As an American, with all four grandparents born in the United States, my family roots in the U.S. are extensive. My ancestors arrived anywhere between the 1600s (LAKE & SPICER families) to 1891 (IGLINSKI family). Several branches of the family with Irish origin arrived in North America during the Great Potato Famine around the 1840s, settling first in Canada and later in the U.S. My German ancestors began arriving in the 1820s. My Polish ancestors started to arrive in the 1880s.

While none of my direct ancestors served in the Civil War, I have a few brothers of my ancestors (and many cousins) who did. My grandfather Kenneth KANALLEY served with the U.S. Marines during the Korean War. Two great uncles, Glenn GRUNDTISCH and Donald GRUNDTISCH served in World War II.

Most of my immigrant ancestors who came to America settled in Buffalo, New York, and I have scores of relatives in the Western New York area.

A few branches of my tree settled in Ohio (Delphos & Upper Sandusky) and one ancestor from Ohio, John GRUNDTISCH, lived in Pennsylvania before coming to Buffalo. A few of my Canadian ancestors moved to Brainerd, Minnesota and passed away there. I also have an Irish-born ancestor Michael TRACY who lived in Canada for many years before moving to Rock County, Wisconsin where he died.

Over the years, as the family tree has grown, I’ve learned I have distant relatives in practically every one of the 50 United States.