American anglo-mutt!
My paternal grandfather's side of the family has been traced back to the 14th century England. There are family reunions every year in England (my cousins have gone). Once upon a time, my family seems to have owned quite of a bit of land (there is still a website for the family estate), and one ancestor was a founder of Eton. Some upstarts came to the colonies in the 1700s, but later fled to Canada right before the war because they were Tories. As happens, my direct lineage is less glamorous. The story goes that my great grandfather had a fishing boat that he took back and forth from Sarnia, Ont to MI. One night he got drunk and never went home. Immigration at its best!
My paternal grandmother was French Canadian, and came to the US to get factory work during WWI. As far back as any one knows, they were all poor famers. Much of her family is in the London, Ontario region today.
My maternal grandmother is 100% German. My great grandmother used to scare me as a little girl because she wore all black and didn't speak English; my maternal grandfather's family is a mystery, and best guess is, based on stories, an English/German mix. This side of the family was also always, as far as anyone can find, poor farmers as well. My mother had clothing made from chicken feed sacks, and owned two pairs of shoes: one for Sundays, one for working on the farm and going to school.
Hope I bored no one with my little history. I find all of this most interesting, and not just my family's hx, but the general movement of people across time and countries. Fascinating stuff.
