Running Head: ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY: MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN

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Ethnographic Study: My Family of Origin Tori Rolston SW 3510 Professor Ruhana Wayne State University

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY: MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN

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Throughout my research I was able to gather a substantial amount of information regarding my family history and lineage. I found that I have ancestors who immigrated to the United States from France, Canada, England, and Germany. My research also uncovered a number of different trends that appear throughout my family history. Some of these include the presence of divorce and remarriages, women marrying at a young age, and women marrying older men. I also found that many of my ancestors had very large families typically consisting of 6 or more children. While researching my family history, I found a great deal of information that helped me to understand where my family originated from, what values and beliefs have remained through the years, and also how all of this affects my life at this current time. By searching through records on ancestry.com, I was able to discover that I have ancestors who originated from England, France, Canada, and Germany. This information helped me to understand the diversity present in my family and how culturally diverse I truly am as an individual. My maternal grandmothers father was the first generation born here in the United States. His parents were both born in Sparta, Greece and immigrated here separately in 1890 and 1907 while still adolescents as stated in the 1930 U.S. census. Due to the proximity that this migration has to me within my family lineage, it would be expected that the influence of Greek culture would show much prevalence in my life. Unfortunately, my great-great-grandparents passed away before my grandmother was born and her father passed away when she was quite young, thus halting the transfer of Greek culture and traditions to future members of the family. Through a discussion with my grandmother, China Tate, I learned that her great-grandfather was born in Germany. My grandmother has a photo album that her mother put together for her with a family tree inside which she brought along to help assist me in gathering information for this project. By studying this family tree I also discovered that my grandmothers paternal great-

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great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian. According to Kwintessential (2013), the German culture is a planning culture. What this means is that German culture values planning and finds a sense of security in knowing what will be happening at specific times throughout the day. It is also mentioned that Germans take enormous pride in their homes and like to have everything neat, tidy, and in its proper place (Kwintessential, 2013). I feel that these values have carried through from my German ancestor, exhibiting themselves in the daily lives of my family to this present day. A majority of my maternal grandfathers family originated from France. These French roots are quite evident through the family name, Bourgeois, which was my mothers maiden name. I can also see the presence of some French values that carried through to my greatgrandparents and their children, one of whom was my grandfather. For example, Zimmermann (2013), states that this culture is typically seen as male-dominated, which reminded me of my great-grandfather who very clearly considered himself head of the family and expected my greatgrandmother to do household duties; cleaning, preparing dinner, and caring for the family. I feel that through researching my family heritage, I was able to learn a significant amount of information and discover many values of my ancestral cultures that are still prevalent in the lives of my family today. Over the course of my search, I also found trends within my family history. Upon researching my family background, I discovered that many of the women in my family were married at a young age. The average age of many of my female ancestors at marriage seemed to be 19 or 20; however, I did find women in my family line who were married at the young age of just 17! My mother was a bit older compared to other women in my family, marrying for her first time at the age of 22.

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While researching these marriage trends, I also found that many individuals in my family have been divorced and/or married more than once. All of my immediate ancestors, such as my mother and my maternal and paternal grandparents have been divorced and remarried at least one time. Some have been divorced and remarried as many as three to four times! It is not just my immediate ancestors however. I also found many divorces dating back numerous generations, from my grandparents to my great-great-grandparents, even back to some of my fifth great grandparents. Along with remarriages after divorce, I also found some that resulted from being widowed, although this number proved smaller than the former. Overall, I found that there were a significant number of multiple marriages in my family line, many of which occurred from divorce rather than death of a spouse. One other trend I found quite interesting was the fact that a significantly large amount of females in my family lineage married older men. Some were just a bit older, possessing three or less additional years; while some were much older, possessing eight to twelve additional years. In almost every case; however, the man was of an older age. While exploring back through numerous generations, I found approximately ten or less cases where the female was of an older age than her husband. I understand that women were often married at a young age to older men years ago; however, it was interesting to me to see that this trend has carried through even to todays modern times. I also discovered that many names were passed down through generations. There were a significant number of Jr and Sr men within my family. I also noticed that many members of my family would carry on their name, or their parents names through the names or middle names of their children. I found this to be a significant pattern as it allows the memory of the loved one to

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live on once they have passed and allows the younger members to identify with their ancestors by carrying the same name. While discussing some family history with both of my grandmothers, I uncovered some challenges faced by members of my family throughout the years. My maternal grandmother, Gloria, informed me that her mother was forced to quit school at a young age around the ninth gradebecause of the size of her family and the need for her to be at home assisting with the house work and care of her younger siblings. My great-grandmother came from a large family of ten children and upon becoming older was needed at home to help her mother around the house, and also allowing for the younger children to continue through their primary school years as well. My paternal grandmother, China, discussed with me how her mother also had to quit school upon entering high school as she was needed at home to help care for her mother who was not in the best health. Thus, neither one of these ladies were able to graduate high school. My grandmother, China, also mentioned that her grandmother, who was also named China, could not read or write, but managed to adapt. When required to sign documents she would simply draw and X as she could not sign her name due to never learning to read or write. Individuals assisting with or witnessing the signing of these documents would often times note that this X was indeed Chinas mark. It is astounding to hear about the challenges that these women faced growing up and then be able to see in my lifetime how successful they managed to become despite facing these struggles such as not graduating from high school. The array of cultural influences present in my family throughout the years managed to untie, forming a new culture that is currently present in the lives of my family. While I cannot be sure exactly how these differences were negotiated, I would imagine that it occurred when two individuals of different cultures within my lineage began their own families. I would speculate

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that these two individuals decided how to incorporate aspects from both of their cultures into their new life as a married couple, as well as into the lives of their children. It seems to me that there are aspects from all cultures equally present in my life today. Due to this I feel that negotiating the cultural differences did not prove to be extremely difficult for my ancestors as it seems that they managed to incorporate an equal amount of values and traditions from all present cultures. As I mentioned above, there are evident characteristics from multiple cultures present in the lives of my family to this day. These characteristics and values from the various cultures have significantly impacted my beliefs, values, and ways of life. Many traditions and values have evolved over the years; however, there are still visible traces from these cultures present in my life. I feel that these values have shaped many of my beliefs, and therefore, will have an impact on my future career in social work. As aforementioned, Kwintessential (2013) mentions how Germans value planning and tidiness. I feel that these are subtle values that have carried through to my current generation. While they may not seem to be significant values, I feel that they will be immensely helpful in my career as a social work because I will remain organized and will be easily motivated to remain on schedule. I also feel that I have been raised based on the ideals that one should be hard working, diligent, honest, and live life with as much integrity as possible. I am sure that many of these values derived from beliefs and lifestyles of my ancestors as did many other traditions and values. These principles mentioned will be very helpful in my career as I will be motivated to work honestly and strive to provide the absolute best assistance that I can for my clients. However, as I also mentioned, there are some values and beliefs that have been altered over the years. I do not agree as strongly with the idea of a male-dominated culture and household as many of my French ancestors may have. I feel that this is due to the women in

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my family asserting more independence over the years, as well as due to the advancement of women in our country. Along with this, I am more open to other cultures and individual differences than I feel many of my ancestors were. While family traditions and values do move through the lineage as it progresses and impact the lives of future members, I also feel that the influences outside of the home have a significant impact on the values held by individuals. In my opinion, I feel that values in my family have changed throughout the years in large part due to the changing ideals in the public spectrum. Overall, I feel that the values that have been passed down from my ancestors and instilled in me throughout life will prove to be beneficial in my future career as a social worker. Through the course of this assignment, I was able to learn a significant amount of information about my family history. I discovered how culturally diverse I am as an individual and I was also able to find many trends in my lineage. Noticing these trends helped me to realize that I may subconsciously make certain decisions based upon the presence of these trends and the sense of appropriateness that I associate with making certain decisions based on the fact that my family members have in past. For example, being 21 and in a serious relationship, I would see no problem with being married at this current time. This may very well be due to the fact that many of my family members married young and therefore, I do not see this decision as being an inappropriate one. Ultimately, through this project, I was able to learn much about my family history. I gathered a substantial amount of information about the cultures influencing my family and I was able to acquire an appreciation for this variety of influences that I have been blessed with in shaping my values and beliefs about life that I currently hold today.

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY: MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN Works Cited Ancestry.com (1997-2013).

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Kwintessential (2013). Germany Language, Culture, Customs, and Business Etiquette. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/germany-country-profile.html Linabury, G. (2014, February 18). Personal interview conducted by T Rolston. Jackson, MI. Tate, C. (2014, February 26). Personal interview conducted by T Rolston. Jackson, MI. "United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XQBH-GJS : accessed 27 Feb 2014), George Georgopoulos in household of Wm Georgopoulos, Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0031, sheet , family 128, NARA microfilm publication . Zimmerman, K.A. (2013, Aug. 23). French Culture: Customs and Traditions. Livescience. http://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html

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ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY: MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN

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