What "Nationality" Are You?
Posted by jayfromcleveland on Wednesday, February 1, 2006
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When I was kid in ethnic, blue-collar Cleveland, it was normal to ask people what their "nationality" was. Of course we were all at least third-generation Americans. But there were still European ethnic communities in those days, where foreign languages were spoken, and one could eat ethnic food and hear ethnic music. By my generation, my contemporaries were ethnic mongrels, mingling in the Great American Melting Pot. It was interesting to find out the ethnic extraction of our friends and neighbors.
Anyway, my "nationality" is half Polish and half Irish. My great-grandfather Ryan came to America as a baby with his parents in 1864, supposedly from County Tipperary in Ireland. Though he was from Fenian potato farmers who survived English tyranny, his son helped pull the collective English fat out of the fire in World War II.
On my mother's side, my great-great-grandfather emmigrated to the USA from "German Poland" in 1885. Poland was not even a nation at the time, and had been "partitioned" between the empires of Germany, Austria and Russia. He came with many men from that area who were brought to America to work in the steel mills of Cleveland.
My wife Debbie is one-quarter Slovak, one-quarter Italian and one-half Rusyn, a small Ukranian tribe that had been part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. All sides of her family came to the USA through Ellis Island in the early years of the 20th century. Though Deb looks like a fair-haired Slovak, she has many dark-haired Italian cousins.
Anyway, that makes our kids "a little bit of this, a little bit of that."
So what nationality is your family? Would you share any interesting stories of your heritage?
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Comments...
Untitled Comment
Posted at 10:07 PM on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 by
JeninNB
My dad's dad was born and raised in Ontario, Canada... I think right in Toronto, and took my grandmother (whose family hailed from England) as a war bride. My mom's parents came from Newfoundland, but before that their parents/ grandparents came some from Wales, and one set from Sweden. The Swedish ones had a last name that sounded something like Brown, so that's what they used when they emmigrated.
Jen in NB
Jen in NB
<i>Untitled Comment</i>
I am first generation on my mom's side. She immigrated from Hrysafa , Greece, a small village outside of Sparta. My dad's family immigrated from Greece a few years before he was born. My maternal grandfather started to build his life in the US when he was 17. He made the first of 15 (or could be more, we haven't documented all of them) trips at 17. He went back and forth as he started a fruit store, which turned into a restaurant in Raleigh, NC. He eventually married in Greece, had 8 children, and one at a time brought them over when they were old enough to help in the business. His goal all his life was to get out of the village and build a family and business in the US. He finally brought my mom and his wife over (the last two) and died 6 months later. Those were the only 6 months my mother had to get to know her father. He died when she was 12. My grandmother kept the restaurant going and one of my mom's sisters and her husband kept it going for awhile. I am so proud of my maternal grandfather...he had a vision for his life and stuck to it. Oh, as part of building a better life for his family, he started the Greek Orthodox church that is still going in Raleigh, NC.
My family is very much like the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding...I have close to 400 relatives on both sides of the family. After 20 years of marriage, DH still gets a bit overwhelmed at the family gatherings. (AS my avatar reveals, I am a hair, blue eyed Greek!)
Edited by eyecorn on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 at 7:40 PM
My family is very much like the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding...I have close to 400 relatives on both sides of the family. After 20 years of marriage, DH still gets a bit overwhelmed at the family gatherings. (AS my avatar reveals, I am a hair, blue eyed Greek!)
Edited by eyecorn on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 at 7:40 PM
This reminds me...
Posted at 11:06 PM on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 by
SmallWorld
of a professor I had in graduate school, Joe Geha. He had a wonderful essay called, "Where Do You Come From, Anyway?" that he wrote about being a 2nd or 3rd generation Arab-American in Missouri. He is the author of Through and Through: Toledo Stories,, which is a wonderful collection of stories about his growing up in a Lebanese community in Toledo. Anyway, his aforementioned essay is about the inevitable question that every conversation turned to during his time in Missouri: "So, were do you come from, anyway?" The real answer: Toledo. But the underlying question: You look different than I do, so you must be from....somewhere else.
Another professor, of Japanese descent, told of how frequently he is asked "So how long have you been in this country?" Ironically, he says, his ancestors came here much earlier than many of ours. Mine came in the 1860s and 1880s; his came in the 1820s.
Where do you come from, anyway? Such a loaded--and fascinating--question.
Another professor, of Japanese descent, told of how frequently he is asked "So how long have you been in this country?" Ironically, he says, his ancestors came here much earlier than many of ours. Mine came in the 1860s and 1880s; his came in the 1820s.
Where do you come from, anyway? Such a loaded--and fascinating--question.
Untitled Comment
Posted at 11:49 PM on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 by
drewsfamilytx
If only people asked "What nationality are you?" It's much better than "So what ARE you?!"
My mother is from South Korea...I was born there as well. My father is half-English and half-Irish, although he was born and raised in Texas.
I love being "different"...it's strange how I do consider myself more American sometimes and more Korean other times. I don't quite feel like I really "belong" to either group though. Like I need one more thing to make me feel mixed up and oddball-ish!
My mother is from South Korea...I was born there as well. My father is half-English and half-Irish, although he was born and raised in Texas.
I love being "different"...it's strange how I do consider myself more American sometimes and more Korean other times. I don't quite feel like I really "belong" to either group though. Like I need one more thing to make me feel mixed up and oddball-ish!
Scotch-Irish And Proud!
Posted at 12:35 AM on Thursday, February 2, 2006 by
SteveWalden
My great-grandmother was born in Denver at their family home in 1877. She married a Scotch-Irish immigrant of the Ross clan. The Scotch-Irish were Scottish colonists sent over to Ireland to "settle" down the Irish. My grandfather's parents were English, but outlaws running shine in the early days of prohibition. He was born in the border town of Wray, Colorado because they could make it across the state line if the police caught onto them (This was before the days of the FBI).
My mother's side I know less about, although it's mostly Irish immigration come west from Virginia as did thousands of tuberculosis patients to cure in the sunny and dry climate of Colorado.
As far as I know, I'm Scotch-Irish and Irish, with a little German thrown in (and boy was he mad!). And yes, I love celtic music.
My mother's side I know less about, although it's mostly Irish immigration come west from Virginia as did thousands of tuberculosis patients to cure in the sunny and dry climate of Colorado.
As far as I know, I'm Scotch-Irish and Irish, with a little German thrown in (and boy was he mad!). And yes, I love celtic music.
A mutt...
Posted at 1:07 AM on Thursday, February 2, 2006 by
Amber
I'm mostly Italian, with a twist of Polish, some German and Russian on the side and a pinch of Czech. I think that's all.
0:) Tink
0:) Tink
Herritage?
Posted at 1:22 AM on Thursday, February 2, 2006 by
Amber
I'm not exactly sure of the whole story, but I do know my grandmother (on my mother's side) came from Italy and my grandfather from Poland and somehow ended up in Stubenville, OH, where my mother grew up. I don't know much about my dad or how everyone from his side came about. I just know he's got Italian, Polish and the rest of the mix above in him. He grew up in Stuebanville too, ever heard of it?
God Bless,
Amber
God Bless,
Amber
Untitled Comment
Posted at 10:38 AM on Thursday, February 2, 2006 by
jayfromcleveland
Great stories, thanks everyone for sharing.
Toledo, OH -- the Lebanese are famous in that town. Jamie Farr (Jameel Farah) who played Klinger on MASH was from Toledo, and he often wore a Mudhens cap on the show. I once read where he said that "Arabic is the only language where you speak and clear your throat at the same time."
Steubenville, OH -- sure, that's where Dean Martin was from (ever heard of him?) It had long been known as an Italian area (hence Dino). Not surprisingly, that whole stretch of Ohio Italians through Youngstown has also long been associated with "the family business." Better not say anymore lest I find myself "sleeping with the fishes"!
Toledo, OH -- the Lebanese are famous in that town. Jamie Farr (Jameel Farah) who played Klinger on MASH was from Toledo, and he often wore a Mudhens cap on the show. I once read where he said that "Arabic is the only language where you speak and clear your throat at the same time."
Steubenville, OH -- sure, that's where Dean Martin was from (ever heard of him?) It had long been known as an Italian area (hence Dino). Not surprisingly, that whole stretch of Ohio Italians through Youngstown has also long been associated with "the family business." Better not say anymore lest I find myself "sleeping with the fishes"!
Untitled Comment
Posted at 5:20 PM on Thursday, February 2, 2006 by
OreoSouza
Neat...I have stories..I have nationalities...but I'm in the reading mode today instead of the storytelling mode. Maybe another day, and I can link back to your blog entry. Now off to read the other comments, because I love to read stories like this. Thanks for posting it...I hope you get lots of comments on this one. It will be a good read.
Untitled Comment
Posted at 2:01 AM on Saturday, February 4, 2006 by
KarenW
From my mom's side I'm Irish and German and from my dad's side Scottish. My husband is English and German. We have 3 blonde hair blue eyed kids. When we flew on a German airline to Romania (From Atlanta to Germanany and then Romania) the flight attendant started speaking to my kids in German! Of course they didn't know a word of what she was saying.
HRYSAFA
Posted at 12:39 PM on Thursday, August 9, 2007 by
JOHN RALLIS
I WAS BORN IN MONTREAL AND MOVED TO HRYSAFA, LACONIA, GREECE WHEN I WAS TWO YEARS OLD. IS THERE ANY OTHER PEOPLE OR PERSONS THAT CAME FROM THAT REGION OF GREECE. YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT JRALLIS@HOTMAIL.COM