What is the most interesting fact you have discovered about your ancestry?

Question

Did you discover that you were related to someone that intrigued you? what stories do your ancestors have to tell?

Answer 1

Well, we have german, italian, irish and, I'm intrigued to learn, "a pinch of Dutch".

Hmm, who pinched the Dutch?

Answer 2

I'm the reincarnation of Hitler!!!!

Answer 3

My great great grandfather was an inspector at Scotland yard when Jack the Ripper was being investigated. My great great Aunt was a good friend of Florence Nightingale. An Australian(Cornish/French) great uncle invented the wire strainers(they are used to make wire fences). One line of my French ancestors went from France to england with William the conquerer in 1060 AD.

When researching my Aboriginal australian and Torres straight ancestors I discovered the extrordinary lengths that people and departments go to, to hide the true facts from families, to the extent of corruption in  archives. This would be the most startling fact that I have discovered when researching my ancestry.

Answer 4

they were all poor

Answer 5

i'm related to Queen Elizabeth on my dad's side...and that our last name is supposed to be something else...because my dads mom/or grandma (dont remember) had to change it during the war for safety in Europe

Answer 6

Two of my 4X great grandfathers seem to have been troublemakers.  On my father's side, one loaned his second best horse to Paul Revere, and his father (who would be my 5X great) fired a musket out of the window of his home at British troops marching to Bunker Hill (they burned the house down).

On my mother's side, a 4X great was such a thorn in Napoleon's side when he invaded and occupied western Austria that when he was captured Napoleon personally ordered him shot.

There are those who claim I have inherited their abilities to be a royal pain in the butt.

I've incorporated both of them in a novel I have coming out next month.

Answer 7

My late ancestors have the name 'Hubbard' like the Scientology founder..

Answer 8

lots ..some of it not so good...

my great great grandfather was one of the very first Chinese men allowed to fight for canada in the world war.

my great great great grandfather maybe another great in there, was sent over on a boat when he was only 7 years old from germany during the Hitler incident, his mother and father were never ever found and no one knows what happened to them , they just dissapeared. this is how my family came to canada and america.

and my great great aunty, ran one of the most famous black slave houses in america, her and her husband were some of the first people to free their slaves , they were so kind to them that most of the slaves returned to live with them and helped out around the house and farm.

this house is still opened as a heritage site somewhere in the states.

my great great grandpa was the first man to bring electricty to the town of bengough saskatchewan and opened up the first barber shop and bowling alley . and he ran the biggest and first licensed fur trade in saskatchewan

some of this history im not to proud of but its my family and i cant change the history they made

Answer 9

my grandpa was sent to the Gulag and was in the concentration camp there for over 10 years, and out of all his friends, he survived.

Answer 10

I found an illegitimate child that no one seemed to know about in the days when shot guns convinced many Id's this one didn't though

Answer 11

I have a tiny bit of Native American blood on my mom's side.

Answer 12

My grandfather was a spy for Japan during the war.  Also our family on my dads side were the first makers of the church bell.

Answer 13

I have a great great uncle who still owns a bar in Dublin that has been in the family since the mid-1700s...obviously it's had a few renovations..

Hey, what happened to your "Biblical Inconsistancies" question?   What offense did you break?  I thought it was a very intelligent point...

Answer 14

my great great grandfather lived to be 106, his son, my great great uncle lived to be 107 but he died because he hung himself because he was tired of living

Answer 15

My great grandma had her head shaved by hitler btw she was blonde haired and blue eyed  

Answer 16

I learned that my great-great grandparents from Norway were the first white settlers in their township in Minnesota.  They lived in a sod shanty and killed wild animals for food, and they ground burnt corn to make coffee!

In another branch of the family, 2 young sisters met a young boy on the train who had no destination, and they convinced their parents to take him in.  That was the first I'd ever heard of Orphan Trains, when people suffering through the Great Depression would resort to putting their children on a train and hoping for the best.

I also learned that 3 brothers in my Dad's ancestry owned a "horseless carriage" motor company in about 1908-1918, where they sold very early American cars and did repairs.  And I now have a couple of great pictures of them, posing in their REO cars on the lawn in front of their house!

Answer 17

through my dad's side, my great aunt ( MANY generations ago)was joan of arc. Also related to a bunch of other famous folk--james dean, pierre trudeau---there's a bunch according to ancestry.com. can't recall them at the moment

Answer 18

Nothin too interesting.  I am related to the founder of an old pan company.