Do you believe them?

[Mobo]

 

I think what you've come across Sutton is this awful  obsession amongst some researchers who have this need to prove 'grand ancestry'.  Something which I find pathetic !!  

Speaking personally, it was the need to know who my ancestors were and where they originated from, which was the driving force behind my research.  Getting as far back as the 1520,s with at least two of my familes.  (See examples below).  

NICHOLAS EDGSON was born about 1520 in Langham, Rutland, and died May 15 1569 in Langham, Rutland. He married ALYCE 1542 in Langham, Rutland. She was born 1522, and died 1586 in Langham, Rutland.
Children of NICHOLAS EDGSON and ALYCE are:
i. William Edgson, b. 1544, Langham, Rutland; d. 1615, Langham, Rutland.
ii. John Edgson, b. 1546, Langham, Rutland; d. October 18, 1587, Langham, Rutland.                                   

ANON MORRIS was born 1523, Stevington, Bedfordshire  He married Ann.  She died in 1578, Stevington, Bedfordshire.  In her Will of 1578, sons Christopher and Robert and their children are main beneficiaries.  Daughter-in-law Cecily and servant Bernard are also mentioned.  Christopher is left her house called 'Lammo....' and the two sons are Executors.
Children of ANON MORRIS and ANN are:
i. Christopher Morris, b. 1544,  Bedfordshire
ii. Robert Morris, b. 1550, Bedfordshire.

And for those who say that this approach is boring and only produces a list of names and dates, I say Phooey !

Firstly, you have to have a skeleton, before you can put  'flesh on the bones', and you can do this at your leisure anytime, aftwerwards.

 


 

[Manchester Rambler]

I've been able to trace one line with absolute certainty back to a marriage in 1591.  These people very considerately had relatively uncommon names, lived in a smallish town, and were faithful to a church whose registers go back a LONG way.  My uncle did a lot of the groundwork in the local register office, then I continued with the extracted records in the IGI.  We have BMD certificates and family papers for the later stages when they started to move around.  

However, although I've become very fond of this bunch, they are *only* my gggrandmother's line.  My more direct lines remain obstinately blocked!  I'm sure I'm not the only person to have unmarried mothers dropping out of my tree when I shake it, or registering children with an imaginary father on the birth cert...

My maiden name was James, so it was a major surprise to find Granddad's birth registered under Jones, with a father who seems to be a figment of his mother's imagination!  Result: direct male line blocked in 1882!  Still, I have plenty to work on elsewhere...

MR

[Berlin-Bob]

I have one line going back to 1550, it's even been printed in the Jewish Encyclopedia from 1905:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/volume8/V08p327001.jpg

My problem here is that I have a hand-drawn continuation through Ephraim Zalman (d. 1828) down as far as my mother, but I don't have the proof/confirmation/documentation that we are actually descended from Ephraim !

then of course, if we go into the realms of speculation, I have already mentioned in a couple of threads on RootsChat ("Are you related to royalty" was one of them) that some people follow this line down to Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitskhak (1040-1105), and others follow it even further back to King David ! I think you can measure the amounts written on this by learned scholars (for and against !) in inches, if not yards ...

Details (as always !) on the web-site (under "legends", of course  )

[kerryb]

Three of my lines have been extensively researched back to the 13th and 14th centuries by serious genealogists by using wills and church records etc.  Mind you it did help that they are from locally well known families so there are many people researching the family. 

In particularly one of my lines, the Harmer family are reputed to come from a Norman Baron (I believe) who was given lands at Etchingham in Sussex but I only have records for my line from 1489.  The family seat is still there Haremere Hall, I drive past every day on my way to work and wish it was still in the family.  I could stake my claim.  Only I can't because I am not a Harmer, my grandmother was, but again it was her mother's line.  Her father's line - well we have no idea about that!

The Pilbeam line - my maternal grandfather's family are really interesting in that they have since late 1500s migrated westward across Sussex from Ticehurst to Punnetts Town, all of about 10 miles and has been thoroughly researched.  I am sure it has been made easier because they stayed in the same area for centuries.  Funny thing is without knowing why I have always felt a great affinity for this area and one village, Burwash in particular.  Now I know why.      That for me is one of most satisfying things about a long line, knowing where I belong and why!

kerryb

[XPhile2868]

I have an unconfirmed line of Harlings back to Leonard? Harling of yorkshire, who was born c1490. The only thing i need to do to confirm this is to prove that Edward Harling of Preston around the 1840s is the father/brother of father of Charles Harling, born Preston c1869.

[Berlin-Bob]

Here are some related topics:

Blue Blood: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,10725.0.html

Are you related to Royalty? : http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,3318.0.html

Found Anyone Famous: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,7395.0.html

[Hackstaple]

I could go quite far back but most of the family records were lost in The Flood but it is widely accepted that the first Hack was a tree feller in the Garden of Eden. The few that remained perished in the Sack of Rome by Hackila the Hun and then, of course, came The Great Fire of London which was started by a Hack of that time - Dr. Johnson described him as a Pyromanihack, in fact. That is why the family crest is the fiery sky you see here. But we definitely go back a long way, us Hacks.

[Willow 4873]

lmao!

Good one Hackstaple!

Willow x

[Llwyd]

Why is that some people seem  interested as to "how far back have you gone".Surely the idea of this pastime,hobby,infatuation(call it what you will)is to LEARNabout your history---what did my ancestors do,where did they work,how did they live(and die),where did they live,what religion were they etc etc?.---apart from who were they.
Putting flesh on the bones is the difficult bit.After all,I'm not a genealogist by any stretch of the imagination but,without too much difficulty,I have got back to 1763.But what do I know about most of them;not a lot.
It's no good just name/date collecting and as for blue blood---who cares?.It won't get you anything.
I could argue I'm related to Adam but what follows thereafter is far too incestuous for my liking.......