Looking back, looking forward

History is in my blood.  Literally.  And in the blood of everyone.  I'm interested in history in terms of world events, and in peoples' individual histories, and in mine.  Also, I've done a little research into my family history, building on what my grandfather did, and collecting stories from others.  I made up a family tree, not going too far back.  I have a pretty good idea where my ancestors came from.  But there are plenty of holes, and I'm curious.  Sometimes family recollections can be inaccurate, too.  There's a story that we have some Cherokee on my mom's side, but lots of families have those stories and I have found no evidence.

I've been told I look Puerto Rican, Italian, even Chinese and Black (those last two kinda threw me.  I mean, I squint when I smile, and I tan well, but still...)  I'm sure I'm half Slovak, on dad's side.  Mom's side is a mix of German and English.  I sometimes say I'm hillbilly on both sides- southern Ohio and eastern Europe.

I recently signed up on Ancestry.com.  I've learned a little bit.  Really haven't gotten any farther back on my dad's side than I already knew- my great-grandparents all came from Slovakia, and maybe I need to go there to do more research.  On mom's side quite a bit has come up.  I'm back to my great-great-great-great-great-grandparents along one line, and finding more and more relatives.  There were some big families back then, and repeated marriages, and slightly unusual names.

I'll keep poking around, and hopefully learning more.  I sent for a DNA test, which I'm assuming will tell me I'm mainly northern European.  But who knows, there could be some surprises.  Plus, they don't just claim to tell you what area your ancestors came from.  They have a big enough database now that they can suggest other people on Ancestry.com who you might be related to.  There is always a degree of error, but then, there are often guesses in family trees too- it's hard to be sure the record you're looking at is actually your ancestor, especially if they have a common name.

My emotions have been up and down during all this.  At first, I was a bit melancholy, thinking of all the people in my family who are gone.  Wondering what my brother would be doing right now.  Wishing Miss Mox could have met my dad and grandparents.  I miss them.  But then, finding out more about yourself (and history in general) is always fun for me.  Plus, Miss Mox and I are starting to combine our family trees, and I've learned a lot about her family.

History is not just dates.  It's stories, it's people, it's our collective and individual pasts.  It's in us, and around us.  

The oldest family picture I have, my maternal great-great-great-grandmother.  I remember this picture hanging in the hall at my grandparents' house.