Over the weekend I picked up the April 2013 issue of
National Geographic Traveler. If you have
not seen or read this magazine and love to learn about new places or fantasize about
those bucket list trips, you should pick up a copy. I picked up this issue specifically because on
the front cover I saw the main story was titled “Return to Your Roots.” Wow, a feature article in a travel magazine
about heritage trips.
The article contained 5 first person accounts by writers
who traveled to discover their roots.
They voyaged to Northern Ireland, Taiwan, Sicily, Krakow, and
Angola. Each incredibly personal story
drawing the reader into their experiences making you want to know what else
they may have found or explored.
In the piece on Ireland the author took her whole family on
the trip. They found her great-great
grandfather’s farm, and she immersed her boys into the family experience. In contrast the author who penned the piece
on Taiwan talked about meeting with her birth sisters in the Taipei night
market. You next learn about Sicilian
Cooking, the legacy Jewish Krakow, and how a surname from the Jamestown Colony leads a man
to find his roots in Angola.
It was wonderful to see how they each had a different experience
to share with the readers. There was no
formula, no right or wrong way to take a tip.
They were people searching for a connection to their past and were awed
and amazed around every corner.
At the end of the segment was a Genealogy 101 information
box. It made me so happy to see this
included in the article as it is one thing to talk about making trips to find
your heritage but something else to take on the genealogical aspect of it. I was impressed by the author’s advice,
links, and suggestions. Makes me think
she may have the bug too.
My husband and I have talked about making treks to the
homeland someday. Choosing which one and
when seems to be the problem. We have
mostly Irish, Scottish, and English roots but thrown into the mix are German, Swiss,
French, and Norwegian; a lot of choices and a lot of varied places to see on
that list. I also want to take our
children with us to see new things and learn about the places our family left
before coming to North America.
How many of you have taken a trip to discover your
ancestors? I would love to hear about it
and your experiences.
Each one in my generation (-1) has made a trip to Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, Ireland where the paternal family originally came from. (Only the oft repeated stories document that). It is a very small town. The only Hughes I located had moved in. Each of my siblings made a comment to the effect that they understand why Michael Hughes CAME from there. We have had a century and a half of urbanization in the US. I really wished I had the skills that came later to have really researched instead just touring.
ReplyDeleteI understand Pat, there are times that I now kick myself for not doing more on my visits to Europe when I was in college. Someday we will make it back over the pond for research this time.
DeleteDoesn't it make you feel longing? I also have Scots, Irish, and English roots. A long-ago Fraser ancestor from Inverness, Scotland. I'd like to get more family members interested in visiting the "old country." Maybe our younger generation would be interested!
ReplyDeleteThat April 2013 issue shows that genealogy is a hot topic!!
I was very excited about a front cover on a magazine that talked about an aspect of genealogy. They quoted an Ancestry.com poll from last year that said 4 out of 5 American were interested in learning about their genealogy. That amazed me!
DeleteMy visits were always too short for me. I could easily spend a month or more in the UK.