Any amazing secrets uncovered when tracing back your family tree?

Question:I'm starting to do my family tree, and im really excited about it...and was wondering if anyone had gone about doing this and discovered something amazing about a past relative! Or that they were related to perhaps someone who had done something great, or naughty or...just downright silly!!! lol

oOo and would love to know how far back people have managed to go!!!

x

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm starting to do my family tree, and im really excited about it...and was wondering if anyone had gone about doing this and discovered something amazing about a past relative! Or that they were related to perhaps someone who had done something great, or naughty or...just downright silly!!! lol

oOo and would love to know how far back people have managed to go!!!

x

I found an old aunt who was loved by Louis XIV, king of France. She was the marquise de Fontanges "beautiful as an angel and stupid as a basket" wrote madame de Sévigné.
But the story ends badly: she died enpoisoned by madame de Brinvilliers (a famous murderer)

had an uncle in poland who was a horsethief

Horse thief here, also. (Appears to be an interesting occupation!)

Secrets you'll probably uncover ...(our ancestors kept a few). How far back? Documented in the late 1500's in England.

I had an ancestor who decided to go into town to watch a public hanging in 1824. It was the hanging of a man who had murdered his wife and three children in a drunken rage, there were hundreds of people turned up to see the hanging. A space had been cleared to make room for more people to see the event, everyone ran forward to get the best place to see the hanging, someone tripped so did my ancestor Millicent Shaw, and she was trampled to death along with twelve others. She was 24 years old and lived in and was buried in Greasley Nottinghamshire.

How long have you got?
My Aunt was murdered in Bristol cause of death on her Death Certificate "Compression of the Neck". I have newspaper cuttings about the trial of the guy who strangled her.
Her husband was crushed by a train while working on the railway in Bristol
My father was 12 years old when his parents (my paternal grandparents) married. Then I found that my grandfather was already married and his first wife outlived him. Granny obviously found out, too, because she kicked him out and married the guy next door. Gramps died and his body was unclaimed so the hospital gave him a pauper's funeral in an unmarked mass grave.
A 3x Gt. uncle stole ￡200 in promisory notes in Castle Cary in 1829 and sentenced to death. This was commuted to transportation and he was sent to Oz on a ship called Claudine II in December 1829 - he worked at a place called "Cliefden" in the Wellington Valley and I have a copy of his "Conditional Pardon".
The whole family left Castle Cary and Gt. grandad became a bargeman, he and his wife later became Free Settlers in Campertown, Sydney.
My father's other side were coal hauliers from the age of 8 in the pits in South Gloucestershire; one of them interviewed by a Government Inspector said "the girdle doesn't hurt" he did an 8-hour shift walking 4 miles to the pit and 4 miles home; he had learned to read and write a little at a Wesleyan Sunday School.
One Gt. Gt. grandmother died in the workhouse in South Molton of "Gradual Decay"!
Her son died aged 39 years (he was a brewer in Bristol) from D.T.'s The Coroner's report described him "he had the appearance of a man who had accustomed himself to alcohol"
On my tree I also have an ex leader of the Liberal Party, and one of the founders of the Bristol Aeroplane Company.
One branch goes back to a Walter Lee b.1562 Newton St. Cyres. One branch, nothing definite pre 1831. Thirty years on I'm still working on that problem!!
Welcome to Family History.

I am distantly related to a person who was on Baywatch. Also, we trace back to around 200 years ago. I have ancestors who fought against the Brits in the revolution and some who were in the British army in the 1800s. Other stuff too. Good luck, it is a great hobby, I am only just starting myself.

Did you know that theres a high chance that you are related to some one famous

Well, I had a 2nd great grandfather who was a deserter in the Civil War. That in and of itself isn't THAT interesting...except...He was a deserter from BOTH the Confederate (17th NC Infantry) and the Union (2nd NC Union) Armies.

Mark Twain is my 15th cousin. And I might be related to Mary Queen of Scots. Plus some other well known people.

Oh I'm also related to Stephen Hopkins who was on the Mayflower there's even a book written about him.

My grandma has traced back all the way to the 1300-1400s.

My 11th great-grandfather on one line was William Byrd, founder of my home town Richmond, Virginia and his home was Westover Plantation.

My 12th great-grandfather on another line was Chief Powhatan.

Outlaw Sam Bass was my 2nd cousin 4x removed.

English poet Richard Lovelace is my 12th great-grand uncle.

Hillary Clinton is my 7th cousin 1x removed.

Outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd was my 7th cousin 3x removed.

Sam Walton (founder of Walmart) was my 8th cousin 1x removed.

Oulaw Butch Cassidy was an 8th cousin 1x removed.

My grandfather is brought in many JFK conspiracy theories.

My great uncle was the priest on the Titanic who gave up a seat to stay back and pray.

My great great aunt was Percy shelly. Sister of Mary shelly who wrote Frankenstein.

oh yeah! apparently my maternal side was related to royalty in China a few generations ago, according to my mom. too bad i can't verify that though!

one ancestor was rebecca greensmith and was hung as a witch in hartford ct in 1662.

My ancestor was a Chinese general who migrated to Korea. I thought I'm Korean, but I found out a small part of me is Chinese.

Both sides of my family can be traced back to the same small town in France, Alsace (on the France and German border). One side of the family is German and the other is French.

One ancestor was in WW I and we have actual hand drawings of what he witnessed while on the front lines.

yes, my great-great-great-great.... (this goes on to about 100 greats) grandfather was the 2nd khalafite of saudi arabia! Hes very famous in the islam religion and he's an amazing man, he was said to lower the crime rates to almost 0. My dad and brother are direct male decendants! he lived more than 1000 years ago so thats pretty ages away

my cousins granddad is a dog

One of my ancestors was the 9th governer of Kansas.