Anyone Interesting in your family tree?

[Backfromthedead]

I havent looked back far, im very interested in my great grandfathers experiences fighting on the western front in WW1 but theres no real documentation. He did give me his service bayonet before he died which is a cool memento. Guys of that generation never really talked about their wartime experience, they just came home and went on as normal so its really all lost in time.
Since I have UK heritage there are some noble/minor royals in the mix. I sometimes wonder how many people would have to die for me to become king of england, like that old movie King Ralph.
I would like to hear someone say All rise for the reign of King Ogertron and then the trumpets play and the maidens rejoice!

That's awesome. My great grandfather went over the top at argonne forest alongside British commandos. For all we know our ancestors shared a latrine.

You're absolutely right about them staying quiet about their duties. No one talked about the extent of his service until well after his death, and by then it was secondhand info. I've only been able to piece together details by extensive online research, secondhand accounts from my father, and personally accessing the archives at the USMC museum in Quantico, VA. I find WW1 one of the most enchanting of times in our recent history.

 

[Ogertron3000]

Yeah, WW1 is very interesting, a crazy time and the craziest thing is most of them actually volunteered for it. It would be funny if our relatives had crossed paths, anything is possible.
Its good you were able to get any info at all. All I have to go on is family stories. The main thing im curious about is he volunteered and lasted just over a year. He then was injured and assigned to guard a POW camp back in england. The injury was he lost the index and middle finger off his right hand so couldnt shoot his rifle anymore. Depending on who you ask in the family they were either shot off in a battle, a grenade exploded in his hand before he could throw it which seems doubtful or he either chopped them off or shot them off himself to get out of the trenches. I guess he would have been ashamed if he did it himself so theres different stories to save face, personally I wouldnt judge anyone, doubt I would last a week in those conditions.
The saddest thing is when I was a kid around 5 years old he would try to tell me about it but everyone would stop him and say it wasnt good for a kid to hear such stories. One i remember is they had planks between the trenches and if you slipped off you would drown in the mud and then your mates would have to shoot you to stop a slower more horrifying death. Its probably not good for a kid to hear things like haht but I always enjoyed hanging out with him, Looking back I think he knew he was coming to the end of his life and wanted to start telling the tales and maybe felt more comfortable getting things off his chest to a kid who wouldnt judge him.

 

[Gunfleet]

My father's side came to the states back when Georgia was a penal colony after the head of the family was executed for being a very bad guy. My Mother's side came to the US as settlers to the Carolinas and spent the next 200 years wandering around the Southeastern US.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Yeah, WW1 is very interesting, a crazy time and the craziest thing is most of them actually volunteered for it. It would be funny if our relatives had crossed paths, anything is possible.
Its good you were able to get any info at all. All I have to go on is family stories. The main thing im curious about is he volunteered and lasted just over a year. He then was injured and assigned to guard a POW camp back in england. The injury was he lost the index and middle finger off his right hand so couldnt shoot his rifle anymore. Depending on who you ask in the family they were either shot off in a battle, a grenade exploded in his hand before he could throw it which seems doubtful or he either chopped them off or shot them off himself to get out of the trenches. I guess he would have been ashamed if he did it himself so theres different stories to save face, personally I wouldnt judge anyone, doubt I would last a week in those conditions.
The saddest thing is when I was a kid around 5 years old he would try to tell me about it but everyone would stop him and say it wasnt good for a kid to hear such stories. One i remember is they had planks between the trenches and if you slipped off you would drown in the mud and then your mates would have to shoot you to stop a slower more horrifying death. Its probably not good for a kid to hear things like haht but I always enjoyed hanging out with him, Looking back I think he knew he was coming to the end of his life and wanted to start telling the tales and maybe felt more comfortable getting things off his chest to a kid who wouldnt judge him.

I have heard the same about the mud pits too but specifically in the context of horses, once they fell in they were too heavy to get out. I would hope someone would at least try to help me out before shooting me! But then again if someone was unpopular they might just start to look rather horsey flailing around in the mud...

 

[Hendre]

I am apparently of Dutch Royal descent, about 6 generations back or more. Although a lot of my family tree was cut off by British Concentration camps during the Boer war of 1899-1902.

 

[KATALEKEEPER]

nothing cool on my dad's side.

But my mom is a Sinclair, and her clan built the church that was in the da Vinci code.

Also related to bram stoker, and popius the 11th who made the Vatican city its own autonomous city and was a pope.

My cousin on my moms side is afghan royalty, but that's all from her dad, so I'm not royalty.

 

[Ogertron3000]

I have heard the same about the mud pits too but specifically in the context of horses, once they fell in they were too heavy to get out. I would hope someone would at least try to help me out before shooting me! But then again if someone was unpopular they might just start to look rather horsey flailing around in the mud...

Id hope they might throw me a rope first instead of just reaching for the guns too, maybe when you are surrounded by death all day long they might think they are doing you a favour but is still prefer they at least attempt a rescue........

 

[Rafini]

Awesome stories here guys, Saint sebald? thats cool! I have St. Arnoulf of Metz in my family tree. but this is WAY back.
On my moms side I got some earls and aristocracy, they descended from Queen Adeliza of England. She was briefly married to I believe one of the king richards.
Through her there is a line to Charlamagne. but in all honesty I think 50% of europeans can get to royalty if you go back to the 1600s or so.

I envy people born and raised in North America, because there are usually very good records. People can say which boat their ancestors came on and which country they came from etc. In a lot of European countries the records are not so meticulously kept because people tended to stay within a geographic region.
I still have nothing but a name for my Paternal granfather. There are no records of him existing.

 

[0wen_96]

How tf do yall find out who yall related to? All I know is that my parents and grandparents come from China.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

At least your being honest! Saint Sebald us was actually very important, and has a Wikipedia about him!