Do you believe them?

[suttontrust]

I keep finding people who claim that their family tree has been traced back to the Norman Conquest or thereabouts.  Of course, they don't have the information themselves, it was a brother or a cousin who did it, but it's cast iron, they've got a copy somewhere.  Sources?  Don't know, but it's absolutely genuine.  Hmmm.  Has anyone ever seen a tree (of someone ordinary, not an aristocrat) which really goes back that far with unimpeachable sources?  I know someone's now going to shoot me down, but I remain sceptical.

[Willow 4873]

Hiya Suttontrust

I dont know if you saw this post with this link in it

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,38818.msg196877.html#msg196877

http://www.swinhope.myby.co.uk/Misc/ancprdx.html

And I have yet to see one of these trees. I cant get back any further than the early 1700's though I suppose if you had a reallly old bible you could get back a bit further or had a really famous ancestor there might of been a lot written about his rellys or if they owned a lot of land there might be some documentation.

Probably the only people who can say what their linage is for definute is the royal family - any one else - show me the proof!

Willow x

[Berlin-Bob]

Probably the only people who can say what their linage is for definute is the royal family

You sure of that, Willow

I read the Swinhope articles and he mentions (among other things) the "Lady Chatterly Syndrome",  and the the servants with "extra duties", etc.  Maybe some of the male servants also had "extra duties" ('it dint say nuffink 'bout dat in de job specification !'), so even some of the "royal" lines could be less "royal" than others !


There are a couple of RootsChatters who have managed to get quite far back, hopefully they will see this thread and join in (hint, hint !)

[Welsh Jen]

I know someone's now going to shoot me down, but I remain sceptical.

I don't think many will be in a position to shoot you down!
I don't hold out much hope with my Irish ancestry but my Mother's line I have been able to get back to approx 1630, but they were very well documentated, this is not the case with all my family lines, some lines I have very little information on.

Regards Jen

[jakky]

I am not claiming anything here, but, my birth father's family has been traced back to Ralph The Timid a nephew of Edward The Confessor.
This has been done and documented by a very clever serious Genealogist.

I have a copy of it.

If you look on the   evere.co.uk. site you can probably find it to check.

Jakky

[Willow 4873]

LOL Bob - I was being diplomatic! I wonder if the prime minster still has to be there when the umbilical cord is cut?

I'm glad you have got back so far Jen and Jakky you were lucky to find so much documentry proof - wish I could mine just seem to be common stock that no one wrote about  

Now if someone could just find the Bowkett family bible for me it would be interesting to see how far back that goes.......

Willow x

[piedstilt]

I tapped into an ancestry.com family tree that (via some American ancestors) took me right back to Adam and Eve!

Yeah, right ...

[Willow 4873]

Well scientists say from DNA testing the whole human race is decended from just 4 women. Don't remember anything in the bible about Eve having sisters

Willow x

[D ap D]

Well scientists say from DNA testing the whole human race is decended from just 4 women. Don't remember anything in the bible about Eve having sisters

Thats in the sequel to "The Da Vinci Code".

The Chief Bard of Llewelyn the Great (d 1282) included hidden messages about his descent from Adam and Eve in his poetry.

The main problem that todays scientists have is translating medieval Welsh. Any mistake will however be put down to errors in the translation.