Who I Am

I’m an American.
I have immigrant ancestors from the following geographies:

• Netherlands
• Germany
• Poland
• Great Britain
• Canada
• Lithuania
• Transylvania
• Volhynia.

My most recent immigrant ancestor was my maternal grandfather, who was born in Transylvania and immigrated to America in 1913 at age 6.

The earliest immigrant ancestors I have confirmed arrived in Massachusetts on the Swallow circa 1630-1635. If Ancestry Family Trees are correct, I have an ancestor, Thomas Clarke, who came aboard the Anna in 1623.

My maternal grandfather's family were almost deported.
My early maternal immigrant ancestors meet the definition of undocumented aliens.
Most of my paternal immigrant ancestors arrived in the US without knowing English.

I’m Jewish
I have ancestors and 3rd cousins (or closer) who are/were of the following faiths:

• Jewish
• Methodist Episcopalian
• Mennonite
• Pilgrim/Puritan Separatist
• Lutheran
• Christian Scientist
• Catholic
• Sikh
• (and possibly Choctaw)

I'm a cisgendered heterosexual, though I've recorded multiple single-sex marriages in my family database. I have a third cousin who was likely murdered due to his sexual preference.

I agree with the famous words of Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984)

Politics, Religion, and Genealogy

There are some who think discussions of politics and religion don't belong on a genealogy blog, but I disagree. Politics and religion are hopelessly intertwined with family history research.

When I first began researching, I downloaded some research forms from a source that won't be named. I'm sure there are millions of similar forms out there. Below are two clippings from a "Family Group Sheet."

I knew instantly back in 2007 that if I were going to give the form to relatives to fill out, I would need to change at least one word. And I did change that word to, 'Naming.'

While that is the only word I changed back in 2007, looking at the form today, it does present other issues. How do I record a domestic partnership? A civil union? I have some friends who are participating in a handfasting later this year. They're not my relatives, but they are somebody's relatives. How would I record that? It would make things a lot easier if the same word was used for all unions, wouldn't it? There is power in a union.

Of course, the confusion doesn't end with different terms for different unions. Do I only include a space for the biological parents (which appear to be implied above), or should I include space for adopted parents as well? How do I handle a case where the parents received either a sperm or egg donation from a third party?

So, to those who insist that religion and politics be separated from genealogy, I ask: "How?"

A selection of prior posts concerning politics, religion and genealogy:

• Apathy is foreign to my genes
• Religion and Genealogy
• Baptisms by Proxy