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Question: Your reaction to find your ancestors were destitute!?
Just been watching Jeremy Paxman's "Who do you think you are!?" DVD and was quite emotional about what he found out about his ancestry: people in dire poverty, having to move to survive but having to leave behind small children, even newly born, not knowing what lay ahead!.!.!. How do you feel when this has happened to your ancestry!? I'd feel gutted, but maybe you don't!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I've been working on my tree and yeah, some of it has been really sad to see!. In one family, all of the males for 4 generations were all born deaf!. Much of it, though, were people who got up out of bad situations and made new lives for themselves and kept on pushing forward!. That's one of the most amazing things to see when you're looking at these things!. Other cool stuff is finding a celebrity or, in my case, a notorious bank robber, in your direct lineage!.

Yeah, you'll find some saddening stuff, but think about it - all of these people worked hard to get through life and, even if they didn't make it, their children and grandchildren and great great great great great grandchildren did!. And, these people are now looking back and caring about what they had to go through!. And that's just awesome!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm Irish, and since there are so many movies about Ireland and all the struggle its been through in the past two hundred years alone, my mother frequently reminds me that it took so many hardworking, good, honest men and women to bring me into this world!. It makes me grateful for all of the things in my life that we take for granted!.!.!.e!.g!. the internet!.!.a refrigerator!.!.!.a can opener, a decent potato peeler!. People struggled for so long to attain such a comfortable standard of living for us!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i would feel compassion and love for them!. I think that would be normal, at least it is for me!. my ancestors came over during the potato famine in ireland, they worked in coal mines over here!. my great grandpa helped start the umw mine workers union after working since he was 6 years old in tennessee coal mines!. i take some pride in that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I usually only shudder when I run across the families that lost all their children from epidemics, or mothers and/and children that did not survive childbirth!.

My research makes me respect our ancestors much more; and makes me realize that modern people are generally self-indulgent spoiled brats!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

As an American, I know that my ancestors came to the US for a reason!. They were dirt poor and needed a break!. So, hearing ancestral tales of poverty is no big news to me!. My father, who is still alive, has many stories of how his family managed to make do during the Great Depression!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

While it would suck, that is what happened a lot of times in the past!. When people came over on the ships, a lot of time all they had was the clothes on their backs and change in their pockets!. The people back then didn't have any real means of birth control other then the rhythm method!. It was a hit and miss shot with pregnancyWww@QuestionHome@Com

Uk answer

I come from a long line of miners and ag labs, on my maternal side I have coal miners on my paternal side I have coal, Iron and Tin, along with the Ag labs, I am truly proud of each and every one, part of them is what makes me, meWww@QuestionHome@Com

That's the way it was for most people back then
they had to work their butts off for every thing they had
and even when they came to the US, they didn't have it that great
try reading Angela's Ashes
http://www!.gc!.maricopa!.edu/english/angel!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I've done my 'tree' and found a lot of sadness and poverty and actually now feel really proud of what I've inherited and a sense of responsibility to continue and look after my family!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'd be proud that even though my ancestors may be destitute, someone was hardworking and smart enough to bring my family out of that destite-ness!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I can't change the past unfortunately some of my relatives were born
in the workhouse but I can't honestly say I have any feelings about it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

At some point in time everybodies family was destitute!. Even those with blue blood!.Www@QuestionHome@Com