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Humility and blessings

docoflove1974

Entry posted by docoflove1974

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I often count my blessings, noting that I've been smiled upon by Whoever Up There for the opportunities that I've had, and hopefully will continue to have. This year, 2007, is a huge year for me and my family, for so many reasons.

  • This year I will finish my dissertation, and get some kind of full-time job;
  • My parents are about to move, having sold their house of 30 years and have bought a brand-new house in a new development;
  • My youngest brother, having finished another set of travels, seems to want to settle down here (for now);
  • My middle brother is attempting to buy a condo in his complex, and looks like he might do it.

But these are not the only reasons:

  • This marks 100 years since the birth of my paternal grandmother (although she passed away in 1975);
  • This marks 100 years since 3 of my maternal great-grandparents emigrated here from Milan and Genoa (my grandmother's mother came in 1910).

My 4 great-grandparents came here with very little education in Italy--maybe to the 2nd or 3rd grade, enough to scribble their name and do basic math; their children all had a high-school education, and in the case of my grandmother and her sister, went onto a business (e.g. secretaries) college. My grandfather and his brothers were all business owners and professionals. Of their 5 great-grandchildren, 3 have college degrees, and one is about to finish a PhD.

 

But that's nothing.

 

My paternal grandparents came from Indian Territory--no doubt they have Indian blood in them, although documentation is negligible at best--and were quite poor. My grandmother had an 8th grade education--unheard of at that time, and it would have allowed her to teach at a school. My grandfather only got through the 2nd grade...was illiterate, and couldn't really do much beyond very rudimentary math. He couldn't even sign his name. Their granddaughter is about to finish a PhD.

 

I am truly humbled, even emotional, when I reflect upon that. My dad said I should mention it at my defense...I might. It'll definitely be in the forward of the dissertation. My roots are not exactly blue, but we as a people have fought to get the best that we could. Inside of 3 generations, we've gone from illiterate to highly educated. It's not just pride that I feel...it's honor.

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docoflove1974
I don't remember anything past my great grand parents. ;)

 

Well start asking about them! I did! My great-grandparents were all dead by 1953, and my grandfathers both died when my parents were teenagers. My paternal grandmother died when I was 8 months old. I know about them, and other members of my family, because I asked questions, wanting to know more abou them, their lives, and why they made the choices that they did. Know more about your past, and you will appreciate your present and your future.

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Rameses the Great
I don't remember anything past my great grand parents. ;)

 

Well start asking about them! I did! My great-grandparents were all dead by 1953, and my grandfathers both died when my parents were teenagers. My paternal grandmother died when I was 8 months old. I know about them, and other members of my family, because I asked questions, wanting to know more abou them, their lives, and why they made the choices that they did. Know more about your past, and you will appreciate your present and your future.

 

The problem is I only have one grandmother that lives in Alexandria. My parents really don't know about their past therefore its hard to really start from anywhere. I have a lot of questions unfortunately I don't think I'll find much answers especially since my grand parents didn't leave much of a history behind.

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docoflove1974

That's when you start hitting the internet and geneology/historical society sites. We were lucky in that we still have the passports that my great-grandparents used when they came over, but we poked around until we could find a central agency to get us a copy of their birth and marriage certificates. Once we did that, we can get any information on our family tree.

 

As for my paternal side, ironically enough, that's harder. Because so much of the family is 1) poor; which leads to 2) born without certificates, they're harder to trace. But my paternal grandmother's side has been traced back to 1640 (my uncle did that), and my aunt is working on the paternal grandfather's side. It's been a tough rode, and one had to constantly ask questions. If your family doesn't want to answer, just say it's so that the family legacy can continue. If that still doesn't work...well, try other routes! Write letters and emails to the central agencies (town halls, archives, etc.) from where your family is from, and someone can probably help you. If you want to know, there's always a way!

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Rameses the Great
That's when you start hitting the internet and geneology/historical society sites. We were lucky in that we still have the passports that my great-grandparents used when they came over, but we poked around until we could find a central agency to get us a copy of their birth and marriage certificates. Once we did that, we can get any information on our family tree.

 

As for my paternal side, ironically enough, that's harder. Because so much of the family is 1) poor; which leads to 2) born without certificates, they're harder to trace. But my paternal grandmother's side has been traced back to 1640 (my uncle did that), and my aunt is working on the paternal grandfather's side. It's been a tough rode, and one had to constantly ask questions. If your family doesn't want to answer, just say it's so that the family legacy can continue. If that still doesn't work...well, try other routes! Write letters and emails to the central agencies (town halls, archives, etc.) from where your family is from, and someone can probably help you. If you want to know, there's always a way!

 

I have signed up for numerous of these sites and each one only tells only European genealogy. Ancestry.com only for Europeans. My parents came from Egypt when they were young so I don't have much to work with. How were you able to get information? Did you get help from sites?

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docoflove1974
I have signed up for numerous of these sites and each one only tells only European genealogy. Ancestry.com only for Europeans. My parents came from Egypt when they were young so I don't have much to work with. How were you able to get information? Did you get help from sites?

 

Help from Geneology.com, yes, but much of it was basic resource gathering. I don't know about Egypt, but many European countries are similar to the US, where the provincial or municipal 'capital' has archival records of births, marriages and deaths...and in the case of Europe, often the local cathedral has many of the records, particularly of christenings and marriages. Also, go to whatever major library is closest to you--university libraries are great for this, but even major municipal libraries--and ask for help. There's always someone around who either knows what databases to use, or who knows the people and organizations to ask.

 

For the Italian documents, we wrote to the Milan and Genoa archives and asked for help. Since my grandfather's parents were from Genoa, we could get the data from them, but for my grandmother's parents, because they were from towns outside of Milan, the Milanese archive directed us to the individual archives for those towns--yes, we got lucky.

 

I have no idea how my uncle got the data on my father's side...other than census records, and going from there.

 

Hope that helps!

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