By Kathy Schlaich

Genealogy apps are all the rage these days. It seems like everyone is spitting into receptacles and sending them off to have their DNA analyzed to find their roots.

Some do it to find long-lost relatives. Others are curious about a possible relation to an historical figure or a famous pop star. Most, I believe, are like my son, Kyle Schlaich, who simply wants to have a personal history to preserve for the future and to understand himself.

My father, Walter Stenton Jr., came to Niagara Falls from northern England on a ship with his parents and three siblings at the age of 11 in 1924. My mother’s parents were Ukrainian immigrants. My grandfather, Michael Ditkum arrived in 1906. My grandmother, Catherine (Mazkurewitz) Ditkum, arrived in 1912. My husband Greg’s grandmother, Matti Bihlajama, came from Finland in 1896. His great-grandfather Louis (Ludwig) Schlaich came from Germany in 1882. Both of our mothers spoke their mother’s native languages.

Our families had a basic knowledge of these facts, but Kyle discovered more specific names, dates, and places through painstaking research.

Kyle started his research in 2010 right after graduating college. “I used the internet for my research, which really sped things up. When I took the Ancestry test about three years ago, I was able to link the tree I had already started with the DNA results. I also had the DNA results from my parents, fraternal twin brother Evan and my mom’s two sisters which helped expand the tree,” Kyle says.

He developed an interest in ancestry in elementary school studying history and wars. “I interviewed my Grandpa Stenton for a school project in fourth or fifth grade, which furthered my interest,” he says.
Kyle says he was most interested in his family’s history and how certain times in world history relate to his diverse clan. “I’d find a document or a map on Ancestry.com or the internet, and my family’s identity would come alive.”

He was able to trace the origins of his English ancestors back to the 1600s. “The English were great record keepers, most likely because they settled the world and the influence of their royalty,” he says. “The Germans also kept good records, but a lot was lost in World War II. The Finns and Ukrainians were a poorer people, mostly farmers who were just trying to survive and live in their worlds.” As a result, he doesn’t have as much information about this side of the family.

“I had more success researching the history of the country rather than relying on records to find what I needed. Understanding history helps you understand the family connections,” he says.
“Finland was under Swedish rule at one time. I found out that I’m more of a Scandinavian Finn than a Baltic Finn, and, despite my German last name, my DNA is more Scandinavian. I also have more English DNA, while my brother has a little more Ukrainian. “My dad is also more Scandinavian, and my mom is more Eastern European.

“People think they’re a certain nationality and find out something completely different because areas were dissolved and became something else in modern times. They might grow up thinking they’re Polish, but today that area is modern-day Ukraine,” he says.

A woman from Niagara Falls contacted Kyle through information posted on Ancestry regarding their great-grandfathers who were both from the same Ukrainian village. Kyle’s great-grandfather was a furnace operator and hers was an electrician and both died in an industrial accident at the same plant in Niagara Falls in 1944 and 1950 respectively. A family relation wasn’t established. Someone from Sweden also made contact.
Kyle says one frustrating aspect of all this research is that he can’t have a conversation with any of his ancestors, and he’s left with more questions than answers.

“I’d like to know how their political views were formed growing up at a certain place and time. Did they have a favorable opinion of their native countries? Are there certain nuances of speech and mannerisms I’d be able to detect through the generations?”

Kyle plans on continuing his quest and says the experience has made him more culturally aware. “It helped me understand what it means to be an American. There’s always something new to find and learn.”

Kathy Schlaich is a contributor to Forever Young and has reported for publications across the country.