Author Topic: What's Your Ethnicity?  (Read 7643 times)

Offline Darby

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #30 on: June 3, 2003, 05:21 AM »
I'm three parts Irish, one part Native American.  Don't know which tribe, since our family is in denial about that last bit.   ::)

Offline Nathan

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #31 on: July 2, 2005, 01:33 AM »
None of my immediate ancestors (2 - 3 generations back) are immigrants. I think most of my ancestors came across the Pond around the early 20th century.

Basically you'd say I'm Irish, Scandinavian, and miscellaneous European.

My mom's mother is Scandinavian--I think more Norwegian than Swedish.

My mom's dad is English or Irish. Not too sure beyond that.

My dad's dad is pretty much Irish.

My dad's mom is ... well German I suppose, being that her mom's side had a German surname. There might be a little Austrian-Hungarian in there someplace but I don't know for sure.
« Last Edit: July 2, 2005, 01:34 AM by Valin Kenobi »
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Offline name

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #32 on: July 2, 2005, 10:08 AM »
Dutch on my father's side.  First ancestor over from Holland was Garret Van Swearingen, shipwrecked off of Fire Island, south of Long Island, on his way to New Amsterdam in 1657. 

Three generations later, great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Thomas Swearingen III became the only person in history to defeat George Washington in a run for public office.  In 1758, Washington was 26 years old and running to fill a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses (colonial version of a state legislature, basically.)

This from an article tucked into my family history notes:

"Swearingen had no special reputation to parade, so he pinned his hopes on the saloon keepers.   Voters on their way to the polls were hailed from every tippling house with 'Come have a drink on old Tom Swearingen, the peoples' friend.'

Setting 'em up for voters was customary in those days.  It wasn't until the 19th centery that most states passed blue laws closing the saloons on election day.  A little closer to the polls on that day in 1758, stood Swearingen himself, smiling beside a hogshead of rum with a ladle in his hand.

Washington kept his distance.  He made no speeches and served no drinks.  But "have a drink" beat "I cannot tell a lie" six to one.  Swearingen won 270 to 40.

Washington's correspondence shows he took this defeat gracefully.  Ole George, however, was taught a lesson by one of our clan and it would seem he learned it well.

Washinton wasn't the sort of man who made the same mistake twice.  A year later he took Swearingen on again.  He didn't campaign personally.  Duty kept him on the frontier with his regiment. But he wrote to his campaign manager, Colonel Wood, instructing him to spend with not too sparing a hand on drinks.

Drinks served in Washington's name included 40 gallons of rum, 18 gallons of wine, 43 gallons of strong beer, one hogshead and one barrel of punch containing 26 gallons of 'Ye best Barbados Rum,' 8 quarts of Cidar Royale, etc.  That's a total of 160 gallons, or something more than a quart a half per voter.

This time, Washington won 309 to 45.  Washington never failed to treat again and never again lost an election."

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Offline John C

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #33 on: July 2, 2005, 10:45 AM »
Mostly Irish.  My mom is 100%.  Her mom and dad's families have been in the USA for over one hundred years, too, so that's no small feat.  My dad is 25% Irish, English, German and Polish.  That makes me something like 62% Irish.  I have an ancestor, a great grandfather, four or five greats, I'm not sure exactly, who was a general in the Civil War.  He won some battles and one former battlefield is now a state park in Arkansas.  They have the coat he wore during the battle and some information on what he did during his life.  He is buried in Iowa and they have a statue of him in a park.  I'll have to visit it someday.    I'm proud to be his decendant. 

Here a a couple of links about him. 

http://www.historycentral.com/bio/UGENS/USACurtis.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/samuel-curtis
« Last Edit: July 2, 2005, 10:51 AM by John C »

Offline Jim

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #34 on: July 2, 2005, 12:11 PM »
1/2 Irish + 1/2 German = 100% Alcoholic ;D

Offline Nathan

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #35 on: July 2, 2005, 01:57 PM »
I have an ancestor, a great grandfather, four or five greats, I'm not sure exactly, who was a general in the Civil War. He won some battles and one former battlefield is now a state park in Arkansas. They have the coat he wore during the battle and some information on what he did during his life. He is buried in Iowa and they have a statue of him in a park. I'll have to visit it someday. I'm proud to be his decendant.

Here a a couple of links about him.

http://www.historycentral.com/bio/UGENS/USACurtis.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/samuel-curtis

That's awesome!

On my mom's side I have an ancestor who marched with General Sherman in the Civil War, but I gather he was just a "grunt".
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Offline John C

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #36 on: July 2, 2005, 02:06 PM »
Thanks.  My grandfather sounds like he was an outstanding person.  He knew Lincoln well from what I can tell and was against slavery and for Native American rights, which caused him to fight with the Missouri governor.  The President made him move from Missouri after he kicked the governor's butt.  If I had the money, I would make a movie about him.

Offline Infamy Of Crete

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #37 on: July 3, 2005, 08:22 AM »


Damn am I the only W.O.P. here? I'm Italian and French, which simply means I will  wack your family and then spend hours in a Jerry Lewis manic worrying over what I did.

My grandfather was originally from Italy and during the first world war he moved to France to live with some unknown  relatives of ours. After the move he came to America where he and my grandmother married. THat's all i know my grandfather was very tight lipped aobut that. 

My grandfather was a Jack of all trades, but spent the last 20 years of his life building the Reading (It's sounds like Reding)Railroad. You will know it from your monopoly board. He worked as a engineer.

Offline Darth Paul

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #38 on: July 3, 2005, 09:21 PM »
50% German Mennonite
25% Polish
12.5 % British
12.5 % Pennsylvania Dutch

100 % Canadian

Offline Gregorbian

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #39 on: July 3, 2005, 09:49 PM »
My dad's family has been living in Canada for a long, long time.  They're English/Irish/Scottish (I think mostly Scottish, but I'm not sure).  We were from the Macleod clan, although it might have been spelled differently.  My mom is 2nd Generation Canadian.  Her ancestry is Japanese.  She is an ancestor of the Kawara line of samurai.
Therefore, I am very Imperialistic  8)
I've lived in the States since 1990 (my dad was transferred down here >:() but now I'm way more American than Canadian (culture-wise). 

Since nobody can tell what my ancestry is, I just tell people I'm a dirty Canuck ;)
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Offline JesseVader08

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #40 on: July 4, 2005, 01:24 AM »

Since nobody can tell what my ancestry is, I just tell people I'm a dirty Canuck ;)


I knew there was something about you I liked.   ;)


As for me, I'm Scottish, German, Dutch and Russian.  A mish mash of good stuff.

Our family has been in Canada for 5 generations now, so I'd say I'm about as Canadian as you're going to get.   :)

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #41 on: July 4, 2005, 10:02 PM »
I used to think I was 75% Irish and 25% German, but over ten years ago when my Great Uncle passed away, we found immigration documents indicating that my Dad's side of the family immigrated from Poland around the time of the Russian revolution. In fact, we found out our family name was shorted for pernunciation purposes.

So I'm, 50% Irish, 25% German and 25% Polish.
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Offline Vator

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #42 on: July 4, 2005, 11:37 PM »
Um, well my dads side of the family is Slavic-Semitic-Franco-Prussian and my moms side of the family is Irish-Prussian-Persian. I'm 1st generation American on my dads side and 4th (?) generation on my moms side.
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Offline Dimetrodon

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #43 on: July 5, 2005, 12:25 AM »
I'm German/Russian

Offline Diddly

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Re: What's Your Ethnicity?
« Reply #44 on: July 5, 2005, 01:02 AM »
English on my dad's side. The ancestors came over in the 1730's, from what I read in a family tree a few years ago. Swedish on my mom's side. Not sure when they came over though.
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