Genealogical single-mindedness

[Stovepipe]

Yes, but the point was made that you have many millions of 40th generation ancestors, only one of whom need be Charlemagne for you to be his descendant.

Many others of those millions will be Charlemagne's contemporaries.

Stovepipe

[carrielovesfanta]

That's what I meant...I think

Oh dear I've gone cross-eyed! 

[Gadget]

I think that is sad too.

I gave up on the being related to nobility ages ago and now just get excited when I find someone who is something different from a Ag Lab!!  Ohhh a Poultry farmer - wow!!!

Kerry 

Same here ( with the occasional tenant farmer and two small landowners) and coal miners and forgemen. I think I'd be embarrassed to be connected to nobility.
And what's so special about it
I'm proud of all my ancestors - they triumphed over the odds and I'm here to prove it

Gadget

[kerryb]

Absolutely, it's not about who you are linked to, it's about who they were and how they lived that made you what you are.

Or that's what I think anyway!!!

Kerry

[kizmiaz]

Isn't it also a lot more interesting to rummage around through records, and get the smallest sniff of a clue about an unknown ancestor, and to try to piece together a tiny image of their life, rather than just go to a library, pick up a book and see them sitting there smuggly in a portrait painted by Holbein, looking out as if they were far more deserving of memory than my old ancestor William Robins, born 1810, Heathfield (who, by the way, is still missing in action, if anyone can help! )

That's most of the fun as far as I'm concerned.

Glen

[kerryb]

Glen

I so agree with you.  You wouldn't believe how excited I feel at the moment because I have had a small breakthrough today with one of my families.  I searched on Ancestry yet again for a census record of them and found the 1861.  Wow

Posted a message about the 1841 and within half an hour Cisselby came back and answered my question. 

I had the daughter with father's name on marriage cert, I had found the father but could not positively link him to her, now I can.

Sorry but I am so excited.  That to me is much more rewarding than seeing a famous painting.

Kerry

[Gadget]

And the joy of finding each and everyone. Don't know about the rest of you, but I have a little quiet minute whenever I find a death.

Finding their signatures (those few that could write) is another thrill.

The only thing that I would really have liked was to know what they looked like - but its quite fun to think about how they looked. Maybe I'll do some imaginary portraits of them .

Gadget

[kerryb]

I can imagine what a few of mine looked like and if any of the photos on the family likeness thread are anything to go by, probably fairly like me!!!!

Kerry

[MarieC]

Yes - I think it's far more exciting to find obscure ancestors through one's own sweat and toil than to have them all ready made, sitting in a book on a shelf!!

MarieC