Is it normal that i'm angry because i know nothing about my heritage?

70% Normal
4 Comments

I'm 18 years old and I know nothing about my family history at all. The only thing I know is that I was born in Canada. Every time I ask my parents about it, they just shrug cause I guess they don't know either. I'll be in conversations with people and they'll say something about how they're part Irish, or maybe Venezuelan. If someone asks me about my origin, the only thing I know to say is that I'm white. It fucking sucks and I feel stupid not even knowing my own heritage.

Does anyone know where I could maybe find some of this information? I have a relatively common last name so I didn't have much luck with any family tree websites.

Voting Results
70% Normal
Based on 53 votes (37 yes)
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Comments ( 4 )
  • collegescot
    11 years ago

    53% normal? I'm insulted. Yes, it's a basic right to know your own heritage! (And don't worry--it angers me, too.)

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  • howaminotmyself
    11 years ago

    My husband was adopted and may never know what his heritage is. He's done his best to come to a logical conclusion based on what cultures he can identify with. It may or may not be true. But even family trees have hidden secrets. Take mine for example. I have a common name but if you go back far enough, you discover it was all based on a lie. A bastard child was born and the birth family would not accept him as theirs. It was common. The heritage he knew was not true. But to give you a start, ask for mother's and grandmother's maiden names and place of birth.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Family is filled with criminals and mentally unstable. Aparantly people believe my grandfather to be Bible John, but that isn't and probably won't be taken seriously.

    My great uncle was Dandy Mckay, Scottish Mob boss that's trial came close to running J.F.K's election off the front papers while he was arrested in America after escaping prison.

    Sometimes heritage isn't that amazing.

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  • dappled
    11 years ago

    I'm the family historian in my family (and have looked into American/Canadian family history a little because some of my lot went over there). Because of most freedom of information acts, you need to get your family tree back eighty or ninety years before genealogy sites will be much use.

    Start with your parents. Ask their parent's names, dates of birth, then grandparents, and (if you're lucky) great-grandparents. If you do hit a brick wall then you're going to have to order birth, marriage or death certificates. You can generally only do this for one generation, though, as a birth certificate will have parent's name but not their date of birth.

    For most people, they get back to grandparents, then hit the certificate route until they get back to 1900/1910. Then you can use census records (by far the most useful thing in all genealogy). If your family emigrated and were processed via Ellis Island, New York (many did, even those bound for Canada), those records are available online too.

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