A post on one on my favorite mom forums about ancestry got me thinking and searching. I don't really ever act on it, but I love learning about my family's history. I know very little about where my family came from. I know my paternal great great? grandfather came here from Sweden. Apparently, its up for debate, his last name was changed when he immigrated to the US. My mother's family history is pretty well documented. One of her cousins did the whole family history going back for generations. She was even able to track some of them coming over on the Mayflower.
Some of the coolest things are looking at some of the family photo albums from the turn of the century Some of the photos bring to light activities that would like to be forgotten, but it was a different culture, different time. Some are just a look into the past, what clothes they wore, how they did their hair, fun little history lessons. My mom even has a old signature book from when my great grandparents were married. The hand writing alone is exquisite. The language they use is well thought out and something that will probably be forgotten.
My search got me on the internet searching for what I could on ancestry.com. I was able to find census documents from both my grandmother's families. They were just children at the time but still neat to see. One of the coolest finds was the Ellis Island website. You can go on and see records for all the immigrants, including the ship manifestos. I looked up my hubby's last name, as it is very unique. I only found 9 results. One of the women immigrating from Germany had the Pouches name. I don't really know if they are directly related to my hubby's family but I will take the leap and say they probably are.
Some day I hope to dive in even deeper. Maybe make it a summer project with the kiddos when they are older. See what lessons our family history can teach us.
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