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Saturday, May 8, 2010

ANCESTRY, AMERICA, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME TODAY

I've spent quite a bit of time researching my family's ancestry. I find it fascinating work, and I enjoy finding out facts about my family that I wasn't aware of before.

I have been tracking ancestry as a hobby for many years; long before it became a "fad" because of the new television program. Having said that, if more people are interested in this work, that's great!

Some people have said to me, "What if you find out something you don't like?" OK, point taken. I could discover something nasty about someone in my family tree. If that happens it will be unfortunate, but it doesn't change ME. Finding out about my ancestors informs my life, and gives me new information to digest, but it doesn't change who I am as a person. The information I gain from ancestry research is like anything else I discover, digest, and make a part of my life. It is something that informs my life, it adds some color and texture, but no one experience or person has formed me. Like all of us, I am a combination of my history and experiences, and my hopes and dreams. So, yes, I could find out something I wish I hadn't discovered. Since I already kniow who I am I don't have to worry about that kind of revelation changing me. God and I already know who Beth is, so we're good.

So far, I have enjoyed researching the family. The Bartholomew branch on my dad's side goes back to England in the 1470's, which I found absolutely amazing. There is a great deal of information about them and I haven't even scratched the surface. The Sauvageau's on mom's side also go way back, to France, and I have much more research to do there. The Stone's on dad's side and the Anderson's on mom's side have given me some road blocks but I don't give up easily, so I'll get there. I also plan on researching the hubby's family tree, so I have enough to keep me busy for a very long time!

I found it fascinating to find details like which ship people came over on. What was that experience like, life on a ship for weeks upon weeks? Looking at the passenger lists and the reasons for coming was amazing. Husbands and wives coming over separately and meeting back up, siblings coming over together, all to begin their new life.

This made me think. Why did they leave? I'm sure I'll uncover many reasons. In some cases, people came because life at what used to be home had become difficult enough that the trip to the United States, even with the fear of the unknown, was a better prospect. In this, they at least had hope. Hope that perhaps their new home would give their family a chance for a better life.

This is probably why people come here now. Some people follow the rules of what you're supposed to do when you arrive in a new country, and some do not. Either way, I bet some are coming for the same reasons my mom's grandparents from Finland sailed to Canada and then snuck over the border to the United States illegally. Because there was hope here.

I think that's what the founding fathers were looking for. It's why the pilgrims came here. We wanted to create a place where we could be ourselves, where we could think what we wanted and live the way we wished. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So, yes, lets have solid, enforceable rules and processes for people to follow when they come here, and lets call them on it when they don't follow those processes. But lets do that while still remembering why America is different. Our forefathers came here to create a life that was better than the one they were leaving behind. I hope other people who are willing to work hard can have the same opportunity today.

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