"My story began in Winthrop Harbor Illinois, the farthest northern Chicago suburb and the home of the North Pointe Marina, the largest marina on the Great Lakes. It was so much fun to grown up on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Who I was and where I came from was pretty important to our family. When my dad Charlie, was in World War II, and he served everywhere...from North Africa, to Sicily, to Italy, France and Germany, he became very interested in the history of our family. He had always heard, both from family members and the large collection of Family Bibles, that our people came into Charleston South Carolina from Ireland. Being stationed in Europe, the idea of people , desperate for a better life and wanting to come to America, became very real to him.
A few years ago, my oldest son Tim studies for a while in Ireland. Getting to visit him there was one of the high points of my life. He was doing well, enjoying studying in the country and really was thrilled when we flew over to visit him and enjoy our first trip to the Emerald Isle. Driving through the Irish countryside, Dublin and along the southern coast was a surreal experience for me. I truly felt totally at home and fell in love with both the country and it's people.
A few months ago, photographer Steve Rhodes and I did our pre-trip in England before the Royal Wedding to do stories for our week long broadcast from Windsor and London. Again...driving along the English countryside, especially the Cotswolds region and near Stonehenge, I had the overwhelming feeling that this felt like home. I already knew my 23 and Me results then and while we traveled much of that great nation, I wondered if my relatives had been here, walked these roads, farmed this ground.
My wife had ordered this genealogy report for me about a year ago and even though I wasn't looking forward to it, I am glad we pursued it. I was afraid I would be disappointed...that everything I had been told about my heritage was not true. It was awesome and wonderful to find just the opposite...that everything I had been told was true!" - Chuck Lofton