Many of you have read this or heard about it already, but I thought you might enjoy reading some of it at your leisure.  It's from one of Amy's senior essays so it's 6 years old now but no less true:

As I get out of the car I almost trip and fall flat on my face because my feet fell asleep and my legs are so cramped from the 5 hour car ride.  In my head I am thinking I am about to be attacked by 28 short Italian relatives. That means 28 hugs, 28 kisses on the cheek, 28 "Oh look at you, you're all grown up!" and 28 people all talking at the same time, asking you how your life is going.  That would be my dad's side of the family, or as you will get to know them: the Dalpiaz side.

On the other had, you have my mom's side.  These are the Ryans.  On the scale of relatives (not like there is one, but I just made it up), they are on complete opposite ends.  The trip to the Ryans is usually about an hour (less the way my dad drives but that is besides the point).  When we get there, 16 people sitting around, on the couch, the chairs or the ground and they just kind of acknowledge you and go back to what there were talking about before.  

The essay goes on with some additional examples of the differences between the families.  She wasn't wrong and it occurred to me that it's very much in line with how my family history research goes.  Your Italians (every single one an Italian--if you ignore the Austrian border business) generally have a well documented history.  The stories told by your parents and your aunts and uncles are full of specific details and always check out as accurately told.  Your immediate ancestors generally lived in urban areas opening up all kinds of areas for study.  Records exist and are available.It's a "piece of cake" compared to the Irish.

The Irish in my family are the majority but we also have one stray German and one English family to trace.  Irish records are notoriously difficult and lacking in availability.  My immediate ancestors lived in rural areas except for all the fishermen in Gloucester Massachusetts.  The Irish aren't always so forthcoming with those details so eagerly sought by people like me.  And the stories....well, let me just say I don't write them down in pen.


As a result, I've developed a wide range of research skills which have served me well in many other areas of my life as well.  In the past, I have also noted that James and I grew up differently but also the same in many ways.  This has also served me well!

This seems like a good time to "confess" that my year of birth isn't listed correctly on the family information sheet.  I was born in 1956 so I'm a year older than some of you realized.  I will be 55 on my birthday--I'm calling it my Emancipation Day.  Those of you who teach or work in state government know that turning 55 is the magic key to retirement.  I'm not planning to retire immediately but it will be nice to go to work each day making the conscious choice to be there.  And my first choice will be to take a long weekend in the home of my paternal ancestors Gloucester MA!