prairiebird Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I don't think anyone has done any research on my dad's side, but his parents were from Sicily and the Calabria region of Italy, so that could be interesting. My mom's side can trace their ancestry to Martin Luther's brother and beyond, so other people and entire societies have already done all the work for me there! I'd be interested in knowing my MIL's family- she's German. DH's grandpa was adopted (probably not by choice) off an Indian Reservation, so we don't know his details either other than being Blackfoot. That would be interesting to trace his family DNA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Dh's family is difficult to trace. His great-grandfather, an only child, came here from Denmark, married a woman of half-German/half-Danish descent, and left virtually no information about their ancestry. Since the Danish population in those days had 80% of the population sharing only about seven surnames, it makes for an enormous amount of people to determine if he's related to or not! But, on my side, we are English and Scotch and our immigrants to this country were very easily traced. My grandfather's second cousin by marriage was Amelia Earhart's mother and he actually met Amelia a couple of times. So, we are very interested in the DNA results of the bone fragments that have been found. On his side as well, we are rather distantly related to the House of Tudor and with that, the notorious King Henry the 8th. Oh, and my paternal grandfather's other famous second cousin was Thomas Edison. Edison was someone that my great-grandparents knew fairly well and they named their oldest child Thomas Alva. On my mother's side, I am related to a concert pianist but aside from that, no other "notable" relatives...if you'll pardon the pun. My paternal grandmother was a great geneologist and so there is much documentation. But, even though our boys are deeply interested in Dh's heritage, we've been pretty well confounded at every turn. So, nothing goes back, paternally, past great-grandpa Peter. Very frustrating. Oh, and if anyone wants to know what my Dh looks like, go to google and look for a picture of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. They could be brothers..same nose, same face shape, same eyes, same color hair...actually, very similar hair, same height and build. Now....it's just such a shame that I don't look like Mary Donaldson, his wife! LOL Faith Edited January 3, 2011 by FaithManor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Someone else that traced my father's family line traces our lineage back to members that came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. I have no way to verify that right now but it is cool to think about. Our ancestors must have been buddies! :lol: I'm descended from William the Conqueror. Hello, cousins! I am related to William de Warrene who fought alongside William the Conqueror. He married the daughter of William's wife. There is much debate if she was William's dd or the dd from a previous marriage. I believe her lineage goes back to Rollo the Vikiing. It's very surreal to open a history book and see your ancestor's name, ran across that a few times when reading about the Battle of Hastings. Another interesting family line helped found the city of West Bridgewater, MA. Another ancestor is Experience Mitchell whose first wife was on the Mayflower. We are descended from the second wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My maternal grandmother told me we have a lot of war heroes from the French and Indian War (we're French Canadian), Hello there, cousin! I can trace my ancestry to the first European man to plough land in the New World. (well, not really, but first in North America. I'm pretty sure the Spaniards were the first Europeans). I'm also a descendant of the second Catholic marriage done in North America, the first one having no descendants - they did not survive their first year of marriage. On my side, and my DH's side, we've got many heroes in Canadian history. One of his ancestors was deported from Acadia to Louisiana and walked back to Montreal. Somehow, knowing how dedicated he was about *not* becoming Americans, it did influence us when we had job offers in Boston. We stayed in Montreal :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We don't have any names to drop in our family tree. We're commoners that painted ourselves blue when we went to war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Lewis of "Lewis & Clark" on my dad's side and Mary, Queen of Scotts on my mother's side of the family. My maiden last name was actually Lewis -- fairly common but I thought it was cool given the ancestor thingy. I remember my mother's dad snorting about the whole Mary, Queen of Scotts relationship and commenting about how he sure that didn't say anything good about the family at all! Jesse James comes up in the family history too, but I'm not certain of the whole relationship there. I think he was a distant cousin. Edited January 3, 2011 by CalicoKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Waving hello to Blessings and MelissaL because, well, its possible that we might be cousins several bazillion times removed! Oh, and ds (13) says that the thing he has learned from being such distant relation to Henry is "How not to be a husband." My response, "Well, you know it's a good thing that you see the flaws in divorcing/and or beheading your women all the time. But, just so you know, there is a bit more to being a good husband than just that!" Yeah, we're keeping him under lock and key for a while so your daughters have no worries at the present time. Snicker, snicker Faith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We don't have any names to drop in our family tree. We're commoners that painted ourselves blue when we went to war. so you're related to --- Mel Gibson?! :lol: just kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I haven't found British royalty, but my dad's paternal side descends from the Wallace clan. Braveheart is family history for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Wow! So many interesting stories! I have records that show many in my family never married, so the lines peter out. Odd. Not many infant deaths, just lots of spinsters, single men, and a few childless couples. My grandfather from Norway said his family was there so long that we are likely descended from the Vikings. This is one I would *really* like to follow up on. On my mother's side, the family historian died a mere two months before I began my quest, so much info was lost with him as I was the only one interested enough to ask. :confused: However, he apparently had done some research (Scotland) and found that he was named after a distant uncle. My cousin's name was a family name ~~~ Wallace. William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame, anyone? Keep the stories coming! I'm enjoying this thread!! Edited January 5, 2011 by Heather in AL clarity and to fix a typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I haven't found British royalty, but my dad's paternal side descends from the Wallace clan. Braveheart is family history for us! Ah! You posted as I was typing. Maybe you can fill in some gaps for me? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 The most famous person I've found is on my dad's side. A grandmother was the sister of John Sevier, 1st governor of Tennessee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 The German ancestry part of my lineage (grandfather's maternal side) foreclosed on Guttenberg...I can go back pretty far on that side. That side of the family migrated prior to the Revolution, were Quakers, before a branch moved to NC/TN, fought in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. In comparison, my grandfather's paternal side is one big mess. I can't find any records of his FATHER! The Swedish lineage always gets stumped at 4 generations, because I would actually have to "go" there. My grandmother's side... is a hodge podge. Her uncle (who was married to her mother) was murdered on a train by hobo's... then my great-grandfather married my great-grandmother (the boys also were twins). I have quite a few other stories buried in the stacks of information that has been packed away for 9 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 On my paternal Grandmother's side, I have a (many times) great uncle who was a pirate. His last name was Bradish and he was hung for piracy along with Captain Kidd. When you read about Captain Kidd, you'll often see him mentioned as well when they talk about Kidd's hanging. It's incredibly cool knowedge in the 10 and under boy crowd in our family. One of my best friends is the great, great, great (maybe another great or two) grand neice of Charles Ingalls. Her grandfather was Charles younger brother who he mentions in one of the books when he talks about the brother that ran off to join the army. While pirate stuff is cool to little boys, at 40 I still think this is one of the neatest things! And yes, her name was actually Laura and her maiden name was Ingalls. Granted being named that did make primary school more difficult for her while the show was on tv, but I don't think she would change her ancestory for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Dad's side: Dad's Mom: 50% Persian (Syrian or Lebanese depending upon border) and 50% English Dad's Dad: 100% Dutch Mom's side: Mom's Dad: 100% Scots-Irish Mom's Mom: 100% German I don't think there's anything else mixed in there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I don't think there is anyone famous on my Mom's side of the family. I know her great-grandfather served with the Irish army in the Himalayas, and that is where her g-ma was born, but I don't think he was "important". On her paternal side, they came from France and were royal gardeners there (Desjardins), however once they got to Canada (very early on), they kept marrying British women (English, Scots and Irish). However, on my paternal side, things get really interesting. My grandmother has the family history back to about the founding of the Hungarian Empire, where our ancestor gave such devoted service that he was offered royal title and land, or alot of land and money but no title - he chose the money. That part of the family has been in Sopron since then (family name is Szentfulopi). We are directly related to Istvan Szenchenyi. My Dad was the heir to the title and lands and is a Count, but the point is moot since they had to escape when the Russians came at the end of WWII. The last count, Uncle George (I can't remember how to spell it in Hungarian) was smuggled out of Hungarian by the OSS; they had to cross the Alps on foot and hide out in Switzerland, then he was brought to the US because if the Hungarian gov't went back to a monarchy, the ruling family would have been displaced for cooperating with Hitler, and they had him as the best candidate. My brother is still kind of bummed about not becoming the King of Hungary :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My mom's family was on the Mayflower. Squanto lived with them and the treaty signed with the Wampanoag Indians was signed in their home. Of course, no one in the family thought to share this with me until I was teaching the colonials to my kids. I would have never known if I wasn't homeschooling! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 The furthest back I remember is Caesar Augustus. I have binders full of information. Once we get to that point in history I think they will be a great addition to our study. My grandmother spent decades putting together a family tree so I have her line in depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 No convicts on either side of my family. My maternal grandfather's side emigrated from England four or five generations ago as free settlers. Kind of boring, but dh's family like to tease so it's nice not having any "bad" blood to boast of! :D That side has been traced back a little further, but the name is fairly common so it would probably have to be traced "on foot". My maternal grandmother's side was part English, part Danish and other than being free settler's I don't know any more. My paternal grandparents were English/German. Well, this mightnt mean much to non Aussies but Sir Joseph Banks, who was the botanist who came out to Australia with James Cook on the Endeavour, is my great great (not sure how many greats) Uncle. He had no kids. DH's infamous ancestor is I think in TWTM volume 4- Ned Kelly, the bushranger. It makes sense, if you know dh :) So the kids have notable ancestors but other than that we are just stock from England and Ireland- several convicts back there too. (That used to be something Aussies were ashamed of- you wouldnt admit to convict ancestors, but now its something people are proud of. ) My Dad's stepfather is related to Ned Kelly too. I'm not sure if the relation is direct or through marriage. My great-grandfather always boasted of riding with Ned Kelly. G-g-father was riding down the road, Ned Kelly rode out of the bushes and they rode side by side for a ways, then NK rode off into the bushes again. G-g-father thought it a huge joke and was quite proud of having "ridden" with Ned Kelly! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 DH: Scot, Irish, Cherokee, Creek, English Myself: Scot, Irish, Cherokee, French, Swedish, Finnish, Swiss, Welsh (no N/A princesses as there is no such thing...daughter of a chief, yes...highly revered woman,yes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Native West Indians, slaves, slave traders, and Spanish conquistadors.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Cadam, Was the youngest a boy? I've heard that was common if one did not feel one could support all of the children. The boy was kept to work on the farm and the girls were given away. It happened to my grandfather's sister. She was the oldest and when their mother died while my grandpa was a baby, he and his brother were sent to his aunt's house to be raised until they were old enough to work on their father's farm but she was given away. Fortunately, the aunt did not like that one little bit, retrieved her niece, and raised her. However, she only saw her father a couple of times. He lived several states away on the farm and never came to visit nor wanted to deal with his female daughter. Those couple of times she met him with him were in her adult years. My grandfather was very, very close to his auntie and uncle who raised him so it was quite traumatic for her and his brother to be taken away at 11 and 12 to become "hands" on their father's farm. They were 18 or 19 before they saw their family again. Very sad. I think pragmatics used to win over all other considerations most of the time. Faith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachskittles Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I wish I knew. My family lines are hard to track because I just can't seem to find people. The only person that has been completed, and not even by me, is my mother's father's mother. Her line almost intersected with my SO's mothers line (I think that is it) way back in the late 1700s/early 1800s I believe. If I can find some people that don't exist (but obviously did exist), I can probably move on. Unfortunately, I have one grandmother left and her memory isn't that great. The current family left (the younger living ones) have no intentions of ever doing a family tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the4Rs Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My family lines on my father's mother's side is traced back to 1607. Nobody of nobility or importance but still cool. That side is from England. My mom's side is Icelandic and Finnish. I am sure if I took the time I could trace the Icelandic side back very far as they keep detailed records of such over there....just never had the inclination to do it. Husband has German and Native American in him.... though I don't know which tribe. He could care less about his ancestry and I don't have the time to figure it out. However I do know that I am VERY distantly related to Moses and Adam and Eve. Talk about historical figures! hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 However I do know that I am VERY distantly related to Moses and Adam and Eve. Talk about historical figures! hahaha :lol: And Noah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We are related by marriage to Daniel Boone as in he married one of the sisters of one of my ancestors. My father has taken us back to the American Revolution. My ancestors came over here as German mercenaries and were rewarded with land in Kentucky. There is still a town there named after one of them...Ellisburg. My youngest's middle name is Ellis in honor of that side of the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Lots and lots and lots of Irish peasants. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Ancestor was Prime Minister of Iran and was strangled to death. He was, according to many sources, and this is not just my opinion (since I don't really give a hoot about genealogy), the most fair, just and honest person in that government. He wouldn't take bribes, hence his murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Oh, are we talking about the black sheep of the family now, too? My dh has one of those. His great-grandfather on his paternal grandmother's side had to leave Czechoslovakia under cover of night because he knifed a dude in a bar/pub/tavern (whatever they were back then). He was going to be killed in retribution if he was caught, so he fled the country. His family soon followed, and that's how part of dh's family arrived in the US. We think dh's brother has inherited Great Grandpa's temper - though no killings in this generation! ETA: one of dh's great uncles (w/in the same family line mentioned above) is in the Polka Hall of Fame and several of his Trinasti relatives were much-loved musicians while still in Czechoslovakia. Apparently I'm the only one who asks dh's grandma about their family history. I find it fascinating, though. Edited January 3, 2011 by kimmie38017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Another interesting fact about my family: My grandmother's maiden name was Swarens. Apparently, every Swarens in the US is related. I believe the original Swarens had 11 or 12 children and the name is a corruption of Von Swearingen. So, whenever this particular Von Swearingen came to the US, he changed his name to Swarens. So if y'all know any Swarens', they're related to me, but most likely don't know me at all! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 On my mom's side, we have the Beothuk tribe, which was deliberately hunted down to extinction. I honestly don't know who to research for a father's side. Genetic, or the man who raised me, that I call Dad? Cause if its genetic, I'm completely hooped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Wow! These are great. I did ours a while back and traced it back to the 900's. We are related to Shakespeare (through his daughter) and Anne Boleyn's family (and through her Queen Elizabeth I). In the 900's we related to several of the provincial princes and dukes of France. I think there's a link to William the Conqueror, but I haven't fully worked it out yet (it's so complicated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) I've never officially traced our family, though I tried a bit. The more "famous" relatives are Edgar Allan Poe and Billy the Kid. My DH is related to Jesse James.:D My MIL's family has a story about being related to Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame. I have been unable to substantiate or dispute. My mother's family has a genealogy going back to the mid-1800s. Then they are stymied. The Hollingsworth they go back to was an orphan and adopted. They DO know he is not related to the more populous Hollingsworth clan in America. They've done DNA tests on our line and their line and there isn't a match. Edited January 3, 2011 by vonfirmath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 One side came over just after the Mayflower as reinforcements so they probably knew TXmomof4's relatives. That side traces back to a nomadic tribe in Britain with rather sketchy (read "non-existant") records. No royalty. On that same side though there is a relative that worked in the Wild Bill show. It was rather sad actually. Dad traveled with the show and sent money home. Mom died so Dad left the three children with her parents. The grandparents kept the youngest child and sent the older ones to an orphanage. By the time Dad got home, they had been adopted out. My great grandmother was 8 yo when she was adopted and her name was changed in it's entirety. She had kind and loving adoptive parents by all accounts. I can't imagine the trauma that comes of losing your mother to death and then having your grandparents give you away, but keep your sibling.:001_huh: I think this was common as well. My great grandmother was orphaned in the late 1890s. The family was very poor and had to split all the children up. She had a baby sister that a childless neighbor took in. My grandma never received any schooling because any family member that sent her to school would have to pay more in local taxes. Apparently where she was at those who sent children to school were charged a school tax and then only for those attending. She worked within the family as a house keeper and a midwife until she married. She spent the rest of her life looking for her baby sister but the name was changed so she never found her. As the families would run out of money she would be passed to another family member and so on. One of her first cousins lived near us until he died and said that while she was loved, the families had a hard time just feeding 'their own'. If they ran out of space due to new births, she was also sent on to another family member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hello there, cousin! I can trace my ancestry to the first European man to plough land in the New World. (well, not really, but first in North America. I'm pretty sure the Spaniards were the first Europeans). I'm also a descendant of the second Catholic marriage done in North America, the first one having no descendants - they did not survive their first year of marriage. On my side, and my DH's side, we've got many heroes in Canadian history. One of his ancestors was deported from Acadia to Louisiana and walked back to Montreal. Somehow, knowing how dedicated he was about *not* becoming Americans, it did influence us when we had job offers in Boston. We stayed in Montreal :lol: On my dh's side, his first relative in Canada was in the Carignan Regiment (he originally came from the Cahors region in France) and married one of the first Filles du Roi. I think that whole history is so cool. Nothing that cool on my side. My first relative in the New World was an indentured servant who came over shortly after the Mayflower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My MIL claims that her family (Read) is related to Erik the Red. I dunno, but they *do* have red hair lol. The most interesting character in my family that I've found is a knight. One of his great-great-grandsons came and lived in Jamestown. My husband's family's *real* claim to fame is that they are descendents of people who were on the First Fleet that came to Australia. Though I'm not sure having a criminal background is a real claim to fame ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) Let's see, on my Dad's side we've been LDS since the church was organized, so I've had A TON of geneology done on that side. Like several volumes of family trees. On that side, I'm descended from 2 LDS prophets, Lorenzo Snow and Wilford Woodruff. As a kid I got to go and see their houses that still exist and take a tour of them in Nauvoo, IL. We're all from England, with a little bit of France mixed in, but it's been several hundred years since anyone on my Dad's side immigrated to the US. I have many anscestors on that side that fought in the revolutionary war, and even some who were at Plymouth. Going back farther, there were several members of my family who were part of the reformation. If you go back far enough you get into royalty and Constantine. My Grandmother once compiled a book of the family crests of our ancestors. There were hundreds. My mom's side I know less about. I know that my ancestors owned a plantation in the south and had slaves. They also fought in the Civil War. I know I have at least one Native American ancestor (Cherokee, I think), although probably more. An interesting note, although it goes against the odds when you look at immegration, I have no ancestors on either side that came to the US past 1850. My husband and I were talking about cool cultural traditions some of our friends have, and it occurred to me that I am a cultural American, just as much as our friends are Lithuanian or Brazilian. Anyways, just a cool tidbit. My husband is descended from John Hancock, so that's cool. They are also Norwegian a few generations back. Our kids have a very European heritage. ETA: One time, I was at my Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving along with a lot of my extended family. My grandma is VERY into geneology and she thought it would be a powerful activity to share stories from our ancestors who were actually colonists around that time. Unfortunately, they all married their brothers. Like, almost all of the stories she told, and she told a lot. No one appreciated being informed that we're inbred. I guess it's because there weren't very many eligible bachelors around back then? Edited January 3, 2011 by MeaganS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Poor DS... both sides of the family trace their roots back to common criminals! Somehow we're all from various borderlands, and you know how that goes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Apparently I come from horse thieves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Poor DS... both sides of the family trace their roots back to common criminals! Somehow we're all from various borderlands, and you know how that goes.... LOL It's okay. I posted about horse thieves right after you! At least there is company in the criminal corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My BIL did a lot of research on our family. He couldn't trace back much on my mother's side - I think they were mostly Irish peasants, but on my dad's side he could trace back one branch all the way to William the Conqueror. One of our ancestors was Stephen Hopkins who came over on the Mayflower. I know Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry II of England, and King Duncan of Scotland are some of my direct ancestors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 On my mother's side, Alfred Dreyus. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dreyfus-affair-begins-in-france On my dad's bootleggers/cattle thief/etc. :D Wish I had time to scan some of the really cool pictures my mom has, of relatives gambling (dice) under a Kansas field house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 The Swedish lineage always gets stumped at 4 generations, because I would actually have to "go" there. Same issue for us here on my paternal grandfathers side. We can go a little further back than generations but not by much. Most of the information is very vauge. Most location information is simply "X county, Sweden". I wonder, is there a reason for lack of records in that area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 LOL It's okay. I posted about horse thieves right after you! At least there is company in the criminal corner. Horse thieves move faster! ;) Actually there was a recent(ish) horse thief among DH's family -- a few generations back of course, but close enough to have family stories. Apparently he spoke several languages, corresponding to the several countries he had had to leave.... :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My grandma's grandfather was a colonel for the Union Army who liberated the notorious Andersonville prison and then occupied Vicksburg, MS. My kids are descendants of Benedict Arnold through DH. On my side, they are descendants of one of the jurors on the Salem Witch Trials. One of the ladies who was hanged as a witch (Susannah Martin) was the 2nd wife of my ancestor. I may be a Mayflower descendant but the evidence is kind of iffy for that. The brother of one of my ancestors definitely was on the Mayflower but she herself came over to Plymouth a couple of years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Let's see, on my Dad's side we've been LDS since the church was organized, so I've had A TON of geneology done on that side. Like several volumes of family trees. On that side, I'm descended from 2 LDS prophets, Lorenzo Snow and Wilford Woodruff. As a kid I got to go and see their houses that still exist and take a tour of them in Nauvoo, IL. On my grandmothers side we have quiet a few marriages (births and deaths too) that occured during the Martin Handcart Company journey west. One day I want to find the first converts in our family and check that story out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My husband has recently been researching his family history. His paternal grandfather's family intermarried with another family for three or four generations, in Tennessee and then in Texas (they must have all moved down there together). It's really spooky to see the two family names intertwine generation after generation, and it makes me wonder if my husband has suffered any ill-effects from cross-breeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 The most surprising thing that I discovered when I did my family's genealogy is that among all the Protestant ministers and deacons on my mom's side there were 3 brothers of one of my ancestors who converted to Mormonism. They followed Joseph Smith off to Nauvoo and got killed in the massacre there. I never in a million years would've guessed that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I am uninterested beyond a couple generations back. As a retirement gift, my uncle, a university dean, received a geneaological research report all way back to late 1500s. The research was carried out by a LDS dean and his family. Not suprisingly, the report basically revealed what I already suspected: hardscrabble horsethieving Ulster Scots who probably traveled here as boat ballast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 At least there is company in the criminal corner. Yes. It's good to know I'm not alone!:lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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