genealogy / family history

[CharmedPhoenix]

Have you worked on your genealogy / family history?  How far back did you get?  Do you have any famous / interesting relatives?

My dad's side of the family were pilgrims with the Winthrup expedition and Huguenots who helped settle Brooklyn.  I've gotten back to the 1400's with some of the lines.  Some of our ancestors were knights and barons in England.  Our famous cousins include a few different church leaders, Tom Brokow, Humphrey Bogart and Princess Di.  Too cool.   

[mawhite63]

That is very cool. I've only gotten back as far as the early 1800's before I hit dead ends, but my husband is like you. He's managed to get as far back as the mid 1500's. We did find that we shared an ancestor sometime in the late 1870's, so we get a laugh out of telling people we're cousins

[vickysue]

I have gotten as far back as 1774 so far, now it is getting tough. But it is fun too do. I am getting ready to start on my grandmothers side. Usually i work on it in the winter when it is too cold to be doing much else besides doing fc.

[loulizlee]

In working on my father's side last night, I found an ancestor who came from Scotland and his wife was from Ireland.  They came to this country in the late 1600s.  I found a copy of his will on Ancestry.com and a newspaper article about him that said he lived to be over 100 and his wife lived to be 111.  According to the article, she didn't need a cane until she was 102. 
Do any of you use One Great Family besides Ancestry?

[joyroos18]

my dad came from some man that fell out of a bar somewhere in scotland , my mom came from a cab driver that is about all i know lol

[heatheram]

on my mother's father's side I am related to Webster (as in the guy who made the Webster Dictionary!)

[sdenimandlace1]

I made as far as the 1876 on my mother side, will do more of that this winter. It a good winter thing to keep you busy.

[Storm61115]

no but my fiances mom is working on it and she has come very far with it. i dont know why she wants to know all this info but oh well.. she's single with virtually no hobbies.

[CharmedPhoenix]

In working on my father's side last night, I found an ancestor who came from Scotland and his wife was from Ireland.  They came to this country in the late 1600s.  I found a copy of his will on Ancestry.com and a newspaper article about him that said he lived to be over 100 and his wife lived to be 111.  According to the article, she didn't need a cane until she was 102. 
Do any of you use One Great Family besides Ancestry?

That's a new one to me I'll have to check it out.  Thanks.   

I've downloaded a lot of pdf books from Google Books on the genealogy of various New England pilgrim families and am slowly making my way through them.  I have a couple cousins also working on it and I found a cousin through Ancestry.  I also take photos for Find-a-Grave, where other volunteers have posted photos of markers or me.   

I find doing my genealogy brings me a sense of family I didn't get growing up.  It makes the world a smaller place and documents history.  On top of that it's just plain fun and rewarding to follow the clues and put the pieces of the puzzle together.   

[vp44]

A uncle and I are doing ours and we got back as far 1762 on my Fathers side also learned our Family changed they name many times by either dropping a letter or adding some. There is also a Famous Golf player in our family a famous ex football player. There is a french City named after us as we have found out our ancestry goes back to french people. Its very interesting learning where your from.

[CharmedPhoenix]

A uncle and I are doing ours and we got back as far 1762 on my Fathers side also learned our Family changed they name many times by either dropping a letter or adding some. There is also a Famous Golf player in our family a famous ex football player. There is a french City named after us as we have found out our ancestry goes back to french people. Its very interesting learning where your from.

I was surprised to find so much French too.  My Huguenot ancestors came over in 1625 from Valenciennes, France.  They Dutchified their name when they got here.  There are a few different spellings now.  Some of the other families had variations in the way they spelled their name, usually the addition or subtraction of a letter.

[tashamjoy]

Not me but my aunt has on my moms side it was pretty cool dont know how far back she went but it was pretty cool looking at all the old pictures marraige licenses, birth and death certificates it was pretty neat she has a whole binder of stuff

[kqa]

I've only gotten as far back as the late 1700s when my paternal great-great grandmother was listed as having moved from England.  I don't really have the time to pursue it.  My mother's side is so messed up that I'll never be able to get the truth about that.

[loulizlee]

I looked for months for ancestors with my last name and found out it was changed just two generations back.  An S was dropped from it for some reason.  So many times the census takers wrote the names as they sounded to them.

[ejholt]

I started doing the family tree on ancestry.com 2 1/2 years ago.  I have gotten way back.  On my father's side I have found out Joseph and Mary are my Many great grand father and grandmother.  We come through James, the brother of Jesus.  And from there I have gone all the way back to Adam and Eve.  On many other branches of my tree we are kin to Queen Elizabeth, Isaac Newton, Franklin Pierce, 14th president of the USA, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 19th president of USA, William Howard Taft, 27th president of USA, William C. Durant, founder of General motors, Julia Child, american chef, Bette Davis, American actor,  John Steinbeck, author, Amelia Earhart, American Aviator, Robert Frost, American Poet, Agatha Christie, Audrey Hepburn, William Charles Wentworth, early settler, Harry S. Truman, Ronald Regan, 15th president james buchanan, and had one on the Mayflower.  I can't remember his name at the time.  Hope everyone has a good day and may God bless you and keep you safe.