If you are American but not a native, then your forefathers are most likely Europeans who emigrated in search of a better life.

Not everyone knows about the story of their origins and ancestors; many here in the US have an Italian last name but they wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about when their great great-grandfathers landed in the New World and it’s not necessarily the case that even if they had been exciting, they would be interesting enough to anyone outside the immediate family environment.