My father’s father was born in England, circa 1870. My mother’s parents were both born in the Azores, 1900-1910. All immigrated as teens/young adults.
Ref the quibbling …
Recently in *generations *is very different from recently in years. I’m not sure I’d use the term “recent” to describe measuring distance in generations.
e.g. I have one grandparent who was in immigrant. Born in 1902 he arrived here in 1910 at age 8. All my other grandparents were native-born US.
That’s quite different from a doper who’s now 20 and has 1 immigrant grandparent who arrived in, say, 1978 carrying the Doper’s then-eight-year old father.
Both distance in generations and distance in time are interesting questions. But depending on what you were really interested in learning or speculating about, one or the other might be much more informative.
So far the most recent I’ve found is my great-great-great grandfather on my mom’s side; he came from Ireland around 1830ish.
My ancestors were early adopters.
Not to start an argument, but it seems like the same thing. Each side of the family is different, of course. The Mayflower IS the most recent immigrant on one side. The 1800s are the most recent on the other. Perhaps I’m not really understanding what you’re after.
My Grandmother came over in 1905, she was the most recent immigrant. But one umpty-great grandparent pair came over in 1630.
My family has five generations in the USA - more generations than a lot of Americans. Yet I answered that at least one of my grandparents were born outside of the USA.
So what does it mean that my grandfather, who was also born here, married my grandmother who is from the old country? Same thing with my great grandfather and my great-great grandfather and my great-great-great grandfather. Does it mean my family is less american? Does it mean that we have not been here as long as others simply because they paired with someone born elsewhere?
No disrepect intended to the OP and author of the poll, but in my opinion the poll is structured in a manner that can skew the statistics.
I just got here a few years ago. But I’m from Canada, that barely counts. 
I find it much more intesting to match the country with the immigration and look at the patterns. For the most recent immigrant ancestor prior to ego:
Wales > US, more than 10 generations (presumed from surnames)
Scotland > US, more than 10 generations (presumed from surnames)
England > US, 7 generations
Germany> US, 7 generations
Ireland > US, 7 generations
Switzerland > US, 6 generations
Sweden > US, 5 generations
Italy > US, 3 generations
Canada > US, 1 generation
England > Canada, 5 generations
Ireland > Canada, 5 generations
Scotland > Canada, 5 generations
(Sweden) > US > Canada, 3 generations [Swedish-speaking child of Swedish immigrants]
Germany > Canada 3 generations
That’s okay, I’m not understanding what you’re not understanding.
I was working today on a U.S. history lesson about the experience of the people who immigrated to the U.S. around the turn of the last century. I thought “my grandparents were among those people.” I started wondering how close to the immigrant experience most people were, looking at whichever side is closer to that experience.
Thus, how many generations ago did your most recent forbear to come to the U.S., come to the U.S.?
The fact that one or more other branches of your family got here earlier is not of direct interest to what I was thinking about.
Does that help?
I voted “longer ago than great great grandparents” with the understanding that some of them migrated back and forth to Ontario during the 1860’s.
Gotcha. In that case, great grandfather in 1842 is the correct answer. What do I win?
Interesting. I wouldn’t’ve expected a fifth of us to be DAR-eligible on both sides.
Don’t you have actually identify through documentation a revolutionary-era ancestor in order to be D.A.R.-eligible?
Yeah – so I guess we won’t be starting an SDMB chapter anytime soon.
Clarification questions:
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How are we defining “the U.S.”? Only the states + DC, or all US national territory where one can establish residence and birth citizenship applies to those born there?
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And in either of those cases, does that mean that definition as things stood on on the date of arrival, or does it count if after that it became so? Even if at the time they got there it wasn’t even US-ruled yet? (IOW how about people who can say, we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us: what category are they?)
Do Puerto Ricans have the right to travel freely throughout the United States? If so, that combined with citizenship … I would say Puerto Rico should count. Don’t know about the other overseas possessions.
I’m thinking mostly about the immigrant experience – so, yeah, it’s about the 50 states and DC. (Someone coming from Guam would experience culture shock upon moving to the mainland.)
For the example of the border moving, like in Texas – go by when the ancestor moved to the area in North America from Europe, not by the date when Texas became a state.
On my mother’s side, my great-grandparents were born in Ireland and immigrated in the 1870s. On my father’s side, the immigrants were my great-great-grandparents (or earlier) and came in the 1850s or 1860s.
Both of my mother’s grandparents came from what at the time was Poland. My dad’s family, typical Southerners and no idea when they showed up.
My parents came over on [del]The Mayflower[/del] Virgin Atlantic.
I’m a first generation immigrant. I moved here with my mother just shy of my 14th birthday, so I’ve now been here for just over half my life.