Essay about My Family Heritage
My Family Heritage
Family Defined
The word family has changed so much in the past century. A family back in the 1950's was probably
considered a husband, wife, and one or more children. Times have changed and families have
become much different. The Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others book defines family
as a, "Unit made up of any number of persons who live in relationship with one another over time
in a common living space who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship" (Beebe,
Beebe & Redmond, 243). Families can be broken up into five different types. The first is the
traditional family, which includes a mother, father, and their biological children. Next, is the blended
family which includes...show more content...
William, known as Bill, was born on July 20, 1921 in Minneapolis, MN. He worked in the plaster
/stucco business for over 25 years before working at Northwest Airlines. His wife's maiden name
was Lorraine Mulcahy. Lorraine was born on August 13, 1922 in St. Paul, MN. Lorraine went to
college at the University of Minnesota where she got her Bachelor of Science degree and became a
dental hygienist. My grandma "Lo" is the genealogy nut in our family. She has searched for
birthdates, marriage licenses, and other documents of her grandparents. I called grandma Lo to get
some information on my great–grandparents and family stories. I found out I was part Norwegian
and I never even knew it! Grandma Lo's parents were Edward Mulcahy and Olga Shermoen. Her
father Ed was born on April 15, 1880 in Minneapolis, MN. Ed worked as a claim agent for the Great
Northern Railroad in the twin cities. Olga was born on March 15, 1888 in Hawley, MN. She also
worked for the Great Northern Railroad as a matron. Edward was 100% Irish while Olga was 100%
Norwegian. This makes my grandma Lorraine 50% Irish & 50% Norwegian. My grandpa Bill was
adopted in Minneapolis so his genealogy is unknown. He was told by his adopted parents that he
was mostly Irish. If we pretended Bill was 100% Irish, this would make my mom 75% Irish and 25%
Norwegian.
Father's side
My father's name is Gerald Otto Utz. He was born on January 23, 1950 in Springfield, MN. He is
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