Mike Carlson

Within my nationality background, I’m Swedish and Polish on my father’s side (Carlson) and I’m Scottish, English, and oddly enough Native American on my mother’s side (McDowell). I just recently found out that my grandfather’s grandmother had Native American decent who lived within Maine. Even though I was able to find out of my Native American and Scottish decent, I was not able to get any more information about my grandfather’s side of the family because his father Alexander B. McDowell was abandoned by his mother: thus eliminating family history. My grandmother’s family on my mother’s side was strictly English with a long line of Drakes that lead all the way to the world famous, Sir Francis Drake: the first Englishman to sail around the world from 1577 to 1580. My mother’s side of the family (McDowells and Gaffords/Drakes) has very little information on their heritage except for knowing that we are Scottish, English, and Native American and blood relatives to Sir Francis Drake: even with both of my grandparents still alive as a source to go to. On my father’s side of the family, both of his parents have passed away: thus eliminating my hopes and chances of figuring out more about my heritage. However, I was able to obtain more information that led my father’s side of the family back to their motherlands in Europe. My father is one of seven to Arnold and Filicya Carlson, and Filicya’s maiden name was Bloch. Arnold Carlson was born on January 20, 1914 within Uxbridge, Massachusetts, and Filicya Carlson (Bloch) was born on January 1, 1917 within Lawrence, Massachusetts. My grandfather’s nationality consists of mostly Swedish whose parents were Richard Carlson and Hedwij Carlson (maiden last name Sunstrom). Both of my great grandparents were born within Sweden who immigrated over to the United States within a time frame around the year 1900. In regards to my grandmother’s nationality, Filicya Bloch’s family is mostly Polish who were born within Poland, and her parent’s names were Anthony Bloch and Blanche Bloch (maiden last name Talarska). Like my grandfather’s parents, Filicya’s parents immigrated to the United States around the same time as the Carlsons did. I was also surprised to find out the occupations of my two great grandfathers’ within the United States: a mill operator (Bloch) and a rubber worker (Carlson). Even though I was unable to get exactly where within Sweden and Poland my great grandparents were from, I was happy to find out as much as I could and to find out that I am a fourth generation American on my father’s side.