Genealogy/Family History poll
Oct. 20th, 2013 10:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
You don't have to be remotely interested in genealogy or family history to take this poll. In fact, if you're not, I'd love to hear from you. Before I throw it at you, let me explain the purpose; I'm trying to explore why some people are more interested in genealogy/family history/heritage than others, particularly when it comes to certain areas and age groups.
You can also stick to the comments (especially if you've clicked "other" at least once) or do both. There will probably be a corresponding LJ post about this. If anything's personal, feel free to PM me instead OR answer anonymously.
[Poll #1939547][Poll #1939547]
You can also stick to the comments (especially if you've clicked "other" at least once) or do both. There will probably be a corresponding LJ post about this. If anything's personal, feel free to PM me instead OR answer anonymously.
[Poll #1939547][Poll #1939547]
no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 03:44 pm (UTC)I'm not familiar with the records kept on immigrants in all countries, but some, if you're lucky, will have places of birth/origin and relatives' names.
The other option is to get involved in DNA research, although it's still a relatively "young" field when it comes to genealogy, especially. But it's one way to find out some useful information, especially when there aren't any records to be had (although I wouldn't discount the possibility that there might be some records of your family in Poland...they just aren't well catalogued in that part of the world, at this point). Plus, you might be able to hook up with some distant relatives that know more about your family, either through their relatives talking about family history more, letters, pictures, books, what have you.
ETA: D'oh, I misread your comment (I'm a bit sleepy) concerning your parents. If your parents are no longer living (and they don't have any other family members) and you have no clue what their parents' names were, there are ways of finding it out - their birth certificate, if it exists, for example.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 03:23 pm (UTC)The records I can't get are my grandparent's birth records or much of anything else. That's what was destroyed during WWII so I think we're up against a bit of a dead end.
Both my parents are deceased and I have one living uncle who has been of some help but he doesn't really know much either.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 04:20 pm (UTC)That's the main downside with genealogy...a lot of stuff is available for free these days, but there's still some potentially useful stuff that costs $$$$. Unfortunately you can't always tell if it will be useful before you shell out the dough. And I'm also annoyed that some things I spent a little bit of money on 10 years ago are now available online for free. XD A lot of US Federal paperwork will never be put online for free/ever though (like, I don't see that happening with SSN applications anytime soon), so at least you know you won't be paying $25 or so for something that will be online in 5 years.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-20 09:46 pm (UTC)On my mom's side, my great-grandparents were the immigrants (from Germany).
I love to scrapbook, so I wish I had more memorabilia from ancestors. I have really neat things from my grandparents, but that's as far back as it goes.
I'm interested in looking into it more, especially if my dad would give me the parchment family tree which has yet to happen, but I have a time shortage, so it's on my list of projects. ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 06:04 am (UTC)I also don't know much about when my Irish ancestors arrived, other than sometime during the famine, and I'd like to know more.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-21 08:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-23 04:46 am (UTC)In the early days, you made an appointment to go to the National Archives and sit in front of a Microfilm reader. Scrolling through roll after roll of film until you found something in or around that county. The internet now, is a wonderful thing! :)
My interest was/is two parts. First, we know that my Grandma's Grandmother was half or full-blood American Indian. But with the conditions in Missouri during the Civil War, (burning of the courthouse and records), the early death of her husband, and her hatred and denial of all things, "Indian", no information can be found. She only appears in one Census - 1910. Prior and after is a dead end.
Second, I never knew who my natural father was. It was through a 46 marker DNA test and a lucky find of a genealogy DNA comparison website, that I learned his name and found a half-sister. I was 60 years old. Here's a good lesson: he went by his middle name, from early childhood on. So, all the searching I did, concentrated on that, as his first name, since I didn't know he had a "first name".
And if there is a third, then it is just plain curiosity now that I'm an old, retired guy! :o)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-25 11:47 pm (UTC)