If it was possible to visit one ancestor tomorrow - would it be an easy choice?

[River Tyne Lass]

Jaybelnz,  I was going to write 'What a lovely story but MacGrigor has best me to it!

I see by quite a few posts on here that I am not the only one who would find the making a choice difficult if presented with a one off opportunity to time travel.

I also wonder how many of us would be able to resist meddling to change bad outcomes if we could time travel.  I once read a story along the lines of a time travel holiday agency and these tourists had to agree not to do it say anything to try to alter things.  There were agency staff who were incognito who could zap tourists back to their present and they would never be allowed to time travel again.  I think I saw this story in the 'Illustrated Man' novel if I remember correctly.

I think I would find it hard to let things run their course if I knew there was a bad outcome.

I once did some research in a civilian lady in my area who had been killed by a bomb in North Shields as an outcome of becoming a volunteer 'ambulance' driver during WW2.  This was 'ambulance' was actually her own car. I came across a newspaper article from that time which I believe relates to her.  This reads along the lines of that the lady who had called in to some office offering her services and car as an ambulance had forgotten to leave her name and details  ... this would be most appreciated  .. would she please get back in touch.  When I read this, I almost wanted to shout 'Don't do it, Doris!'. Sadly, I know she must have got back in touch as she was to lose her life by a bomb in her line of duty. 

It would be hard to resist warning ancestors too, of bad outcomes if I could time travel - even though I would not know how this might impact on the future.

[MKG]

It's a lovely scenario, RTL - but, of course, impossible. Had you, because someone had died, successfully gone back and saved the life of that person, then the impetus to do so wouldn't exist in the moment, therefore you wouldn't go back to save the life of that person ... ... ... it goes on.
But I know exactly what you mean - and I wish the same.

[gaffy]

The Grandfather Paradox! 

[River Tyne Lass]

 It's all quite mind bongling.

Also, in this imaginary scenario of warning the real Doris - if she followed my advice perhaps some other poor person may have stepped in her shoes and they would have met this tragic end instead.   

[ThrelfallYorky]

"IF" ... yes, it's the biggest word in the world, isn't it?
TY

[River Tyne Lass]

True, - certainly a good word to cogitate by

[Ayashi]

I thought about that in the context of my 2xgt grandparents. They lost three children- Thomas 1876, Elizabeth Jane 1883 and Charles Edward 1899. Thomas was a premature birth and it makes me sad thinking of his mother sitting there cradling a baby that only lived an hour. Could I save him? Probably not, unless I whisked him away into the future to a NICU and made up a story that might not convince anyone. Could I save Elizabeth Jane? She died aged 9 days of debility. If I figured out what caused that, could I think of a way to prevent it? And Charles Edward, the subject of a few threads lately, who might have died of heatstroke. His death would be preventable.

Here's the thing- my ancestor, Olive, was born in 1893. If I saved Thomas or Elizabeth Jane, the mother might not conceive the subsequent child "on time", knocking the entire order of children out and presumably causing Olive to never be born. The only child that could theoretically be saved is Charles Edward, especially as the final child, Norah, had already been conceived when he died. Then again, how would a living Charles Edward change the course of the future?

Staying impartial would be a nightmare, especially if your ancestors knew you were their future descendant.

[River Tyne Lass]

This is quite a perplexing thought.  Again, in the scenario of if ...

If we could go back to do something good, this could turn out detrimental elsewhere.  In your scenario, Ayashi, as you say,  saving some children may result in another not being born.  A living Charles Edward would have changed the course of the future - for one thing he would have brought different people into the lives of the family and likely new possibilities from this.

In an imaginary scenario of mine if someone could go back and warn my Great Grandmother against whoever my Great Grandfather was this probably would have saved her a lot of heartache but would have wiped out a large number of descendants such as me. 

Imagine (again if) someone had been able to warn her that this relationship would not work out; she would have a child at 17 and would have to give this child up to her parents to avoid public censure and because she had no money of her own. Mother and daughter would live their entire lives in the eyes of her later husband and children - as sisters.

In my scenario, if my poor ancestor was spared this heartbreak - in one sense I would have liked to save her from all this - however, even if I could I wouldn't, as I and many other descendants would become non-existent.

I am in contact with a grandchild of this Great Grandmother's other family - as we both came together as a result of my searching to find out what happened after birth of my Grandmother.  This other descendant is a most lovely person and has been so kind in filling in the gaps.  She has given me several photos.  However, I do think that despite the smiles, there is a shadow of sadness in my Great Grandmother's eyes.  I do feel for her and my Grandmother both living with this secret.

I will never name any of this other family out of respect.  It is strange that my Grandmother was born in the late 1800s and I too feel obliged, oddly, to keep some things secret.  It is almost as if the legacy of shame lives on.

[chirp]

Like so many others I would find it hard to choose just one person. However my 3x great grandfather Thomas Mellish would certainly be a likely candidate as I would love to talk to him about his life and career as a Hairdresser/Perfumer and Master Wig Maker from the end of the 18th century up to the 1850s. I would love to see him demonstrate his skills and tell me how he learned his trades and I would really like to know what he looked like.