bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

Excluding the family stories such as being related to Jesse James, President Lincoln or Bigfoot, through years of research I’ve been able to prove many of my family stories correct while I’m still researching others. While previously only stories, I found the Dutch ancestors plus the only cousin to fight for the South during the Civil War. And I think I’m close to finding the Native American my mother heard whispers of.

So when you hear family stories that are less than complimentary, there’s a good chance they are true. It’s the stories about grandpa taking Omaha Beach by himself, inventing the wheel or giving Napoleon military advice that you treat with suspect.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Think I will pass on the DNA test. I might find out that I am not me!!

Don

therwol Loc: USA

In some cases, not a joke.

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

I don't remember exactly how much, but they informed me that I had a few more than a normal amount of Neanderthal genes. My kids got a kick out that. 😲

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Big Mike, how far back in terms of years or generations do you trace your ancestors back. I can go back on some lines to the fifteen hundreds but no matter how far I go back, I always know that the person who is the earliest on my chart has a mom and dad who are even earlier. I also know that while I have two parents and four grandparents, by the time I get back twelve generations, I can have as many as 2048 greatgreat --- grandparents. That is a considerable pile of ancestors to know about. I know about a lot of mine, but not that many. I did have various lines in my family who moved to Utah in the nineteenth century. Perhaps we are related. As far as you believing in Neanderthals, their existence in the past does not require your belief in them in the present.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

I have been working at my family history for more than fifty years. I have come to find that I enjoy finding another cousin from some collateral line more than going back another generation in the fifteen hundreds. If we all had our genealogies before us, I am sure that we'd be amazed at how many fellow hogs are our cousins.

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

My wife is driving off today to Lincoln, NE to meet a 2nd or 3rd cousin that found her thru 23andme. They have communicated a lot by telephone, but this will be the first time they've actually met. She also has a new-found cousin in the Des Moines area that she hasn't yet met. My wife's father died when she was very young, and she has learned a lot about his family thru 23andme and other sources.

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

I’ve read some of the stuff written by individuals about their ancestors. It’s so syrupy sweet that I considered breaking into a drugstore for insulin. According to the authors, Jesus didn’t hold a candle to the magnificent achievements of their ancestors.

Fortunately for me, my mother had a superb memory and repeated it all from those who denied themselves in favor of their wife and children to those “good old boys” that were crappy parents and even crappier husbands.

Our ancestors were humans beings like anyone else, some had personal standards I try to live up to while others made Atilla the Hun look like a choirboy. Genealogy requires time, work, patience and oftentimes luck. One must realize that you may not like what you find, but oftentimes the bad is the reason for the good. I know now that my illiterate grandfather was such a good family man because his father was such a bad one. A long time ago I realized that genealogy isn’t just names and dates, it’s more like a Greek tragedy with personalities, emotions, drama, good and bad.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, that's happened several times. What a mess. I heard about it with brothers and sisters about to get married.

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

One sure fire way to find any relatives is to involve money. When my brother-in-law’s father died, suddenly his up until then unknown uncle (his father’s brother) showed up wanting his half of their dad’s farm. His dad told no one in the family, not even his mother, that the guy existed and was living half way across the country. Nor did the uncle ever try to contact any of the family. Until there was money involved, that is. What a surprise! Oh, the guy did get half of the family farm.

therwol Loc: USA

Was his name on the deed without any other family members knowing about it? Was the farm left to both brothers by their parents? If either answer is yes, then he would be entitled to half of the farm. I'm not a lawyer, but it seems that either of those couldn't be disputed.