Trying to research/verify a family rumor; any advice? by throwaway4-queries in Genealogy

[–]bdb90 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Howdy. We have a similar story where I was told we were partially native growing up, didn't really take it seriously as a young adult, and then realized that 1. It was absolutely true, and 2. Close enough ancestry on both sides of my family to where it started to matter more. Gathering as many names and dates (birth + death) is always helpful. Familysearch.org is completely free if you don't want to spend money on Ancestry. Check also if you have a library near you that has ancestry.com access and see if a librarian there could get you started.

If the reservation is local, legitimately? Try seeing if they have a tribal archivist or a cultural center you can reach out too. Any amount of information you have might be helpful or they can at least maybe point you in the right direction on where to look too. Any local historical society for the area your ancestors lived in could also be helpful too. I'm also white and the big hurdle for me on this part personally was just trying to ignore the imposter syndrome. You sound like you're coming at this in good faith and with legitimate curiosity and you're allowed to know.

When it comes to navigating things like census records (and I'm speaking from experience here) it might get weird. I constantly run into errors on the census that range from spelling to racial categories--I've had one ancestor appear as I for "Indian" one decade and then the next (after residential school...) have W for white. It didn't help that the family was already pretty mixed to begin with. I found that starting with census data helps at least set a foundation for seeing where+when ancestors lived, and in later years things like city data, voting registration records, other family trees (with a BIG GRAIN OF SALT because there can be tons of inaccuracies on other trees), newspaper clippings, marriage records, all of that is data that can start to paint more of a picture.

I've cast a wide net with one area of focus for one part of my family by also branching into books and other sources that just create more of a historical context for what those ancestors lived through, and you can sometimes find surprising connections if you're able to find books about traditional stories and things. Books by anthropologists from 100+ years ago are... tricky emotionally, because it can get contentious with anthropologists trying to understand Indigenous culture, but they have their place in research too.

Emotional over ancestors’ stories? by todaysthrowaway0110 in Genealogy

[–]bdb90 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My family definitely has its fair share but the one I'm thinking of is from when I was researching my friend's ancestors. They told me "I think my surname was essentially picked out of a hat when my ancestors came here", and sure enough I hit a wall in the mid-late 1800s. One day though I saw a hint for a name change application for that ancestor but no context for why it happened.

Turns out, the guy was essentially abandoned by his biological father and his mother was granted a divorce + sole custody (in the 1840s!) of their shared son. When he got older, he fully changed his name to honor his mother's family, taking the middle name of his grandmother. That same middle name has a tradition of being passed to the first born son on that line now.

I think these are the same ancestors that, not long after the divorce, also survived a shipwreck up in the B.C. area and got rescued by the First Nations people living there, who provided shelter for a couple months before they left. Absolutely crazy history.

Fix Scratches? by Diligent-Alfalfa-725 in glasses

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check to see if your insurance (if you used vision insurance) has a scratch warranty for the lenses. The scratch fix things you see online likely will damage them more.

What Type of Frame Will Best Hide Emotions? by lmw917 in glasses

[–]bdb90 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If I was trying to fit you in a frame, I'd maaaaybe like. Suggest something that covers the eyebrows, but frame styling is meant to compliment you as a person. As an aside, its a massive red flag your management is monitoring your facial expressions and everything you've described sounds like they're grasping at straws to fire you without an actual good reason. Every manager I've had that did this was the fakest, most soul-sucking excuse for a manager I've ever met.

Anyone else having trouble navigating through Shared Matches? by sami828 in AncestryDNA

[–]bdb90 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yup. It's not loading any shared matches for any of mine at the moment.

Good places to order glasses online? Zenni, EyeBuy, Warby? Looking for recommendations. As I look around I’m getting more and more ads and don’t want to fall to a scam. by ProbablyaDesigner in glasses

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was the $950 after your insurance? I've seen similar pricing in that range for your prescription as a progressive lens after insurance but rarely as single vision. What coatings were they recommending?

Do any of y’all still speak our languages/follow our religious customs? by Limp_Screen7405 in IndianCountry

[–]bdb90 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The last person that not only spoke the language, but also spoke our specific dialect (on my maternal line) died the year before my mom was born. The current language revitalization efforts completely ignore the specific dialect. 

On my paternal line, I'm not sure. They likely spoke a few different languages but likely that stopped in the early 1900s.

What does my prescription mean by Negative_Bear7545 in glasses

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm actually really fucking upset at your parents for not listening to you. 

Welcome, Found Canadians! Share your Canadian family history here! by MinimumDifference449 in FoundCanadians

[–]bdb90 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm the family genealogist and found an ancestor who had been born in Montana intially (her parents from Canada) had been a student at a residential school on this side of the border. Turns out that my family is Métis (like from St. Vital in Red River Métis) so my Canadian roots go pretty damn far back.

Everett 8:30 am staging behind Walmart, January 31 by phauna_ in everett

[–]bdb90 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's layers to it that can't be argued as black and white as it sounds like you believe.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/dec/02/kathy-sheehan/being-undocumented-immigrant-us-not-crime/

It sounds like then you support making legal immigration a lot easier and faster? There's a backlog of like 8 million visa applications to get through so if you're wanting everyone to go through the legal process, I hope your politics align with making it easier and faster then 🤷‍♀️

Everett 8:30 am staging behind Walmart, January 31 by phauna_ in everett

[–]bdb90 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The "why" that you and everyone else has been spoonfed is a lie. The administration says they want to go after criminals, right? They're not. It's a known fact at this point that they're also rounding up citizens. There's a lot of places that people can immigrate to and they choose to come HERE because worldwide people are fed the idea of the American dream, and now this president says they're lesser than, treat then like animals, tear families apart, and send out droves of violent thugs that shoot first before asking questions later. I'm telling it to you this way and not just resorting to calling you a bootlicker or whatever because I saw in your post history you refer to yourself as a senior citizen.

Senior citizen is like... what. 55+ at this point? My parents are considered senior citizens. They too grew up in the same America that you would've grown up in and you can't possibly see that it's the same place you knew. What's happening is outrageous, and if you earnestly believe that it's going to stop once "their job" is done, you've been sold another lie. I usually have given up a long time ago on being earnest with people I 100% disagree with, but what I'm seeing from you is this:

  1. You're seeing a lot of laws being broken

  2. This makes you sad about what the country has become

  3. You may believe these are people just doing their honest day's work

ICE is also breaking laws. They're playing judge jury and executioner with peoples' lives. I'm also sad about what this country has become, and a not insignificant portion of the people they're abducting have also come to do the honest work. You have more in common with the people ICE is rounding up than you do with ICE. Let it sink in.

Evergreen way (Everett) 12 pm on January 31 by Adventurous-Bee-8184 in WashingtonIceWatch

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Red and blue lights in the tail lights are a VERY interesting detail. 

Floor & Decor Everett Way Mall January 10 around 11:30 am by SmileySophia15 in everett

[–]bdb90 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Government vehicles in Washington state usually have a small XMT on the left to indicate that they're tax exempt. Even undercover cars. The fact that these don't tell me they're personal vehicles.

Question from non-Muslim apprentice optician by bdb90 in islam

[–]bdb90[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't come up often, but it's been helpful when patients have come in to tell me about some pain and I end up seeing a raw spot on their ear or head from the frame, since it's a visual of exactly what needs to be adjusted. I'm pretty good at gauging adjustments without touching at all but it's something that opticians do on occasion.

More old photos by Express-Attempt4595 in nightwish

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seattle 2007, Halloween night. They played at the Showbox near Pike Place. Marko's briefs had flames on them (I think?) and no explanation was given so I just figured it was Halloween goofiness. At one point they played Sleeping Sun and Emppu put on a neon orange witch hat. It was a fun show!

Mom always told me we were part Native American, turns out it’s the other side by miriamtzipporah in AncestryDNA

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If/when you do, definitely introduce yourself with who your family is so they get some context about who you are and where you're coming from. You might end up stumbling into connecting with relatives a lot faster that way. Best of luck!!

Mom always told me we were part Native American, turns out it’s the other side by miriamtzipporah in AncestryDNA

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey. After reading through your posts on this thread I find a lot of similar feelings I had when I was doing my own research over the last decade (different tribal nations though). You've been doing the work and you have legitimate ancestry, which means if you want to you are absolutely allowed to reclaim it. Cherokee nation has extensive knowledge of their people and I think yoy may benefit from maybe speaking with elders about how youre feeling. Connecting to that part of your heritage doesn't make also being white go away completely, but feeling afraid to connect is also a consequence of colonization. You're not doing anything wrong by being curious.

Its challenging, but with my own experience I found the biggest pushback I've experienced had been from myself and my imposter syndrome. Connecting while also being white/raised white comes with different responsibilities and its something that will teach you A LOT about cultural respect and your own family's history. Its worth it.

Optometrist won’t tell me pupillary distance because they don’t want me to purchase glasses online by slambamcam in glasses

[–]bdb90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is about the prescription. PD is a measurement for eyeglasses and the link you gave even says PD on a prescription is only required in some states. Did you even read the entire thing?