Some years ago, after some thought, I decided to find out who I really was. Mainly because I thought Curiosity Killed the Cat suited me down to the ground, so I filled in all the relevant questions. My name, Parents, Grandparents, so on and so forth, and did the DNA test and waited patiently. Back it came, and now I’ve been working on it a few years. I’m connected by my DNA to the Duke of Monmouth and Charles 1st and so on and so forth via my Grandmother on my Dads side, but it’s honestly not things like this which fascinate me so much. It’s finding out the history of what a lot of my Ancestors went through that I had no idea happened in this world of ours. I knew all about the Slave Trade. I have one Ancestor who was one of the first English immigrants to set foot in the U.S… On my Mother’s side I had, and still have some family who lived on Jersey during World War 2 and were caught and put sent to Concentration Camps. Some survived and some didn’t. Thanks to Ancestry I was able to see their ‘cards’ they had to carry. Thanks? In a strange kind of way I was pleased to be able to see them even if it did break my heart. Break my heart over people that I didn’t know or had never heard of? Yes, because with Ancestry they tell you how you are connected to to these people. Even if it is your Grand Mother twenty four times removed from your second cousin! Well, we’re all family aren’t we and believe it or not I’ve had some e mails from people saying I think we may be family and we’re still in touch.
A while ago I was contacted by a young man. My Uncle George had a brother. His brother left home many years ago, aged 15 years old and was never heard of ago. This young man was the Grandson of my Uncle George’s lost brother and he’d been able to trace Uncle George through me and Ancestry. Sadly Uncle George had been dead many years, but we were able to lay some ghosts for each other.
The fact that Acadian families were deported from from Canada in 1767 was also something I learned. They are also connected to me by our DNA. There is a Deportation Cross to their memory at Horton’s Landing in Grand Pre.
I was also surprised at the jobs some of my Ancestors did. My Auntie Em was a Seamstress which, I suppose is why I love to sew, but I’ve managed to get back to the 1200’s in some cases and I really love some of the names. I’m connected to someone called Muk and his wife was Mistress Muk. Wasn’t that lovely???
And then of course, there’s always that feeling of – well I’d never have thought that – I always thought my Auntie so and so was such a nice person – when she ran off with the Baker’s husband. Not that my Auntie so and so did run off with the Baker’s husband!
So I shall continue with Ancestry for as long as there are records about my family and there always seems to be something new to find out. Oh yes and I’m connected by my DNA to Mary, Queen of Scots but then I’m also connected to someone on my Mum’s side to who ran a Fish and Chip Shop at the seaside!
Carol Yeomanson Books 