Genealogy: Root Beliefs

The saying goes, "It's okay to look back...just don't STARE!" But when I began to discover my genealogical "tree", I couldn't help but throw my eyes open in SURPRISE!

The exploration of my ancestral tree is beginning to shatter some long-held, often invalid beliefs I perceived in my growing-up years. Being raised by a first generation American-Italian father, my childhood experiences had a rather European flair to them. This is the side of the family that I drew nurture from; my Italian grandparents, aunts and uncles. It did not dawn on me until much later in life that my mother's side of the family was little known to me. I just took it for granted that they must be off in far distant places. I barely made even acquaintance with her parents. Mom just did not talk about her heritage, ever.

It was not until the the passing of both parents, in fact not until late December 2002, that I began to search my "roots." As I gathered documentation, I found that I had Pioneer ancestors dating back to the 16th century and even back to Charlemagne! My gggggg-grandfather HOBSON (b. 1615, England) witnessed the hanging of the last eight "witches" in Salem! How amazed I was to also discover that a direct descendant, ggggg-grandfather John Troxell, born in 1761, was one of the first settlers in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - and his cousin Jacob "Big Jake" Troxell became a Cherokee Indian Chief when he married Beloved War Woman Cornblossom from Kentucky! I was stunned to discover that American presidents and foreign kings are branches on my tree! History was my worst subject in school, but family research made the task interesting, insightful, and COOL!

Italian Stallion father and Puritan Pilgrim mother. No wonder I was confused! Until February, 2002, I did not have a clue about these genealogical "leaves". I was referred to as the "half-Italian" gal. Once I began to grasp the genealogical landscape, I came to understand many things that had for so long lay quietly hidden in mysterious branches - barely whispering to me. As they began to awaken, a whole new avenue of tremendous personal healing began for me. I was no longer "half" of any culture - I was a sum total of a wealth of diverse cultural forces.

I also began to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship with my mother, and developed a broader perspective on my own unconscious behavorial patterns (for instance, feeling wonderfully spontaneous, and guilty about it at the same time!). My ancestors had contributed a virtual bottomless pit of diverse traits, and it was all nicely tangled up somewhere in my DNA helix! This simple discovery helped me to reconcile a great many unresolved feelings about how our relationship played out, as well as the relationship my parents had to one another. Were she walking this planet today, I would enjoy that "talk" we never had. However, I have no doubt that even as I write now, she is standing over my shoulder - grinning. It also explained some recurring lifelong dreams I'd had about pioneer women and Native Americans. Some would say these dreams were residues of genetic memory - others, reincarnation. The point was that I was beginning to open up to more of who I am.

The further back in my genealogy I go, the more the leaves begin narrowing down to a point of furcation or juncture at the base of the limbs. A small geographical region bordering Italy and Switzerland (Bavaria) brought together refugees-over-time from several regions. From that juncture going back in time, it would appear they had arrived there from scattered areas as well; kind of like an hourglass effect. I suspect as this search continues, I may eventually find that my Italian roots and my American pioneer roots have sprung from one acorn - the Tree of Life, perhaps? (Trachsel in German means "Singletree"...humm.) Knowing what I have recently come to know, I realize that my parents love for each other transcended all cultural, religious, and political boundaries. They spoke to me with one voice in my growing years when they avoided telling me what to think and stressed in me how to think for myself....what a gift.

You know, every single "statistic" I enter onto my family tree, I am reminded of the colossal humanity that precedes you and I. Every one of these ancestors, whether direct or indirect, had a story to tell; about hardships and good times, about war and peace, about love and hate, about compassion and jealousy. I try to give them life in my imagination and send them my thanks that they helped in some way to contribute to my living on American soil today. As I follow the journey of various family lines, I FEEL for the mother who lived to see all her 11 children die before the age of 20, and for the praise given to those who contributed to their communities and to our young America. I FEEL for the girls of only 13 or 14 years old who were married off to men as old as their fathers and proceeded into a life that meant a new baby every year, and for the men who all too often sacrificed their lives in wars spanning from the dawn of our civilizaton through right now.

What a vast and complex mix of the brave, the cowardly, the beautiful, the "homely", the loud, the meek, the compassionate, the hateful---ancestors of affluence and ancestors who were poverty-stricken. I guess the pressing question in my mind as I discover and review my tree is "Have we at all attained the dream they envisioned?" Well, as I survey this planet today, I do believe this question is worth asking yourself. What do you say?

For thousands of years, the inexhaustible quest for religious and political freedom has prodded us along. The Palantines, Hugenots, Quakers, Hebrews...it goes on and on. The branches of my tree have spread far and wide. So, when I hear the word "prejudice" I find it so contrite and petty. After all, we are ALL connected at the root. This is a healthy, positive insight. I call it Gene Therapy.

But there is something much more important operating here than finding ancestors with interesting histories. I feel deeply that the human race is entering into a tremendously transformational era of higher-consciousness. It seems almost imperative now for each of us to be reintroduced to our ancestors. The exponential rise and popularity of genealogy websites is phenomenal. The Mayan, Hopi, and descendants of other ancient cultures are acutely aware that we have entered a time of great change - a new cycle. Our ancestors may have much more to convey to us than geographical borderlines. The wars on our planet will end when we end the wars in our minds.

Despite my seemingly Italian and Irish/English/French roots, I have been drawn to the flame of Mayan and Hopi thought in ways that transcend culture and time. We have been on a grand journey together, you and I. Our ancestors have marched along the spiral road, now gathering all of Earth today to the outer most point. Collectively, mass populations compelled by specific and various belief systems, "left town" to come to America and begin again; however, just as with an individual, changing location will not change the "system" until the system itself is willing to change. Our ancestors came to America with the dream of a society of man that did not persceute the Spirit of their brothers and sisters as they had been persecuted in Europe and elsewhere...and yet our history is fraught with internal and external wars and hatred because of differences in religion, culture, race, and the crushing of Native Americans all over their lands. "Do onto others as you would have done onto yourself" is a fundamental truth. Doing harm to another harms Self. Bringing peace to another brings peace to Self.

I dedicate this page to my parents and my ancestors, and hope to inspire others to begin the task of tracing their own roots. Not only is this a project full of surprising turns and interesting sidelines, it also has the high potential for healing and for understanding Self. When we become more conscious of all that really makes us so special and unique - the power behind DNA takes on a whole new meaning. During my ancestral research, I have made contact with cousins and other relatives I had no idea even existed! We now message together, and somehow, the puzzles just begin to fall into place.

I encourage you to begin your own genealogical search. There may be thorns among the roses, but there are also opportunities to discover the hidden talents and potentials within you - gifts left behind by those who made it possible for you to be born. So, go ahead; say "hello" to your family!

And by the way...if your surname is BALES, BARNES, BAUMGARDNER, BEALS, CAMPBELL, CLAYTON, COOK, COX, CREW, DESHLER, DOTTERER, DOUGLAS, d'ESTAING/EASTON, EGERTON, EISENHAUER, FANUCCI, FURST, GENSEL, GUELFI, HOBSON, HOOPER, HUTCHINS, IACOPINI, KINNISON, LADD, LINDLEY, LUCCHESI, MCKINSEY, MICHAEL/MIKELS, MOHLER, ORCHARD, ORSI/ORSINI, PASQUINI, PIPPI, RENNELS/REYNOLDS, SASELLS, SEYMOUR, SPENCER, STANLEY, STEWART, STRADER, STRADFORD, STRICKLAND, TOWNLEY, TRENT, TROXELL/TROXEL, VESTAL, WARNER, WATKINS, WYDEVILLE, OR YORK, let me know - we may be able to uncover more hidden leaves on the tree!