Hi all,

I was just wondering how many other genealogists/family historians are members of this site?

How far back have you folks managed to trace your lineage?

I've only managed 'till 1910 on my dad's father's side and 1817 on my mum's late father's side.... and then various 19th century dates on the other maternal sides....

Rudi

There's another here Rudi (well, my wife is the main genealogist!) - both of our families back to at least the mid-1800s, and one to the mid-1600s.

She also helps to transcribe old records into modern accessible formats for a county society

not myself, but my father is the family historian, and has been able to trace back his ( and my ) lineage to 1690.

It's highly unlikely that he'll be able to find anything before that. Back then, my family lived in Scherpenzeel, in Gelderland. And... in 1944, the archives of that province were destroyed during operation Market Garden ( they were in Arnhem ).

I'm 8th generation LDS so my family has been doing genealogy for a couple hundred years already. I have several lines back to the 1400's on my mom's side. I personally have worked on my dad's lines since he isn't LDS and have an aunt I work closely with. On my dad's we have gone as early as the early 1800's.

Yep, without a break in the line it goes back to early 1700's. I have a letter of my great, great, great grandfather that states we are direct decendants from Roger de Reynes who came to England with William in 1066. I have since then been researching the family line in England with much rich history. However, the paper connection is a bit hazy around the time of the crossing from England. I have also taken part in the DNA study of the Raines/Rains surname. Very interesting...

Hi guys,
A few years ago my mother who runs the reception from a doctors clinic,came across a female paitent who shared the same maiden name as her.Anyways,they started to chat about their surname and it turns out they were distantly related!At the same time a relative of the lady was writing a book about his family background.My mother was able to get in contact with him and solve some of the missing parts needed to continue his book.
The book details the family history from my mothers side of the family from 1870 Coom,County Kerry,Ireland to the present in New Zealand.
The reason why the book came about 'A Moriarty Story',is because of the authors trip to Ireland.Upon finding out that the family home of the Moriarty's was burnt down(in 1999),he was determined that our past be preserved for future generations.
One of those people who were listed in the book 'Shelley Mather',was a victim of the train bombings in London.Its such a small world...
Here is the opening quote from the book:

Your tombstone stands among the rest,
Neglected and alone,
The name and date are chiselled out,
On polished marbel stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
It is too late to mourn,
You did not know that i exist,
You died 'fore i was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you,
In flesh and blood and bone,
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse,
Entirely not our own.
Dear ancestor..the place you filled ,
One hundred years ago,
Spreads out amongst the ones you left,
Who would of loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew,
That someday i would find this spot,
And come and visit you.

Cheers,Merry Xmas,Shay

On my dads side our family is traced all the way back to I think its 1635 or so when the first two people took the name I now have.

One of my relatives in Holland sent us a family tree book a couple years ago and it was so interesting to see how many of us there are in the world.

Previous to that I only knew as far back as my grandfather who came to Canada in the 50's from Holland.

My moms side is not as clear but it originates in the US for the most part and I even have a Granfather (not sure how many Greats it is) who fought in the Civil War on the Union side.

Cheers

I've been able to go back as far as the mid 1600's in VIrginia. My family purchased a home in Lancaster County, VA which a distant cousin repurchased several years ago after it was out of the family for about 60 years and has been renovating it. There's a great website if you like that sort of thing.

http://www.enonhall.com/html/familytree.html

My cousin Will, and I are both descendents of Henry Straughn Hathaway, but because Henry married twice and had children by both wives, there is a THIRTY FOUR year difference in age between the two half brothers from whom we are descended. That worked out to be two additional generations, as Henry is my Great grandfather, but his Great, great, great grandfather. What's no longer on the link is the fact that the original family member to by the house was actually William Hathaway III and is the grandson of the William Hathaway who came over from England some time around 1660 as his son, William, Jr, was born in 1666.

The story is that William came over from near Stratford England, but has never been able to connected.

Tom

Well, I'm not exactly sure how far we've gone back, as I understand it, not only do the McConnells still own some land from over 100 years ago in Ireland, but I'm related to James Whitcomb Riley, a local hero if you ask me. Also, a couple of stories about Riley: He worked for a friend of mine's great-great-grandfather. Well, he was lazy, and would often come to work drunk. Actually, he wrote some of his best work while intoxicated! Interesting, no? Thanks for your time.

Well, I'm not exactly sure how far we've gone back, as I understand it, not only do the McConnells still own some land from over 100 years ago in Ireland, but I'm related to James Whitcomb Riley, a local hero if you ask me. Also, a couple of stories about Riley: He worked for a friend of mine's great-great-grandfather. Well, he was lazy, and would often come to work drunk. Actually, he wrote some of his best work while intoxicated! Interesting, no? Thanks for your time.

On my dad's side got both lines back to around 1730. Father's line from Ober Hochstadt, Bavaria, Germany. his mother's from St. Gallen, Switzerland.

On my mother's side. Her mother mother's side back to around 1740 a Jewsih family in and around Worms. Her father's side only 2 generations. Her granfather immigrated to the US around 1900, family story says that he was of Prussian Nobilty. The draw back is that no one knows or remembers what his name was originally. Changed it upon his immirgations.

I find genealogy as fascinating as any other histirical study - we've spent ages in record offices and cemetaries looking for ancestors, so how's this:
My wife's (Chrissie) maternal line includes Challis - allegedly from De Challis who arrived with Willie the Conqueror but certainly traceable to Berkshire in the early 17th century as well as Murphy and Wells names. Her paternal line is Ball - a little more clouded as her father's familiy were publicans (the pub where her father was born in Birmingham was demolished in the 1980s - the Bulls Head in Summer Lane, Birmingham) but her father was the 'black sheep' of the family - faked his birth certificate to join the Royal Artillery in 1916, got caught and sent to the Army School in Maidstone, Kent; then faked it again to serve in the RAF in WW2 - took us 4 years to actually trace his proper date of birth - after WW2 he worked as valet to Air Chief Marshal Sir John Slessor.

My line is only factual to the late 1700s - The Cox family seems to have been in London as far as we can trace - about 1860; but there are 2 seperate sets of Jones's from Swansea too. My maternal line is the one I'm trying to track - Harrie. From family stories they were on the losing side at Culloden and then exiled to Canada via France. Certainly the name appears on records from Hudson's Bay at around the right time frame. The part of the family that I have proven descent from (Alexander Harrie) arrived in London in the late 1700s with money from the fur trade, owned property in Marlborough Street which still stands - over £5 million at todays prices, and lost the lot within three generations - from posh in the West End to poverty in Blackfriars!
There were Cox's at Trafalgar and in the 95th Rifles at Waterloo - although I cannot claim proven descent from either - but isn't it strange that two of my favourite modelling subjects have always been highlanders and riflemen?

Thanks for the great responses guys.

The biggest problems I've encountered is due to the "Anglo-cizing" and phonetic spellings of the non-British surnames.... for example... my surname is Richardson, but my great-great-great-grandfather was an Engine Driver from Gothenburg. He ditched his Swedish surname (and possibly first and second names) for the English spelling thereof... Of course the other problem is that officially Sweden only adopted the paternal/inherited surname convension in the late 19th/early 20th century... bit of a brick wall...

On my mum's side I've encountered similar problems... the "stem-vader" joined the Kings Royal Rifle's (the 60th) and was posted to the Cape... but again his name was spelt more or less phonetically... all we know is that his was possibly Prussian... unfortunately his discharge/permission to remain in the Cape document has been stolen from the archives (a problem we suffered in the mid-80's)...

I haven't plucked up the courage to go to the local LDS chapter... what sort of records are kept there?

Rudi

My sister has traced one line all the way back to Kent England in 1512. My family came to America sometime in the early 1700's (I don't have the date, but she does) and began farming in North Carolina. As time progressed, they migrated south with me being a product of Alabama.

Patrick

I read gyneacologist. Worse I clicked.

Well. Merry Christmas. I must have my eyes checked soon.

Gyneacologist - the only job where you get paid to look up old friends!


(sooorrrryyy)