have an understanding that it’s hell on earth but some of the most historic and meaningful places in the world are there.

You don't know what we think understand or that we agree with your loaded set of statements.

No, my dear, I think most people on DCUM who are educated and follow the news understand occupation and apartheid. Nothing loaded about that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family lives in occupied Palestine going back many generations. Yes, I have been. I think you probably have an understanding that it’s hell on earth but some of the most historic and meaningful places in the world are there.

You don't know what we think understand or that we agree with your loaded set of statements.

No, my dear, I think most people on DCUM who are educated and follow the news understand occupation and apartheid. Nothing loaded about that!

More projection. Your passion and fervor and Iran-sponsored propaganda campaign do not define truth.

[Anonymous]

One of my mom’s first cousins still owns and operates the family farm in Ireland. I’ve been there a dozen times in my life. It’s…basic. No one to take it over when he passes, he had no children and is the youngest of the first cousins by 10 years, at 69. My grandfather came from the neighboring farm, it was sold and then abandoned decades ago.

We’ll be visiting the still operating farm again this summer. It’s interesting to see, the old one room previously thatched roof home where my grandmother and all her siblings and previous generations were raised is still on the property. There are 4 remaining in the older generation, including my mom. Next are 14 of us.

[Anonymous]

My Mom's family is easy - she's first generation US born and there are still cousins that live in the family village in Slovakia. It's beautiful - at the foot of the Tatra mountains near the border with Poland.

But, it's really small. There's about 1500 folks that live there. Many of the younger generations have moved to larger nearby towns.

Sometimes think about what it would be like to live there.

I've gone twice - once after college and again about 20 years later with my own kids. I thought it was important for them to see.

My Dad's side is harder - his side has been in the US for many generations and we know the town in Germany where some of his relatives were born. His Dad was born and raised in Pittsburgh and his Mom was born in Baltimore, so that's not too exacting. Heck, my Dad still lives in the house that he was raised, so going back to Pittsburgh is pretty easy to see "history!"

At this point in my life, I would be open to moving "home" to Pittsburgh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 necessarily. My family is legally African American, but I have white and Native American — — ancestors as well. Due to the one drop rule, it was economically beneficial to the whites of the day to deem people like my ancestors Black, so, unfortunately, I don’t have cultural or familial ties that go back beyond African American communities in the Late 1800s. I have visited places where my grandparents and great grandparents and their extended families lived in Alabama and Georgia. My grandparents all lived in DC by 1920, so, seeing small cities and towns in the Deep South was a shock to my very urban teenaged self. I was curious about these places, but didn’t feel strong connections to them.

Any way you could find out (if you wanted)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 necessarily. My family is legally African American, but I have white and Native American —probably Muscogee Creek— ancestors as well. Due to the one drop rule, it was economically beneficial to the whites of the day to deem people like my ancestors Black, so, unfortunately, I don’t have cultural or familial ties that go back beyond African American communities in the Late 1800s. I have visited places where my grandparents and great grandparents and their extended families lived in Alabama and Georgia. My grandparents all lived in DC by 1920, so, seeing small cities and towns in the Deep South was a shock to my very urban teenaged self. I was curious about these places, but didn’t feel strong connections to them.

How could you find out (if you wanted)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two lines of my family are from remote Irish islands that are no longer habitable. One near Galway has a Facebook group of descendants from the island, which has been interesting to follow. Apparently you can get someone to row you over to it and see the ruins. So we couldn't live there if we wanted to, and it is clear that life there was very challenging, but stories are of happy childhoods and a close knit community.

Interesting