Courtesy: colenesmith.com

St. Patrick’s Day was yesterday and I’m happy to report that besides my name (which actually means Ireland), fair complexion, and green eyes, I actually have Irish ancestry on Mom’s side. Also Scottish, a tad French, and mostly English, but that doesn’t count on St. Patrick’s Day. On Dad’s side it’s some German then a bit from here and a bit from there (my sister’s boyfriend got her a DNA kit for Christmas, although the thought that she and I share the same DNA is scary). It was her gift, but I had fun with it, too.

I think that stuff is so interesting. How did your family live, such a long time ago? My great-great grandma, who passed away days after I was born, came to California from Kansas in a covered wagon. I think one of my ancestors was one of the people who, during the Boston Tea Party, dressed as an Indian and threw tea off the ship from England. On Dad’s side, somebody fought for the Union army. He actually said above the bed at his great grandparent’s was a sword from the Civil War. Dad is also distantly related to Amelia Earhart.

Now, who are you? I recommend “Genealogy 101” from Universal Class if you enjoy the thrill of the hunt. It’s an instructor-led course. You go at your own pace and have six months to finish the class. Or Ancestry.com. I’m enrolled right now. It’s neat how you get to see the actual documents on the computer screen.

If you are trying to find out your ancestry, I hope that was helpful. Happy hunting!