How far back can you trace your family history?

1. 60

   melbelleposted 11 years ago

   How far back can you trace your family history?
   
   What do you know about your ancestors?   I can trace one side of my family back to 1700 and the other side I have traced back to the mid 1600's.  Does knowing about your ancestors help with the way you live your life today?

   replyreport
2. 89

   Georgie Loweryposted 11 years ago

   I can only go back to about the early 1800's on my mom's side but, on my daddy's I can trace our family back to an ancestor who was born in Wales in 1584 and sailed for America as a young man (YAY for the Virginia Colony!). It doesn't really affect who I am, but it helps to know where I came from.

   replyreport
3. 80

   dghbrhposted 11 years ago

   Actually knowing about ancestors do not help me to live my life here and now. So i prefer not to dig as history do not interest me that way.
   Thanks for the question.

   replyreport
4. 82

   mperrottetposted 11 years ago

   I was able to track my father's side of the family back to the early 1600s.  I traced my huband's family back to the 1600's as well.  It was important to my husband to know more about his family, because his mother left him with his father when he was only a baby, and his father died early at the age of 40.  Therefore, my husband really didn't know much about his ancestors.  He was thrilled to find out that his grandmother's family (on his father's side) was one of the original settlers in New Jersey.  I think that knowing more about his ancestors gave him the sense of family that he was missing.

   replyreport
5. 73

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   My great-great-great grandmother. I don't know too much about two of my grandparents history, yet I know the other two histories. Where they lived mainly, though I don't know their occupations.

   replyreport
6. 93

   KDeusposted 11 years ago

   I have been able to trace my maternal line back to the 1700s in Poland through research at a church there. It's taken a lot of work to get that far, but it's exciting and have all the documentation needed. I'm also working on some final documents  on my son's ancestry (husband's side) so that he can one day join the Sons of the American Revolution.

   replyreport
7. 60

   Sunkist123posted 10 years ago

   The farthest-back ancestor I've found so far participated in the First Crusade in 1096.

   replyreport
8. 0

   Bronwyn Joy Ellioposted 8 years ago

   Following my paternal grandmother's line, I can trace directly back to Egbert, King of Wessex 809-839. The King was my 40 something or other great great grandfather.
   On my paternal grandfather's side, I am having trouble getting past 1770 South Petherton, Somerset England!

   replyreport
9. 61

   Roselyn Knightposted 7 years ago

   Knowing your ancestors always helps to build confidence upon your regular activities.
   
   1. When one tries to find out the reason behind certain behavioral patterns s/he follows, he will find this interesting.
   
   2. Knowing ancestors produces a sense of association with them. This results into indirect copying their positive or negative aspects.
   
   3. Going by book of affairs of ancestors if any (present till date) will let them decide which path to take in complex situation.
   
   4. Family members can present quick solutions to modern day issues recollecting similar situations from the past encountered by their ancestors.
   
   5. Sense of duty exfoliates among family members knowing mighty tasks successfully executed by their ancestors.
   
   6. Family bonding gets stronger time to time when you push your imagination and recollect the days of integrity and valor to fight against odd.
   
   7. Any genetic disease prevalent among the ancestors make you aware of the facts associated with them. In future you may take bold steps toward curing these diseases without any hesitation/delay.

   replyreport
10. 93

    Paul Kuehnposted 7 years ago

    Unfortunately I haven't been able to identify my paternal great-great-grandfather yet in Germany.  Some of the ancestors on my mother's side go back to around 1500 in Switzerland.

    replyreport