Hello,
I just received a Welcome Email asking me to introduce myself. I have been dabbling in Genealogy for about 3 years. I was making a lot of mistakes early on but less so as I gained a better understanding of records.
I have always enjoyed mysteries and puzzles and I think that is why Genealogy intrigues me in my retirement years.
Except for a couple of English ancestors, I have hit a brick wall for most around early to mid 1800s.
My paternal grandmother MacDonald had research done in the 1960's but that documentation was lost to our family. I believe it showed her husband's English-Scott lineage via Canadian immigration under. I can't find records documenting immigration into Canada, only from Ontario into Michigan under the surname Mcdonald. On her side, Mund, I have records going back to England and some to Germany.
My maternal great-grandfather, Pastron, immigrated from Germanic speaking European areas in 1911 according to the 1920 Lorain County Ohio census with Russia identified as their birthplace. My mom spoke only German until entering school as she was socially adopted/raised by her grandparents. Both he and his wife "Americanized" their name of Pastron and also their first names when they arrived. I haven't found any immigration records for them.
I've been married to my current husband for 30 years. His surname is Dickenson. I haven't found immigration records, just 1800 records from Iowa and Wisconsin. On his mother's side, Dawson, I found New York 1800s immigration records from England and Scotland.
Our daughter was born to me during my first marriage. Her father was Ford, but I reached a dead end in 1970's California with her paternal grandfather, Ford. I had more success with her paternal grandmother, Rubio, traced from 1800's newsclippings from Spain to Guatemala to Texas to California to Hawaii. I traced her husband, Leferink to Alaska 1960 records.
My son was born to me during my second marriage. His father was Williams. I traced his family from 1800's Oklahoma records to Texas. His paternal grandmother was Harris, traced from 1800's Oklahoma records to California. I haven't found any records on my son's partner's family, Hatfield, of Minnesota.
Due to Americanized name changes, divorce, adoption (both legal and social), remarriage, common law, living together, births outside marriage and step parents, it's been rather a haphazard guess as to last names of a few female children at birth, in childhood, after subsequent marriages and at time at burial.
I stumbled on this site today and hope I can add something of value to the Wiki Tree project after understanding how contributions are done.
