The farthest you can trace your geanoligy back

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

15th/16th century all in Wales, the Anglo/Welsh border, Cornwall and the West Country and a bit from Ireland too.

Amost forgot: something to do with Nell Gwyn in there somewhere.

[Don Corleone]

On the Irish side (mother's) we can trace her father's family back to Cairgaline, just south of Cork. Went there, parish priest helped us out, discovered the family was locally well known for trouble. Shocker.

Mother's mother family... traced back to when 6 brothers came over to fight in the US civil war (from county Mayo) 4 for the Union, 2 for the Confederacy, all guaranteed their citizenship. One lived to have kids. No record of them prior to that.

Dad's side... my paternal grandmother was the daughter of a stone cutter from Trieste. Family over there has wonderful records dating back to roughly 1550.

My dad's father purposely cut off his lineage. We've reconnected, and his family comes from the Hessians that came over to fight for the British. Prior to that, they actually enlisted in Hess from Milan. Where they came from prior to Milan ???