Margaret (Sheldon) Kleimola

Ancestors

38% - England and Northwestern Europe; 25% - Ireland, (Connacht, West Roscommon and East Mayo); 19% - Eastern Europe and Russia (Southern Poland and Eastern Slovakia, Southeast Subcarpathia); 7% - Wales; 4% - Baltics; 3% - Scotland; 2% - Germanic Europe; 1% - Malta, 1% - Portugal. From Ancestry dna. Updated October 23, 2023.

I was born in northwestern Pennsylvania where my mother was from. Dad was born in England but his family moved to near Lake Erie when he was a toddler. I have a younger sister. We all moved to Chicago area in early 1950’s. Milwaukee, Wisconsin was home from 1960 to 1962, then it was back to outside Chicago until 1969. My Dad and I argued a lot and I went to my maternal grandparents in Pennsylvania for a few months in 1968 and finished high school there. Went back to Chicago when we declared a truce.

Got married to this Finnish guy in early 1970’s. Three kids,1 girl, 2 boys. Have enjoyed meeting people and different foods as we moved around to Michigan, Tennessee, Maryland, ironically Chicago suburbs, and Indiana.

My paternal grandfather was listed as Georgy Csigas when he came to America from Czechoslovakia. The family story is that he took the name of the enlisting sergeant when he signed up for World War I, that being Sheldon. So he became George Joseph Sheldon.

Mary Agnes Brett, my paternal grandmother, was born in northern England but of Irish blood. Finding just a few generations before her. She was adamant about being related to Sir Isaac Newton, and Smythe with a Y, not an I. Brett is a common Irish name.

Two very different accents, he lost a leg in the war, but they had 9 children! My father was number 3. Also born in northern England, the grandparents were seeing if they could make a life there, but returned to Pennsylvania when Dad was 1 and a half.

My mother’s side has been rich with ancestors. Her paternal side was very much into genealogy and gave reports at the yearly reunions. I learned when I was 13, that I was a Mayflower descendant, William Brewster is my 12th GreatGrandfather. I have since learned that there is a link from there to Stephen Hopkins, my 11th GreatGrandfather, and his daughter Constance Hopkins Snow, 10th GreatGrandmother.

My mother’s maiden name was Audrey Marie Brock, father was Harry Francis Brock, tracing to a Francis Brock. Brock side married with Swartz, and a story of a 14 year old boy running away from home in Germany and stowing away on a ship to America. He was taken in by an Irish family and married one of their daughters.

Mom’s maternal side is Randall, looks like going back to John Randall, from England. Grandma was Velma Leora Randall. My GreatGrandfather, Thomas Merritt Randall, was Scottish from his mother’s side, Melinda Forbes.

GreatGrandfather married Pearl Agnes Patterson. They lived in a house with a hand pump for water in kitchen and one out front, and an outhouse! Have a 5 generation picture of 5 women; Pearl, Velma, Audrey, Margaret, and my daughter. I have a brick wall on her maternal side. Her mother was Evelyn “Eva” Belle Patterson, maiden name Johnson. A census lists her as a baby named Catherine. Then her name was changed by the next census. Her mother was Margarete McBride and her father was Obadiah Johnson, (various spelling). Can’t find much for either one, and nothing past them.

On the Patterson side, I have a Samuel Patterson, buried in the same cemetery where my parents and grandparents are. A census has his wife as Sophia. Do not know where she is buried. She is being identified as Sophia Torrey. I cannot find any proof of that.

Ancestors I have found: King Henry II of England was my 24th GreatGrandfather. Henry Plantagenet (1133-1189)

Malcolm Dunkeld, King of Scots was my 27th GreatGrandfather. Malcolm (Dunkeld) King of Scots (abt.1031-1093)

Margaret (Wessex) Queen of Scots was my 27th GreatGrandmother Margaret (Wessex) Queen of Scots (-abt.1093)

Charlemagne was my 33rd GreatGrandfather. Charlemagne Carolingian (abt.0748-0814)

Attila the Hun was my 48th GreatGrandfather. TheHun-1 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/TheHun-1

Sources