Question of the Week: What ancestral location would you most like to visit? [closed]

+14 votes
1.0k views

500px-Question_of_the_Week-27.pngAre there any places where your ancestors lived that you would really like to visit?

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in The Tree House by Eowyn Walker G2G Astronaut (2.4m points)
closed by Eowyn Walker

34 Answers

+16 votes
It would be a day out to go to the town where the ancestors of my grandmother were from, quite near to the city where she lived.

I'd also like to go to the town where my grandfather's ancestors are from and where there were dozens of Eckstädt's and relatives at the same time. But that would mean a longer journey, hotel etc. All stuff I don't want to risk during the pandemic.

When I was in Serbia, I already was in the towns where my grandparents were from.
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
+15 votes

Hmm... this is a hard one. If I had a magic time machine that would simply allow me to observe a place I would definitely want to see the Marylebone and Paddington slums where the vast majority of my mother's family comes from. In particular I'd love to see the old docks at the Paddington Basin and the wharf roads along the waterline where people like my 3x great-grandmother lived their entire lives.
 

If I didn't have a magic time machine I don't know where I'd go. Nowadays, the Paddington Basin is full of glass skyscrapers as opposed to windowless wall-to-wall slums and Birmingham is much the same so I guess I'd perhaps choose to go to Oakham, Rutland. There's only about 12,000 people living there, so I could probably ask them all if they knew who Henry Smith's father was. laugh

by David Smith G2G6 Mach 7 (76.9k points)
Of course, if you had a magic time machine, you could ask Henry's mother for the name of his father. . .
+18 votes
If I'm honest, I don't have a single location that I would like to visit. I would love to make a round trip to all the places where my ancestors lived and visit all the churches where they were baptized, married or buried.

This means a round trip through Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
by Dieter Lewerenz G2G Astronaut (3.1m points)
Smart answer, Dieter!
+16 votes

It's honestly a tie between both of my father's ancestral towns in Italy. Do I want to go to Gesualdo where there's a huge castle that was once owned by a crazy musician? Seriously. Look up Carlo Gesualdo.  OR! Do I want to go to the Calabrian town of San Pietro a Maida where my father's paternal ancestors are from. As I have cousins currently living in San Pietro, it might be best to go there as I know them well and I honestly have no clue if I have cousins still in the Gesualdo area.

Either way, I would love to go to Italy. =D

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
I just looked up Carlo Gesualdo. An interesting guy, but I don't think I'd go all the way to Italy just to see his castle. I vote for a trip to visit your cousins.
Always a better option no matter how crazy the musician is. =D
+14 votes
First on the list would be Vienna, then ancestral places in the Czech Republic. Several of my ancestors were employed as forestors for the House of Liechtenstein. The House of Liechtenstein was quite wealthy, owning a palace in Vienna, and numerous estates throughout the Austrian Empire, at least one of which is a UN designated World Heritage Site.

Another ancestor was a Civil War soldier, and I have had the opportunity to visit some of the battlefields where he fought. It was an incredibly moving experience.
by George Fulton G2G6 Pilot (626k points)
+13 votes

My 6th and 7th grandparents on two paternal branches lived in Shropshire, England and the Welsh border area. We have plans to visit some of the ancestors' home villages in June of this year, including the towns of Church Stretton, Diddlebury, Clunbury and Ludlow. 

I used to play in the grounds of Ludlow castle as a child, and always referred to it as my castle. It wasn't a tourist attraction then but certainly is now.

http://www.castlewales.com/ludlow.html

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
I used to live in Shropshire and now live in North Wales
+14 votes
My dream has always been to visit Australia. My best friend from high school now lives there. The funny part about it is Australia was never on her bucket list of places to visit back then. Through her missionary work and marriage, she ended up building a home and life for her and her family.
by June Butka G2G6 Mach 2 (29.5k points)
+17 votes

Glen FrionFor me it would possibly be Glen Fruin, (near Loch Lomond, Scotland) site of the 1603 battle.

Our McAusland ancestors lived in a number of places in and around Glen Fruin near Loch Lomond. e.g. Stuckidow was a farmstead in Glen Fruin, not far from the site of the 1603 Battle of Glen Fruin between the MacGregors and the Colquhouns. The McAuslands were the allies of the Colquhouns, their feudal superiors, and Baron John McAuslan of Callanach is believed have died within a few days of the Battle of Glen Fruin (7 February 1603), possibly of wounds. He is believed to be the ancestor of the McAuslands of Stuckidow, (but the paper trail is lacking).

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glen_Fruin)

by Living McAusland G2G6 Mach 2 (29.6k points)

You might be interested in this:

American historian visited Glen Fruin

"Historian Polly Aird, who lives in Seattle, Washington, wrote ‘Mormon Convert, Mormon Defector, A Scottish Immigrant in the American West, 1848-61' about her great great uncle Peter McAuslan and his wife Agnes."

http://www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=800:american-historian-visited-glen-fruin

Thanks. I have not met Polly, but we have been in touch. She has done some amazing research, but sadly the publishers were not very interested in Peter McAusland's early life in Scotland so much of it was deleted in the editorial stage, which IMHO was an absolute tragedy for fellow researchers.

We have yet to find a common ancestor, but we are closely connected by marriage!
+13 votes
Great Chalfield in Wiltshire

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Great_Chalfield

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chalfield_Manor

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol7/pp59-66

It is a manor in Wltshire where my 16th great grandparents lived in the late 14th, and early 15th century. They were Constance (who lived a naughty lyf) (Stokes, de Percy, FitzWarin) de la Riviere (1330 - 1419) ( https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stokes-3673 ) and Philip FitzWarin ( bef 1340 - 1384) ( https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/FitzWarin-73 ).

After Constance's death there was an extended property dispute which lasted until 1467.  The eventual owner, Thomas Tropenell, tore down the existing manor house, and built a new one, which still exists, and has been used as a location for film and television series, including "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "Wolf Hall".
by Janet Gunn G2G6 Pilot (157k points)
+13 votes
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
+12 votes

Landkreis Uelzen, Niedersachsen in Germany would be my obvious first location to visit. I might even be able to meet up with my 10th cousin Oliver.

by Steven Greenwood G2G6 Pilot (118k points)
+12 votes
I would have to do the Grand Tour, there are too many destinations with so much history. My ancestors are mainly French Canadian, but the French are a mix of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
by Sam Desjardins G2G6 Mach 1 (11.0k points)
I married into the DesJardins family!
We are 23rd cousins 3x removed
+12 votes
During the pandemic I discovered a little bit more about my Danish ancestors, I only have one line, which starts in the early 1800s.

Normally a person in my part of Sweden would visit Denmark at least a couple of times a year (or even every workday if you work on the other side of the border).

Since the pandemic I haven't been to Denmark even once. I would like to go on a genealogy trip to west Sealand and to island Fyn.
by Maria Lundholm G2G6 Pilot (223k points)
+12 votes
The places where the ancestors I know about lived literally don't exist, having been destroyed in wars or violent persecutions.  The destruction of records in those former places impedes my ability to go far enough back to find ancestors from other places that do still exist ... however, based on the theory that we are all related and have ancestors from everywhere if we could go far enough back, the world is my limit here.  

The place that I hear calling me the loudest, though, exceeds that limit.  Despite being fairly certain that I don't have ancestors from there, I would most like to visit the moon.
by Gaile Connolly G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
+13 votes
I can't answer just one because of the brick walls in my family, but I definitely would go to Maryland and from there on to England for my Miller line.

On my mom's side, I would go to Iroquois, Matilda Township in Ontario to visit where her loyalist answers fled to.  Then to Stone Arabia, New York and on to Germany and Switzerland to further the same line.  

If I'm going, not for research, I'd definitely go to Switzerland again because it is GORGEOUS!
by Christine Miller G2G6 Mach 5 (54.9k points)
+13 votes

There are several ancestral homes/places I'd like to visit, but the first that comes to mind is Morvern, Scotland. Donald Macintyre was schoolmaster there between 1830 and 1865 and his wife Katrine assisted him. He lived at Claggan and Lochaline. Maybe one day I'll travel there from B.C. despite the delays imposed by Covid restrictions.

i have had the pleasure of visiting a few of my family homes in Canada and England. 

by Judith Chidlow G2G6 Mach 5 (55.6k points)
+12 votes
Easy - Scotland. I was shocked when my DNA test came back 53% Scottish - I grew up believing I was a bitzer (A bit of  this a bit of that) I now know I am a Craignish Campbell. I never had an OE. I would have to win Lotto to afford it, plus would want to wait until the pandemic is over. But its a nice dream.
by Sarah Jenkins G2G6 Mach 4 (42.8k points)
Craignish is absolutely beautiful. I hope you manage to visit one day.
Sarah, if that origins estimate is from Ancestry? They have everyone at elevated levels of Scots. But that is not to say you aren't. Best place to find information on Origins for Northwest Europeans - especially UK is LivingDNA. IMHO

They are bang on for me and it matches with my sourced genealogy very well.
I am still tracing but I knew I had Scots/Irish on my mother's side - my great-grandmother was a Campbell. But that was too much for just one and led us to there having to be more Campbell - DNA triangulation and a now half-sister taking a test for me - found my Dad its a strong match, so far 2 of his grandparents are Scottish, one a Campbell and another one born in Campbeltown, Scotland. So he was half Scottish at least and I have it both sides. If it hadn't been so huge we might not have found the connection that led us to him. So I'm pretty happy with it.
+11 votes

For research, either Ireland (specifically, the Tyrone/Donegal area, as my ancestors lived in various parishes along either side of the boundary) or the Bradford/Huddersfield area in Yorkshire. In both cases, I've worked through everything on-line and would like to see if local archives have more that hasn't been digitized yet.

In general, I'm always up for a trip to Scotland. During previous trips, I've researched most of what's available. But there's always that chance that something new turns up cool

by B. J. Jamieson G2G6 Mach 2 (25.6k points)
+11 votes
The ancestral location I would most like to visit is Scotland.  There's so many sights to see and a lot of history!
by Judy Adden G2G6 Mach 6 (63.1k points)
+12 votes
Aye, wi'oot a doot, Sco'land.
by Dave Shaffer G2G6 (8.6k points)

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