Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  Most people think of Saint Patrick’s Day as a drinking holiday.  Whenever I think of Saint Patrick’s Day, I think of my family.  We are actually Irish!

When I was little, my mom used to make green food for dinner.  Green mashed potatoes, green milk, green cookies, everything.  She would put green food coloring in the toilet bowls to make us think that a leprechaun had come to visit our house.  It was all in good fun.

When I was in 7th grade we were given a culminating project.  I chose to do my family tree.  I was especially curious about my paternal grandfather’s line.  I grew up with the knowledge that we were Irish to the bone.  My entire paternal line was Irish.  It was after I graduated high school that I found the truth.  Yes, my grandfather is Irish.  However, we can’t prove his lineage at this point.  We are stuck at a dead end.

However, like many genealogists, I found that the belief’s that you grow up with are just as important as the truth.  Just because I can’t prove that we are Irish just yet, does not mean that we can’t love the Irish and learn about the Irish and their struggles.  I also discovered that my paternal grandmother was not Irish at all!  She was German, VERY German!  However, when she married my grandfather, she took his name heart and soul and became just as Irish.  I’m still searching, as all genealogists do.  The searching will never end.

So on this Saint Patrick’s Day, I fondly remember my roots and hope that you do too!