Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Thursday Favorite Things: Are your roots showing?

But first, this message:

Yay! I'm co-hosting Katherine's Corner's Thursday Blog Hop!



When I first discovered Katherine's Corner, I fell in love with this lovely blog.  Katherine's Corner is what I'd like my blog to be when it grows up, if that makes sense.  It's just a classy mixture of prettiness, information and fun.

I'm so happy to be a co-host of Katherine's Thursday Favorite Things. What a great way to get to know other bloggers and even increase your circle of readership and influence!

 Here's more about this fun bloghop:


Its Time For Thursday Favorite Things! Thursday favorite things is where you can link your favorite post or write a post about your favorite things and share it with old and new followers. Please link to your post and not to your blog. You gain visibility for your blog ( it posts on three blogs) and you make bloggy friends too!
Please share the hop with your readers and let Katherine know if you would like to co-host.

Here are the rules, yes there are rules. But just a few:

Please DO NOT link and run...visit a few of the wonderful blogs that are sharing at the hop.
Follow your hostesses Katherines Corner, Sew Crafty Angel And Me and let us know if you are a new follower.
Visit as many blogs in the list as you can. Please leave a comment and let them know you are hopping over from the Thursday Favorite Things hop!
Share the button or a linklback on your post. Grab the hop button code from Katherines button page a Link back to Katherines Corner is always appreciated but is not mandatory
No adult content blogs or links directly to your shops please ( they will be removed)
Yes you can link giveaways ( they are everyone's favorite thing) Add your giveaways to the Win It Page at Katherines Corner too!
Have fun and link up below.


Now on to our regularly scheduled blog post:

Are your roots showing?


As you can see, I'm not talking about hair...although come to think of it, I'm due for a color touch-up1

The men in the pictures above are my grandfathers...my paternal grandfather, Thomas Valco Garrett on the left, and  my maternal grandfather, James Zarafonetis on the right.

 My Grandpa Garrett was mainly Scots-Irish...a name derived from the fact that his ancestors originated in Scotland, moved to Northern Ireland (Ulster), and ended up in America.

  Along the way, his family married into regular Irish (for lack of a better adjective), and his own mother was a Hispanic/Creole woman named Orelia DeSoto.

On the other hand, my maternal grandfather was the American-born son of two Greek immigrants, Harold and Georgia Demas Zarafonetis.

My mother's mother, as far as we've been able to ascertain, came from Irish and/or English roots.  (Interestingly, my maternal grandmother's father, Charlie Carroll, was a Texas Ranger...not the baseball kind of course, but the original, highly-respected law enforcement kind.)

From all of that, there's me.

I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get even a bit of my Grandpa Z's dark complexion...he was one of the darkest Caucasian people I've ever encountered!

I did, however, get the Scottish-Irish complexion that in my youth was, I daresay striking with my original dark hair and green eyes.  (I've long since given up on trying to preserve the dark hair!)

Of all the strains in my blood, I have to say the Celtic calls to me with the loudest voice.  I dream of visiting Scotland and Ireland, and if I ever get there, of course I'll have to check out England as well.

But I also dream of cruising the incredibly lovely Greek isles.

How about you?

Have you done any digging into your family roots? Does it fascinate you as it does me, or do you even give it a thought?  Have you ever thought about the way your family's background contributes to the person you are today?

I'd love to know!


Thursday Favorite Things

15 comments:

Katherines Corner said...

Thank you for your kindness, compliments and sweet bloggy friendship. I am happy to have you as the guest co host this week. Big hugs and happy hopping. xo

My Recent Favorite Books said...

I've looked a little bit into my background, I know that my Father's family was from Germany, and my Mothers side is part Indian.

Thanks so much for co-hosting "Thursday Favorite Things! =)

Unknown said...

Thanks for co-hosting Thursday Favorite Things!

Denise :) said...

Both my mom *and* my dad can trace lineage back to Mayflower travelers. My dad to one line and my mom to eight -- she's an over-achiever! LOL! I find ancestry quite fascinating!! :)

Unknown said...

I'm new to Thursday Favorite Things. I have not looked into our family history on either side. To my knowledge, there isn't anyone in my family who has. I'd love to know more, it would be fascinating.

Kim

Mona's Picturesque said...

Hi Cindy :)
So nice to meet you via Thursday Favorite Things! What a lovely blog and post! I'm happy you are co-hosting awesome Katherine :)

Now a follower!

http://monaspicturesque.blogspot.fi/

Cottage and Broome said...

My great grandfather was from Italy. The family story goes that he was in the Italian navy and jumped ship when it docked in New York City and hide out in Little Italy. Family histories are fun delve into. Go to Ireland if you can it is a beautiful country. Laura

Anonymous said...

Thanks for co-hosting! I'm following you on Bloglovin :)

~LuAnne
www.winterpastmoments.com

Debra Gray-Elliott said...

Hi Cindy,

Thank you for co-hosting. Stopping by from Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and following.

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot for co-hosting Thursday Favourite Things this week. I am now following your blog in several ways. This post is very interesting. I show a lot of interest in my family history with my mother and father's ancestors coming from several countries. I even have an article on how my surname was formed hundreds of years ago. I am from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Take care and enjoy the rest of your Thursday.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

I love your post on your ancestry!! All I know about me is that I am 100% Italian on both sides, from Sicily and Naples. I have been told that I must be from the Naplolatons because I am fairer than the rest! But,I have been mistaken for French. Who knows! Love your party too...linked up today and look forward to it every Thursday!!

Janise said...

Wow, that's so interesting. You have such beautiful mix! I was told that I have some French from my mother's side but as far as I know I'm 100% Chinese.

Thank you for stopping by at Mama in Heels and co-hosting the link up party :)

xo,
Janise

A Happy Havanese said...

First congrats on the co-host of Katherine's Hop, she is def one of my fav bloggers! Then wow how interesting to hear about your heritage. I have not looked into mine but I always say I am going to. I just need to slow down to do so lol. I hope you can one day visit those places which are near to your heart!
Hugs,
Sandra
The Adored Home

Kmcblackburn said...

Well a big hello to the "Wawa" lady, lol. Visiting from the Thursday Fav Things Blog Hop. Oh yes, I am totally enthralled with my geneology. It has become even more so since my dad passed this last December. The thing I can't figure out tho, is that even tho I'm 99.9% German, my maiden name is McIntyre AND I feel 100% Italian :)

Anonymous said...

Blessings, milady - a joy to visit today and see the love of Scotland, Ireland, and England that we have in common! I dream of spending some quality time in a thatched roof cottage in the middle of the British Isles - somewhere - so long as a quaint village is in walking distance with a tea shop that has incredible scones! Alas - I am Italian and Ukrainian and only a Celtic wannabe. My shelves are lined with British literature and history books - and Celtic music is my music of choice next to the classics. Ah . . . me . . .
Joy!
Kathy

Related Posts with Thumbnails