Who Do You Think You Are?

[dangerdave]

This was a great stcky thread on another forum I used to frequent. Tell us about any of your interesting ancestors...

I'll go first...

My great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Col. Joseph Alexander Land, was born June 27th, 1716 in Newcastle, Delaware. He married Sarah Anne Moore in 1740 and proceed to produce twenty-four children with her over the next three decades. He served as an officer in the Revolutionary Army (along with several of his sons), fighting for the independence of the American Colonies from British rule, and died an old man of 87 on March 17th, 1803.

Here's to you, Great-(x5)-Grandpa Joe! You da man!!!

 

[Julie]

30 years of pregnancy and 24 hard labors!!!!!!!! That poor woman, you better say here's to Great (5x) Grandma!!!!

 

[jamesngalveston]

Julie is dead on......shes the womannnnnnnnn......
my ancestors were all crooks,gypsies and peddlers, and not one good one in the bunch, are I would be wealthier...

 

[Tess]

Check this out. My 5x great grandfather was Dillion Asher born in 1775 in Amherst Co. Virginia and died in 1860-1870 in Clay Co. Kentucky.)

He lived in Red bird Ky most of his life and his cabin still stands today on the property of the Red Bird Hospital.
He was married to two sister first to Nancy Davis, then to Sarah "Sally Davis from which I descend.
He had many children from those two sister. Not only that.
He had children with two COLLETT sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah. the man was a hound dog!!! Things were wild up in them hills.
His best friend Aaron Chief Red Bird Brock, Cherokee was my 5x great grandfather on my moms mothers side

Dillon Asher's cabin still stands in Red Bird Ky today

the man is famous for his horndogidrey!! new word. I just made it up

 

[winointraining]

My 5x grandfather was William Coomes he was married to Frances Jane Greenleaf, on my mothers side, Frances was the first white woman to make salt in Ky, she was also the first school teacher in ky. . They finally settled in Bardswtown Ky. and donated the land for the first Catholic church , they were among some of the first settlers in the state. From what I've found in my research is that all my old kin folk was fairly well to do, but the old birds didn't leave me nothing.

 

[Tess]

My 5x grandfather was William Coomes he was married to Frances Jane Greenleaf, on my mothers side, Frances was the first white woman to make salt in Ky, she was also the first school teacher in ky. . They finally settled in Bardswtown Ky. and donated the land for the first Catholic church , they were among some of the first settlers in the state. From what I've found in my research is that all my old kin folk was fairly well to do, but the old birds didn't leave me nothing.

you cant get better then Kentucky folk!!! Appalachian mountain people are the soul of this country!!!

 

[DaveL]

There were Liverman in Tyrell county NC back to the 1740s. Big Daddy was the last Plantation owner in the lineage. He was a fair man and most of his "people" took his name and were given land.
On my moms side we are distant cousins of Abe Lincoln and another relative won the medal of honor at Vicksburg.
I don't know WTF happened to me.

 

[cimbaliw]

I'm 2nd generation American, all four of my grandparents immigrated from either Poland (mom's side) or Slovakia (Dad's side). I had a chance to visit the hamlet Grandpa C immigrated from. Such poverty.

 

[Tess]

Is this picture yours from you family history? Is this your family homestead?

 

[Runningwolf]

I don't have anything to contribute here but I sure am enjoying the posts. Dave thanks for starting this thread.

 

[Tess]

Dan, What do you mean you have nothing to contribute? Is your heritage here? from this county?
give me what you have and I will help u fund your roots. What do you know? What were you grandparent name? If its here in this country I can help you. Im a long time genealogist. I have helped many of my friends!!

 

[DaveL]

I'm 2nd generation American, all four of my grandparents immigrated from either Poland (mom's side) or Slovakia (Dad's side). I had a chance to visit the hamlet Grandpa C immigrated from. Such poverty.

My wifes' grandparents were Polish immigrants. Both of her parents were from Boston but they met in Cuba at GTMO.

 

[ffemt128]

Somewhere along the line, I forget how many greats, I'm related to the Sundance Kid......My mother traced the family back and communicated with several other people she found along the way and he was in all the trees...

 

[JohnT]

30 years of pregnancy and 24 hard labors!!!!!!!! That poor woman, you better say here's to Great (5x) Grandma!!!!

I would like to point out that this gentleman fathered 24 kids and lived to 87. No doubt he died with a smile on his face.


{Ok, Julie, how long in the corner this time}


I know very little about my mother's side, but my father's side has no-one of real note. We traced it back and found that my father's family was growing grapes and producing wine to 10 generations (all the way back to the point where my ancesters immigrated from germany).

Some of this vineland is still in the family.

 

[dangerdave]

I knew there'd be some great stories. Thanks for sharing everyone! Keep them coming!

 

[Rocky]

My grandparents were all from the area in and around Caserta, Italy. I am not sure of the villages from which they came but I do remember hearing reference to one that phonetically sounded like "Cammy Yawn" which, in the dialect, could be just about anything, like Camignano. They emigrated to the US in the 1890's and settled in Braddock, Rankin and Swissvale (Pittsburgh suburbs). My paternal grandfather had the advantage that he could speak English and quickly got a job with Mellon Bank. He was a great asset to the bank with all the Italian immigrants in the area in being able to speak both languages. Subsequently, he opened a bakery which was in operation into the 1950's. My maternal grandfather worked in a glass factory located between Rankin and Swissvale and later was the janitor at one of the Swissvale schools. An uncle on my mother's side achieved some minor notoriety as a boxer being the only man ever to knock out Henry Armstrong, who later held three world championships (featherweight, lightweight and welterweight) at the same time.

I used to love to hear stories about their experiences in coming to American and my parents', aunts' and uncles' experiences growing up in that period. I have always thought if I could live at another time, that is the period I would choose. I believe, as James Jones (author of From Here to Eternity, Some Came Running, and The Thin Red Line) did, that generation, born in the early 1900's, was America's greatest morally and we have been in decline since then.

 

[bkisel]

My grand parents on both sides were from Poland and Russia. I understand near where the border kept going back and forth. My wife's heritage is perhaps more interesting going back to England and some relation to the Churchills and a Connecticut Indian tribe on her father's side and a New Hampshire Indian tribe on her mother's side.

 

[Julie]

I would like to point out that this gentleman fathered 24 kids and lived to 87. No doubt he died with a smile on his face.


{Ok, Julie, how long in the corner this time}


I know very little about my mother's side, but my father's side has no-one of real note. We traced it back and found that my father's family was growing grapes and producing wine to 10 generations (all the way back to the point where my ancesters immigrated from germany).

Some of this vineland is still in the family.

You know I'm thinkin I might have to build a dungeon for you guys!!!!

 

[cimbaliw]

Tess, that is not the Homestead but darn close to it. The house was directly behind the one pictured but has been torn down.

 

[spaniel]

One great-great grandfather was ship captain of one of the last wooden ships to sink on the Great Lakes. I inherited the S&W revolver he bought after his old one went down with the ship.

Another great-great grandfather was Chief Justice of the Michigan State Supreme Court. At one point he also taught at the one-room country school I later attended for grade school.

My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Ontario militia when the Irish-American veterans of the Civil War tried to invade Canada in an effort to force the British to divert resources from Ireland and enable their brothers on the home island to retake it (google Feinian Raids). Shortly thereafter he immigrated to the US. I have the belt from his uniform and the rifle he carried (made 1800-1820, closest I can figure from research) in a shadow box in my living room.

That's all on the maternal side. My paternal side is mostly from Germany, immigrated pre-WWI. The area I grew up was predominantly German immigrants and Polish immigrants. The Germans alway told Polish jokes and made fun of the Pollacks. Only recently in doing research did I learn that the village from which my German ancestors originated is now, with the shift of borders after WWII, in far southeast Poland. Doh!!

Supposedly Mary Queen of Scots and Amelia Earhardt (by marriage) are related.