Lucky Little Girl

I love history. I've always loved history. Maybe it's because of my general inquisitive nature or maybe it's because my father is a history buff. Maybe, though, my love of history comes from all of the interesting stories I heard about my own family growing up.
I had five grandparents growing up, a grandmother on my father's side and, on my mother's side, a full set of grandparents and a full set of great-grandparents. Even as a small child, I knew how lucky that made me. Sadly, only my maternal grandmother, Ruth, is still living. All five of my grandparents, though all crazy in their own ways, loved my brother, cousin's and I fiercely and unconditionally.

In many ways my mother's side of the family, the Buchanan side, is a study in modern Jewish history. Are you wondering how a Jewish family came to have the surname Buchanan? Well of course, there's a story there too and I promise you we'll get to it in due time.

As for my father's side of the family, the Lander side, well... err... I know almost nothing. My parental grandfather, Harry, died long before I was born, when my father was 13 and my father never knew any of his grandparents, save one grandfather who died when he was four and so, there were just less people to ask. My paternal grandmother, Belle, who was wonderful and warm and kind, passed away in 1996. I wish I'd thought to ask her more questions before then.

A few weeks ago I watched the series Faces of America on PBS and found it inspiring. The show followed some very well known Americans as Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. helped to trace their family histories. In some cases he was able to go back 1200 years! It was fascinating viewing and reignited the spark in me to study my own family’s history.

I don't expect to be able to trace my own family's history back very far. As with so many minority groups, it's difficult to trace Jewish roots. The Jewish people were so often expelled from countries, so often the victims of persecution and violence and so often made to live on the fringes, always being considered an "other" that it's difficult to find information. Families moved or were forced out of places; names were changed; records weren't kept. So there will be no 23rd great-grandfather for me and the chances of finding out I'm related to some great emperor of yesteryear are highly unlikely, still I think this project is well worth it.

So that's what this blog, Designer Genes, is all about. It's about my family, both the Lander side and the Buchanan side. This blog is intended to document whatever I find out about the Lander side of my family, but also as a place to write down all the stories from the Buchanan side. They're important stories and they deserve a place to live.

My maternal great-great-great Grandmother Dora Schubert

Germany, year uknown