How early have you traced back on your family tree?

Question:In my direct line, I've gone back to 1708 in Oxfordshire, England. Other families linked to mine (ie, through marriage) have traced back to the 1500s. Matthew Pinsent was able to trace back to 'the dawn of time', through a long lineage English kings, including William the Conqueror.

I'm still looking for the king in my family (!), but have only found a long history of labourers.

How far have you got back, and have you found out anything interesting in your history?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In my direct line, I've gone back to 1708 in Oxfordshire, England. Other families linked to mine (ie, through marriage) have traced back to the 1500s. Matthew Pinsent was able to trace back to 'the dawn of time', through a long lineage English kings, including William the Conqueror.

I'm still looking for the king in my family (!), but have only found a long history of labourers.

How far have you got back, and have you found out anything interesting in your history?

New member! I've been hooked for over 40 years and love it. I do both my and my husband's family. Have some lines back to the 1500-1600's. Quite a few to the 1700's and a lonesome few to the 1800's, unfortunately my people. Have found quite a few "famous" people on my husband's side. One or two on mine. Did find that we're related 6 times since the 1600's: 4 times by marriage to one another's cousins and twice to aunts/uncles . Found one of his cousins who was executed for murder in NJ in the 1930's. Most of us are farmers and teachers, but there are quite a few in the medical profession on my side. Now I know why I've wanted to be a nurse since the age of 6; it's in the blood! :-)

An aunt on my mother's side traced roots back to the May Flower. We have a relative that was Governor of Massachusetts back in the 18th century. I think that's right. It was a long time ago. I'm not sure about my dad's side because his father came here as a young boy from Lebanon. His mom was born here and was Lebanese.

My fathers side: dates back to 1580 in England
My mothers side: dates back to early 1600 in Norway

Mother's side: have information about the first person in our family who arrived in the US. He owned a large farm in lower Manhattan (below Wall Street)

My grandmother and my aunt have been able to trace one branch of my family back to the 1730's here in America. They are stumped at that part and may not be able to get further.

I tracked back to one 4X great grandfather who was executed by firing squad on Napoleon's personal orders. Another 4Xgreat, however, linked to a line that can be traced to the 14th Century, and one of George Bush's ancestors.
The frustrating thing is that for my family name, I can only go back to great grandfather.

Well I like to call my lines solid, semi-solid and "that's cool but who knows".

I do have a solid line back to 1625. Turns out they came to the US on a land grant (have the actual grant) and stayed in the same area to this day - thus I have a solid paper trail from then to now.

I have another semi-solid line back to 1505 in England. I call this semi-solid because some of the research came from other people and I couldn't absolutely verify the information. But a number of people did provide substantial notes and references so that gives me a nice warm and fuzzy about their work.

Then there is "that's cool but who knows". This usually applies to a most lines that get into the 1500s and before. There are often a lot of assumptions that have been made, and a lot of belief placed in other's (not necessarily valid) works. Even "hard" documents such as old clan documents have been written and rewritten over the ages for political purposes often to try to show some lineage that would give historical rights to certain areas. Then there is the classic problem with Paternity. Esepcially when trying to deal with nobility and royalty, it is truly a paternalistic history. However, other than direct heirs to the throne (even those aren't certain), is the Baron or King really the father?? Or was it the pooper scooper in the castle stables? Think of a young woman, who maybe the Baron has graced with his let's say "company". But the woman is also quite friendly with the pooper scooper - maybe a lot more often than with the Baron. Well this woman becomes pregnant --- who would she say is the father -- the Baron (thus her child would be nobility) or the pooper scooper? Hummmm, I wonder.

But history is changing all the time. They find new evidence, archeological or documentary, find that some prior assumptions didn't pan out, etc. But rarely do you see old genealogies (suspect already) keeping up with such changes. But in my "that's cool but who knows" line, I have one back to 295AD. But it is just that, cool but who knows.

Different lines go back to different periods. Most of which I've obtained from other family researchers and their published works.

Fretz Family of Pennsylvania - 1543 in the East Freisand Islands of Germany/Denmark

McGeehon Family of Pennsylvania - 1780 from Ireland

Light Family of Ontario - 1783 from southern England. Possible link to the Lyte Family of Wiltshire County would go back to 1270

Cross Family of Pennsylvania - 1650's eastern England

Holl Family of Pennsylvania - 1640's from Palatinate of France/Germany (Rhine Valley)

My work 1735 Cornwall, but I have been given a line (also in Cornwall) back to the 1400's but as that is some one Else's work I cannot take the credit.

On my side of the family I have got back to the 1700's. An aunt on my wife's side has traced their line to 1500's. I like to read the interesting names. It is surprising how some unusual names continue to turn up. Thats part of being a family.

Late 1500's on some lines, middle 1800's on others. I've had the most luck with surveyors and the reverends and politicians in the family, because they could read and write, and not only founded towns and started churches but were written about by others.

Other lines of the more simple people that go back very far are generally people who hung around one area, and the church left the records for them.

Happy hunting... brick walls and crabgrass happen, but remember that every common laborer is as important to your DNA as any king could be, and you wouldn't be here if any of them missed even one romantic rendezvous...

Happy hunting!

It depends on the line, but I was able to trace back on one of my maternal lines all the way to Charlemagne.

I have traced my galloway line back to William Galloway in Ireland, Born 1746, Armagh. I only want confirmation from a few more sources and to spread out my line through his children.