Comments on: Have you done a genealogy search on yoru family tree and found something shocking? Do you have a different?

By: irishroisin

irishroisin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:33:59 +0000

I started digging into my family's gene pool because I have slightly olive skin and everyone else is white with pink undertones. I found out that my paternal grandmother was Native American and my paternal grandfather came over from Germany.

On my mother's side, they are welsh and German; and can trace their ancestry to the Revolutionary War and a decorated war general. We can also trace our roots to Elizabeth Barrett Browning (the classical writer).

My daughter is half American and half Irish (her father was from Dublin).
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By: graytrees

graytrees — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:53:59 +0000

Yep. Found out my grandaddy was a bastard. Being a genealogist, by the way, that word is not an insult. Literally, he didn't know who his father was. The man on his birth certficate died three years before he was born. My grandmother knew about, but had decided not to tell anyone. You can imagine, my dad's not all that thrilled, either with her, or with this new knowledge. Also, farther back, found out my Jarrell line weren't really Jarrells; they'd been adopted by the second husband of someone, and took his name. But that's my moms' side, and it's something like six generations back, so no biggie. Oh, and to Shea up there. Hemophilia is not only in the royal family. That's just its' most famous victims. Victoria had a diluted form; her cousin, the son of Czar Nicholas and Alexandra, had it BAD. But there are people before and after that had it and weren't related.
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By: geeva115

geeva115 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:43:59 +0000

My last name is Logan, a scottish name. When doing family research, we found out that my GGGG Grandfather was an Arkansas state senator, and by race according to the 1800something census, mulatto, or mixed race of black and white. It was a big family secret that we have just uncovered, and some of my dad's siblings and cousins don't believe it. But if you took a digital picture of my grandfather and shaded it darker, it would be obvious because of his bone structure. Small world! P.S. Dad has also found some evidence that may suggest that we're native american too. Which doesn't explain why I burn so easily in the sun. lol.
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By: rustskipper

rustskipper — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:09:59 +0000

I found that I am decendant from the first Murder tried and convicted in the US. John Billington, came over on the Mayflower, shot a friend of his at close range with a Blunderbust. This is fact. I have also use DNA Evidence to assure that the ancestors are verified.

He is 13 generations back, so 2 to the 13th power contributor to my gene pool – not too much influence.
References :
http://members.aol.com/calebj/billington.html
http://pharmacy.isu.edu/~cady/genealogy/PS07/PS07_037.HTM

By: shea_8705

shea_8705 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:03:59 +0000

We found out that my older brother who is in the Air Force has a genetic disorder/ disease called hemophilia, which means that his blood doesn't clot correctly. This also means that somewhere in the past we are descended from royalty, most likely English. We haven't been able to trace the family line back yet, but I have been told from several sources that this disease came from the royal families. The reason for that is too many intermarriages and depleted the gene pool. It's really creepy to find out you are somewhat a product of incest.
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By: pineleaf1865

pineleaf1865 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:15:59 +0000

Well among the oral tradition is a story that we're related to President Andrew Jackson. Imagine my surprise while corresponding with persons from the same place I ran into people who'd also heard the same story! lol My nickname when a young child was a kind of nut. My grt-grt-grandfather was called Gordon Jackson and he's supposed to a relative of Andrew. He lived in the 1800's in Colleton County in South Carolina.
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By: katlvr125

katlvr125 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:52:59 +0000

actually I am related to a famous person but I am not sure about the exact relation--all I know is he is somehow related to my great grandma
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By: Annie R

Annie R — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:03:59 +0000

I was always told I was French (Canadian). I found that there are no French Bloodlines. They were all English.

I was also told my GGG grandfather was a Sailing Master in the War of 1812. I never believed it, but when I did research, I requested his records from National Archives and sure enough, he was a sailing Master and he was granted land (somewhere?)

I also found notorious pirates off the New England coast. Hmmmmmmmm

It has been very interesting dredging up the past. I am very lucky that I remembered names, dates and places from the stories my grandmother told me when I was a little girl. It has made the search a lot easier.
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By: leon b

leon b — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:46:59 +0000

nothing shocking, all my predecessors are human, no mixed races in the family tree, not related to anyone famous, but I am not pure ethnically, grandpa Emelyan was married to grandma Guadalupe
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By: genaddt

genaddt — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:20:59 +0000

Well, I found out I'm in the 11th generation of descent of Giles Corey who was killed when they tried to get a confession of witchcraft out of him in Salem, MA 1692. I also have found out that through my maternal grandmother I have a great deal of Rhode Island Quaker Ancestry.
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