Both of my grandmothers were off full German ancestry. Their grandparents were the immigrants and came over in the late 19th/early 20th c. By the time WWII rolled around they'd been here 30+ years.
But, one of the reasons I've not done any research into those sides of the family is that I know we still have distant German relatives and I really don't want to find out I've got relatives who were Nazis.
Our German ancestry was mentioned more as a footnote and not made much of. We're more likely to attend Celtic gatherings (our Scottish boat people on both sides arrived before the Rev War) than Oktoberfests and Polka Parties, even though my German ancestry is much more recent.
I think it is directly linked to the horrors of both the World Wars. (I seem to remember a lot of midwestern German newspapers going out of business during WWI because of the anti-German sentiment.) And even though I'm far removed I still feel a little bit guilty because I've got German ancestry.
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Date: 2010-10-13 05:28 pm (UTC)But, one of the reasons I've not done any research into those sides of the family is that I know we still have distant German relatives and I really don't want to find out I've got relatives who were Nazis.
Our German ancestry was mentioned more as a footnote and not made much of. We're more likely to attend Celtic gatherings (our Scottish boat people on both sides arrived before the Rev War) than Oktoberfests and Polka Parties, even though my German ancestry is much more recent.
I think it is directly linked to the horrors of both the World Wars. (I seem to remember a lot of midwestern German newspapers going out of business during WWI because of the anti-German sentiment.) And even though I'm far removed I still feel a little bit guilty because I've got German ancestry.