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Brooklyn Roads
02-27-2014, 02:43 AM
Okay, so I am a bit of a nerd in this department. But, I was curious of what his family heritage was. It's a passion of mine!

I read somewhere online that he is of German/Russian heritage. When I read that, I wondered, maybe I am related to him in a very distant way.

My family came from the Black Sea area of the Ukraine, in which they have referred them as "German's from Russia" because a great deal of Germans settled here in the late 1700's under Catherine the Great's rule; however, they always maintained their German identity until a lot of these colonies phased out after WWII (many were sent to Siberia or some returned to Germany or were displaced due to poverty - and some have remained, just barely, in Russia)

I came across something online that Meisner (originally Meissner) was one of the family's that inhabited the region that the German's from Russia came from. When a lot of these German's left Russia, they primarily settled in the mid-West. My family settled mostly in Wisconsin and the Dakotas.

It appears Meisner's great grandfather, Christian Meissner, came from a region known as Grimm, Russia, which was a settlement of Germans from Russia near the Volga River. I found the Meissner name on this list:

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/GRIMM/Residents.html (http://www.angelfire.com/ca/GRIMM/Residents.html)

His great grandmother's maiden name is also there (Zulauf). In 1908, byway of Glasgow, Scotland, his grandfather Alexander Meissner boarded the SS Columbia and landed in New York, most likely at Ellis Island. They lived in Colorado, but then moved to Nebraska to Scottsbluff. His son, Herman Miesner, lived and married there, and then had a son in 1946 named Randy Meisner.

I also found on Ancestry a few yearbook photos of Randy from 1961.

I swear, I am not a stalker!! I just love family history and I thought it would be cool to trace his, since I saw that we may have a connection with our family histories, in which we do! It's kinda neat!

Side Note: Meisner Name Meaning German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Meissner.

zeldabjr
02-27-2014, 02:54 AM
wow BR this is all very cool...I would love to do some looking into my own family...where do I start?...and yeah it's very interesting to think you might be a far distant relative of Herman's son Randy!!

Lamorna
02-27-2014, 03:00 AM
I love your post Brooklyn. One of my Grandfathers was born in the Ukraine and came to the UK when he was a boy. His name was also German in origin. As is my birth name. My other Grandparents were Polish and Russian. All escaped from persecution and settled here. Lots of my relations boarded ships to the USA. I have a copy of the passenger list with the names of my Grandparents' brothers and sisters who started life on Ellis Island. I know I should have been an American :)

So you do have a connection and so do I. I went to Ukraine last summer and found my Grandfather's village on the Black Sea on the Dnieper River near Kiev. I have been to Poland and found my Grandmother's birth place, near Krakow! I also went to Russia and found a village that one of my Grandparents came from. It had been drowned by Stalin to build a reservoir. The creepiest feeling cruising on a reservoir knowing a blood relation had been born there deep down under the surface.

Like you I love the heritage thing. As Randy got older you can see in photographs of him his Eastern European Slavic features are more pronounced. Perhaps this explains the tremendous appeal he has to many of us?

Brooklyn Roads
02-27-2014, 03:02 AM
wow BR this is all very cool...I would love to do some looking into my own family...where do I start?...and yeah it's very interesting to think you might be a far distant relative of Herman's son Randy!!

No problem!! I just love history, and people and so when those two collide - family history comes very naturally to me. :)

Where do you start? Hmmm, I'd start on Ancestry.com. It used to be very limited on there, but over the last few years and many years of people making trees, you find connections very easily - at least going back several generations, thanks to US Census', Immigrant records and birth/death records, military records and marriage records, etc.

I guess I like the mystery of it and trying to solve it, too! Let me know if you need any help! I have a special knack for it and would love to help others find their history, too! Good Luck!

zeldabjr
02-27-2014, 03:13 AM
thanks BR!!!

Brooklyn Roads
02-28-2014, 02:46 AM
I love your post Brooklyn. One of my Grandfathers was born in the Ukraine and came to the UK when he was a boy. His name was also German in origin. As is my birth name. My other Grandparents were Polish and Russian. All escaped from persecution and settled here. Lots of my relations boarded ships to the USA. I have a copy of the passenger list with the names of my Grandparents' brothers and sisters who started life on Ellis Island. I know I should have been an American :)

So you do have a connection and so do I. I went to Ukraine last summer and found my Grandfather's village on the Black Sea on the Dnieper River near Kiev. I have been to Poland and found my Grandmother's birth place, near Krakow! I also went to Russia and found a village that one of my Grandparents came from. It had been drowned by Stalin to build a reservoir. The creepiest feeling cruising on a reservoir knowing a blood relation had been born there deep down under the surface.

Like you I love the heritage thing. As Randy got older you can see in photographs of him his Eastern European Slavic features are more pronounced. Perhaps this explains the tremendous appeal he has to many of us?Seems like a small world when we get on these message boards and make these connections!!

It would be a dream for me to visit our ancestor's homeland. That had to be such an engrossing experience! It's so neat to know there are some "Germans from Russia" in England, too!! It seems we spread all over just to escape the terrible conditions our ancestors lived in. I noticed a map actually shows two different routes the Germans came through and one route actually went right through Krakow. I wonder if that's how you got your Polish in you!?

hehe, part of me feels very British, lol Maybe we should trade places, then you'd be only 400 miles from Randy if you did!! I actually was just in L.A. last October and drove not that far from where it appears he lives (Studio City). Just to think the number of times I've been down there and how close I was each time!! Argh! Anyway, that's a subject in itself!

So cool to meet fellow Germans from Russia "cousins" :) We are a unique breed and it's so cool we have such a famous one to represent us! (a few other famous ones are Lawrence Welk, John Denver and Angie Dickinson)

Lamorna
02-28-2014, 03:28 AM
Lamorna, seems like a small world when we get on these message boards and make these connections!!

It would be a dream for me to visit our ancestor's homeland. That had to be such an engrossing experience! It's so neat to know there are some "Germans from Russia" in England, too!! It seems we spread all over just to escape the terrible conditions our ancestors lived in. I noticed a map actually shows two different routes the Germans came through and one route actually went right through Krakow. I wonder if that's how you got your Polish in you!?

hehe, part of me feels very British, lol Maybe we should trade places, then you'd be only 400 miles from Randy if you did!! I actually was just in L.A. last October and drove not that far from where it appears he lives (Studio City). Just to think the number of times I've been down there and how close I was each time!! Argh! Anyway, that's a subject in itself!

So cool to meet fellow Germans from Russia "cousins" :) We are a unique breed and it's so cool we have such a famous one to represent us! (a few other famous ones are Lawrence Welk, John Denver and Angie Dickinson)

All my 'German' Grandparents from Russia, Poland and Ukraine never met and married each other until they settled in London as youngsters. Their families were all so brave to leave everything they had behind them. They arrived in America and the UK with no money, no belongings and no language. But they were safe! We have reason to be proud of them.

Hopefully, when Ukraine settles again from the terrible problems they are having at the moment, you will visit the Black Sea and find your 'Germans from Russia' roots. It is a beautiful country with so much history and culture. Good Strudel and good Vodka! Your heritage is everywhere.

I found out names of towns and villages where they were all born from my Aunties and Uncles and was able to combine my trips to include finding their birthplaces. Did you know that Randy's Mother was born on board the ship sailing from Germany to America in 1911? How amazing is that? To be born at sea!

Four hundred miles is too far away from Randy! Four hundred yards would do it for me!

Another is Jon Voight who had German and Hungarian Grandparents and if you look at a recent photo of Jon Voight he and Randy look very similar.

Lamorna
03-04-2014, 05:03 AM
I am very partial to Leonardo DiCaprio as he gets older and extremely handsome. My sort of male face!

Anyway, his four Grandparents are German from Russia, German Bavarian, German and Italian. The Italian Grandfather is where he gets his name.

What a genetic combination. More good company for Randy's heritage.

If I was young and single I'd get myself to America and find myself a German from Russia!!! :x

Brooklyn Roads
03-04-2014, 05:16 PM
All my 'German' Grandparents from Russia, Poland and Ukraine never met and married each other until they settled in London as youngsters. Their families were all so brave to leave everything they had behind them. They arrived in America and the UK with no money, no belongings and no language. But they were safe! We have reason to be proud of them.

Hopefully, when Ukraine settles again from the terrible problems they are having at the moment, you will visit the Black Sea and find your 'Germans from Russia' roots. It is a beautiful country with so much history and culture. Good Strudel and good Vodka! Your heritage is everywhere.

I found out names of towns and villages where they were all born from my Aunties and Uncles and was able to combine my trips to include finding their birthplaces. Did you know that Randy's Mother was born on board the ship sailing from Germany to America in 1911? How amazing is that? To be born at sea!

Four hundred miles is too far away from Randy! Four hundred yards would do it for me!

Another is Jon Voight who had German and Hungarian Grandparents and if you look at a recent photo of Jon Voight he and Randy look very similar.

You are very right!! I would love to write a book someday about this group of people as they are not known by many unless you're from that particular "tribe." My family did the same - left Russia with very little. One of my ancestors (my great, great, great grandfather left with his wife and son - my great, great grandfather - who was only 6 months old, on the Leipzig ship, leaving from Hamburg and arriving in Baltimore in 1874 - They later settled in the Dakotas)

I actually was heavily considering taking a trip with some fellow German from Russia group in North Dakota in May, however, I have a feeling they may cancel this trip due to the upheaval in the Ukraine at the moment. It just seems way too risky. But, such a shame!

I noticed that about Randy's mother being born on the ship!! What an amazing journey and thank God she made it alive and safe - the conditions on those ships were terrible, to say the least! She survived to give the world Randy ;)

Hehe, I may have been within a few miles of Randy during my recent trips to LA. But, in LA, you're generally walking among celebrities! lol Heck when I was at Disneyland awhile back, supposedly Katy Perry was there at the same time. Small world!

Lamorna, you need to come to California ;)

Brooklyn Roads
03-04-2014, 05:19 PM
I am very partial to Leonardo DiCaprio as he gets older and extremely handsome. My sort of male face!

Anyway, his four Grandparents are German from Russia, German Bavarian, German and Italian. The Italian Grandfather is where he gets his name.

What a genetic combination. More good company for Randy's heritage.

If I was young and single I'd get myself to America and find myself a German from Russia!!! :x

Wow, I had no idea Leonardo was one of "us" That is SO cool!! I def. see more German influence in him than Italian. He looks a lot like my Grandma's siblings when they were young.

And, I do see the resemblance between Randy and Jon Voight - does this mean we're related to Angelina Jolie, lol Wow! We've got a good looking group here! :thumbsup:

Lamorna
03-05-2014, 06:37 AM
Lamorna, You are very right!! I would love to write a book someday about this group of people as they are not known by many unless you're from that particular "tribe." My family did the same - left Russia with very little. One of my ancestors (my great, great, great grandfather left with his wife and son - my great, great grandfather - who was only 6 months old, on the Leipzig ship, leaving from Hamburg and arriving in Baltimore in 1874 - They later settled in the Dakotas)

I actually was heavily considering taking a trip with some fellow German from Russia group in North Dakota in May, however, I have a feeling they may cancel this trip due to the upheaval in the Ukraine at the moment. It just seems way too risky. But, such a shame!

I noticed that about Randy's mother being born on the ship!! What an amazing journey and thank God she made it alive and safe - the conditions on those ships were terrible, to say the least! She survived to give the world Randy ;)

Hehe, I may have been within a few miles of Randy during my recent trips to LA. But, in LA, you're generally walking among celebrities! lol Heck when I was at Disneyland awhile back, supposedly Katy Perry was there at the same time. Small world!

Lamorna, you need to come to California ;)

Brooklyn, I've been to California on a self-drive holiday and had a brilliant trip but I wasn't looking for Randy then! Just as well because I wouldn't have done all the other exciting things tourists do if I was hanging around LA hoping for a glimpse of him.

Last year in Ukraine over 80% of the passengers on the trip were Americans with Germans from Russia roots. All of them had Ukrainian grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers and were cruising from Odessa to Kiev to discover their heritage. It was a small ship with around 140 passengers so we all got to know each other well. They were from all over America with a single purpose.

They were great fun and we all felt connected. Shame it is impossible to go there at the moment. But you have time and one day you will go.

Yes, we are related to Angelina! Your avatar looks like you could be :applause:

Brooklyn Roads
03-05-2014, 05:38 PM
Brooklyn, I've been to California on a self-drive holiday and had a brilliant trip but I wasn't looking for Randy then! Just as well because I wouldn't have done all the other exciting things tourists do if I was hanging around LA hoping for a glimpse of him.

Last year in Ukraine over 80% of the passengers on the trip were Americans with Germans from Russia roots. All of them had Ukrainian grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers and were cruising from Odessa to Kiev to discover their heritage. It was a small ship with around 140 passengers so we all got to know each other well. They were from all over America with a single purpose.

They were great fun and we all felt connected. Shame it is impossible to go there at the moment. But you have time and one day you will go.

Yes, we are related to Angelina! Your avatar looks like you could be :applause:

Yes, I do remember making a mention of a LA trip. Sorry! Well, in actuality, what I really meant is, you need to come back to California, and not just for the possibility of catching sight of him, but for more obvious reasons - because California is an awesome state :thumbsup: Did you get to come up North at all?

It's so cool there are so many people who are very curious about their German from Russia heritage and are willing to make the trek. I look forward to it someday when things have calmed down a bit in the Ukraine. I also have a lot of other areas to cover, such as France, Hungary, Germany, England and Ireland.

Oh, what a wonderful compliment on the avatar. That beautiful lady is *sigh* not me, but a picture of the beautiful Vivien Leigh. However, if you click on my profile, you can see a picture of my Grandma with her nephew back in the 40's. She's a German from Russia.

BRD
03-06-2014, 01:20 PM
I love your avatar. Vivien Leigh was an amazing and beautiful actress.

Brooklyn Roads
03-06-2014, 04:45 PM
I love your avatar. Vivien Leigh was an amazing and beautiful actress.

Thank you, BRD!! She's one of my all time favorites :)

Lamorna
03-07-2014, 08:52 AM
Yes, I do remember making a mention of a LA trip. Sorry! Well, in actuality, what I really meant is, you need to come back to California, and not just for the possibility of catching sight of him, but for more obvious reasons - because California is an awesome state :thumbsup: Did you get to come up North at all?

It's so cool there are so many people who are very curious about their German from Russia heritage and are willing to make the trek. I look forward to it someday when things have calmed down a bit in the Ukraine. I also have a lot of other areas to cover, such as France, Hungary, Germany, England and Ireland.

Oh, what a wonderful compliment on the avatar. That beautiful lady is *sigh* not me, but a picture of the beautiful Vivien Leigh. However, if you click on my profile, you can see a picture of my Grandma with her nephew back in the 40's. She's a German from Russia.

If the Napa Valley, Mount Diablo and the Redwood State Parks are in North California then we did. We saw loads. We were based in San Francisco and drove to Monterey and Carmel and this included the Big Sur. When I got back to the UK I had to re-read Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' to round off the Monterey experience.

We went to a lot of live music gigs in San Francisco. Mainly on Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf. Different bands playing every night and great music. Just imagine if Randy had been around jamming with a live band!

Your Grandmother looks like lots of my female relations from that era. One lot of mine are dark haired and the other lot are blonde. Beautiful photo and thank you. And she looks like Vivien Leigh!

Brooklyn Roads
03-07-2014, 05:09 PM
If the Napa Valley, Mount Diablo and the Redwood State Parks are in North California then we did. We saw loads. We were based in San Francisco and drove to Monterey and Carmel and this included the Big Sur. When I got back to the UK I had to re-read Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' to round off the Monterey experience.

We went to a lot of live music gigs in San Francisco. Mainly on Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf. Different bands playing every night and great music. Just imagine if Randy had been around jamming with a live band!

Your Grandmother looks like lots of my female relations from that era. One lot of mine are dark haired and the other lot are blonde. Beautiful photo and thank you. And she looks like Vivien Leigh!

Wow, yes, you were most definitely in NorCal! I actually live right next to Mt. Diablo, so it was cool to see you mention that, as it's not a widely known mountain outside of California. Carmel and Monterey are beautiful and the Cannery Row experience is fun. John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors; I guess that comes naturally since I'm a Californian, but his work speaks to all people, which I love about him.

San Francisco has great live entertainment. I bet that was a lot of fun! Oh, what a dream that would have been if Randy was one of those Pier 39 performers! :)

Wow, so interesting. Someday we'll have to compare photos. It's funny you mention my Grandma looking like Vivien Leigh, as Gone with the Wind was one of her favorite movies as a child. I think she could relate to her. And, my Grandma is feisty, like Scarlett O'Hara.

BY the way, I can't get enough of your Randy .gif Avatar. It is so cute of him dancing!

BRD
03-07-2014, 06:42 PM
I have been on this same trip also. Flew to San Francisco, went to Pier 39, Alcatraz, Muir Woods and then down to Monterey. My husband played golf at Pebble Beach. He was in heaven. The drive from San Francisco to Monterey is just incredible. Stopped at a few wineries on the way. Wonderful trip.

Brooklyn Roads
03-11-2014, 02:32 AM
I have been on this same trip also. Flew to San Francisco, went to Pier 39, Alcatraz, Muir Woods and then down to Monterey. My husband played golf at Pebble Beach. He was in heaven. The drive from San Francisco to Monterey is just incredible. Stopped at a few wineries on the way. Wonderful trip.

BRD, it is quite a lovely place to live, that I forget sometimes what it must feel like for out of towners to take it all in. Pebble beach is beautiful and pristine and full of Monterey cypresses. California is great and I appreciate it more and more every time I come back from being away for awhile. There's nothing quite like home! :)

Lamorna
03-12-2014, 03:29 AM
BY the way, I can't get enough of your Randy .gif Avatar. It is so cute of him dancing!

Randy without his guitar and doing his 'Dad Dancing Badly at a Wedding' creases me up! With his German from Russia heritage maybe he has this dancing gene in his blood? Although I can't really see Randy flinging himself about like that :hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRjBbWszsk

Lamorna
03-19-2014, 05:25 AM
Watch this to see how some of our European families, including Randy's, ended up being 'Russian' losing their identity along the way. It is incredible.

http://loiter.co/v/watch-as-1000years-of-european-boarders-change/

Brooklyn Roads
03-19-2014, 03:58 PM
Randy without his guitar and doing his 'Dad Dancing Badly at a Wedding' creases me up! With his German from Russia heritage maybe he has this dancing gene in his blood? Although I can't really see Randy flinging himself about like that :hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRjBbWszsk

So true!! Maybe he has some internal need to dance in that matter, like his ancestors, but it doesn't come off the same way!

The more I watch Randy in videos and in interviews (far and few between), I can tell he's playful, very shy, and an amiable kind of personality. He doesn't have any aggression in the way he talks. Maybe that's why I like him, too. He just seems like a very easygoing personality.

I need to watch this when I get home tonight (I would right now if I had headphones here at work!!)

Brooklyn Roads
03-19-2014, 04:00 PM
Watch this to see how some of our European families, including Randy's, ended up being 'Russian' losing their identity along the way. It is incredible.

http://loiter.co/v/watch-as-1000years-of-european-boarders-change/

I've got to check this out when I get home, too. I am always searching for videos and docs involving our ancestors and it can be difficult. Thanks for finding this gem! :)

Brooklyn Roads
04-19-2014, 11:38 AM
And she was married to one of my all time favorites, Laurence Olivier. So young and wonderful in Wuthering Heights and so evil in Marathon Man. And who could forget our Scarlett.

I realize I did not respond to this! Yes, I LOVE "Wuthering Heights" with Merle Oberon and Olivier. Perfect together. Olivier is so nice to look at, even in later roles such as "Marathon Man." I loved him in "Sleuth," too. You get two great looking men - Michael Caine and Olivier for the entire movie!

It was Vivien's role in GWTW that had me so curious about her and her fragile beauty. I have read many books about her, the movie, etc. I even have a few of Vivien's signatures, newspaper clippings from 1939-1940 and one of the original play books from when GWTW first premiered. It's obvious I've been a fan for a long time!