StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Understanding One's Family History - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Understanding One's Family History" explains that understanding one's family history is essential for every individual. The small things we took for granted, like good education, safe life, and a vast car, will seem precious to us when we learn how much our former generation has sacrificed…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.8% of users find it useful
Understanding Ones Family History
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Understanding One's Family History"

?My Family History Understanding one's family history is important for every individual. The small things we taken for granted like good education, safe life and huge car will seem precious to us when we learn how much our former generation have sacrificed to let us enjoy this pleasant life. The search for my family history started with me exploring my roots on my father’s side. My father’s Family Tree I knew very little about my father’s family except that they were from Germany and their last name was Schoff. With both my parents deceased, I set out to explore our family history in reverse starting from my birth. I contacted our local church first to look for my Baptism details. There it was. The church had records of my Baptism before 18 years along with my parents name and grandparent’s name. Digging deeper, I found out my parents got married in the same Church where I was baptised, five years before my birth. Their marriage registration details gave me the name and address of my grandparents Jacob Schoff and Linda Schoff. My mother was the daughter of Claude Bourgeois and Michele Bourgeois. With the address I collected from the church I visited Pennsylvania where my father’s grand parents lived long ago. Getting in touch with the area Church, I was able to get the records of my grandfathers Baptism as a child, way back in 1922. I could also get details about their marriage and my great grandfather’s family. My father John Schoff was a business consultant who married my mother Ebenezer Bourgeois. My grandfather Jacob Schoff was a lawyer in New York. His father John Schoff born in 1880 migrated from Pennsylvania to New York as he was a physician. Jacob Schoff, his father had eight children including 5 sons and 3 daughters. He was born and bought up in the Pennsylvanian plantations and lived as a farmer most part of his life. He took part in the American Civil War too. Two of his descendants still live in the plantation. They have a full record of family history starting from the very first ancestor who came to America from Germany way back in 1702. Jacob Schoff’s father Andreas Schoff who lived during the Californian Gold rush is said to be a writer and adventurer. It is said he stuck luck in the gold rush and bought the plantation in Pennsylvania with that money. The family lived in the plantations for three generations until my great grandfather John Schoff moved to New York. Andreas Schoff’s great grandfather migrated from Germany to England in search of a better future in the 17th century. He came to America in 1709 (Schoff Coat of Arms and Name History, 2000). He moved to various places and finally settled in Virginia. His grand children fought for the Independence of America during the 1776 war. His descendants are called under various names like Schoff, Schaeffer and Schafer. I was quite proud to know that my family has such a long history and had contributed its share in every major event of this nation from the Independence struggle to the Civil war. Early day journals maintained by our great ancestor Andreas Schoff written in German, states how a handful of German’s were treated indifferently by the dominant French and British colonists. I have heard stories from my grandfather on how he was scrutinized for being a German descendant during the Second World War. My grandfather was not able to go higher in profession because of this discrimination. However, we live in better times now. Thanks to the endless efforts of generations of our family members who strived hard to give us an economically safe future in this century. My Mother’s History Exploring my mother’s side of family history, I found she is a mixture of Irish and French nationals who settled in the United States centuries back. Peter Bourgeois my mother’s great ancestor settled in Nova Scotia in 1761. Bourgeois were a class held in high esteem next to the Nobles in France (Bourgeois Family Crest and Name History, 2000). They came here to serve in the French army and settled in the US soil. His family slowly moved to Maine and then Massachusetts. Her grandfather was a very wealthy businessman named Pierre Bourgeois. He bought a luxurious home in Connecticut where my own grandparents and mother was raised. My grandfather Claude Bourgeois fell in love with a woman of Irish origin Michele. My grandmother was born and bought up in Ireland. Her family moved to Connecticut after the Second World War viewing the US as the new emerging power. They settled in a house close to the villa where my grandfather grew which led to their relationship and marriage soon after. My mother came to New York to work in the fashion industry and married my father giving birth to my sister and myself. We are complete New York citizens now. Analyzing our family history I could see both my parent’s families have long heritage and have served in several wars. The Irish ancestors of my mother are lovingly called ‘Celtic Warriors’ even today. They were famous for their extreme fighting skills and rich heritage. They received good compensation for serving in the British army during the Second World War. They were promised good positions in the American Army if they chose to serve them. Hence, they relocated to Connecticut after the war with heavy pensions and old money from the ancestors. But, not all of them took up military life again. Being good manual labours they established construction companies, lumber houses and many other labour oriented jobs. Conclusion Checking my genealogy, I could see I am a direct mix of many proud European clans. Though many of these clans despise each other and fight with one another directly, we belong to a new generation which can trace its origins to Germany, France, Ireland and many more places. History united them in a unique way in a country discovered an ocean apart. The US soil nurtured us in every possible way and my family has contributed its fair share to the nation’s development. I can proudly declare myself as a world citizen. References 1. 2000. Schoff Coat of Arms and Name History. House of Names. Retrieved 25 February 2013 from House of Names.com website http://www.houseofnames.com/schoff-coat-of-arms 2. 2000. Bourgeois Family Crest and Name History. House of Names. Retrieved 25 February 2013 from House of Names.com website http://www.houseofnames.com/bourgeois-family-crest Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Family History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved de https://studentshare.org/anthropology/1468781-family-history
(Family History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/anthropology/1468781-family-history.
“Family History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/anthropology/1468781-family-history.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Understanding One's Family History

Effects on the Only Child in a Blended Family and How to Build a Healthy Bond

A blended family comes with a lot of variations in life style and history with respect to each child.... Abstract: The paper throws light on the concept of blended family and how to nurture a healthy bond within a blended family.... It is important that the family is dealt with extreme caution and ensured that no child in the family is neglected.... This paper highlights the impact an only child has when he is in a blended family and also brings to fore various ways in which a good healthy bond can be developed with the child....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Family And Local History

This report aims at highlighting surviving records on the local history in Perth and Kinross.... Local history surviving records, their location and uses Record of protests in the royal burgh of Perth are located in Perth and Kinross archives, these records are stored under the record number B59/11 and date from 1809 to 1849, these records can be used to the understand the issues of the people who lived in Perth and the reasons that forced them to hold the protests....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Great Events in History

The paper "Great Events in history" highlights that the renowned world leaders and other important people in the society should always be considered with such privileges to ensure the promotion of a peaceful, democratic and development-conscious society.... In the social scene, it brings destruction to the family set up since no two people of the same sex have the possibility to mate and give rise to fertile offspring....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Importance of the Family Unit

More than any other time in history, the family unit, more so in the 21st century, is a haven that not only supplies love in abundance, but one that provides the very necessary trust and understanding through individuals find an escape from the competitive, dehumanizing forces of modernity.... The essay "Importance of the family Unit" focuses on the critical analysis of the major issues concerning the importance of the family unit.... By its very definition, the family unit is but the basic structure that forms the society itself....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

The Concept of Family System Theory

The paper "The Concept of family System Theory" highlights that the sociological development of the individual also depends to a great extent on the forces of togetherness and separateness or individuality.... The sibling position also determined how the individual developed within the family unit.... The theory is based on eight concepts that are inter-related; levels of differentiation of self, nuclear family, counterbalance between togetherness and individuality, triangles, multigenerational transmission, sibling position, chronic and acute anxiety, and emotional cut-off....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Credit Score from a Family Studies Perspective

The author states that important to keep good credit history for borrowing purposes.... The credit report is a representation of a person's credit history.... Credit history is how an individual pays for borrowed items or loans.... The scoring is by credit reporting agencies using different credit scoring models, which include FICO that is used by the three major scoring companies in the United States (Wise, 2012)To award a FICO score, the agencies consider a person's credit payment history, as well as the debt, owned....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Family Assessment Therapy

Assessing family history would be paramount to help the therapist understand the basis of Jeff's family conflicts.... he qualitative assessment method would be the best for assessing the genogram or family history for a therapy session with Jeff and Roger.... In a qualitative assessment method, the therapist employs a humanistic oriented approach to assess the family history to get data that would provide insight into the behavioural issue at hand (Haley, 2007)....
10 Pages (2500 words) Case Study

Reflection of Family History and Cultural Heritage

The essay "Reflection of family history and Cultural Heritage" analyzes the author's family's historical background and cultural heritage to analyze the possible impacts it has had on his/her personal life.... Their family's history and culture have definitely played a vital role in their behavior and belief.... I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and occasionally I used to visit my extended family back in England and South Africa (Johannesburg)....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us