Casey McDonald's family has a few reminders of their Scottish background at home. Pictured is a kilt and document bearing the McDonald clan's crest. Photo by: Casey McDonald

By Ellen Smith

Genealogy is a recorded history of a person’s ancestors. Sometimes tracing back one’s family can lead to exciting surprises, especially in the case of a PHS student and faculty member.

After history teacher Mr. Kozlovich and sophomore Casey McDonald traced their ancestors, both found out that they were the descendants of some prestigious people. Royalty from around the world are in the family trees of Kozlovich and McDonald.

McDonald’s claim to fame is her royal roots in the country of Scotland.  She is a descendant of the McDonald clan, a powerful clan of the past that is also known as Clan Donald.  McDonald said her clan lived in “the western Isles in the Isles of Scotland, on [an isle named] the Isle of Skye.”  Clans consisted of large groups, normally families, and McDonald believed that during this time “clan life was the main way of living for Scottish people.” However, feuding constantly erupted between clans. McDonald said, “We [our clan] had a long standard feud with [another clan named] the Campbells.” These two ancient Celtic houses warred for centuries.

Because of McDonald’s lineage with the clan, she can trace her ancestors back “all the way to the 1400s,” and the clan actually originated in the 1200s.  The McDonald clan did much for its country, including “hiding the King of Scotland, [Charles Edward Stuart] who was nicknamed Bonnie Prince Charles, so he wouldn’t be killed” during the wars of Scottish Independence, McDonald said.  Because of that move, the McDonald clan became the most powerful clan in Scotland, and King Robert gave them the “honored position as first standard right [wing of the Scottish army.]” she said.  Knowing family history can be quite exciting, and there are even remnants of the powerful clan remaining in Scotland today.  McDonald said, “We have four castles still standing [in Scotland], and at one time [we had] 12 different castles.”  These crumbling artifacts are all that remain of the clan in Scotland now, but serve as a great reminder of history and its descendants, including Casey McDonald.

Mr. Kozlovich has also traced his roots back through the ages and has discovered many things.  “Like most U.S. citizens, I have many ethnic and national origins.  Russian, German, Swiss, French, Hungarian-pretty much every European group can be found if you go back far enough,” he said.  Being from the country nicknamed “The Melting Pot” because of the variety of people here definitely increases odds for a diverse lineage.  Kozlovich remembered that “the English ancestry was easiest because the records were available.  Some of my ancestors can be traced back to the original Thirteen Colonies-Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina-even one to Jamestown in 1619.”

After looking through the many branches of his ancestry, Kozlovich said he found “[that I was related to] Charlemagne and Thomas Jefferson-my students always get a kick out of that.”  Thomas Jefferson is a pretty well known figure in the founding of the country, but many people are not aware of who Charlemagne is.  Charlemagne was a great leader in ancient Europe’s past, and he was known as Emperor of Rome and King of the Franks.  The Frankish nation eventually diverged into the countries of Germany and France, and Charlemagne is recognized as the founder of both countries.  “[First of all], I think it’s important to acknowledge that being related to Charlemagne is not all that unique,” Kozlovich said. “He had four wives and some 20 known children.  When you consider that, there is a good chance that anyone with Indo-European ancestry probably has a common ancestor with Charlemagne.  My linkage comes by way of my maternal grandfather’s line-some of his ancestors go back to colonial Virginia, and some of those folks go back to English nobility.  Once you can trace yourself to nobility, you’ll find you have many famous ancestors.”

Before Kozlovich and McDonald found prominent members in their family tree, they were faced with the daunting task of mapping it.  Going back many generations isn’t easy, and sometimes, in McDonald’s case, multiple family members worked together.  “Our family paid a guy to help trace back our family in the 70’s,” she said.  “There are a lot of free websites out there that can help you link with other family trees.” Kozlovich said. “U.S. Census data was a big help.  All Census data before 1930 is now free and digitalized.”

While genealogy may seem challenging, it is worthwhile for learning about the past. Said Kozlovich, “[I pursue genealogy] because I guess it has something to do with my general fascination with history and the experiences of people who came before me.”  Picturing the wars, hardships, and diseases that ancestors have experienced is something that many people don’t usually put a perspective on. “Every life has a story, experiences that are unique to them.” Kozlovich said.  “Genealogy shows how we fit into that story.”  McDonald adds that “[We pursued genealogy because] we wanted to know where we came from, and who our family was.”

Kozlovich adds, “[Genealogy] is exciting.  Once you go back five or ten generations, you begin to realize how connected we all are.  Our common ancestors are everywhere.  The royalty stuff is kind of fun for conversation, but I don’t put too much stock in it, we are who we are.”