I had always wondered my family's heritage on my father's side of the family. At first glance, my father's mother, my grandmother might appear to many as just another Caucasian woman with light-colored skin; nothing special, right? Well, no. She is not just "white"; her family, my family, is a mixture of different unique cultures and ethnicities that has defined us throughout the generations, since before our great country of the United States of America was founded. The object I choose for "Your Story, Our Story" is the very thing that tells my family's story: The Abernethy Clan. It was because of this book that my family and I learned more about our ancestry, and where we came from. One of my late relatives, who fought in World War II, found out while in Germany that we had family roots set up there from generations ago. From there his curiosity and drive to discover more about our family lineage set him on a journey, which eventually led him to write a book about it. This book is worth more than gold to my family; it's priceless. What I learned from reading this book made me appreciate and value my family’s history in so many ways. Now I understand where our drive for creativity, hard work, and serving others came from; it was literally passed down from generation to generation.  I would love to write about all the things my late great, great ancestors did and accomplished while overseas in Germany, Italy, Scotland and eventually here in the States, but that will stay within the pages of this book. I am glad to be a part of this family and am proud to call this My Story. 

– Jessica Lopez

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more