THE HERITAGE PROJECT – A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

 

To some, genealogy is more than just a passing interest; it becomes a serious hobby, perhaps even an obsession at times.   

There have been brief times in my life where I would spend countless hours with my husband in libraries doing research on generations long past.   We researched hours into the night.  I was not certain what exactly I was searching for, but I was searching nonetheless.  It can often be a frustrating journey, especially when you are with someone who literally has volumes written on their ancestors, and you spend an entire day researching, only to come home with a possible “lead” into someone who “might” be in the family tree.   

Challenges in Chasing the Past

For me, the language barrier is an issue.  From the research I had already completed and what was passed on to me, I knew a few things for certain.   My ancestors came to the United States fairly recently (between the 1880-1905).   There were four countries my ancestors had originated from:

  • Switzerland
  • Ireland
  • Hungary
  • Germany

However, due to my lack of speaking German, French or Hungarian (possibly Bulgarian), digging deeper than the information I found in the Ellis Island Passenger search was extremely complicated.   Additionally, it became apparent that the spelling of our surname had changed from the Ellis Island Passenger Records.     

Many of my ancestors are buried locally but little is known about them. St. Patrick’s Cemetery is the final resting place of my Irish line (Keena’s). The Swiss line — the Feutz Family — rest at Oakwood.  Walking by the family plot, I wonder what they must have been like and why they chose Lowell as their final home.  

The thought of taking a DNA test, to find out who is out there with the same DNA as me was extremely interesting.   It would help me discover who I am and where the “me” I know today began. It could possibly even put me in touch with new relatives, people I could relate to who have come to be on a similar path.  

Searching for Answers

Sifting through research, and looking at notes scratched on pages of wrinkled notebook paper from one of the many trips to the State of Michigan Library, I wondered what this information really meant to me.   It’s interesting, for certain, but to a very limited audience.   I would concede that each person is interested in their own family tree and unless your family was of great historical importance such as Abraham Lincoln, or perhaps the founder of your hometown (such as Daniel Marsac) not many will want to listen to you recount the tales of ancestors long past.  They have their own ancestral history which I expect they find far more compelling.   

After sending in my DNA samples, and waiting for the results, it occured to me.  This test won’t tell me anything that I really think about most:

  • What makes us who we really are at this moment in time?   
  • How do we complete our revolutions around the sun while making the best impact possible with the time we have left?   
  • How do we improve each and every day to make the lives of those around us better, and in turn, doesn’t that make our lives more fulfilled?   
  • Can knowing your ancestry, or the makeup of your DNA, really change who you are today?   

No Surprises, Just Confirmation and Questions

My results arrived, and I decided to review them prior to publishing my prediction.   I read through the results several times before asking myself, what does this mean?   I discovered that I have a small percentage of Native American and Jewish DNA, the rest was exactly as I had anticipated.   The results from 23 & Me also gave some detail about what I look like, with details about my hair and eye color, which were correct.  The test was interesting, but somehow not as enlightening as I somehow thought it would be.   

My son made a comment to me and although it may not apply to others, it seemed very true in my circumstances.   He said “Maybe people do so much research on where their ancestors were from and what they were like because they don’t know themselves and who they are today”.  

Making an Impression

We cannot rewrite history, but we can impact what is in front of us.  Is it not our experiences, our family, our surroundings that shape our lives.   We can focus on the positives yet to come, and though we can appreciate the history of those whose paths brought us to where we are today, that path does not set a direction for our future.  That path has yet to be traveled.   

Upon looking at the Heritage Project, it is clear that who I am has little to do with my heritage at all.   The results didn’t really tell me much about myself I didn’t already know.   Today, I find it more important to get to know more about the people in my life here and now.   Those I can still show that I love and who’s lives I can’t wait to see unfold.   We shouldn’t forget or stop loving those who are gone from our lives, but we should hold tight to those that still are.   They are a gift.   

Perhaps I have made my New Year’s Resolution.  It’s not that I will no longer wish to learn about my ancestors, I just am far more captivated by the living.   

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