How far back does Your family history go?

reply to post by nergalbanda1


Well I have two family trees .Aside from my mother who was of british decent .But its my dads side that has the good stuff . Both Acadian and Native roots .My cousin has a web site www.acadian-roots.com... There is quite a bit of history on her site for anyone intrested .She covers most of the Acadian names and has the dates they first arrived .....peace

After reading some of the comments it came to me that it may be possible to trace your roots way way back if you happened to be jewish ...They seem to be the only group that might have the proof to do so .

My father took genealogy as a new hobby at his retirement so up to now we know of 21.000 relatives, dating in some lines back to the 13th century.

Biggest problem in Germany is the "thirty-years-war" 1618-1648, in which many parish registers were burned when the churches were destroyed.

We know our complete genealogy for the last 7 generations (about 1800, if I remember correctly).

nergalbanda1
I have been able to trace my own lineages back 5582 years at 170 generations on my Mum`s side and the same amount of years but at 185 generations on my Dad`s side.

I'm seriously not buying that. Not a chance. Sorry.


As for my own family tree ... we've gone back as far as the 1000's. But one of my more colorful family tree stories is that I am descended from a woman who was hung as a witch in Hartford Connecticut. Mary Barnes Poor woman was murdered - hung as a witch - leaving behind three children. I feel bad for her ...

The original OP posted over 5000 years, maybe it was a typo. Seriously though why is that so hard to believe? I have a direct line family tree that goes back to the 9th century BC. It goes up through the royal family and beyond to the kings of Norway, Sweden & Denmark for almost 3 thousand years. It ends with King Hadding & Princess Ragnhild of Denmark 818 BC. Just because the records ends there doesn't mean that it doesn't continue on. Of course it goes beyond that! Everyone who has lived and is alive and breathing today is a testament to the roots and the creation of life. We're all related and are distant cousins.

reply to post by Thebel


There are lot of documents you can search and even some are in microchips which can be read and studied in arkistovirasto´s libraries in various towns. Swedes did not destroyed everything, there are lot of tax books and church books where you can check your ancestors. Some cases you have to travel to Stockholm or Viborg, a lot of Karelian documents you can find in arkistovirasto´s database in Mikkeli. Some documents goes all the way back to Nöteborgs peace treaty. Sure some documents are lost as there had been a lot church fires which have been destroyed some archives, tax books are quite reliable too, they tell peasant families and how much they produced and paid taxes and how much they owned tax from previous years.

It´s not impossible, relatives of ours have tracked our family back before the era of Nöteborg treaty. If there are more than one person doing the study, it´s more accurate and reliable. Our ancestors has been studied by Family History Society they created back in 30`s.
When you find some relatives you didn´t know of, it´s a good idea to find out if they have Family History Society which is working on it.

I was called 10 years ago by a guy who did research and found my family lineage connected to them and asked if im intrested to join the Society and do some more digging.. It´s quite amazing how many branches the tree has.

I tried tracing my lineage back a few times. I've only been able to go back about 3-4 generations before I hit that inevitable stumbling block of having to PAY to access genealogical databases. PAY?! Hell no. That information should be PUBLIC and FREE. So I stopped and figured ah hell, what's the point. Geni.com was helpful during it's initial launch but later started charging for features that were previously free. When someone can put together a decent and entirely free social network that's designed and centered around genealogy that doesn't charge subscription fees to find connections to living family members... THEN I'll get back to business.

Broom

pheonix358

Broom
reply to post by winofiend

 

Actually we all have a common ancestor in firstly, Adam and Eve. And then secondly, Noah and his wife. Of this I am pretty certain.

Actually, that is your belief and yes you seem certain that that belief is true. Never the less, it is a belief, it is not a fact that you can prove. I am not asking for proof, beliefs by their very nature cannot have proofs, otherwise they would be cold hard facts.

I do not want to dissuade you from that belief, but I would ask kindly dear sir if you may wish to consider phrasing such musing as 'I believe' rather than 'actually.'

Of course you may also print this on toilet paper and use it accordingly, that is up to you, but really, stating a belief as a fact is just, well, a little off.

P

That statement you seem to have a problem with was just a reply to winofin who also stated:

"Pretty sure everyone's family history goers right back to single celled things."

Since his was right above mine and triggered mine, why not address his comment, which was basically the same as mine, first. Then I'll get back to you.

Or is there a specific reason you didn't go tell him to write his belief down on toilet paper? Interesting to see your reply.

edit on 14-11-2013 by Broom because: (no reason given)

Hate getting into arguments on here, Winofied however stated that he\she was "pretty sure" which suggests it is something He\She thinks is the case..

however as you said actually we can all trace our ansestors back to two mythological beings it suggests that this is fact and it is something we CAN do..

i think thats the reason that was specifically picked up on, its wording suggesting what you are saying is fact...


The other issue i think comes from the fact the theory of tracing back comes from scientific study and although not 100% perfect has a reasonable argument backing it up. where as believing in two named characters who we have no proof of exsistance coupled with the other inacuracies which crop up within the holy books where these people are mentioned cause people to have issues with stating these things as "fact" by all means if you can prove no biblical\other religous documentation showing genetic lineage to these people for all of us, then i would love to read it...




sorry to derail a liitle....

anyway i am very interested in my famileies history, i know my fathers name is both Irish and from nobility in some form or another, and i know my mothers name can be traced to both the Castle they once owned and a few family members throughout the world, i would love to get a full tree going but i fear it would take time i just do not have

Amazing if one can really go back that far. I've tried with what I do know but hit barriers due to lack of information a genealogy search barely helps. It's not going to be easy unless there's paperwork, or a DNA genealogy test due to adoption on one side. Only part I can confirm is my other side of English and Irish families, well off business owners that came to the US, with one part of that side. The other part is great grandparents and in specific great grandma's Cossack background, her work with the Russian army and her emigration.

reply to post by Broom


Umm...i write everyone's reply on toilet paper. I used a Broom roll last week. FlyersFan posts a lot, so we are doing a FlyersFan bonanza this week. There's even enough for us to make them triple ply. Talk about luxury! I save the bigfatfurrytexan rolls for when we have company.

That really does make as much sense as Adam and Eve.

This post was really offtopic. Sorry OP.

This one too.

Broom
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

Alrighty. So basically, if you talk about evolution, you are good. If you talk about the Bible, or anything truthful you will get spiteful vitriolic from strangers crawling out of the woodworks? Really nice website this place is.

I think that the real issue is that when scrutinized, nary a religion can stand up to any tests of logic.

I do not think you classifying Pheonix as "vitriolic" is accurate. They only asked that you be less assertive about the factual basis of your belief. Because, as I pointed out above, most people could go on and on talking about the obvious inconsistencies within just about any religion. Especially Christianity (since most are more familiar with it).

Just because someone tells you that you are nuts does not mean you are being mistreated. You have your truth, they have theirs. You can't shout down everyone who disagrees with words like "vitriolic hate" without having some level of irony.

reply to post by nergalbanda1


My family has been working on our family tree for a few years now. So far we date back to the 1600's Isle of Man (on my dad's side). We also did the family DNA test which showed a known "Viking" DNA. Lucky for my family, a university in England conducted some of the testing (free) because it was long thought that nearly everyone in the Isle of Man was Irish. Until now. They happened to be researching the Viking invasion/history before and during the time that my family was there. We got in on the testing just in time.
It all makes perfect sense to me, I love beer, Odin and pillaging! Most girls like fruity drinks and God.

reply to post by pheonix358

Next your family have an average age of having children of 32.8 years and for most of that time the average life expectancy was less than 40. I hate to be the one to say this but your numbers do not add up.

I am well aware that the THEORETICAL math does not add up. I was rather skeptical about it as well and still am which is why I am always re-researching the same lines to see if there were any mistakes with multiple sources. So far they keep coming up the same.

This is one of the more silly things I have read on ATS in a long time. It is amusing though.

You are entitled to your opinion. At least you find the thread amusing.

By boymonkey74

5 thousand years? I would love to see how you did that so Iam calling BS on that.

You are entitled to your opinian as well. I did so through finding afew gateway ancestors such as the De Baillon family which is well documented and has afew websites to the lineage. If you want I can pm you when I get around to compiling everything into readable format in the message sysem as the papers are quite afew so it may take a couple weeks if you really want.

By Thebel

5582 years years, you are kidding right? That is impossible, there was no accurate records during those days.

Here is one of the website that has varified two branches of the lineage
habitant.org...
Once again I don`t mind if people do not beleive my personage but there are those who have varified parts that go back rather far.

By boymonkey74

Good news is that his wifes tree is just as long

It does help!

By andy06shake

Before that I believe our family name was "De Rule" and of Viking/Scandinavian origin, goes as far back as the 10th century

The thing that alot of people forget is that names change over time and if there isn`t a name EXACTLY like the one that they are looking up alot of peolple assume that it ends there; not taking into account cultural naming conventions at the time.

Bt the2ofusr1

After reading some of the comments it came to me that it may be possible to trace your roots way way back if you happened to be jewish ...They seem to be the only group that might have the proof to do so

Thank you yes there is some Davidic lineage and that is the lineage that goes the furthest back.

By Flyersfan

I'm seriously not buying that. Not a chance. Sorry.

That`s fine

By sean

The original OP posted over 5000 years, maybe it was a typo. Seriously though why is that so hard to believe? I have a direct line family tree that goes back to the 9th century BC. It goes up through the royal family and beyond to the kings of Norway, Sweden & Denmark for almost 3 thousand years. It ends with King Hadding & Princess Ragnhild of Denmark 818 BC.

Well we`re probably cousins through the house of Denmark and Norway then.

By dollukka

It´s not impossible, relatives of ours have tracked our family back before the era of Nöteborg treaty. If there are more than one person doing the study, it´s more accurate and reliable. Our ancestors has been studied by Family History Society they created back in 30`s. When you find some relatives you didn´t know of, it´s a good idea to find out if they have Family History Society which is working on it.

I am one of three family historians for our lineage. My birth grandmother was as well before my personage.

By Terrormaster

I hit that inevitable stumbling block of having to PAY to access genealogical databases. PAY?! Hell no.

Good for you. Probably was trying to peddle to you some line that had the same name but was unrelated. The only thing that you should be actually pay for in research like this is administrative costs for receiving hard documents and ONLY from actual archive records NOT family name websites or family crest peddlers as there is no such thing as family crests/blazons/wappen/herb. They were granted to indeviduals only unless stipulated to be granted to the decendants and then those would have a mark on them.

By Broom

This post was really offtopic. Sorry OP.

That`s fine.

I will thank everyone for reading my thread and must apologise if people`s names don`t appear with your quote in my reply; I promise that I will edit as soon as I get back from work tonight but I really have to start getting ready. Remeber everyone is entitled to their opinion even the skeptics of which I agree that it sounds fantastical if using only the math to figure the lineage out, which is why I always second guess myself all the time when doing my reasearch on the subject.

reply to post by Broom

Or is there a specific reason you didn't go tell him to write his belief down on toilet paper? Interesting to see your reply.

Broom, I did not ask you to write your belief on toilet paper. I would never do that. I respect your beliefs.

I simply said you could take my reply and use it in such a way if you did not think it had merit.

When one makes suggestions to religious folks along these sort of lines, they often react angrily.

Sadly, no religions are based on facts. The gods seem frightened of leaving proof behind inspite of having these godly powers.

P

I go back 1000 yrs to a Crusader Knight given by The King a mott and bailey castle (garden still used to this day for weddings) in Upton Upon Servern in Pembrokeshire, Wales.


Here in America, over 100 yrs ago my greats on both sides where Preachers and Cherokee tribal leaders.

I too am having difficulty believing the 5000 years plus history youre claiming. Records were not kept well even 300 years ago, and ancestry's hard to trace. Many people had only 1 name and often took the last name of a family they worked for or whose land they lived on.

I can document mine 1000 yrs and prove it in UK Historical documents and photos. So nothing is impossible.

reply to post by nergalbanda1


The oldest family tree is 3000 years old and that is to do with DNA..
abcnews.go.com...

A simple search tells us that you are talking BS, sorry but you are.
The oldest may be the Confucius family tree (still not 100% confirmed) and around 1.3 million share his family tree.
Again sorry but If you are not telling porkie pies...prove it.

The farthest I can trace my side of the family is back about 100 years ago to when they came to america in 1907 from hungary. my wife has traced her side of the family back to the early 1700`s. One of her ancestors was a captain in the army and fought in the french and indian war and fought with george washington in the revolutionary war. He was in his early 60`s at the time of the revolutionary war.

I can't get any farther back than my great grandfather and great grandmother on my Fathers side. I can go back another generation on my mothers side, to the early eighteen hundreds.

It seems it is easy to find names that were predominant most times but when you came from regular people it is a lot harder to get info. I would have to probably go to Finland and go to the area named after the family name of my ancestors to find out anymore. I'm sure I will find that I am somehow related to somebody there.

I'm mostly a fly on the wall at this site, but genealogy is a passion I inherited from my grandmother, so I'll leave a comment. I, also, have managed to find what I have for free, so far, except gas for the car in travels. A few lines still need getting past the 1800's, if I ever find the key to get through the proverbial brick walls' doors on them, but I have traced two lines to King John and Edward I's line of the Plantagenet family, and their lineage traces back to the Vikings of 200 AD at least. I'm still a novice compared to seasoned genealogists, but I've learned how much more interesting history becomes when you realize you descend from some of those people of note.

During my research I have ran across studies that say that of anyone with ancestors from the British Isles there's an 80% chance you descend from one of the royal houses. Another study I ran across claimed that from a large test did on random people from all over the Europe/ Asia continent and everyone of them had DNA that traced back to Charlemagne. Interesting enough to maybe inspire more to attempt to trace theirs.