A fascinating journey/who am i

I'm stunned to learn that I have such deep Midwest ern roots.

My biological maternal grandfather and his siblings were raised in Peoria and his ancestors have been in Illinois a long time!

Marion Duchane (never seen any photos of him though)

Omg

I'll have to get to the library to get a better look what I just found my tree I mean this is the first time I've ever been able to actually see my tree that is the tree of lieutenant John King the Revolutionary War, as a result I am able to view over a hundred of my relatives! so I just introduced myself on Geni!

Just found online

I just found a picture of my biological paternal great-grandmother; Mollie, online so I'm really pleased and excited!

WOW!

I just think this is so exciting I had to put it in here before I'm even done watching the show Jennifer Gray's grandfather came over on the same ship that my great-grandfather came over on however her grandfather came over three years earlier than my great-grandfather did and they both arrived in New York!

Ship PRETORIA

Twice removed

After reading the list of notable living Baltimoreans, looks like one of the names is very close relative.

That close relative had a very close relationship with Anne Franks family.

That being said, Ive wondered if any of my ancestors died in Holocaust...

History class bored me to death in school. But now that I know so much about my ancestors, I feel fascinated, truly connected to America n and European history.

Just a dream

Oh what I wouldn't give to have rhe show pay for me to go on a European journey to make my ancestral quest come alive!

Kiss me im Irish!

With every passing week Im learning more about my roots, who I am.

Thanks, in part to the girls in my genealogy group!

I just found out my 4x ggf (or gggf) was born in Ireland in the 1800s and immigrated to Baltimore in the 1800s. as well!

This March 17, I'll don a "kiss me" shirt (green!) and it will have a much deeper meaning!

Liar

my birth mother must be a compulsive liar it turns out that she did not spend the first few years of her life in New Mexico as she claimed in fact she was born in Owings Mills Maryland basically right up the road from where I was raised by My adoptive parents as a baby she lives on Reisterstown Road also just three to five miles away from where I was raised Newman

My adoptive mother was also a liar claiming that my birth parents lived in Virginia

I now have names of my maternal great-grandparents their names were Sylvester King and Minerva Nelson

Ancestry

Family member I never met

http://www.lastingtributesfuneralcare.com/m/obituaries/Morton-Lapides/Memories

Now I'm starting to find the photos of my relatives

https://www.geni.com/people/Abraham-Lapides/359115874370011055

Look what I found!

It's ordered on interlibrary loan I will know a lot more about who I am and just a couple of weeks when I get this book, I now have five writers in my family including me! My understanding is that he traced it all the way back to the 800s england so this should be really fun

"Who do you think you are?"

So my father threatened me if I use real names of "his" family on my blog.  My birthmother made me swear I "will never ever write anything about her.

So, in that regard I feel like I am walking on eggshells.

Here goes:

I found out that I was incorrect about my late uncle being an extra in the movie diner.  instead I found out that the movie

diner by barry levinson was based on the lives of these jewish boys who hung out at a particular diner.  one of those boys was my late uncle.  I never met him, nor do I know what he looks like

I also found out (are u sitting down?!)

My ancestor John King who was wounded and in a pow camp during the civil war, journaled about his experiences.  those journals are used as educational material in colleges!

See any parallels?  I have been journaling since I was little, and in latter life one of my huge motives for writing is to educate.

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING I have not yet read my ancestors journals.  however, he appears to be either my maternal 4x great grandfather or 4x great uncle.  I will not know that detail unless I join ancestry.com


here are some links that may help us read my ancestors writings:

www.redcross.org/ehl

here is a note for teachers "ehl helps navigate the world with your students"

www.redcross.org/newsletter/ehl_new

also

Laura Elizabeth Battle wrote:

"Forget me nots of Civil War is:

 a romance, containing reminiscences and original letters of two confederate soldiers
;)

this one looks promising:

go to google and enter:

"The account of confederate private John R. King p.o.w.@ Elmira, NY"

Whoops I forgot/geneology

Another exciting detail that I learned is that one of my female non Jewish ancestors spearheaded Billy Graham's television career!

"Severe insomnia"

I have not slept in a week.  So, I spent the night doing ancestry research.  I have not yet joined ancestry.com

I learned tons about my living as well as my rellies who passed on

Sadly I can't put the real names up, because bio. father threatened me and said essentially "you stay the hell away from "my" family and you better not say any real names on your blog"

Here is what I learned:

On the father's side there are many relatives who are very very successful

president
ceo
entrepreneur
business owner
billionaire

and on and on.

The cycle was broken when I was given up for adoption in that I have not been "successful"  However I found out that an ancestor on my mother's side who was pow in the civil war wrote his biography.  My mother is a writer and member of daughters of the American revolution.

One of my relatives was president of the Jewish Community Center

One cousin helps to run a prestigious chorale society

This stuff is really fun yet bittersweet, since Neither of my bio. parents want me to "be" in their family or contact them.

The only exception is that when I met birthmother in 89 she gave me the phone # for

my sister
my grandmother
and
an aunt

I tried to to develop a friendship with half sister but she is not interested.  In retrospect I should have tried to get to know grandmother......................

One relative was an extra in a famous movie.

So there are singers, leaders, writers and very very successful folks in my lineage and I'm glad I found that out

"wHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE"

This show proves that there isn't a boring ancestry story on this planet!  Last night was featured Jim Parsons, best known as Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory.

First of all when he said he is 40 y.o. I just about fell off my rocker, because he looks 25.  He finds first of all that he has French Louisiana roots. 

I did not write down the names of his ancestors so I will comment on the show as I remember it.  His one ancestor got published and was a founder of modern medicine as we know it!  He got published at 44 (same age as I did) then shortly thereafter died in a boat fire.

My sentiments about life, death and longevity are similar to parsons who said in essence: "Although it is a shame he died young, he got this newspaper write up which honored him as a human being and for his contributions.  What else really matters in life but to make your positive mark on the world and be remember in such a positive way?"

He also discovers that his French ancestors  were elite architects.  One was marble supplier to the king and one was architect to the king.  Wow!  Parsons enjoys this link immensely since he is also a very successful artist/actor.

This show is probably ultimately leading to many new members of ancestry.com

;)

"Who do you think you are"

Boy it was neat to watch Trisha yearwood do her family tree.  You may recall that shortly after i completed the search for my own biological parents, i found out that one of my relatives was in prison for white collar crime!  So, wow this was neat.  And that Samuel got his life back on trac after being threatened with hanging!

This is such an inspiring show.

"Who do u think u are?!"

This is another show that i go out o f my way to watch. Last night was with actor producer, Chris O'Donnell.  So this is a particularly exciting episode for me because the show closes with him in Baltimore and it appears he was allowed to raise the f lag at Fort Mc Henry.

Michael Hait is a genealogist (i think) who works at t he Md. State Archives in Annapolis. Looks very familiar, perhaps i saw him around when i lived in Balto.

The search for his ancestor Mc Neir in the 1812 city directory of Baltimore city!  Good chance I'd find family in the same directory. I looked at the different street names when he was allowed to view the directory.

I believe Mc Neir fought at the Garrison at Fort Mc Henry.

So it appears O'Donnell may be on 695 because he passed the Baltimore/Towson highway sign.

Boy Historian Vince Vaise is very fired up about his job at Fort McHenry and gets much joy out of sharing what he knows about O'Donnell's lineage.

I had forgotten that the National Anthem was written in Baltimore by lawyer, Francis Scott Key based on what he witnessed at McHenry.

"Who do you think you are"

This show is sponsored by ancestry.com

You can imagine how poignant this show would be for adoptees who sometimes never get to meet even their biological parents.

Of course I didn't meet mine until I turned 26.

So, a cousin on my father's side sent me my family tree for the jewish side of me.  But my birthmother (I figured out) who has completed "our" family tree search, has not shared any of the information with me.  She told the Baltimore sun that she is a geneology buff but will not tell me what she's learned.  I do know that I'm a daughter of the American REvolution and saw what quick glimpse of the relative that fought in the revolutionary war (civil?)

So, I probably enjoyed watching Trisha's search a little more then Christina Applegate.  I can relate to what trisha said about "knowing that she is strong and wondering more details about her likely strong relatives.  Incredible to see what it was like to be a prisoner of war.

The tears just streamed down my face when Applegate and her father go to Lavina Shaw's grave.  wow!  And so sweet of Cristina to tell her father how good of a job he did despite his pain

I think the more we know about our ancestry the more motivating it would be to keep carrying on.