I could be, but no. Half Irish, half Italian, half Mexican.

Living in this "melting pot" it can be hard at times to know much about our ancestry. Adoption can complicate matters even further.

For example, my mom was adopted and until she was 26 she didn't know the identity of her biological parents.

Recently she found out even more about our lineage, particularly our country of origin, Bohemia.

In addition to myself, another Bohemian of prominence is John Huss, a pre-Reformer we spotlighted recently. Completing the trifecta would be a little Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bohemia is now (the western) part of the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia. Bohemia has Germany as its western border, Poland to the northeast, and Austria to the south.

(G'Day, mate!)

My ancestry is of the Lucash family, which immigrated to the United States in 1854.

My great great great great grandparents were Johann Georg Lucash (b. 1753) & Anna Zottin (b. 1760), both from Prague, the capital of Bohemia.

My great great great grandparents were Joseph Ignatz Lucash (1793--1868) & Josepha Elizabeth "Lizzie" nee Kraus. Joseph Ignatz Lucash was 61 years old when his family left Prague for the United States, traveling by ship from Bremen, Germany, to New Orleans, after which they traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis.

My great great grandfather was Joseph B. Lucash, Sr. (August 2, 1852-December 3, 1926), who was born in Prague. My great great grandmother was Anastia "Anna" Vratney (April 6, 1863-March8, 1918), who was born in Austria.

Their daughter Laura Evelyn Lucash (11th of 14 kids) married Earl Edwin Keck (d. 1969), my great grandparents.

I had never met any of the above ancestors with the exception of Laura Evelyn Keck (nee Lucash), whom the family called Nana.

However, Joseph Ignatz & Lizzie Lucash and Joseph B. & Anastia are buried in Freeburg, Illinois, which I confirmed during a trip to St. Louis in October. I must say, it was good bull walking around a cemetery seeing monuments to my ancestors as there was a large population of Lucash family represented.

I found myself much more interested in my ancestry than I would have thought. I'd known the Germanic heritage from my father's side of the family and that may have fed my affection for the Fatherland the many times I've been there.

Now, however, I really would like to make a trek to Prague at some point and visit the land of my ancestors, physical and of the faith (i.e., Huss).

Do you know your origin and have you had an opportunity to visit?

(*Some of this information I obtained via a webpage run by my 93rd cousin (or thereabouts), highlighting the History of the Lucash Family. He was even kind enough to add our family; I'm listed at 1.5.11.1.1.1.)