any genealogists?

My mother is an avid genealogist by hobby. But she is a researcher as a career so it is basically an extention of what she does now.

Some of the information she comes across is just fascinating. And it is amazing what you discover when you start looking. I haven't done it myself because I don't have the time, don't know how, and don't have the money to order documents. But I listen to her findings all the time.



So my question for the genealogists out there is what have you discovered that is interesting?

Even if your not a genealogist, do you have an interesting bit of family history?

I would love to hear. Thanks!

[edit on 30-8-2009 by nixie_nox]

I never thought much about it until a cousin on my mother's side of the family started to compile a history of all the relatives. It was her questions that started me searching for the answers to the questions she had.

It was interesting to find the long history of military service in the family. I come from a long line of men that worked in the sciences, and that sort of explains the geneticists and biologists that I have in my family.

I found out my grandmother on my father's side was a Man.
Born on the Isle of Man.........

I also realized that artistic expression is a genetic trait that runs through most members of my father's branch of the family. Some of them have been extremely creative over the history of our family. As for myself, I appreciate art, but do very little to create it.


One blessing/or curse, most members in my clan have very high IQs.
Some went insane, and yet others went on to create amazing things and advance mankind's knowledge of the world.
One uncle changed the way we feed the world, another has made advances in medicine that have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

I don't want to be too specific about who I am. but I'm very proud of my heritage.

reply to post by anxietydisorder


That is awesome. Thank you for sharing.

i like the man part.

My mom found out that my step father is a not too distant relative of the Beach Boys. Close enough that she can't believe she never heard the family talk about it.

And a cute coincidence is a guy in England(we are US) asked her to get some information from an archive somewhere. They got to talking and found out their great aunts were best friends in Wisconsin. Small world sometimes.



[edit on 30-8-2009 by nixie_nox]

My dad is one. We found out we have family in Chile, and some cool stuff about where our family is from in Europe. We have a good number of famous people in our family, but we didn't need genealogical research to figure that out. Both of my parents have one or more first cousins who are household names.

[edit on 8/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by nixie_nox


No famous members in my family. LOl mark twain is like a 6th cousin. And someone in my family briefly owned the hope diamond. That is all I got.

[edit on 31-8-2009 by nixie_nox]

aw... I was hoping to hear more cool stories from ATS members.