Where do you come from?

Story Map Plain

1. Audience, goals, and outreach strategy: I will do a story map about genealogy. With Covid19 around and lots of people staying home, I think it would be a good way to past the days to learn your family tree. The target audience would be people who want to learn about their family tree or still want to know more about their family history. If your grandparents are still alive, ask them their parent's names, their grandparents, great-grandparents, and if they have pictures, even better.

2. Story outline: Do a story map on learning how to do family research. First, what are the best websites such as Ancestry.com, Family Search, Find my past, Find a Grave, My Heritage, Billion Graves, National Archives, 23andme, FamilyTreeDNA, JewishGen. Ancesty.com which I generally suggest for people who are searching for family in the United States or such as Finland/Suomi-General Resources and HisKi project, Russian Ancestry Research Service, SwitzerlandOnline Genealogy Records for European family history. Second, I would add some important genealogy info, to help you in your search. Third, I would add a map, that you can type the name of the country your ancestors came from, so you can see where it is. And, then find more info on your family, when they lived there. Fourth, I would add the best DNA testing kits that are available, today. I will also add some maps, showing when emigrates were coming to the U.S. 

3.Content inventory: The map I will use will allow you to type where you know your ancestors came from, and see where it is on a map. I'm thinking of adding a map that shows people emigrating to the U.S. from 1820 to the present, to show the peak time when so many people were coming to America. Other things you should look for while researching your family is if your last name was spelled differently in the past, or did anyone in your family have a nickname.

4. Elevator speech: I think with genealogy becoming so popular with tv shows like "Finding your roots" and all the internet sites. Also, with Covid-19 around I think it’s a great way to keep your mind off of what's going on in the world to learn your family tree. I want to show on this story map where to look info on how to find info on your ancestors. Learn where your family comes from.

"Don't Let Their stories go untold"

My paternal line has been in Finland since the medieval times, originally arrived in Finland around iron age during the great Migration Period of 375 to 538 AD. It belongs to haplogroup N-M231 and more specifically to the Savonian (Eastern Finnish) branch on this haplogroup. My paternal line (from father to son) has been in Finland over 1500 years. Not exactly Mongols, but the paternal line has come to Europe from Asia. Through Siberia. Haplogroup N formed, or the mutation that all men descending from it carry, formed around 36,000 years ago. In Asia, around what is nowadays China. The linage followed the Mammoths up north to Siberia

and when last ice age ended, they spread westward towards Europe

Mammoth hunters, more likely than. Apparently my lineage was already in around the Ural mountains at the time of Jesus.

My DNA Markers: Y N-M231

My mother's father's Y-DNA Haplogroup is I-P37. This side comes from Havana, Cuba, and my grandfather's father came from Spain. My maternal grandfather's mother's family came from the Canary Islands.

I find it interesting when you learn your family history with stories like my Great-grandmother, Anna Pykila Pelkonen(1890-1983) who met her Great-grandmother, Magdalena Gustafsdotter Pykila (1814-1901) just think of all the relatives she met in her life, including my older sister. And another story of Anna was when her first husband immigrated to Canada in 1914 from Finland. He was supposed to write to her when he arrived in Canada. But she never heard from him again, leaving her with 3 small children. She would emigrate to the U.S. in 1923, and there she met her second husband, Jalmar Pelkonen (1892-1958) my Great-grandfather, who came to America in 1914, and fought in WW1.

Another interesting story that I recently found out was about my 4th Great-grandfather, who I call fake-Karl.

Fake-Karl stole the real Karl's identity who lived in Ruovesi. He is living at the same time in Elimäki and Ruovesi. Then (fake Karl's) wife dies in 1836 in Elimäki, but the real Justina is still alive in Ruovesi and they have more children, real (Karl) that is. Karl is a thief who stole this other Karl's name. Fake Karl stole a certificate, which stated his name, birth date, wife, children, etc. from the real Karl, and with this certificate, the fake Karl moved to Elimäki, moving registry, like what the priests kept to keep track of who was moving and where etc. So that they could get false movers, cold-handed. At this moment I don't know his real name or who his parents were. But fake Karl died on the 5th of November 1873, in Kotka, Finland. He probably stole this persons names because he did something really bad or his family didn't want him to marry the girl he was with.

My Great-grandfather, Viktor Olavi Carlson (1901-1929) fought in the Finnish Civil War in 1918 with his brother, Leo Lennart Carlson (1902-1978) they were on the reds side, while their father, Konstantin Karlsson(1873-1948), was on the whites side.

My Grandfather, Edwin Olavi Carlson (1925-2000) played pool with Elvis Presley around 1956/57, in upstate New York.

My maternal Great-grandfather, Ramon Cecilia (1874-1946) was assigned to guard Don Tomas Estrada Palma, the first President of Cuba, so Ramon guarded Tomas Estrada Palma, sometime during 1902 - 1906. His wife, my Great-grandmother, Isidra Perez (1882-1971) also was in the war of independence of Cuba, this is where they met. My maternal grandfather, Roman Cecilia (1907-1996) and grandmother, Germaine Clavel Cecilia (1921-2005) went to Raul Castro's wedding (Brother to Fidel Castro). My Grandfather also met Ernest Hemingway in Key West, in the 1940's.

My sister's husband's 4th Great-grandfather is Thomas Edwin Ricks (1828-1901) who was the founder of Rexburg, Idaho and Ricks College (now known as BYU-Idaho).

These are some of the best genealogy web sites out there.

Ancestry.com LLC is a privately held online company based in Lehi, Utah, United States. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites

Find a Grave is an American website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. It receives and uploads digital photographs of headstones from burial sites, taken by unpaid volunteers at cemeteries. Find a Grave then posts the photo on its website.

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is closely connected with the church's Family History Department

BillionGraves

Findmypast is a UK-based online genealogy service owned, since 2007, by British company DC Thomson. The website hosts over 4 billion searchable records of census, directory and historical record information. It originated in 1965 when a group of genealogists formed a group named "Title Research"

WikiTree, a free, shared social-networking genealogy website, allows users individually to research and to contribute to their own personal family trees while building and collaborating on a singular worldwide family tree within the same system

FamilyTreeDNA is a division of Gene by Gene, a commercial genetic testing company based in Houston, Texas. FamilyTreeDNA offers analysis of autosomal DNA, Y-DNA, and mitochondrial DNA to individuals for genealogical purpose. 

JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City

23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Sunnyvale, California

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ.

http://hiski.genealogia.fi/historia/indexe.htm

http://www.sukuhistoria.fi/sshy/index_eng.htm

https://www.cyndislist.com/finland/general/

https://theswisscenter.org/genealogy-resources

https://en.geneanet.org/country/search-Russian%20Federation-RUS

https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records (Learn what medals, what did they fight in, and more in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam.

Here are a few locations of where my Grandparents/Great-grandparents/Great-great grandparents, etc. are from. My family is from paternal line- Finland, Estonia, maternal line-Cuba, Switzerland, Spain, Canary Islands. I'm 50 percent Finnish, 25 percent Swiss and 25 percent Cuban.

Take the 123survey here

Watch "Finding Your Roots" on PBS!

Educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. has hosted several PBS series that examine U.S. history. In "Finding Your Roots," the Harvard professor continues his quest to "get into the DNA of American culture." In each episode, celebrities view ancestral histories, sometimes learn of connections to famous/infamous people, discover secrets, and share the emotional experience with viewers. Analyzing genetic code, DNA diagnosticians trace bloodlines and occasionally debunk long-held beliefs. Source: Lehigh Valley Public Media. (2020) Retrieved: Nov 30, 2020.https://www.wlvt.org/television/national-shows/finding-your-roots/

100 Family History Interview Questions

What is your full name? 

Did your parents name you after anyone? 

What did people call you as a child? Do you have any nicknames?

When were you born? 

In what city/state were you born? 

Did your birth take place in a hospital, at home? Was there a doctor or midwife present? 

What is your mother’s full name/date of birth? Where was she born?

What is your father’s full name/date of birth? Where was he born?

Do you know your maternal grandparents’ names and dates of birth? Where were they born?

Do you know your paternal grandparents’ names and dates of birth? Where were they born?

What did your father do for a living? Did he have more than one profession?

What kind of work did your mother do? Was she employed outside of the home?

What kind of work did your grandparents do? 

Where did your maternal grandparents live?

Where did your paternal grandparents live?

Do you have any special memories of your grandparents?

What do you remember about your great-grandparents? Did you ever meet them? 

What do you remember about your mother from growing up?

What do you remember about your father from growing up?

What important life lessons did you learn from your parents?

What family stories or memories were passed down to you from your parents or grandparents?

What about special holiday traditions or recipes passed on to you?

Are there any special family heirlooms that were handed down to you?

What is your first childhood memory?

Did you have any siblings?

What are their names and when were they born?

Can you describe your siblings more?

Are you a middle child? The oldest, youngest? How did that impact your childhood?

Were you close with your siblings? Who was your favorite playmate?

Did you care for your younger siblings? Did you like it? Was it difficult?

Where did you live as a child? Did your family move often? Why?

Can you describe your childhood home(s)?

How was your home heated? Was it warm in the wintertime? 

Where did you sleep? Did you share a room?

Did you have running water? If not, how did you get water?

Who did the cooking in your home? The cleaning?

What kinds of foods did you eat often?

Where did your food come from? A grocery store, a nearby farm, your family’s farm/garden?

Did you have any animals or pets growing up? Which was your favorite?

What was the weather like where you lived as a child?

What were your chores when you were little? Did they change as you got older?

Can you describe what your daily life was like as a child?

Did you go to school outside of the home or were you homeschooled?

If you were schooled outside the home, how did you get there?

What was your favorite part of school? Your least favorite?

What were the most important skills that you learned at home? 

What kind of clothing did you wear? Was it homemade or store-bought?

What did you want to do or be when you grew up?

What was your favorite hobby in your free time?

Did you have any favorite toys or games?

How did your family spend the evenings? Weekends?

Did you have a close friend as a child?

Where did your family travel to as a kid? 

What was your favorite holiday or special occasion?

How were birthdays celebrated in your family?

Did you celebrate a winter holiday? (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.?)

How did you celebrate this holiday? Did you give gifts, decorate, dress up, worship?

Was your family religious? What place of worship did you attend?

What was your first job? How old were you? 

How many years of school did you attend?

Did you go to a college or university? Where, when? What did you study?

What were your goals, hopes, and dreams as a young adult?

What is your occupation/trade? Have you had multiple professions over the years?

If you could have chosen another profession, what would it be?

Did you ever get married?

When, where, and how did you meet your spouse?

How did you get engaged? 

What was your wedding like? What did you wear, what food was served, where was it held?

Did you go on a trip or honeymoon after the wedding? Where to?

What is your spouse’s full name? Their siblings and parents?

What is your spouse’s occupation? Interests?

Can you describe a little about your spouse’s personality?

What do you love the most about your spouse?

What was your first home together like? Where was it? Did you rent it, buy it? 

What would you say is the key to a successful marriage?

Do you have any children? How many?

What are the names and birth dates of your children? The names of their spouses?

Do you remember what it was like finding out you would soon be a parent?

What were your children’s births like? At the hospital, at home? Who was there?

What city or county were each or your children born in?

Where did you live when your kids were growing up?

Did you move around much? Why did you move and to where?

What was your home(s) like when your children were young? Did you own or rent?

What special memories do you have of your children’s baby or preschool years?

What was your favorite way to spend time with your kids?

What was the hardest part of raising kids? The best part?

What special traditions or holiday celebrations were favorites in your family?

Did your family attend church or worship services?

What hobbies did you have when you weren’t working or caring for children?

What kind of music did you like to listen to?

What kind of books/magazines did you like to read?

Did you have any close friends during this time?

Were you a part of any clubs or organizations?

Where have you traveled to in your life? What place was your favorite?

What major world events have happened in your lifetime? Did any have a big effect on you?

What accomplishments are you most proud of in your life?

What would you say are your greatest skills? 

Which personal events in your life would you say had the greatest impact on you?

What’s the best advice you can give your great-grandchildren, your great-great-grandchildren?

What do you want people to remember the most about

Was your last name spelled differently?

Source: Jackson, Kate. (N.D)100 Family History Interview Questions to Ask Now. Retrieved: November 19, 2020. https://familyhistorydaily.com/free-genealogy-resources/family-history-interview-questions/

Source: World Atlas. Finland Maps & Facts. Retrieved: Dec 2nd, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Finland#/media/File:Population_map_of_Finland.svg

Source: Lonely Planet Map Of Switzerland. Retrieved: Dec 2nd, 2020. AgLsYp8tHu7Vya0kmfpw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-kc2n3a_tAhUFnq0KHQhHDwYQ9QF6BAgIEAE&biw=1236&bih=529#imgrc=MH4ZP4jbfjreoM

Source: Retrieved: Dec 4th, 2020. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationsonline.org%2Foneworld%2Fmap%2Fcuba-administrative-map.htm&psig=AOvVaw22mUYxE8RX6brSPhv5FEti&ust=1607173208763000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCKDUmfSwtO0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD