Kettle, Fifeshire? Where the heck is that? Until a few weeks ago, can't say I'd ever heard of the place.
Which brings me to Scotland. Yes, the land of tartan, big personalities, charming accents, and a rich, colourful history.
Turns out, it's also where the maternal side of my family laid down some roots way, way back, which is a rather surprising revelation indeed.
After all, until recently, this cat's family descent was a straight-up Swedish and Irish split.
Then along came the online genealogy website ancestry.ca to shake things up.
Seems my Irish mother is actually part Scottish, with ancestral links dating back to the mid-1700s. If she were alive today, she'd be stunned to hear this little tidbit of news, this pinch of Scottish in her blood.
Ancestry.ca is a paid membership site that has drastically updated the old-pen-and-paper way of the family tree.
Now users can build family trees online and search the sprawling database for information, including access to marriage, birth, death and census records, as well as military and immigration forms. The digitalized version also allows you to brighten up the ancestral branches by adding photos, video and audio files.
For instance, recently I received a package from relatives in Sweden filled with photographs and family names, which can be added to my cyberspace tree and used to dig up more news about my ancestry.
Monthly and yearly memberships are available, with prices varying depending on whether you're embarking on a Canadian-only heritage hunt or want to spread your wings wider and search records worldwide.
Seems moving online has also shifted the genealogy fan-base. While Canadians 65 years and older still lead the pack with the most interest in family history at 77%, the 18 - 34 demographic is trailing just behind them at 76%, according to ancestry.ca.
Being that Canada is a country built on immigrants, most of our histories are rooted elsewhere, which means you never know who you'll happen across.
You could be like the 35% of Canucks who've unearthed deep family secrets, such as hidden adoptions, convicted criminals, illegitimate children and bigamy, but should you just wind up on a virtual trip over to Scotland, it will still be a fascinating road of discovery.
E-MAIL ME AT: TANYA.ENBERG@SUNMEDIA.CA
