Tracing your origins and national heritage...

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:32 pm

Does anyone know of a website or a facility that would be able to help me trace my family tree or national heritage?

As far as I know I am German and Pennsylvania Dutch,and Irish from my mother's side of the family, but since my Great Grandmother passed away, I have no record or anyone to ask in my family to know for sure.

Would there even be record of this type of thing available to the public?

Post by **Ron** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:38 pm

I'm not sure of a specific site, Joe, but you're mostly German because Pennsylvania Dutch isn't dutch, it's German. The origin came from people misunderstanding the German term "Deutschland", thinking it meant "Dutch land".

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:55 pm

Ok, I was told they were two seperate heritages.
I seem to remember seeing an advertisement either on TV or online somewhere, that you could trace your family tree/heritage..

I'll have to check online some more.
Thanks

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:18 am

http://www.genealogy.com/index_r.html

YankeeRose · Post by **YankeeRose** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:21 am

Yah Joe,

PA Dutch is actually German. I have a PA Dutch cookbook bought during a fund raiser many Moons ago, and some of the sayings written throughout are a hoot!

As for delving into your roots, you could try www.ancestry.com, www.roots.com, or simply do a search on Genealogy, and GOOD LUCK, because it is not a piece of cake.

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:32 am

I went to ancestry.com and I started filling in tree as best I can remember, but it didn't turn anything up for me.
Unless there was someone else on there at one time also filling it in, it doesn't do much...
I am wondering if the town hall would have record of that type of thing?
Or perhaps a Church would have record?

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:37 am

Sometimes the best way to start is from your own court house records. Start with your parents, find their marriage certificate, wills, etc. Then, you get names of their parents. Find their marriage certificate, etc. At some point, you will loose court records because they really only started requiring some documentations in about 1910. There are a lot of good message boards that can help you too. Oh, census reports are good too.

If you know that great grandpa edward munster lived in clearfield county in 1910, you can find the census around that time. Find out who lives with him, and some other useful information that will lead you to the next branch.

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:45 am

Ok I'll try that.
I am good until about 1865 then the details are not documented apparently...
I found some death records and SS#'s for my Great Granfather and Great Grandmother. But that was it.

I know my Great-Great Grandfather's first and last name, but that's all I now.
My Great Grandmother Pearl, had alot of information, but unfortunatley it died with her. I remember asking all kinds of questions about her father/mother and history... but I was a kid then and I dont remember much anymore.
Thanks for the help guys

YankeeRose · Post by **YankeeRose** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:00 am

Over the years, I went through almost every site and record (including Census and ships' manifests). I do believe I found my paternal great grandfather on a WWI draft record, but that did not help me with his parents' names. The WWI draft record gave me a birth date and a contact in England did a search of records in Scotland for me, to no avail. My uncle, who lives in the same PA county my paternal great grandfather died in (and could've easily gone and looked the info on his Father's Father up), told me to let him know when I found all the info out.

I've long since given up.

felix'apprentice · Post by **felix'apprentice** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:17 am

you can do a lot of research at the courthouse. i did my family tree and did a lot of research there. it costs a lil bit to get articles and stuff but its really cool to find out new stuff. ancestory.com is a pretty good site to do some research too. i used to do a lot of running around through different cemetaries lol to find ancestors of course. its like an addiction though, once you start tryin to find stuff you cant stop. good luck!

- kayla

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:39 am

youre american.

PanzerFaust · Post by **PanzerFaust** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:59 am

metalchurch wrote:I went to ancestry.com and I started filling in tree as best I can remember, but it didn't turn anything up for me.
Unless there was someone else on there at one time also filling it in, it doesn't do much...
I am wondering if the town hall would have record of that type of thing?
Or perhaps a Church would have record?

First go out to the Boals Creek Volunteer Firehall and ask to look at the pretty picture book with all the "Weyandts" listed in it...to find your maternal side of the family...

Then go down to the Volunteer Firehall in Williamsburg and ask for the picture book for "Weimers" for your paternal side of the tree...

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:24 pm

Panzer that's funny stuff right there

I'm not from this area though

Weyandts and Weimer's, huh?

I did find out that I share the same first and last name as my Great-Great Grandfather, and that his father's name, is Cornelius (my G-G-G Grandfather) So that's back to about 1840-ish... not sure if he was in the Civil war or not, but my Great Grandfather was in WW1, which I never knew...

Looks like I hit a wall, and I'll have to hit up the court house or the town hall and see what they have on record.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:38 pm

You may be able to find a genealogy group in the area that you are stuck in and they will make a trip to the court house for you. Its been a long time since I worked on mine, but I know there are volunteers out there that do lend a hand when you need some research done at court houses that may be out of your reach.

Baceman Spiff · Post by **Baceman Spiff** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:20 pm

metalchurch wrote: I found some death records and SS#'s for my Great Granfather and Great Grandmother. But that was it.

Damn Joe! Your Great Grandparents were in the SS??

So where does this guy fit in?

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:21 pm

Joe,

There's also rootsweb.com

and

ellisisland.org

BDR · Post by **BDR** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:38 pm

YankeeRose wrote:Yah Joe, PA Dutch is actually German. I have a PA Dutch cookbook bought during a fund raiser many Moons ago, and some of the sayings written throughout are a hoot!

Be honest Donna, you got the cookbook cuz of all of the recipes involving sausage, lol.

r:>)

Post by **Ron** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:43 pm

PanzerFaust wrote:First go out to the Boals Creek Volunteer Firehall and ask to look at the pretty picture book with all the "Weyandts" listed in it...to find your maternal side of the family...

Then go down to the Volunteer Firehall in Williamsburg and ask for the picture book for "Weimers" for your paternal side of the tree...

Just because it worked for you doesn't mean it will work for Joe.

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:52 pm

Baceman Spiff wrote:
metalchurch wrote: I found some death records and SS#'s for my Great Granfather and Great Grandmother. But that was it.
Damn Joe! Your Great Grandparents were in the SS??

So where does this guy fit in?

No they were fighting on our side man. As far as I can tell they have been in the US since atleast 1840.
I would like to find out when my family came to the US though.
I know that my G-G-G-G-G Grandfather John Davis owned the land, that's now called Mt.Davis (highest point in PA. 3,213 ft. in elavation)
I do remember that much from my G-Grandmother, but there's a few generations gap from that and the info that I do have.

PanzerFaust · Post by **PanzerFaust** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:52 pm

Ron wrote:
PanzerFaust wrote:First go out to the Boals Creek Volunteer Firehall and ask to look at the pretty picture book with all the "Weyandts" listed in it...to find your maternal side of the family...

Then go down to the Volunteer Firehall in Williamsburg and ask for the picture book for "Weimers" for your paternal side of the tree...
Just because it worked for you doesn't mean it will work for Joe.

That there's funny.......

Funny thing is when I went to Boals Creek to look up my family tree it only had one branch?? What's up with that?

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:55 pm

It's not the amount of branches, it's the size of them that counts....atleast that's what I heard.
So your family tree is a telephone pole? Yikes!