One of my major hobbies is doing genealogy. It started with the mystery of my late husband's unknown sister. The only information he had was that she died before he was born and she had Down's Syndrome. In the 1950s, those children were hidden away. Eventually, I was able to find the information I needed and that child of embarrassment now has a name and someone who has visited her graveside. Sadly, I could not get this done before my husband passed away.
Not long after, I started losing the older generation. Parents, aunts, uncles.This made me realize that soon there would be nobody left to ask about grandparents and great-grandparents. The quest to build my family tree began.
It's been fun. So much fun, that when I reached a dead-end on my family, I did my ex-long distance guy's family. I traced his roots back to colonial America. Now I'm working on my son-in-law's tree. When I get stuck there, I'll move on to my sister-in-law (at my nephew's request).
Fun does not mean easy, though.
For example, my father William and his brother James, both named their sons William and James. My grandfather, William had a brother James. Their father, James had a brother William. You can imagine how many men with the same first and last name exist in my family.
Rural America in the 19th century kept very poor birth records. Colonial America in the 18th century kept good ones.
The US Federal census began in 1790 but the names of wives and children weren't being listed until 1850.
Old records are handwritten and can be difficult to read. This leads to mistranscription on genealogy sites. A branch of my family emigrated from Prussia. Some were German, some were Polish. I don't know either language and old German script makes it almost impossible to use a translation app. On the bright side, my son-in-law's French Canadian family has let me dust off the French I learned 50+ years ago. Now if only the 18th century missionaries knew how to capitalize proper names, I'd have a much easier time.
When people talk about going back in time, they usually want to change big stuff ... preventing wars, removing dictators, evacuating Pompeii. If I had a time machine, I would start with going back every 10 years and telling census takers to list birth names, not nicknames. It took me years to find out that my great-aunt Ella was christened Christiana Johanna. Next, I would change the custom of naming children after parents and grandparents. Also, keep your maiden name ladies! I don't know how far back I'd have to go but the French need to expand the available words for numbers ... four twenties plus ten plus seven is a bit cumbersome for ninety-seven. Especially when numerals aren't being used.
But the one thing I would love to do, when going back in my time machine, would be to talk to the ancestors. How did events in the world affect them? Why did they stay in one place? Why did they move? Were they happy? Would it comfort them to know that their family goes on?
I can tell you this, I love the idea that someday, a young woman will be excited to discover that her grandmother's great-aunt had the same name ... and wrote a blog on a sex site!
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Someone in the family did a genealogy down through the paternal side of the family. Traced my Dad's granddad's back to a farm in western Germany and even got to discover the farm was still in the family. (The one who came to America was as was usual, a younger son.) Even traced back to the 1400s. Seems somewhere between then and the 1700s there were only daughters in the line so the man she married took her last name to inherit the farm.
Genealogy does look like it can be be difficult pursuit. Good luck tracing back.
It can be challenging, especially since a lot of on-line material is incorrect.
@superbjversion2 Now why am I not surprised that many things on the net are full of errors when they are not outright lies.
Hugs!
I have a cousin whom took upon herself to the curator of the history of our family. She went through thousands and thousands documents from various sources from within family and out.
What she came up with is a history of a young man moving from his native birth land which was the Scottish highlands to Eastern Ontario . From there our family grew and grew to what we know . The family is spread around the world including the United States. The family has over one thousand members we know of.
Who knows ... We could be related!
"Also, keep your maiden name ladies! "
The Hispanic system for keeping both names makes sense to me. I find hyphenated last names a questionable practice. But this is all temporary. It can be shown mathematically that everyone will end up with the same last name eventually, should the human species survive that long.
Does the math tells when this will occur?
@superbjversion2
/r/theydidthemath/comments/2nytsn/request_how_long_until_we_all_have_the_same_last/
@superbjversion2
at news.sky.com
story/everyone-in-japan-will-have-same-surname-by-2531-unless-law-changes-study-suggests-13106561
I have managed to roughly get back to 12th century France on one side of the family, most interesting, it seems they had money once but not in my life time.
Good interesting post.
How exciting! I haven't made it beyond the 17th century. But there's still time!
My stepmom got into doing a fair bit of geneology in her retirement and did a bunch of my family's tree though my dad's sister got into doing it in her retirement and found that some of my stepmom's information was incorrect. I haven't followed up more recently (ha - maybe when I retire) but maybe I can look into it a bit more. I was super fortunate that my father's parents lived until I was 27 and 38 respectively. I lived with them the summer before my senior year of high school and enjoyed getting to know them better (before I only saw them like 2x/year). They shared a bunch of their history. They were married for 65 years from the great depression through the man on the moon through the computer age. I loved learning about their lives directly from them and am grateful I had that opportunity.
When I do a family tree, it's always with the caveat that I could be wrong. I also, don't trust another person's tree if they don't have the documentation to back up their facts.
There's only one grandparent that I ever had one-on-one time with, and she passed away when I was 9. I envy you the time you had with yours.
@superbjversion2 I was very fortunate given they were 60 when I was born having had my dad fairly late for their time due to the depression (married 9 years using condoms grandpa bought at gas station 😆). My children even got to meet my grandfather though the memories are more limited. They were at his 96th birthday party and saw him just before he turned shortly before he passed at 98.
LOL.... oh yes, that's how it is with history... my niece was very shocked when I told her that her mother walked around in the 60s without a bra and in very short skirts
) when you travel back in history like that, there can be beautiful discoveries and also terrible ones... look around the world... the states have a relatively young history and you have seen how difficult it can be to discover the facts... yes, we should all look where our roots are and see that people have more in common than what divides them. I tried to find out the story of my great aunt who had to flee East Prussia during the war years... such horrific experiences that today I cannot understand how refugees cannot be protected... here in Europe as well as in the States... but OK, we are on a sex site and I don't want to get political... that just puts you in a bad mood. I read your blog with interest and I think it's good, as I said, that everyone should look back and see where their roots are... because we are usually just guests where we are and only for a relatively short time. You write that it would be exciting if someone found your traces here 
) yes... but who would want to look at us in a hundred years... I have learned not to take myself so seriously... I like getting to know new people... I was on the road for a long time with my camper and enjoyed a lot of hospitality... and when a hiker comes by, there is always a couch free 
)
I would like to think that 100 years from now, some people would be fascinated by the sexual mores of the early 21st century. Just as many of us are fascinated by the erotic photos of the early 1900s.
@superbjversion2 Oh yes... there will be enough data from internet sex and even from real sex... but I'd be interested to know what sex will be like in the future
... I once read a novel in which most people lived in small cabins. The large walls were screens where you could choose the view, from the sunset to the view over the sea. Communication was similar to today's S.k.p.e.... everywhere, hidden in the disguise, were robot arms... for housework, personal care, medical treatment, and fitness training. The lying surface was called a feelie and could project all impressions and feelings onto the body, so when the participant watched a fight he felt the fighter's pain "naturally adjustable in intensity". He felt the same way when he watched a sex scene... right up to a real orgasm... There were sex shows where the spectators could determine the sexual practices of the participants... they were trained for this and very steadfast or excitable. The men were well-built and stamina-inducing, the women were equipped with every possible adornment, just like the viewers' pictures, so that everyone could choose their own model... and so was the emotional experience on the feelie... imagine watching a man with a 9-inch penis penetrate a woman's pussy, and you can feel exactly the same thing... being stretched and filled... I can actually feel the wetness on my face when a woman with a dripping pussy sits on the face of her partner while I'm watching... and at the end of the game, the robot arms come out of the walls and wash your body clean again 
))) hmm, I really liked the novel... but I forgot the title (something with a super game) and can't find it anywhere... haha... when I see how many men are sitting here in front of the cam, masturbating and watching others... I could wish for the technology of the feelie. ... then I would no longer have my little one in my hand but would feel a 10 inch one 
))) what do you think about the future
@voyeur57271 The future is a misty maelstrom of potential possibilities ... it doesn't really exist.
That is one of my goals...to build or attempt to build a family tree.
Trying to do my husband's side has been very, very difficult. So many Jewish records were destroyed by Germany and Russia during pogroms and the holocaust.
I have all but one of my ancestors back to immigration, mostly 17th and early 18th century. My ancestors have been screwing up this continent for over 300 years. My mother had her DAR from a female revolutionary soldier. I found it odd that there were many that gave a kid the mothers maiden name as a first name.
My tree didn't take long to do as we are relative newcomers to the US. I've really been enjoying my son-in-law's. They've been wreaking havoc since the Mayflower!
Actually, using the mother's maiden name as a first or middle name was quite common in the 1800s.
Love this post. Remind me to tell you the story of my own research.
I've managed to tweak the Scotland itinerary to include a stop at St Michael's in Musselburgh. Both sets of my grandmother's grandparents are buried there.
@superbjversion2
If that's the same as the Inveresk church, can't imagine it wouldn't be, its a very impressive building. Quite austere in the way of many kirks. It's in a beautiful setting.
I'll echo some of the other comments. "Wow."
That is quite the noble and interesting task with (what sound like) fascinating results.
Good tip, about leaving these blogs for our kin to discover.
My daughters better get moving with starting a family. 😶
Working on my son-in-law's tree, I've taken it grandparent by grandparent. I'm currently on the final one and wallowing in French Canadian Colonies. Those darn Acadians sure did like to marry their cousins. It's a challenge.
Here, people's full names, not shortened names or nicknames, have to be recorded on birth, death and marriage certificates.
A common reason why people come to a dead end tracing their ancestry here is having a common surname, eg Smith, Jones. Records generally are quite good.
Full names for birth, marriage and deaths are required here, too. But, often, Elizabeth Smith on a marriage certificate doesn't reflect the correct birth name because the person filling out the information doesn't know that her birth certificate says Mary Elizabeth.
Having a family line of Scots - I absolutely love the records from the UK. Except those only started in 1855.
It's fun researching the family tree... I found records for my moms side going back to the 1600s. On the not fun side, when I asked my dad about his family tree he said "what do you want to know that for? you're not my (and he literally said this...) 'natural issue'!"
My biological father had male records going back to Wales in the 600s but now that he's gone, so are those records for me.
That's disappointing about both of your dads. My mother had a cousin who went to Germany and did all sorts of research. I contacted his wife after my mom and the cousin had both passed to see if she would make copies and send it. She wouldn't but she would have let me copy at her house. She died before I could manage the trip. I have no idea where her children are.
My sister used to have a journal on the family tree but it got lost in one of her moves.
That is sad. I have a nice tree program and can print a family sheet for every grandparent (with their children) every generation that I am able to go back. I've put together binders with these sheets and the proof to back-up my computer.
That’s a cool hobby. I think my brother’s wife has done some research but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of her work.
I wished I had asked more questions of my parents and grandparents, let alone wanting to know more about more distant ancestors.
That can be an issue ... grandparents can be gone before Igrandkids are interested.
Other family members have done the genealogy research for me. Dead ends were hit trying to find our Indian ancestors on the various rolls.We have pics and names but since it was not popular to be Native American, we are guessing family avoiding declaring their own ancestry.
Now if each family member had just written something about their life. So much is lost when stories aren't recorded.
I love the story tidbits that I find. Like an obituary from 1765 or finding out that someone got $80 a year as his Revolutionary War pension.
I do hit a lot of dead ends ... mostly caused by immigration.
Perfect
Thank you. It's something I really enjoy doing.
My father's family kept a "Family Bible" that in addition to being a standard Bible included a family tree dating back many years. As the only son, this was entrusted to me. But I must admit I've not been a good and faithful steward of the keeping the legacy updated.
Family bibles are a good source of info. Generally, though, all the descendants are not listed. Grandpa lists his marriage and the birth of his children then whoever inherits it lists their marriage and children but not the children of their siblings. You should only have to do your marriage and children ... unless your parents also were slackers.