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How Far Back Can You Trace Your Ancestors?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Sex & Relationships
I only know up to my grand parents and even then only met 2 of them, 2 died before I was born but all are gone now..

And even when my mother's mum lived with us we never really had a conversation because she didn't speak English ...

So what about yourselves?? How far back can you trace your roots?

And is it comforting to know where you came from or isn't that important to you?

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be honest im not bothered who my ancestors are, but im sure other people do care.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It doesnt really bother me, but a few years ago my uncle traced our family back years, found out we are origionally french, and then we lived in a big castle in ireland, meh i dont kno what happened if we were rich then, why arent we now :(;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My family heritage is important to me; I have quite an usual surname (at least I was born with it - had it changed). I guess that might be 'cause I feel bad. I think my grandparents think I've betrayed the family name.

    My Dad's traced our ancestors back; not sure how far. But there's something or other to do with Lorna Doone's farm. But no one seems to have heard of her.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my dad's name is very popular in the west midlands (where he was born) his parents are still alive and his grandma died when i was about 4, and they'd all been living in birmingham all their lives. i'm pretty sure my grandma had irish ancestors.

    my mum's parents were refugees from a little rural village in poland during WW2. i don't know how long they'd been there, but the family name is szwedzinksi, and 'szwed' means a swedish person, so they might have originally come from sweden.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    O'Neill clan anyone? :p my family came from Ireland and they lived in Ireland forever just about (well starting from when Hugh O'Neill chopped his hand off and threw it onto ulster to claim ireland - hence 'red hand of ulster'). And my dad and his immediate family came over although there were lots more O'Neills over there. And probably still are? :confused:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mine's not that hard to trace back. Well, my dad's mum's side anyway. They're all from a very small village. They've been living there ever since time began and stuff. My mum's lot were all farmers, so they'd prolly not be hard to trace either.

    Personally, it's not something that interests me too much. I know I'm descended from some Admiral who was either from London or German, and it's likely that I have some viking blood too.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My dad got really into all this a few years ago when he became convinced we were descendants of a shipwrecked Spaniard from the Armada! :eek2:

    Don't think he ever managed to prove that link but he did find out that my family came over from Scotland in the 16th century or something because they were driven out for cattle rustling! :lol:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    TBH if I thought it was interesting then I might, but I don't want to know if it turns out they were farmers or something because then I would just go to sleep.

    As far as I know, my dad's side of the family came over at the start of the 1900's from Ireland to Yorkshire then my Grandad's dad moved up here or something. My Grandad's brother lives in Goole. Whether he stayed there originally or moved there I don't know, but he has lived there long enough to have a Yorkshire accent.
    Dad's mum's family came from Scotland because her maiden name was Ferguson.

    My mum's mum's family are Scottish as far as I know because they're called McIntyre or Macintire I dunno :/
    Mum's dad's family seem to have come from Ireland, but I'm pretty vague on that because mum said her one of Grans had Spanish descendants and that's pretty much al I know because my head is hurting thinking about it/
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Tim the Enchanter
    Don't think he ever managed to prove that link but he did find out that my family came over from Scotland in the 16th century or something because they were driven out for cattle rustling! :lol:

    :lol::lol::p

    Tough luck!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My aunty was doing our family tree but she didn't get that far and we discovered that my great, great grandad had changed his surname in the first world war which complicated things.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    We did have a family tree going back to the 18th century last time I saw it; I think she's still working on it.

    I did a bit of research myself, finidng one of my ancestors was a magistrate in Kent who got murdered in 14-something.

    I really do find this sort of stuff interesting; when I have more time I'm going to get into it more.

    Try out GenesReconnected (a spin-off from the Friends Reunited people) - dunno how good it is but could be worth a try.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't even know much about my living relatives, never mind the ones before that. I know i have a half uncle and aunt and a step uncle on my mums side and a grandma on the other, and i think my dad has a sister but ive never met her.
    Big family huh.

    Not gone any further back than that though. I'm huessing from the name my dad has welsh roots somewhere, but as far as i know my dads side is from manchester and my mums' from lancashire. Doesnt really bother me though. Just get less presents at christmas ;)
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    we can trace our family back loads of generations on both sides of my family. on my dads side we have a family tree dating to robert the bruce times. apparently one has been kept for at least 150 and someone about 10 years ago updated it. on my mums side of the family it goes back about 10 generations. they are really interesting. if it wasnt something that was already done for me on both sides of the family it is something i wouldve been interested in doing :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my dads maternal grandmother came from naples, was raised in a convent with her little sister after their mother died in childbirth, when she was old enough she emigrated to england with her sister and set up home in birmingham

    my grans family are from ireland and my dads real dad is from new zealand
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I HAVE A FAMILY TREE THAT GOES BACK AS FAR AS THE 1600'S.

    Apparently my ancestors were big in the slave trade in Bristol!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ..
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Don't really know or care. I know that my surname although its from africa, actually originates from england.....my old surname is scottish but originates from Ireland. I have no intersting relatives but I could trace back to great great grandparents possibly, they have intersting stories to do with murder, adultery and orphans....
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