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Ever heard a story of a notorious ancestor or relative? In what way makes him or her notorious? How about a family history that ended in tragedy? I know I have ancestors in the past that were notorious but I'd like to hear it first from others.
Not everyone wants to talk about notorious relatives. I have an ancestor who was a stone cold killer that died in prison. A distant counsin who was a 'funny uncle'; he was buried face down. And ancestral uncle who was killed in ther Revoltionary War. His brother was imprisioned on an enemy ship for two years and lived to the a NJ Legislator.An ancestral uncle released from Andrsonville during the Civil War and died on the way home.
Most of us have a story or two if we dig deep enough. My ancestors fought and died in every waf America was involved in from the French and Indian through the Korean Conflict.
There is a family rumor that we're related to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. My grandmother claimed that one of her ancestors had his own ancestry researched (paid a laywer) and our tree was linked to this royal family. BUT the info supporting it was lost. I have not been able to find any connection so there's a good chance it's not true. My grandmother had an active imagination but I'm not sure she would make something up like this. I think the ancestor who hired this lawyer to research his ancestry got duped.
None of my ancestors fought in the revolutionary or civil war and the vast majority of them were simple farmers so there's not much to tell in terms of fame.
As for people notorious within our family: my great grandfather is simply known for having immigrated to the US from Sicily on his own when he was just a teenager but he is known as the original patriarch of our Italian side. Our Smith branch was known to own slaves. And it's well known that my mom still holds love letters written between two of our ancestors - racking my brain to remember which ones...
Some lesser known tidbits I find interesting too:
My 3rd Great Grandmother was listed as a farmer and head of the household in 1870 and 1880 censuses. Stop me if I'm wrong but it was very uncommon for a woman in her time period to own and run her own farm.
My 2nd Great Grandmother sent a short story into a publication company but it was rejected and we actually have the rejection letter (though unfortunately not the story).
It was not uncommon for a widow with children to be Head of Household in the 1800s even when her bachelor children were 60! The Ductch on Long Island owned slaves as did my Dutch Smith. It is not impossible that you are related to someone from the Nederlands. Whether or not it was a royalty is another matter. By the year 1700 there were 52 different languages heard on Long Island.
There were several tragedies that I discovered in my family history:
--my great(x8)-grandmother, age 13 when she made the voyage with her parents and 3 siblings in 1710, lost her mother at sea, and then lost her father within months of living at the Palatine settlement in NY. She likely married to avoid indentured servitude at the hands of the Dutch--her two young siblings were taken in by her elder sister (also newly wed) to avoid the same fate.
--the several Colonial families who lost young children, and then would re-use the name(s) for later children.
--the family (sorry, I'm away from my PC and files) in the early 20th (?) Who lost at least 3 children to the diphtheria outbreak.
The strength they had to have to endure and overcome those tragedies is what strikes me...and truly humbles me.
When our country was colonized by Spain, I've got an uncle who used to have his way with all the virgins in a particular town but he died a tragic death for his actions. One of the brothers of these women was head of a rebel group and had our ancestor's skin pealed from his body while he was alive. What a way to die.
A great grandfather of mine had his son who was naughty climb a coconut tree, shot him and buried his body somewhere in the plantation. People of that town says it's haunted. I never really spend the night there. This great grandfather of mine died a tragic death as well. His wife whips her servants and even burnt the face of one servant for overlooking my great grandmother's dress as it got burnt by the iron. One night, the brother of this servant who was also the head of a rebel group stormed in the house took our great grandparents and one of his son, tortured and burn their bodies in that old house. The only thing that survived is the mill in that plantation. Nobody goes out there during the night.
It was not uncommon for a widow with children to be Head of Household in the 1800s even when her bachelor children were 60!
Well, I assumed it was uncommon because I have not see in anywhere else in my tree. Any other time a woman's husband died, she immediately went to live with one of her children's families. So it is, at the very least, uncommon for my particular tree, lol.
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The Ductch on Long Island owned slaves as did my Dutch Smith. It is not impossible that you are related to someone from the Nederlands. Whether or not it was a royalty is another matter. By the year 1700 there were 52 different languages heard on Long Island.
I don't know where the Smiths came from originally but they owned slaves in Kentucky. The branch that claims the Netherland's Royalty connection was the Mills - and the father actually named his first daughter Wilhelmina but I don't know for sure what country they're branch actually came from. They lived all over but not in Long Island.
There was also an English settlement on Long Island called Gravesend that was founded by Lady Moody. I always thought this little tidbit of American history was fascinating.
Sheriff William J. Thompson
La Plata County
William (Big Bill) Thompson stood 6' 4" tall and weighed 280 pounds, but that didn't help him when he got into a gun battle with Jesse Stansel, the Town Marshal of Durango. Thompson had been appointed La Plata County Sheriff in 1898, and on January 9, 1906, he began to close down Durango's gambling halls under orders from the Governor. Marshal Stansel objected, and the two got into an argument at the El Mano Saloon. The argument moved out onto the sidewalk, where the two men emptied their guns at each other.
After the smoke cleared, both men were taken to Mercy Hospital, where Sheriff Thompson died from four bullet wounds. Marshal Stansel sustained one bullet wound to the chest and survived. After it was discovered that one of Thompson's wounds was to his back, Marshal Stansel was arrested for murder.
Before the trial could take place, Sheriff Thompson's clothing, which was vital evidence to prove the murder charge, was burned by the undertaker. As a result, Stensel was acquitted by the jury. Soon after, he moved to Texas.
I have a great uncle who disappeared off a bridge in Louisiana in the 1930's. His car was in the middle of the bridge, still running, with his wallet on the front seat. Money and ID still in it. He was never seen or heard from since.
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