where2look4ancestors

Recently I printed a new five-generation pedigree chart and took a long look at the names that appear on it. I wondered about a few things; in particular, how well do I “know” each of my direct line ancestors?

I mean, what do I know about the hurdles those who emigrated from their native countries may have overcome to start a new life in the United States? What did they do when they arrived? How did that evolve or change over time? Were my immigrant ancestors able to acclimate quickly into a world in which few people spoke their native languages? How did the children and grandchildren of my immigrant ancestors identify?

And the writer in me wanted to know if I would be able to tell a compelling story about each of my ancestors. What would such a story include? What might I unknowingly leave out?

My ancestors immigrated to America from six different countries; France, Germany, Isle of Man, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. How are their stories similar? In what ways do they differ?

In addition to the six countries currently represented in my five generation chart of direct line ancestors, there is also one yet-to-be-determined ethnicity.

The Clarke and Littrell branches of my family tree resided in the United States decades before the Civil War. It’s possible they were Anabaptists who emigrated en masse from Switzerland to avoid religious persecution. There are clues that make me think this is a strong possibility.

A recent DNA match reignited my interest in the Clarkes and I have resumed, to a degree, my research on this branch of my family tree.

My 2026 focus however is a genealogical study of the ancestors I have already uncovered. This year I plan to visit additional places of birth of the ancestors in my family tree.

When I am not traveling, I hope to answer some of the questions I listed above, starting with the hurdles my ancestors may have overcome in order to start a new life in the United States.

I hope you’ll join me on this exciting journey.