Something that made me just wonder

[Jeepnik]

My maternal grandfather spent his entire adult life, well from 15 anyway, in the US Navy. Among the places he visited were Hawaii, Philippines, Japan, China and many points in between while on Pacific duty. While in the Central and South Americas places like Panama, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, and other I'm sure. Now being a China Sailor, with all that infers, I just have to wonder how many aunts and uncles I have spread around those places. That got me to thinking about paternal grandfather. Though he died at twenty in France, we all know that American soldiers tend to leave babies behind, do I have aunts and uncles in England and France?

Taking that line of thought a bit further, my dad was a soldier in WWII and served in North Africa, Sicily, England, France, Belgium and Germany. How many brothers and sisters do I have there. Then again, my dad was also in Panama in his late teens, hmmm.

About now you are wondering where this is all going. Well, my eldest sister is the family historian. She had used both Ancestry. com and 23 and Me in her search for family members. It seems that for living "relatives" they only provide info for the US. Can you imagine the interesting family discussions if they had results from the rest of the world? That could make for some mighty lively dinner table conversation.

Then again, maybe that isn't a good idea. My boys might end up having siblings in Thailand.

 

[bobski]

most sailors prefer to forget those mistakes.
sometimes digging up buried truths hurts and is best left where it is.
ya know...what happens in vegas, stays in vegas?
well, what happens on mc' si-sy dr, stays on mc' si-sy drive.

 

[eveled]

You are thinking of family issues, but on a broader scale, wars must contribute to dna diversity in entire cultures.

There is an older Adam Sandler movie, it terrible. So don’t go looking for it. But he goes searching for his father and every town he goes to he finds another half brother.

 

[Fox Mike]

I would love to know more about my maternal great grand parents. My great granddad was from France and my great grand mom was from Germany. Found most of the information on my dad's and mom's family's side up until it becomes "out of the USA".

 

[JiminMaine]

Oh, the interesting things DNA testing can tell you. My wife is her families historian. She has been doing family history research for over 40 years. When DNA testing became available she and numerous other family members got tested. Her maternal Great grandfather was a Methodist minister who went on a expedition to Russia in 1917 and returned in 1919. They were with a group of YMCA members who went over to help the peasents improve their farming methods. They got involved with supporting the White Russian fighting against the Bolsheviks. That is a whole nother story. I have the S&W Model 1 1/2 that he carried while there.

Back to DNA. About 8 months after his return to Vermont a Russian women came to the door carrying a baby. My wife's Grandmother, about 8 then, remembers her mother having a heated discussion with her before some money changed hands and the Russian woman was escorted outside. Through DNA testing my wife has determined that the baby was a girl and grew up in the NYC and Baltimore areas. She got pregnant by a man of Irish decent and a girl was born, no marriage. My wife has the father narrowed down to one of two brothers being the father. Their family does not want to do any more DNA testing to determine which was the father. After the Russian baby got pregnant she moved to Puerto Rico and had a couple more kids. No record of marriage. One of her Granddaughters has contacted my wife to try and figure more things out.

She has also manged to find out who father of her Fraternal great grandfather, who was adopted, was. A lot of interesting stories and research.

A lot of peoples ancestry isn't what they think it is. 13 generations back, about the time of the Mayflower you are descended from over 8000 people. Do you really think none of them were fooling around?

 

[Jeepnik]

Heck, go back far enough and we are likely all related. Regardless of whether you believe in the biblical or evolutionary explanation for mankind.

 

[t-reg]

You are thinking of family issues, but on a broader scale, wars must contribute to dna diversity in entire cultures.

Rape and pillage!

 

[Jeepnik]

Rape and pillage!

Yea, modern military has taken all the fun out of conquest.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

most sailors prefer to forget those mistakes.
sometimes digging up buried truths hurts and is best left where it is.
ya know...what happens in vegas, stays in vegas?
well, what happens on mc' si-sy dr, stays on mc' si-sy drive.

Magsaysay.....which also lead to Gordon after you walked off Sh*t River Bridge.......truth is a lot can't even be remembered......lots of San Magoo, Red Horse, Mojo along with a bar fine.....sometimes lead to polaroid pics you didn't recall being taken and paying a few bills to have destroyed :LOL:

Then there was Bangkok...Pattaya Beach.....Perth.....Rio.....the list goes on....;)

 

[Watertender]

The big hidden secret in my family was that my grandfather on my mother's side was what was referred to as a Quadroon. My great grandmother was a Mulatto which was the product of an Irish carpenter hooking up with a black housemaid.
My mother was half Sicilian and whatever mixture her father was. My dad was a blue eyed blond of German and English descent.
I have brown eyes and my hair was formerly black before the grey moved in.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

My father was in the US Navy for 20 years, retired.
I'm sure I have step brothers and step sisters in every port.

 

[blume357]

Rape and pillage!

Wife and I watch a lot of PBS and Masterpiece Theatre and such is sponsored by Viking Cruise lines...in Europe. There is no way that a company could survive here in the USA with a name like that these days... totally politically incorrect... I'm not into sports but just did the search... maybe somebody aught to point this out to the Minnesota Vikings?

 

[Johnnu2]

I spent my entire Naval 'active duty' in Virginia.... I was "blessed" fer sure.

J.

 

[vito]

My grandfather on my father's side came here from Russia in 1911 for a better life. One of his brothers stayed in Russia and became a revolutionary and part of the entourage of Trotski. One other brother apparently could not get a visa to come to the U.S. so we believe he went somewhere in South America, where all contact was lost. In the late 1950's, a few years after the death of my grandfather, there was an obituary in the NY Times about an Argentinian millionaire who had died in his mid 90's, leaving his fortune to his wife of 25. The last name was the same uncommon Russian name of my grandfather. There was no way for us to find out if indeed this millionaire was actually my long lost great uncle. So I well might have relatives that I know nothing about in South America.

 

[t-reg]

My grandfather on my father's side came here from Russia in 1911 for a better life. One of his brothers stayed in Russia and became a revolutionary and part of the entourage of Trotski. One other brother apparently could not get a visa to come to the U.S. so we believe he went somewhere in South America, where all contact was lost. In the late 1950's, a few years after the death of my grandfather, there was an obituary in the NY Times about an Argentinian millionaire who had died in his mid 90's, leaving his fortune to his wife of 25. The last name was the same uncommon Russian name of my grandfather. There was no way for us to find out if indeed this millionaire was actually my long lost great uncle. So I well might have relatives that I know nothing about in South America.

DNA testing?