Ancestral Origins
Welcome to our "Ancestral Origins" pages at martygrant.com. My ancestry, like most Americans, is mixed. Many of my ancestors arrived on these shores in the 1600's and 1700's from various parts of Western Europe. They were primarily from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Germany. My wife's ancestors were from the same places, but also Norway, Switzerland, and France.
In addition to my white "European" ancestry, I also have ancestors who were darker skinned and of some mysterious origin. Some of them claim to be "Black Dutch" or Portuguese (i.e. "Melungeon"). Some of them might be Native American (i.e. Cherokee or some other nation), or part African American (i.e. "Black"). I'm still trying to figure them all out.
My main purpose for creating these pages is to publish what I know about my general European origins, as well as my Ethnic origins. Of course, a task like this is never completed, so these pages will always be under construction.
Also included on these pages are several census records (1790-1850) from Western North Carolina for households containing "Free Persons of Color" (FPC). These households were made up of people that the census taker thought were other than "white." They might be former slaves, or persons of African descent, or part Indian, or of any number of Ethnic origins.
Contents:
- What's New - Latest site updates.
- European Origins - European Research.
- Ethnic Origins - My "non white" ancestry.
- Race Codes on the Census Records
- Resources - Useful links to other sites.