When COVID hit and we were all quarantined, I started doing some research on my family tree. I didn't know much about my family past my grandparents and thought it would be neat to learn a little more about where I came from and who my ancestors were. I've been working on this for a long time and have probably hit a dead end finally, so I thought it'd be neat to ask the board if anyone else has created one for themselves and found anything interesting?
I was able to trace my lineage on my dad's mother's side all the way back to 990 AD. This was the result of absolute insane luck being that she came from a long line of English nobility with pretty extensive records. It actually became pretty easy to trace back on her side. I learned that my ancestry contains several members of parliament going back hundreds of years. One of my XXXX-grandfathers was close to the king and was the keeper of the crown jewels. A few of my other direct ancestors were born in lived in Castle Compton in Devon. Along that same line were a few "governors" of Devon and close friends of the kings and queens.
The most interesting direct descendant was Sir Humphrey Gilbert, an important explorer in the 16th century who was originally tasked with setting up a colony in the new world for the crown. His half-brothers were Walter Raleigh and Richard Grenville.
One other interesting thing I learned was that my ancestors on my mother's side emigrated from Corsica to Puerto Rico and brought the coffee trade with them, which I thought was pretty neat. My mother is Puerto Rican and my Grandmother on her side always used to claim she was French (which I thought was a lie). Turns out she was kind of correct (depending on how you classify Corsica).
Anyone have any cool stories from their trees?
I was able to trace my lineage on my dad's mother's side all the way back to 990 AD. This was the result of absolute insane luck being that she came from a long line of English nobility with pretty extensive records. It actually became pretty easy to trace back on her side. I learned that my ancestry contains several members of parliament going back hundreds of years. One of my XXXX-grandfathers was close to the king and was the keeper of the crown jewels. A few of my other direct ancestors were born in lived in Castle Compton in Devon. Along that same line were a few "governors" of Devon and close friends of the kings and queens.
The most interesting direct descendant was Sir Humphrey Gilbert, an important explorer in the 16th century who was originally tasked with setting up a colony in the new world for the crown. His half-brothers were Walter Raleigh and Richard Grenville.
One other interesting thing I learned was that my ancestors on my mother's side emigrated from Corsica to Puerto Rico and brought the coffee trade with them, which I thought was pretty neat. My mother is Puerto Rican and my Grandmother on her side always used to claim she was French (which I thought was a lie). Turns out she was kind of correct (depending on how you classify Corsica).
Anyone have any cool stories from their trees?
