Like many other family historians, my interest in learning about my family began in earnest after the birth of my son. His baby book had a mini-family tree, and I quickly realized I could not even name one of my great grandparents. I simply had never thought to ask, and was probably only listening with one ear to any stories told by the family elders. Yet once the digging began, I became fascinated about my family’s background and the historical events that shaped the lives of my ancestors. In truth, the amazing technology of our times has been a major factor contributing not only to easier access to records, but also the ability to contact fellow researchers and newfound distant relatives.
One of the most interesting things about the combination of families of my four grandparents is their history in North America. Miranda is the name I know the least about, but has been in the United States since at least the early 1880s. Our oldest traced Miranda was by oral tradition part Yaqui Indian, a tribe that has its traditional home in Northwestern Mexico. A recent male line DNA test has confirmed that our direct male line traces from Sonora, Mexico back to the Basque country in Spain and eventually to 17th century Belgium. In addition, the test has helped us crack a stubborn brick wall by confirming our paternal last name was actually Fimbres. The Greene name is rich in history, and thanks to the dedicated work of past researchers, has a quite well-documented history in the United States dating back to the 1630s, with at least three associated family branches that link back to the famous Mayflower ship. Some researchers have taken the Greene line back to England and even Normandy, France. Our Vielma line has been in the United States since the first few years of the 1900s, and we have traced it back to late 1700s in Northern Mexico, with associated family branches back to the early 1700s. The Despatie line has been in the United States since the last years of the 1800s, but was previously in the province of Quebec, Canada from at least the mid-1600s. Several researchers have taken the Despatie line back to northern France.
My family has extremely strong roots in the three largest countries of North America going back to the earliest European settlers – as a testament to this, two grandparents spoke Spanish as a first language, one spoke French as a first language, and one spoke English as a first language. It is my hope this site serves as a resource for my families, particularly the future generations, and also for those new cousins and distant family members I have not yet discovered!
I dedicate this site to my parents for all their support throughout the years, and my wife for finally getting me to organize my research in a single place. In addition, I would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Oscar Madrid, who graciously shared his research on the Vielma line and their related branches and Mr. Randolph Jordan, who shared many of his family pictures on the Jordan family.
**NOTE: All photos are the property of Greeneandmiranda.com unless otherwise noted. If you wish to use or copy any photos on this site, please contact us through the feedback form requesting permission. Thanks!
Our Greene and Miranda Branches 