Me: I’M FROM THIS TOWN 200 YEARS AGO Them: ….ok

Hey Damon, my boyfriend is a French history major who specializes in genealogy and after watching this video together he explained to me that most of the people who moved to America from France did so not because they were poor and looking for more financial opportunities, but because they had middle class to wealthy families that were running out of land to give to their descendants so the families would pay for and support their voyage. It sounds like Xavier wasn’t abandoning his family by leaving but was probably very supported and in contact with them. Something more to look into 😊

Damon’s face when he realized if he was straight he would have kids all over the world has me rolling

Does anyone else get like an “international traveler meets Bill Nye” kind of vibe from these mini-docs? I feel like I’m watching Damon hop around the world like Mrs. Frizzle on the magic school bus

damon + quarantine >>>>> an elite combination.

I don't know why I thought he was speaking to the cat😂💀

This is so beautiful! Definitely makes me want to trace my ancestry back to wherever we came from

Damon out there trying to make us believe he all French n stuff, connecting with his French roots, promoting French culture, but now we know why it was so hard for him to get the visa... in reality he's a good ol' German boy! We need to see you in Berlin next Damon, it's like the capital of gay fun! Also as a non American watching this realising y'all are just selling us this idea of big cities when most of the US is just.. land.

Take a shot every time Damon says “back in the day”

"and btw... we are cousins" :D the best!

this is so special, i feel like as americans we are so detached from our individual heritage. my grandparents came from sicily and i visited their town a few months back and it felt strange to be in the town where my family likely lived for centuries, yet as a foreigner.

I was tearing up a little cause I literally can’t do this, but this was fun to watch.

Wow damon really has a way with people like he strikes up the sweetest convo with literally anyone

This reminds me of our Year 6/7 genealogy project our history teacher made us do. I'm African and many of us (unless descended from royalty of some sort and even then...) are unable to trace our lineage further than 3 or 4 generations. There I was presenting my project with only my grandparents from both my parents' sides while the other kids (of which 98% were of European descent) had old photographs of their predecessors from the early 1800s showing maps of old properties they owned and wartime achievements they were awarded. I felt as though my history was extremely insignificant. At that age especially, any and everything can make you insecure. Fast forward into my teens and we took a trip upcountry to where my Mum's family comes from. We're filling up our car with petrol and buying snacks at the small kiosk and an old man strikes up a conversation with us. Turns out our families have been neighbours for generations and he took time out of his day to explain to me more about our culture including traditional ceremonies and even our history of tattoos and body modification. That's when it hit me. Most people from other places have to travel hundreds to thousands of kilometres to take an adventure into their past and while that is exciting, driving for four hours and sharing a spiced tea with an old man who reveals to you in detail the magic of a history you were convinced never existed is something else entirely. The pure serendipity of it. Neither experience can trump the other because everyone's history means something to someone and no two are the same.

why am i surprised damon comes from alsace-lorraine of course he does we have the oldest living twinks in france

Honestly when i was watching this it felt like you were transported to the past by seeing the houses and speaking to the people in the town. And then when you got on the bus and scanned the QR code I was like ok back to reality 😂

Damon I loved this so so much. It was so interesting seeing you go on this journey and seeing your history from so far back!! As an African-american it made me just a tad bit sad only cause I'm not so sure how much i could find out lmaooo and if I did chile I'm not so sure it'd make me that happy 💀 it was so great to see you do this though. just how you inspired me before I started taking my content seriously, you're inspiring me now to get back to what I really love about filming and creating: storytelling, cinematography blah blah all that just really speaks to me and what i love to do. been having a hard time navigating my art and journey and you always help me. thanks for that.

The people in the French village will still talk about "that guy from America" in 20 years....

“are we really just the results of past generations actions”, that really made me think lmao. loved the video man!!

As an introvert I am amazed as how sociable Damon is every time I watch his videos

The strange thing is we never met these ancestors yet we develop love for them as soon as we find out about them .

Did anyone notice the goat cheese sign said “ici”, meaning here, right? It looks like the name of that bar in Ohio Ickey’s... lol maybe I’m reading too much into this but it seems like a sign that you’re always “here” no matter where you are

This was so interesting to see for me because I'm Italian and I've lived in Italy for my whole life, I was born and raised in Florence and my surname is very typical of my region. I did a little bit of researches and I discovered that my father's family lived in Tuscany for many centuries. This makes me feel so attached to this land and I know in my heart that even if I will probably move soon and I'm already studying in uni in another city I will never be able to detach from Tuscany and from its people. Americans don't really get to experience this because they are more attached to their country than to the land, while for me, I feel I belong to this region more than I belong to Italy all together. It was so cool to see a completely different experience of what genealogy and ancestors are and I almost got emotional when you went where your ancestors grew up because I felt it was such and intimate moment for you. Amazing content as usual !

I am litteraly QUAKING I am BORN in Belfort, grew up in a little town litteraly at the Switzerland border and I'm currently studying in Besançon. This is pretty much France's country side never would I ever have imagined your ancestors are from there! Alsace is also really near (as you can imagine) It's actually bordered with Germany and was at some point an actual german area. Well I think It's fair you describe yourself as an Alsacien and Franc-comtois ;)

Since you have documented your heritage, you should go back and see if there is a 'livre de famille' for any of your past french family. Why this is important, this could aid you in gaining your French citizenship. No, it's not cut a dry process but if grandmother or other directly related family members kept their French citizenship. Yes, it's complicated but while it may be true that your parents may not be french (by citizenship) but you could request a court hearing to argue because since your family is French and have proof; and by no fault of your own you were born in the States, that you speak french, you live in France that you wish to be a citizen of France and contribute to France. I've read there have been situations where citizenship was granted. But take all of this with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary - even if you go thanks but I'm fine the way I am. I'll still keep watching your videos. Just trying to be helpful - Bisou, À toute à l'heure!

Y'ALL THIS IS SO GREAT MAKES ME WANT TO TRACE MY ANCESTORS TOO

you're one of the only you tubers I watch anymore, PLEASE never stop making videos like these! they're fun and educational and inspiring!

Damn your documentaries are delightful

I love how you acknowledge the importance of your female ancestors as well.

Omg French country people are the sweetest... 💞💞💞

Damon uploading is the only thing keeping me sane rn

This is precious. As a black girl I knew 7 of my blood grandparents and lost my last one this yr. I know of grandparents that were Creek Indigenous, Irish, Belize, Honduras, Spain and last but not least Africa/America via slavory. I can trace back 2 greats on fathers side because I knew them personally and knew of 2 greats on mothers side but only knew 1 great personally ,mothers side.

And from now on, he shall be called Damon-ickey.

The wind scene at the end LOL Almost all my male ancestors had the name François as well, SUPER FRENCH

25:18 I found this after a little research on the internet : "Housieur, euse, s (celui ou celle qui housse.) Sweeper " [Dictionnaire royal françois anglois et anglois-françois, en abrégé, Volume 1 , 1768, p.261] I wonder if the word "Hoosier" might come from some penniless french migrants who had to offer their service as "housieurs" (crossing sweepers?) to subsist in the United States during the 19th century?

When travelling through regions bordering the Mississippi, I punctually heard one same commentary. At that time, I interpreted it solely around the state of Louisiana. But one pushing the boundaries of my travels, stopping at places such as Terre Haute, Indiana, or discovering Saint Louis (MO), where in 1764, during the reign of Louis XV, Pierre Laclède, a merchant in skins, settled here, and founded one of the first colonies in the Mississippi Valley, which he named St Louis in memory of Louis IX, King of France, it dawned on me that during the first decades of its existence, that city was populated by a majority of French, which did not fail to definitively influence its character. It was then part of the immense "Louisiana" sold by the Consul of France Napoleon Bonaparte to America in April 1803 (The Louisiana Purchase), it confirmed that commentary: The French, from agricultural areas, were incentivised to immigrate to the USA...Most likely reason, on the road to the West, immigrants from France were not only praised for having superior agricultural competencies over the English and the Irish, but also were strongly opposed to plow the land using slavery, which were extensively used in the South but also met a growing opposition in the northern states. Multiple demographic and cultural influences thus implanted on a land that had already been marked for millennia by the presence of native populations. If one factors in the dates your family timeline 'explores', it is evident that all such data plots around that period, which grew toward the secession war. It is only after 1859 or so that French immigration into Missouri was overtaken by that of the Germans, and the Irish. This of course coincides with an economy that switched considerably to industrialization and where the hands at work came from economies reputed for their greater skills in manufactured goods. Also, by now, the 'Germanisation' of America, had taken the time to pick-up on French agricultural savoir faire, which in the Midwest, saw the richer French-American agriculturists head toward California, where they became strong players in the wine industry... I am not suggesting to be 100% correct but I find your 'Research' to have some interesting coincidences with the above. Love your blog/vlog!

yayy another documentary!! please do it more often!

I'm french and I come from Alsace ! From Strasbourg to be exact ! I think this video is so interesting ! I hope you have the chance to visit this city one day, it is really beautiful ! :D

wow this is the content i never knew i needed

I tried searching for my families origins. My father's family were Dravidians who came to Garhwal(lower Himalayas) from Tamil Nadu in South India about 300 ago and my mother's family were probably Aryans from western india who settled in the region. Crazy world we live in. But it's also really fun to go searching and hunting about things no one's ever bothered to wonder about.

Damn, 30 minutes flew by so fast. I'm living for this creative content! Glad you had the courage to edit the vid. Longue vie aux Dominiques ! 😋 take care xx

most of my family is from ireland (but came to the US in the late 1800s) and my uncle did a bunch of research like this and ended up posting a picture of our great great grandfather in a facebook group where he found someone living in ireland with the same great great grandfather. When he went to visit our newfound irish cousins ended up driving him up and down the coast. crazy how connections happen!

Omg! This is so interesting! I'm french canadian (from Québec) and my aunt did this research on our family going back to France in the 1600! My ancestors moved to Canada in 1696.

i appreciate how Damon wasn’t in everyone’s face about his knowledge of French

watching this from quarantine is making me so happy bc I can’t leave the house for another 6 weeks

Yes Damon! The videos not sitting in your *hard drive* now!

I've always been fascinated in genealogy. Sadly, my family is as average as you can get. They're all Spanish born and raised, so I think if I decided to investigate I'd be setting myself up for disappointment 😂 Absolutely loved this though, agh - so cool!

this is crazy, I’m from Besancon and my whole family’s from Belfort, je suis sûr qu’on a du sang en commun 😁

Wow just realised the Thompson, Johnson, Jackson etc surnames derive from being Tom’s son, John’s son and Jack’s son etc. 🤯🤣

BACK IN THE DAY

My family is from Jamaica and it's so hard to do things like this because no one really kept records back then unless they were from Europe coming to Jamaica or affiliated with Europe by military. Awe I'm happy you got to trace where your French side was from! Love your videos!

ugh Damon outchea living his past, living his present, and living his future

Here's a little more food for thought. People that traversed to America had a high tendency to marry within cousins, but lets be real, they also did it overseas as well before coming to America. So, when you said your DNA may be diluted down, likelihood is, it's not as diluted as you believe it to be. I'm having a hell of a time researching my own ancestors to be honest. I know that I have a little bit of French but I have no idea where because it is such a common name, Barnett. But, a large percentage of me is German and Welsh as well. However, I just had my grandmother's identical twin sister (my great Aunt) take a DNA test and it came back we're a high percentage Mongolian. I can't even put a toe outside my door without getting a massive sunburn. I'm as fair skinned as can be, so I'm looking at myself and going...where?! So, I'm with you on this search. It's why I pulled up your channel.

i've always been really curious about my family history origins and seeing you talk to everyone in that little village in french made me realize i probably would have to learn my native language (tagalog) if i were to ever go back and explore. it's something i've always wanted to learn .. so maybe i've found a new motivation :)

You are truly blessed to have family that were able to keep names of your family. This is a blessing

Literally did something like this back in November. My mom and I have been looking for our Spanish (Galician) ancestor's birthplace for years and then come to find out my aunt found another one of our ancestors.... from the Italian side. And it just so happened that he was from the Amalfi coast!! (which I had just visited a few months prior without knowing this info!). went to his town and got the "official" birth certificate (from the 1830s also coincidentally) and now my mom is in the process of becoming an Italian citizen! :) P.s. my family and I are from Argentina but moved to the states when I was 6. crazy small world. and what's even funnier? Italy looks SO MUCH like Buenos Aires, Argentina. I guess our ancestors were fed up with their own native lands but missed it enough to replicate the architecture and style, while also keeping the cultures and traditions.

I have to say this is one of the most interesting videos you have come out with!! I'm so excited for you to have learned this history about yourself!

I love The creativity you put into your channel! Also this is so cool I’d love to do it for my italian ancestors. Love you Damon! Stay safe

Ohmygod my French American grandma is from Fort Wayne! Her parents came here from Paris when she was a baby.

I've traced some of my ancestors back to various towns in Vosges, Lorraine, France. I would love to be able to see where they came from someday!

I've been working on my family's history for years now too! In my case, it all started when we found old letters at home (we live in the house that has been from the family since the 1850s, when it was built). A few years ago, I managed to get my granfather's military documents and we were blown away! I found a whole new side to his personal story that no one knew about. He was imprisoned! I need to translate his letter, though, because they are in French. I really need to finish my research. Thanks for the video! Edit: may I add that I'm from Spain but my family has been all over the Mediterranean bc we cannot stay in one place.

You interacting with the folks in the small French town had me grinning!

Such a great idea, love it!

This was AMAZING 👏🏼

Yassss another documentary

Wow! This is iconic!! I’ve always wanted to do this 🤗

Very inspiring! Great job Damon!

loved the video!

I love the content that you’re creating Damon. It’s soo good !!!!

This was so well done Damon, what a wonderful experience for you!

THIS IS SO GOOOOOOD!!

Fascinating! Thank you!

I love Damon and I'm so happy he exists

this is such a cute and wholesome video

omg this was so fun to watch !

this is so well made!

YESSS this is just what I need in my self isolation ! Thanks Damon 😎

Hi, how funny that that ! I follow you for years and today I discover we come from the same place !! I am French and iam from just beside Belfort Anyway, good video like always 😚🌟

coming through w the content AS ALWAYS!!! i loved it

You made my day Damon 💛

I’m ready for this

Every video you post is a serve. Get it, boo!

Amazing work Damon 👏👏

this is honestly amazing. thank you for sharing this with us!

was expecting you to upload this in two parts so you can get more revenue (and we want you to!!) 🥺 but you still really did it all in one video god we really don't deserve you

Damon, I was born and raised in Georgia, USA. I've never felt like I belonged in the US. I've always felt European specifically French. Last year, I sold everything and moved to France. Just because we're born somewhere doesn't mean we have to stay there. We as humans have free will to change our story or history as we like. I also believe in reincarnation and I just like to say I'm back home now. Maybe the same is true for you. Embrace it, live it, love it and never feel guilty about it. This is your life.

Another great video!

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Damon!You are such an enchanting storyteller!I love how you blend this whole genealogy quest with with diligent research and humor.You have such a profound respect for family.You're an innovative filmmaker with your use of hip hop to whimsical filler music,I adore all your work.I must confess that I long for an OG Damon & Jo adventure once we emerge for this insane and terrifying worldwide scenario.Merci Damon,tu est vraiment magnifique!!♡Bisous,,bjs MwF

Ce mini-doc m'a tellement plu. Je voudrais apprendre plus de mon ascendance, mais mes parents viennent de l'Équateur et de la République dominicaine, alors il faudrait que j'y aille pour trouver des documents, etc. de mes ancêtres. Can we just take a moment to talk about how I just wrote all of this bc im not in class atm (thanks corona) and wanted to use my french at least once.

Great content!

Absolutely amazing & amusing!

Wow, my French family came from Geüs-d'Oloron and Aydius, with lots of ladies who also don't have much writing about them coming from similar places and even one from Bordeaux- and I've always said to my siblings "let's go there!" But I'm the most enthusiastic. Strangely, I've always been obsessed with Germany, not France, and am moving to Germany in September 😂 (Also- the family name I traced was Ichante, and literally on the Wikipedia for Aydius, there's a forest called Ichante 🙈)

i get wes anderson vibes from your videos.. this is gold gold gold content. thank you for being authenthic and real ang bringing INTERESTING topics to the mainstream sending hugs

This is so cool Damon!

Loved this one! Awesome job Damon, really interesting

I loved watching this video as you explored more of your “Dominique” heritage. Can you make this a 4 part series where you research and travel to the cities/ counties of your other ancestors with the other last names in your genealogy? That would be fascinating (when the global pandemic ends of course)! 😊 #stayhome

12:12 damon you were serving military realness!!😭

this is such a great video!!!