Our Family: a Bird’s Eye View

 My father’s family name sounds German, but they were almost all Irish, except for the German immigrants who passed on their surname, which changed spelling several times over the decades.  They arrived in the U.S. between the 1830s and 1860s.

My mother’s father’s family was mainly English, with some Scottish, Dutch, and German. They came to Massachusetts and New York almost as soon as each was available for settlement by Europeans. Not long after that, they settled in Connecticut and New Jersey. There are several ancestors on that side who qualify us to join the DAR or SAR (if we were so inclined).

My mother’s mother’s family name sounds French, but they were almost all German, except for the Frenchman who passed on his surname. They emigrated to New York City in the 1850s and 1860s.

My husband’s family was English and Scottish, with a little bit of German. They all appear to have arrived in the U.S. in the 1700s, if not earlier. They also qualify us to join the DAR or SAR.

None of them were among the rich and famous, but all had interesting lives that I hope to revisit here.

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