How far back can you trace your family history?

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

On my mother's side...

Grandmother - early 1800's slaves imported from Africa to Marlboro County South Carolina

Grandfather - mid 1800's plantation in Darlington South Carolina is as far as I got.

About 12 years ago, I met a white man with the exact same last name I had (mine is a very unique last name mind you) and was one of my patients, come to find out, he knew my grandfather when he was a kid (there was about a 30 year difference) before this man passed, he showed me a book showing me his family tree and this was in part how I was able to trace back his side.

This is interesting.

[gphi426]

My uncle is really into genealogy and he has found that on my dad's side we can trace all the way back to the Mayflower! Some of my relatives came to America on the Mayflower.
That is pretty cool. haha
And supposedly George HW Bush is my seventh cousin 4 times removed or something crazy like that. haha

[RU OX Alum]

What does "removed" mean, in this sense?

[AGDee]

In this sense, removed means they are of a different generation than you. My aunts and uncles children are my first cousins. My first cousins' kids are my first cousins once removed, because they are not from my generation, they are one generation off from me.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by AGDee

In this sense, removed means they are of a different generation than you. My aunts and uncles children are my first cousins. My first cousins' kids are my first cousins once removed, because they are not from my generation, they are one generation off from me.

Thank you!!

[violetpretty]

My dad's side I (or rather he) can trace back to 1752 when the last of his family emigrated from Germany. We know that during the Revolution, some of our ancestors were guards for Hessian prisoners because they spoke German. There is a statue in Gettysburg that looks EXACTLY like my father. We knew that we had ancestors fight in the Civil War, and sure enough, the statue is of a Colonel on my paternal grandmother's side!

My mom's side is pretty limited. I believe both sides of her family emigrated from Poland around the turn of the last century.

And my Sig Kap family, I can trace back to 1992!

[epchick]

Originally Posted by gphi426

And supposedly George HW Bush is my seventh cousin 4 times removed or something crazy like that. haha

OMG this reminds me of this guy I know who claims he's related to a bunch of presidents.

Here is his list (directly from myspace):

George W Bush
George H W Bush
Richard M Nixon
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
Teddy Roosevelt
John F Kennedy
Rutherford B Hayes
William Howard Taft
James A Garfield

He used to have a list of how he was related to them, but it read like the Bible (ie. XY begot AB who begot DE who begot YT)

[honeychile]

^^ If you're related to the right one or two, chances are very good that you're related to several! It's a little suspect, though, that he claims to be related to President GW Bush but not President Franklin Pierce.

Things that make a genealogist say "Hmmm...."

[RU OX Alum]

^^how could he be related to one Roosevelt but not the other? I know they were distant, somewhat, but they had the same last name.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

^^how could he be related to one Roosevelt but not the other? I know they were distant, somewhat, but they had the same last name.

Good catch & my bad! That's exactly one of the things they teach you to catch when checking someone's genealogical charts!

[agzg]

Teddy and Franklin were fifth cousins. Teddy was also Eleanor's uncle. Eleanor and Franklin were fifth cousins, once removed.

[Still BLUTANG]

slight hijack

what does "once removed" mean? i've heard and seen it several times but never completely understood the concept.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Still BLUTANG

slight hijack

what does "once removed" mean? i've heard and seen it several times but never completely understood the concept.

See post 49 above:

Originally Posted by AGDee

In this sense, removed means they are of a different generation than you. My aunts and uncles children are my first cousins. My first cousins' kids are my first cousins once removed, because they are not from my generation, they are one generation off from me.

[Still BLUTANG]

ooooooooooh. thanks!

[epchick]

Originally Posted by AGDee

In this sense, removed means they are of a different generation than you. My aunts and uncles children are my first cousins. My first cousins' kids are my first cousins once removed, because they are not from my generation, they are one generation off from me.

Does that work in the opposite direction (like you are going down the family tree, i mean going up). Like i'll give an example. I'll use one of my grandmother's siblings--her brother Mauricio.

Mauricio had 6 kids (and i'll use my godfather Rudy as more of the example)
Rudy had 3 girls
His 3 girls all have kids (Rudy's grandchildren)

Rudy & his siblings would be my mom's first cousins. But "my generation" would be his grandchildren, so would they be my first cousins? Or would my "uncle" Rudy still be my first cousins as well?

Originally Posted by honeychile

^^ If you're related to the right one or two, chances are very good that you're related to several! It's a little suspect, though, that he claims to be related to President GW Bush but not President Franklin Pierce.

Things that make a genealogist say "Hmmm...."

He used to have the "how he was related to" geneology on his facebook, but now it's been greatly reduced to only these:

Jane Whitney (1669-1693): 8th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; 6th Great Grandmother of Richard M Nixon

Sybil Gould (1527-1571): 14th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; Great Grandmother of John Locke

Alice Farnham (1610-1652): 11th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; 5th Great Grandmother of Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Jane Hogg (1598-1688): 10th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; 6th Great Grandmother of William Howard Taft

Mary Farnham (1628-1714): 10th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; 8th Great Grandmother of Gerald Ford

Alice Gulley (1553-1596): 11th Great Grandmother of epchick's friend; 8th Great Grandmother of Ronald Reagan