more and more on my mother's side. All the way back to lords and ladies and castles in Scotland..and some in England. Back to the Mayflower I think, definitely back to early settlers in Jamestown and Isle of Wight VA in general. My 19th ggf is Alexander Stewart Thomas High Steward of Scotland. I think if I can go a bit farther back on my mother's side I will get to France..there is definitely a Lyon line...of course a Devery line on my father's and they came from Normandy to Ireland.

I believe I am related to Queen Elizabeth's mother and John F Kennedy and all sorts of landed gentry...quite amazing...we knew about being early settlers to Virginia..history scrambles so much in my brain..I heard Jamestown indentured servant, Lord Cornwallis Yorktown...all scrambled together. but I kept tracing people back and back, and it is very well documented..mostly I stole from other trees, but my brother and sister have done more thorough jobs...anyway, no one ever seemed to immigrate..they all seemed to sort of crystalize in USA..but I guess they all intermarried. No Russian pedlars, no German brewers ever infiltrated that side of the family..her mother's father...they also did some very bad things which I will not publicize here....and it is showing up in some of the matches.

Mother's mother's side traced back to fairly early New York..Dutch..I am starting to get to the point where they had those great Dutch names..but sure enough..one married into royalty...

They somehow all became very poor nevertheless. But I have many castles in my background and will post links now and then.

WHat is odd is we thought on my mother's father's side we were a lot of Welsh and Cornish. What is showing up is a lot of Scottish...no idea. Before my only claim to vicarious fame was Big (Bad) Bill Devery, corrupt mayor of New York, and Bat Masterson but we can not prove a connection at all.

Would love help on a Michigan family...Madison/Whitehouse. A Samuel Madison died in the civil war, married to a Marietta Deacon/Madison. Later children were named Whitehouse but I can't find a Whitehouse...this is in Eaton Michigan. Perhaps they were orphans taken in ...rumor has it there was a bigamist called Whitehouse..perhaps there is trouble there...anyway, Carrie Whitehouse was my ggm, born 1868 in Eaton Michigan.

But the Irish side is very very sad like I said. I think I am finding connections with Sullivans and SHeas, but no definite names. And why since I have some much Irish DNA am I not at least finding lots and lots of Irish connections, realizing that all of us probably don't know very much..but the DNA would still be there and they would know a few generations back, as I do...it seems that Irish, like others of diasporas, would be the ones who would want to know more..they of course have to have the DNA done, submit what they know of family tree....but it seems they are not taking the first step. I am not saying I should have matches exact like on my mother's side, where they had wills and baptisms and marriages all recorded, but at least I should have a couple of hundred of DNA matches, regardless of names or not...confusing....I think they are planning to go to Ireland and get the Irish to submit samples......

Still don't know why I am 12% Scandinavian although I am a tall and stately blond, at least on the internet.