Flags of my forefathers

I am a princess ... o.k. maybe not quite a princess, but in tracing my family history and chronicling my lineage, I have found some interesting stuff.

First on my father’s side I had traced back may generations to find that we are originally from Nova Scotia. Not bad, when I called my paternal grandmother she said that a few years back they had traveled to Nova Scotia and talked with DISTANT relatives to find that there was actually a book written about our family. So they bought it, at more than $10 I’ll just look at it when I visit.

When I called my mom she said that as a child my maternal grandmother had paperwork tracing the family back to Spanish royalty. I called her and she said the papers had been lost long ago, but that her older brother (whom I don’t think I have ever met) had information on the family’s lineage.

O.k. so I don’t exactly KNOW that I am princess, but I am going to be fitted for a tiara anyway.

It’s very interesting, tracing your lineage. I’ve met a family member whose lineage intersected with my paternal grandmother’s family line and I am trying to help her gather information. She has through my great-grandmother listed, but nothing below that. So in my spare time, I get to play Sherlock Holmes ... or maybe I’ll be Watson. Better yet ... Nancy Drew, she always seemed like she had it all figured out.

The further back I go the more confusing it gets, so I’m glad I started off with a clear plan of how to map it out. If you thing about it every generation back adds four more family lines, that’s only using direct lineage, not siblings. My paternal grandmother was one of 12 children and my paternal grandfather one of 10, I think.

It can get really overwhelming really fast. I think it is unique that my grandfather and his brother married my grandmother and her sister. I guess the whole, “Does she have a sister?” line really works. Another one of my grand mother’s sisters married a Cheramie (my maiden name) but either very distant relative or from a different Cheramie line. Crazy!

So far my approach has been to follow one grandparent’s lineage at a time, so really since I am just starting out, paternal grandmother is the only one cataloged, but I have looked at my paternal grandfather’s and found some interesting stuff as well. I am anxious to learn about the others as well.

I actually had to put it aside for a while, because I got so wrapped up in it that I got a little behind in my school work, but not so much that I can’t get caught it. It is amazing how much information you can find online. Being a military wife, I also hope to find out more about family members who served in the military. I think that would be quite interesting as well.

O.k. so if you made it this far without pulling your hair out or making a flow chart, I commend you. I’ll keep researching and let you know what I find out. Wouldn’t it be funny if one side of my family fought the other in the Franco-Spanish War, 1635-1659. Maybe my brother and I could use that as the basis of our sibling rivalry. I am the Spanish and he is the French and we must avenge our country. It’s sounded like a valid excuse anyway ...

Regardless of my heritage, this is the flag I'll die to protect.