Well I guess I could go do it for one side of my family. We actually met them when they were living outside of Rome.

Just looked up the other side from Campabello Sicily. Lets just say I would not want my last name being said out loud there. One I would assume distant relative is a Mafia Boss there.

That sort of thing never interested me. My grandfather on mom’s side instilled that in me early on. I asked him once about where he came from and if he could teach me some Italian. He said “I’m an American. I’m in America. I fought for America. I don’t speak foreign languages.” I understood that I shouldn’t ask about such things. He had a bit of disdain for much of his heritage.

It’s interesting and I’ve considered it after relatives did the DNA thing but it just confirmed my German and English ancestry. Ultimately, I’m glad they left those countries and came here and I haven’t really been motivated to look into it any further than that.

One of my coworkers did the DNA thing and proclaimed loudly at the call center we worked at the he was related to a King. I quickly replied “and here you are shoveling shit with us poor peasants”. Lots of laughter ensued.

My fathers ancestors are from Ireland. I’d love to see that country once this silly crap is behind us. I’ve traced this thread back to my great, great, grear grandfather.

My family is four generations removed from Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

They all came here then.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
My family is four generations removed from Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

They all came here then.

I am 2nd generation American. Actually thinking of getting dual citizenship in Italy.

Not terribly interested in looking up relatives but I would like to visit Ireland. Centuries ago my father's family lived there and at that time the surname was O'Bric or similar. I don't know if there is any connection, but there is an island in southern Ireland called O'Bric's Island (or Oilean Ui-Bhric). The other side of Dad's family can be traced back to 1240 in England.

My ancestry is half British, quarter German and the remaining quarter is probably a mixture of Irish, Russian and a little more German.

Yup. Predominantly Italy and Ireland.

Something neat on my wife's side. The man who founded the the National Cathedral in DC was a distant relative. When we mentioned it to someone there, they took us down to the crypt where he was interned.

I have. Went to County Clare in Ireland where my mom’s maternal side hails from (her dad’s side from Roscommon). Stopped in the little town of Doolin, on the west coast of Ireland and began inquiring in the local shops if their were any people with the surname of Clair nearby. “Yes,” was the answer, both north and south of town. Looking them up is for another trip; we were on a tour. Have an ancestor on my dad’s side from County Wicklow. I’m 60% Irish. Most of the rest on dad’s side is English , but that side is easiest to trace, and a long ways back.

I'm such a mutt that I could spend the rest of my life visiting different ancestral countries and not get to all of them.

I have visited all the countries of my ancestors, but never tried to locate distant relatives. My paternal ancestors came to this country back in the 1600s, so I don't think I'd have a lot of luck finding any relatives in Flanders. My mom is 3rd generation American with roots in Germany and the Netherlands. While stationed in Germany I did visit our ancestral castle--Hohenzollern--but I didn't try to look up kinfolk. My family tree does go back to European ancestors, but I've been concentrating on filling in the blank spaces for distant kinfolk here in the US.

Heck, I've got distant relatives right here in Dallas (4th to 6th cousins) and haven't tried to meet them. We've exchanged e-mails but no F2F.

flashguy

Under current world travel conditions its problematic. Tourism has definitely taken a hit in Europe due to some countries policies over uncontrolled immigration. That existed more than a few years ago and impacted things as far back as 2016. Travel is not what it used to be.

Anyone planning to research their origins would be well advised to consider holding off until things change. I don't see some of those issues getting any different. We are involved in a home study session and the group leaders were missionaries, because of that the stories have been frequent about other folks bumping up against travel obstacles and being quarantined for weeks with no support or notice. It's not the friendly skies experience anymore, either. If you have access to a private jet, by all means, go, but lack of serious advance study of your destination and its policies would be naive at best. It can change weekly. Recently trending better but YMMV.

On arrival unless you have the native language down - more than just asking for el bano - then an interpreter will be necessary to really engage locals, or their departments in goverment to get any data - birth rolls, etc. Competent help would be preferred in that, someone who knows how to finesse officials who have more important things to do rather than lug old books out of shelving. Like, afternoon naps or having tea. And having enough local currency to help lubricate those administrative friction points, plus a sense of how that occurs wouldn't hurt.

Even Walmart had to bribe their way into the Mexican grocery business. And got caught. That is an example of being naive.

And due to political conflicts there are some countries no obvious American should attempt to enter. Better to chat up recent immigrants from the old country to get an feel for what is going on. If they say why they left, even better.

My fathers heritage is Italian, moms was Irish. The expense, language deficiency of being American and prior service affiliation are three strikes against pursuing it further for me. As many veterans already do, it's not hard to pick out each other in a crowd. Overseas we stand out like FBI trying to look normal, ie short hair jorts and a back pocket that apparently carried a gun a lot. That is a very common mistake to make in clothing overseas - wearing American vacation attire as if you stepped off the sand at a resort. Nope, search is your friend, age categories can be strict, and looking relatively the same is an important persec issue. If I were to travel to Italy old suits with vests wouldn't be out of order, in cooler weather broken in leather coats are the norm. Not ski attire or a upscale travel blazer with Nikes. It attracts scams, pick pockets and all manner of people who think all Americans are rich and work for the CIA.

If all this is new then much research into how you have a quiet and uneventful trip would be in order. And dont' be surprised if you see an old church burning or two. Thousands have been torched in the last few years. Check before adding it to your tour. Oktoberfest? Be careful to look inside a tent or beer hall to see who the majority occupants are. Don't be surprised to see a sea of Syrians.

Its not what we see watching "Roman Holiday" any more. Those days are long gone, just like booking a room at a Mexican beach resort and finding the local Cartel dumping bodies in the outdoor lounge. Step away from the gated Green zones and it's hardscrabble life with many living a few meals from poverty level. You'd have to be very insulated not to see it.

Found relatives fairly easy in County Cork Ireland, a little more work to track down some German relatives In Northern Germany. A worthwhile endeavor!

I never had much use for the relatives I have now, so I won't go looking for more.

I was adopted at age 2. My parents' grandparents immigrated from Germany in the 1800's. I was stationed in Germany for a time in 2008 and followed a lead to the rural village of Peterzel. We found a minister who spoke English and he checked the church records for us that went back into the late 1400's. The church was built in 1484. We traced the family name back to the early 1500's and found where my Dad's grandparents and other family members emigrated to Amerika. Many of the family were city mayors or other officials, and farmers, for generations. I got the records and a book of the history of the villages. We were invited for the Festival of the Metzelsuppe at the church and it was eerie seeing people who resemlbe my Dad and uncles. I got to drink beer in church during the celebration dinner. Lots of various wurst was served, very good but I will never develop a taste from blutwurst. It was also eerie seeing farm houses and barns that looked exactly like the farmsteads in Illinois where I grew up. They brought their farm architecture with them. People in the church did not know that I was adopted and they were discussing in German how I did not look like any of the locals.

So years later I did a 23 and Me DNA test and found my biological family, with a bunch of half sisters and brothers. It turns out I am of Irish descent with ancestors who arrived in America in the 1600's. I guess I need to start over now.

My ancestors came to USA looking to make a better life. Some to be free from persecution.

It would be interesting, but wouldn't want to meet any potential relatives overseas. It may cause bad feelings if they are struggling financially compared to us.

Jesus Tirod your comments are 100% opposite of mine regarding travel in Italy…

We have been there 3 times in the last 15 years or so and have found the people very friendly and accommodating. I do speak rudimentary Italian but found that a smile and a handshake or even a hug goes a long way.

Granted most of our travel was in the upper half of the country and we only had minimal exposure to the Southern half. We usually rented our own car and traveled by car or rail which was our kids preferred method of travel. Speaking of kids, Italians absolutely love children and most of our trips have been 2 to 4 weeks in duration staying in rented villas, not hotels etc.

One of those trips involved us going to the 2 towns that my parents came from. Both of these towns are small, one having less than 600 people in the Italian Alps. We arrived without notice and after the locals realized who we were wine was brought out, food was made and conversations went into the night.. It was actually hard to leave!

Go forth and don’t be afraid!

Yes. I'm full Swedish decent and know I have distant cousins over there. Three of my four grandparents were born there. If I do ever pursue it, I'm glad with Sweden there is a chance I wouldn't need a friggin' shot to get in. But I still might need one to get out of this country. I wouldn't do it.

Paternal side comes from the very southern tip of Poland and grandmother's branch from Hungary and Ukraine. I don't know that I have much interest in meeting any relatives (unless they are rich ), but I have always wanted to visit the region just to get a sense of where I come from if nothing else. Although, for the time being, staying as far away from Ukraine as one can is probably a good idea.

I was supposed to go to a conference in Vienna this spring and then was going to take an extra week and go over there. Conference was cancelled though, so no joy.

Mom's side is Irish. I wouldn't mind seeing Ireland for more than a weekend as I hear the rest of the country is beautiful, but finding anyone I'm related to with the last name Ryan might just be a tad difficult.