Every family is full of history and one man from Hampton, Virginia has tracked his familial roots back to a rug weaver from Paisley.
Jim Sheaffer is passionate about understanding his heritage and now hopes to find out more about his Scottish links.
He told Glasgow Live: "My interest in it started when I was a kid. My great grandmother, who was a Lamont until she married, I would hear stories from her. I remember a little bit about her, she died when I was three.
READ MORE: Glasgow shopping arcade to be demolished soon as housing plans kick off
"As I was growing up my grandmother lived across the street, she would tell me about her grandfather and how he was very, very Scottish, with a thick accent.
"As the stories would go on I thought that one of my uncles would go across to visit, because I still had family over there. It sparked my interest and after a bit of research I found out it wasn't an uncle it was my grandmother's cousin.
"I got his name and found out he travelled across to Scotland every year."
The lack of equipment hindered Jim's efforts when it came to adding more branches to the family tree, however, with ancestral help now too costly, he has taken responsibility for the research into his own hands.
The 45-year-old said: "I always wanted to trace it back but we didn't have the technology for the longest time.
"But now we have it and I can't afford all those things. I have five children of my own aged from 13 to 20, I'm getting older in age.
"For me I want to know my past and I want to know my heritage. My mum's side of the family is Russian and Swedish, we've looked into all of that and I know where a lot of that side has come from.
"But my dad's side of the family, which is the Scottish part, is different. I always heard bits and pieces and I was always very interested in it."
The man originally from Pennsylvania has hit somewhat of a stumbling block during his attempts to dive deeper into his family's past.
Jim said: "I don't know if any of my relatives still live in Scotland.
"All I know is my great, great grandfather was called Alexander Lamont and he married a Mary Glenn. He emigrated over here in the early 1900s to New York and he was a rug weaver.
"The rest of the family didn't come over until 1907, he came over himself. My great grandmother was the very first member of the family born in the United States."
Jim hopes to visit Paisley in the future to see where his dad's side of the family called home
The father of five said: "My fiancée also loves Scottish culture so we said when we get married and we save enough money that we'd like to have our honeymoon in Scotland.
"I'd definitely like to visit Paisley because I have family roots there. I'm still researching a lot of stuff, it's slow goings when you don't have every bit of information you need."
The avid researcher is hoping that his work to uncover the Lamont familial roots will be something his kids can treasure in the future.
Jim explained: "When you grow up as an American you know you are a Heinz 57, you're from everywhere.
"It's really hard to track your heritage down because it comes from everywhere. I know when we go anywhere we are American, it doesn't matter what your heritage is, but I like to know my culture and understand it better, that has always been important to me.
"It's important to understand where you come from and it's something to pass down to your children."
READ MORE:
Glasgow East End residents call for landlords help as they transform streets
Glasgow William Hill bookmakers lose appeal over new Shawlands site
Glasgow West End retail park set to expand with new 'Greggs' bakery
Former Glasgow school to be demolished to make way for new homes
Glasgow plan winter maintenance as residents urged to take care of each other
