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1. I new my grandmother's brother was in prison in Canada, though I didn't learn why. As a teenager I asked my aunt (he was now dead), and she told me that he killed a man...and a bit reluctantly, because the man had been having an affair with his wife. Turns out he killed two men (one accidentally), in public and had two trials that were spread all over the papers, and it was a really sad and sordid case.
2. My mother's mother's Canadian family actually began as Americans, and had been found guilty of being loyal to the Crown and had their farm confiscated. They lived as refugees in NYC until the British left. The parents went back upstate to live with a daughter, and the only surviving son, now a grown adolescent got married. But he and his oldest brother-in-law and his brother-in-laws parents and almost all siblings checked out of the U.S. and made the trek to Ontario to settle.
2. My paternal grandmother's very Catholic Irish family actually began as Protestant English settlers in Ireland in 1604. But they intermarried with Catholic Irish families, changed their religion and that put them on the outside looking in.
The only surprise I've run into (so far) with genealogy was concerning my 2X great grandfather. His first wife, my 2x great grandmother passed away when he was 65. He remarried, a 24 year old young woman from Sweden. Great great grandpa died 2 years later--must have died with a smile on his face ;-)
Some of you may have already read of my gr. grandfather's gr. grandfather who was captured with his parents by Indians and only he escaped and survived. He later became a drummer boy at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, and lived to be 99 years old. He died toward the end of the civil war.
Another surprise was to learn of an ancestor who barely escaped an Indian raid in June of 1663 on the town of Esopus, now known as Kingston, NY. He later was one of only 29 people to refuse allegiance to the British government after it was required for all residents to do so; this in Sept. of 1689.
1. I new my grandmother's brother was in prison in Canada, though I didn't learn why. As a teenager I asked my aunt (he was now dead), and she told me that he killed a man...and a bit reluctantly, becausethe man had been having an affair with his wife. Turns out he killed two men (one accidentally), in public and had two trials that were spread all over the papers, and it was a really sad and sordid case.
2. My mother's mother's Canadian family actually began as Americans, and had been found guilty of being loyal to the Crown and had their farm confiscated. They lived as refugees in NYC until the British left. The parents went back upstate to live with a daughter, and the only surviving son, now a grown adolescent got married. But he and his oldest brother-in-law and his brother-in-laws parents and almost all siblings checked out of the U.S. and made the trek to Ontario to settle.
2. My paternal grandmother's very Catholic Irish family actually began as Protestant English settlers in Ireland in 1604. But they intermarried with Catholic Irish families, changed their religion and that put them on the outside looking in.
That happened in my family too. My granddad's brother killed the man whose wife he was having an affair with. Uncle Dave owned a restaurant in the town and it was lunch time when the guy came looking for him so the place was full of people. He told Uncle Dave he was going to kill him but never drew a gun or anything. Uncle Dave kept one under the counter and when the guy went toward him he shot him. He served time in prison for it but not too long since he had all those people who testified for him.
My mom told me that my granddad had his 'sprees' with women too. Grandma refused to divorce him over it. Said they had four kids and he was going to support them no matter what. They were married nearly 60 years when he died.
I really found a bunch of surprises when I started shaking the family tree. I knew some members of the family (2 branches) had been here since the 1630's, and that one of my ancestors was in Rodger's Rangers, and then had raised his own brigade of militia, and another ancestor that was in the New York militia and fought at Washington Heights. Then at the tender age of 65, he volunteered to fight in the War of 1812. That guy must have really hated the British.
But probably the most shocking was when I found out one of my Great-grandmother's family, (father's side) had an ancestor that joined the local militia in February, 1775, and was one of the 400 militia that fought at the bridge in the battle of Lexington-Concord on 19 April, 1775!!!
He was then part of the Patriot Line that put Boston under siege, which is the time period of Bunker Hill.
That same line we were able to trace back to 1621, and a land grant in Plymouth Colony!
I haven't found out if that ancestor was on the Mayflower yet, but if not, he was there within 6 months of it landing.
I had a cousin (many times removed) Fletcher Webster, who was a colonel in the Civil War and died at the 2nd battle of Bull Run. His brother had died in combat during the Mexican American War.
2 of my cousins from my father's side were in the Indiana Calvary, captured, and died at Andersonville.
My Great-Great Grandfather's, one was in the Wisconsin Volunteers, and one was a Major in the Union Army Engineers, and lost both feet to frostbite.
The GG-Grandfather from Wisconsin later served during the Indian Wars in Montana, and after discharge, brought his family here.
I also found out that his line came from England, and lived in Oliver Cromwell's hometown. So looking at the rest of the family, it seems my family was probably involved in the British Civil war as well.
Yes, this just happened to me. I started looking for the ancestor that gave me my Rh- blood type since both my parents are Rh+.
Since the Rhogam injection was not available until my generation, this meant that I was looking for grand parents or great-grandparents that had an only child or a history of deaths in infancy leaving only one surviving child.
I could only go back so far, since statistically your parents have a 50% chance (but they were already ruled out as +),
grands have a 25%, great-grands a 12.5% & so on.
Well, my mothers family is Greek Orthodox, she is first-gneration American born & Greeks have a alow incidence (less than 10%) of Rh-. It is difficult to trace Greek geneology, in my opinion: Birthdays are not important to them, my grandparents had to "pick" a birthyear & guess at their age for immigration purposes. Records were kept in churches in little villages & many were burnt to the ground during civil unrest in the 1800's.
My fathers family is Catholic & there are many,many offspring from seemingly ever branch of the family!
Then I find a paternal Great-grandmother who was the only surviving from 3 children. Then I discovered that her father also was only surviving out of 3.
My uncle (paternal) had done alot of geneology work (published) & this is where he had stopped suddenly & I really had to dig.
Was it really possible that my blood came from 4 generations back? There had to be something strong factoring in.
There are only 2 ethnic groups that have an above 20% incidence of Rh-; the Basque & the Oriental Jews.
I tried to associate my family with the Basque & it just wasn't possible. I found a map from the 1800's for the Oriental Jews.
Turns out Oriental Jews were the Ashkenazi & they were not "from the Orient(Asia)", they were from Prussia & Germany. The diasporic hot-spots being Heidelburg & Posen which is where my great-great-great grandfathers family had been.
On a whim I Googled his surname & there it was: "Ashkenazi".
Then I tell my Irish-Catholic father who is in his 70's "I think we are Jewish" & he starts laughing.
Turns out my uncle, the geneologist, is an anti-semite & my dad finds this hysterical.
Two weeks later this uncle calls my dad to discuss something thats been bothering him.
Apparently my great -aunt, on her deathbed, had told my cousin "There is something I have to tell you about the family.." & then she died.
3 years later, the night before my grandmother died, she told another uncle "There is something I have to tell you about the family.."
She was found in the morning & had passed in her sleep.
My Uncle said "I've been wondering what they meant, you don't suppose we are Jewish or something, do you?"
My dad said he laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.
Anyways, have to tighten up some loose ends before I'm positive, but thats my story!
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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My first Kentucky ancestors settled near Ruddles Mill in Central Kentucky during the Revolutionary War. England had prohibited any White settlements west of the Eastern Continental Divide as it was designated Indian land. Those French Huguenot ancestors of mine were attacked at their fort by an army of Shawnee warriors led by a British captain. One ancestor was killed, the others became POWs and were taken to British controlled Detroit were they remained until the end of the Revolutionary War. They returned to Kentucky, this time legally.
Another odd one: I have one ancestor who fought for the Union, he died of a fever during the Siege of Vicksburg. His parents were slaves owners in Kentucky. I think it wasn't uncommon for slave owners in Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland to still be pro Union. That's why Lincoln first freed slaves in the CSA states but not the Union slave states.
Interesting stuff guys! Thanks for sharing. I learned that my great-great-grandfather (father of the Confederate soldier) fought in the War of 1812. Found a document that my great-great-grandmother had filed to get a widow's military pension. Kind of sobering that one ancestry was fight to protect the US from the British and his son was fight to split it.
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