How far back is realistic?

[mwehrle]

My mom has traced our family history back to the late 1600's. I am wondering how far back is realistic? How far back have others gotten? What should be one's expectation? I think it'd be cool to be able to trace one's geneology all the way back to Christ but maybe that's just a pipe dream?

[jorose]

For the most part in English records, around the early 1600s is where normal records (such as parish records, start to peter out with some records going back to the late 1500s). Descent from nobility/landowners can be pushed a little further back, but be cautious as there are many false genealogies out there for noble lines (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Fraudulent_Genealogies )

[Marmalady]

How far back you can go will depend totally on the area your ancestors lived and what records are available.
The further back you go, the less survives, especially for the poor working population

I have some of my lines back to the early 1600s, others I am stuck in the early 1800s. ( all UK)

Going back to Christ -- or even to someone else born in his lifetime -- is not possible. There are no written records of births marriages and deaths from that time period. Anyone who claims to have got back that far is not a serious genealogist and is making up a lot of stuff

[KGarrad]

After nearly 50 years of research, and some help from distant relatives, I am back to 1550 on my direct paternal line, and mid-1500's on 2 maternal lines.

All these lines run out due to lack of parish records from early 1500's.

[Biggles50]

Welcome to Roots Chat.

It all depends upon where you are researching a particular line.

Lancashire got me back to the 1500’s as did Yorkshire.

Cheshire and it is 1805 with a ?

Generally mid 1700’s is going well.

Find a Gateway and it is all the way back to Biblical days (with a huge pinch of salt).

My Wife’s earliest relative in her tree is 450, yes 450 it is not a typo.

Yet my Irish line gets stuck mid 1800’s.

If I may make a suggestion!  Expand the tree sideways, generation by generation to about 1800 and bring each line up to as close to present days as possible.

Consider DNA testing of your Mum, one of her siblings and at least one Cousin of hers from each side.  She will then have a good base to validate each line via the DNA matches that will be presented.

Just because there are “paper” records does not necessarily mean that they are all accurate.  I have two BMD records that are totally in error and that destroys the validity of a specific branch.

[Erato]

"I think it'd be cool to be able to trace one's geneology all the way back to Christ"

Why stop there?  Why not right the way back to the dawn of the Pleistocene?

[Ray T]

Back to the pleistocene? That’s when it gets easier!

Given that we all have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents etc., you’ll see that our ancestors at least double with every generation - e.g. you have 1,048,576 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGgrandparents and that’s only 20 generations! Taking it back to the end of the pleistocene, would give you at least 480 generations and more direct ancestors that you could shake a stick at.

My point - go back far enough and you’re descended from everyone.

[Rena]

I thought I had gone as far back as possible with my "Wells" ancestors, but could advance further back with a wife with surname "Dodson" who was a daughter of a "butcher".   The "butcher" turned out to have hired a few fields for his stock and , in fact, owned a farm himself, as shown in his Will.. 

I then realised that I hadn't considered any old fashioned spellings of the surname, and had a "hit" by looking for "Welles".  The original "Wells" had been a son of a Norman Baron - a grandson of the famous "William the Conqueror" 1066.

I've not bothered to pursue the line, except for finding an image of their ruined castle on the European mainland.

P.S. Just seen your post RayT which would put anyone off     I imagine most of the very poor Serfs (unpaid slaves) and their offspring would have died of starvation and illness if they abandoned the land and tried to make their fortune in "London" and other "rich" industrial towns that all had contaminated water..

[Biggles50]

"I think it'd be cool to be able to trace one's geneology all the way back to Christ"

Why stop there?  Why not right the way back to the dawn of the Pleistocene?

Funny you should say that.

Take the appropriate mtDNA test and it will give you the route all the way back to Mitochondrial Eve.