Any interesting family histories?

[Valmont]

Hey (rare) genealogy lovers on here!

Have y'all found any interesting events or people in your family?

Any cool stories to share?

Here's one of my favorites (that I had already shared in a thread that has now disappeared).


Les Cornes d'Urfé

http://www.histoire-genealogie.com/local/cache-vignettes/L371xH495/urfe15-8905b.jpg?1475214964

In 1418 Jean d'Urfé, my ancestor, was his uncle's only heir and had gathered a large amount of money in order to purchase a neighboring village.

His servants had heard about the project and schemed against their masters.

They waited for the night until everybody fell asleep and massacred the family before stealing the treasure.

As they were about to leave they found Jean's baby, Antoine, in his crib. As the leader of the thieves came closer to the crib, the baby smiled at him which made the murderer have regrets about what they had done.

He apparantly said:

"What is the point of killing this child? He will not tell on us"

His associates disagreed, arguing that the kid would denounce them when he would be older.

The leader then saw a cup filled with fruits on the table and grabbed an apple. He took out a golden coin from the stolen treasure and declared:

"If the kid chooses the golden coin he is all yours, but if he chooses the apple we will let him live".

The man offered the apple and the coin to Antoine who reached for the fruit. The thieves spared his life.

Of course the murder had not gone unnoticed and one of Jean's relatives, the Lord of Albon, undertook to find the murderers and bring justice.

He quickly realized that the amount of money stolen was massive and that the killers had to be well-informed. Not only did they know about the fortune, but they were also able to get out of the family's castle.

He launched an investigation within the servants of the family and the culprits quickly confessed their crimes.

Their sentence had to be exemplary and they were condemend to death with a breaking wheel.

Antoine later devoted his life to God.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/11/19/30FFFD4900000578-3433900-Torture_was_usually_conducted_in_secret_such_as_in _an_undergroun-m-77_1455217469082.jpg

The second part of the story with the apple and the coin are more legendary than rooted in actual truth.

What we do know for sure about the events is that Jean, his wife Eléonore and his uncle Guichard, were murdered by their servants in 1418.

The couple had at least 5 children so they were all spared (the two eldest boys were away at the court of France)

Antoine did enter the orders.

What about you guys? Any interesting stories? Drama?

[Dick]

MY GREAT GRANDPA STABBED AND KILLED A GUY WITH A FORK DURING A POKER GAME BECAUSE HE WAS "CHEATING"

[Nikomahos]

Story from my great-grandma who I was lucky enough to meet and get to know for many years.

Great-grandpa was a bridge maker and one time he came to her village to build a stone bridge. He saw my grandma, took her by the hand to her father and they got married.

Great fucking times.

[Kriptc06]

My great-grandparents escaped the Soviet Union, they could have died if they were there during the WWII, my great-great-grandad fought WWI in the Russian side and lost a leg :/

[Tacitus]

One of my paternal great-grandmother's brothers was in the Arditi (Italian crack troops) in World War I; he reached the rank of Lieutenant before dying of tuberculosis in the 30s. Another brother was a magistrate in a large southern Italian city in the 1920s.

Edit: Their father (my great-great grandfather) moved to Milan during the early 1900s to start a shoemaking business that ended up employing 400 people at its peak; I have a letter he wrote to his children while away on a business trip dated from 1913. The rest of the family eventually joined him up there.

[Valmont]

My great-grandparents escaped the Soviet Union, they could have died if they were there during the WWII, my great-great-grandad fought WWI in the Russian side and lost a leg :/

My great great grandfather fought in WWI too (on the French side) and died in Verdun in 1916.

[Kriptc06]

My great great grandfather fought in WWI too (on the French side) and died in Verdun in 1916.

my condolences

[Jackson]

One that always comes to mind very readily is of my paternal great-great grandfather. He was a canal barge worker and prize fighter/pugilist working/competing between London and Hertford. Anyway, one day a young boy falls into the canal between two barges that are coming together. So my g-g-grandfather jumps in and manages to rescue the boy, but unfortunately is injured in the process (either by being hit with a barge-pole, or by being caught between the two barges, i'm not 100% sure which). Anyway, apparently his health was seriously injured (and so he couldn't fight or work as normal), and unfortunately he turned to drink to cope with life afterwards, which i believe had negative effects on his family. Anyway, my great-grandfather was pretty much tee-total as a result and my grandfather and father were/are light drinkers at most.

Sounds like a good man, but unfortunate. Probably not an uncommon story i'd imagine, though.

[Tobi]

My great great grandfather fought in WWI too (on the French side) and died in Verdun in 1916.

Same here. But for the austro-hungarian empire. But he left Hungary after the war and died as a crazy man in Brazil. According to my grandfather he was very catholic and killed to many people in the WWI to be okay with it.

Also the family of my hungarian great grandmother left Hungary due to harassment (never said why thought) but they were very wealthy people in Budapest. My great great grandfather spoke 6 languages and had a brewery with his wife. They did leave everything because of some harassment, also they got so mad with that they lied to brazilians autorithies about being from Bjelovar and not from Budapest.

[Kriptc06]

Same here. But for the austro-hungarian empire. But he left Hungary after the war and died as a crazy man in Brazil. According to my grandfather he was very catholic and killed to many people in the WWI to be okay with it.

its not totally unheard of, i heard cases of people developing dementia after WWII

[Valmont]

One that always comes to mind very readily is of my paternal great-great grandfather. He was a canal barge worker and prize fighter/pugilist working/competing between London and Hertford. Anyway, one day a young boy falls into the canal between two barges that are coming together. So my g-g-grandfather jumps in and manages to rescue the boy, but unfortunately is injured in the process (either by being hit with a barge-pole, or by being caught between the two barges, i'm not 100% sure which). Anyway, apparently his health was seriously injured (and so he couldn't fight or work as normal), and unfortunately he turned to drink to cope with life afterwards, which i believe had negative effects on his family. Anyway, my great-grandfather was pretty much tee-total as a result and my grandfather and father were/are light drinkers at most.

Sounds like a good man, but unfortunate. Probably not an uncommon story i'd imagine, though.

That's sad. That a good action would end up "ruining" the rest of his life.

Not the reward one would have expected for such bravery.

[Valmont]

its not totally unheard of, i heard cases of people developing dementia after WWII

After most wars actually. Many veterans from the Vietnam war have had similar problems.

[Valmont]

Same here. But for the austro-hungarian empire. But he left Hungary after the war and died as a crazy man in Brazil. According to my grandfather he was very catholic and killed to many people in the WWI to be okay with it.

It's interesting to see that WWI affected so many members' families on here. And that there were not necessarily on the same side but the outcomes were the same.

Would our ancestors have guessed that their descendants would be chatting with their ennemies' descendants a hundred years after the events?

[Kriptc06]

It's interesting to see that WWI affected so many members' families on here. And that there were not necessarily on the same side but the outcomes were the same.

Would our ancestors have guessed that their descendants would be chatting with their ennemies' descendants a hundred years after the events?

I remembered this video for some reason:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCEUZ4rFiac

[Tobi]

It's interesting to see that WWI affected so many members' families on here. And that there were not necessarily on the same side but the outcomes were the same.

Would our ancestors have guessed that their descendants would be chatting with their ennemies' descendants a hundred years after the events?

Probably not. But as far as I know, he was a pacifist and a very kind person.
Also become so mad due to the fact of killed an enemy who helped him in some point with food and water.

[Mikula]

My paternal grandma was born in January 1916 as an illegitimate child.
Her father was in the front at the time, as a soldier of Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Almost 1 year later (Christmas 1916) he received a furlough and on 31 December he married mother of my grandma.
Grandma became legitimate child since the time.
He had to go back to front and never came back.
He died in 1918 at military hospital at Osijek (Croatia).

Parents of my mother met each other at Youth Detention Center :)
But they were not imprisoned there. My grandma worked as a cook there.
Grandpa was a painter, who was hired to paint walls, there.

[alnortedelsur]

My maternal grand father (the father of my Spanish mom) was a leftist republican during the Spanish civil war. Mallorca Island (where my maternal Spanish family is from) was occupied by the National Forces (the rebel forces led by Franco), and my grandpa was arrested and sent to a concentration camp (the Bellver castle, in Palma de Mallorca) where he was about to be shot.

If it wasn't because his dad had contacts with some military personnel, and got this way to have him released, my grandpa would have been executed without meeting my grandma, and my mom would not exist, and let alone my grandpa would had settled later in Venezuela, as he did, with my grandma and my mom (when she was 5 years old).

Obviously, I would not exist, and I would not be writing on this forum.

You would not have Alnortedelsur on this forum, lol :lol:

[Valmont]

My paternal grand father (the father of my Spanish mom) was a leftist republican during the Spanish civil war. Mallorca Island (where my maternal Spanish family is from) was occupied by the National Forces (the rebel forces led by Franco), and my grandpa was arrested and sent to a concentration camp (the Bellver castle, in Palma de Mallorca) where he was about to be shot.

If it wasn't because his dad had contacts with some military personnel, and got this way to have him released, my grandpa would have been executed without meeting my grandma, and my mom would not exist, and let alone my grandpa would had settled later in Venezuela, as he did, with my grandma and my mom (when she was 5 years old).

Obviously, I would not exist, and I would not be writing on this forum.

You would not have Alnortedelsur on this forum, lol :lol:

Funny how our lives came to be through the succession of different circumstances.

Your history has a lot of "what if"?

Maybe our actions will have consequences that we will never be aware of.

[alnortedelsur]

Funny how our lives came to be through the succession of different circumstances.

Your history has a lot of "what if"?

Maybe our actions will have consequences that we will never be aware of.

Yeah, I think any of us would not be in here, if something (anything) in the history of many of your ancestors would have had a different outcome, because anybody's ancestral history is full of "what ifs".

That means that we should all feel lucky to exist :)

[Valmont]

Yeah, I think any of us would not be in here, if something (anything) in the history of many of your ancestors would have had a different outcome, because anybody's ancestral history is full of "what ifs".

This means that we should all feel lucky to exist :)

And enjoy every moment because we should remember that our existence is only temporary.

Someday we'll have been dead for hundreds of years ago and our descendants (if we have any) will wonder about our lives and say.

"What if my ancestor Valmont had never done this? He would have never done this and this would have never happened!"

[Freeroostah]

I remember when my grandparents used to tell me stories from ww2 when they were little kids.

My paternal grandma used to tell me that when the Axis declared war on Greece, school teachers were trying to explain to the kids the meaning of war and how to be safe but they couldn't understand....until the first Stuka planes appeared with their nightmarish sirens....I remember her saying that the Italians were nicer towards them but they would flirt and sometimes "harass" the Greek women while the Germans were keeping the feelings for themselves and had a colder character. The Germans also helped in eradicating the lice and bed bugs that plagued her town. The nightmare wouldn't stop there since her hometown was a target for the future communist guerrillas who used to bomb the town with their mortars. (one of the rockets hit the court of her school killing many students who were outside for the break.

My paternal grandpa lost his mother when he was only 2 years old. His father was a very poor farmer and it was impossible to feed him so he resulted living temporarily in an orphanage. When the war was declared, he was around 12 and the orphanages had to close. He and other kids from his hometown took an adventurous and very dangerous road back to their village. The trip was 2-4 days long since they were walking in the forests and mountains of Pindus. In one occasion he and his companions almost died from the Italian bombers(I remember him crying whenever he was narrating that scene.) After a very long journey, he was finally out of his village and as soon as he came closer, he recognized his father and he run as fast as he could towards him, since he hadn't seen him for 5 years.

Im pretty sure many other Greeks will have similar stories to tell or share since we faced WW2, famine, and a bloody civil war.
Those are my "white privileged" ancestors that people like Sanders and other ignorant liberal Americans have the nerve to talk about.....

[Neon Knight]

And enjoy every moment because we should remember that our existence is only temporary.

Someday we'll have been dead for hundreds of years ago and our descendants (if we have any) will wonder about our lives and say.

"What if my ancestor Valmont had never done this? He would have never done this and this would have never happened!"Que sera, sera. I believe.

[Valmont]

Que sera, sera. I believe.

Whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera sera.

[Tacitus]

It's interesting to see that WWI affected so many members' families on here. And that there were not necessarily on the same side but the outcomes were the same.

Would our ancestors have guessed that their descendants would be chatting with their ennemies' descendants a hundred years after the events?

It's really proof that both world wars were unnecessary and caused so much needless death and destruction.


I remember when my grandparents used to tell me stories from ww2 when they were little kids.

My paternal grandma used to tell me that when the Axis declared war on Greece, school teachers were trying to explain to the kids the meaning of war and how to be safe but they couldn't understand....until the first Stuka planes appeared with their nightmarish sirens....I remember her saying that the Italians were nicer towards them but they would flirt and sometimes "harass" the Greek women while the Germans were keeping the feelings for themselves and had a colder character. The Germans also helped in eradicating the lice and bed bugs that plagued her town. The nightmare wouldn't stop there since her hometown was a target for the future communist guerrillas who used to bomb the town with their mortars. (one of the rockets hit the court of her school killing many students who were outside for the break.

My paternal grandpa lost his mother when he was only 2 years old. His father was a very poor farmer and it was impossible to feed him so he resulted living temporarily in an orphanage. When the war was declared, he was around 12 and the orphanages had to close. He and other kids from his hometown took an adventurous and very dangerous road back to their village. The trip was 2-4 days long since they were walking in the forests and mountains of Pindus. In one occasion he and his companions almost died from the Italian bombers(I remember him crying whenever he was narrating that scene.) After a very long journey, he was finally out of his village and as soon as he came closer, he recognized his father and he run as fast as he could towards him, since he hadn't seen him for 5 years.

Im pretty sure many other Greeks will have similar stories to tell or share since we faced WW2, famine, and a bloody civil war.
Those are my "white privileged" ancestors that people like Sanders and other ignorant liberal Americans have the nerve to talk about.....

There are many similar stories in Italy as well, whether they were being bombed by the Germans or the Americans. The old timers can barely even talk about what happened.

[Dr. Robotnik the Subbotnik]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty

direct ancestor - if you read about his life, really interesting character.

[alnortedelsur]

My maternal grand father (the father of my Spanish mom) was a leftist republican during the Spanish civil war. Mallorca Island (where my maternal Spanish family is from) was occupied by the National Forces (the rebel forces led by Franco), and my grandpa was arrested and sent to a concentration camp (the Bellver castle, in Palma de Mallorca) where he was about to be shot.

If it wasn't because his dad had contacts with some military personnel, and got this way to have him released, my grandpa would have been executed without meeting my grandma, and my mom would not exist, and let alone my grandpa would had settled later in Venezuela, as he did, with my grandma and my mom (when she was 5 years old).

Obviously, I would not exist, and I would not be writing on this forum.

You would not have Alnortedelsur on this forum, lol :lol:

Fixed in bold :)

I wrongly put "paternal" when I actually meant the father of my mom.

[catgeorge]

On my fathers side when Macedonia was liberated from Turks in 1913, the Turks left huge land space they vacated - three families targetted the vacated land as there were no real laws after the liberation three different families went on a Game of Thrones type war to win this landmass the Turks left behind. All three families were farmers - so fighting took place around the area and after few years and few deaths my great grandfather claimed the land in his 20s and still one of the biggest farms in the town. Other families have not come for vengeance or anything like that they took some land nearby and as you have it the three family combatants have become each others best man - Sarakatsanoi superior... only in Greece.

My mothers side during WW2 communists were targetting traders and nationalists in Thessaloniki city more or less killing them if they didnt accept the Bolshevik doctorine. One day my maternal grand mother was trying to escape the communists and the family had to jump over this wire fence to escape as the family jumped over my grandmother was very young and not very atheletic at the time her top lip got caught in the barb wire ripping her top lip.. to this day her top lip is so huge!

[Skjaldemjøden]

Can't remember whether I've shared it already, but my great x7 grandfather was imprisoned for helping a "witch" named Anne (leaving out her surname). She was sentenced in the mid 18th century for setting fire to a farmhouse and beheaded. In the local lore for the next century or so Anne was a beautiful maiden who tempered with magic and tragically paid with her life for her mistake. In reality, her story was mixed up with that of another young "witch" named Anne who denied Christ and the holy spirit in court (Gasp!). "My" Anne was neither a witch nor young. Her true story was uncovered in the 1930's by a researcher at the county archive and published in a two part article along the story of the other woman. She was an old beggar who lived in a woodshed on a large farm in rural Jutland. One day the farmer decided to kick the old woman out for whichever reason. If I recall correctly it was close to winter time, which could easily mean death for her. She allegedly sought revenge that night, setting fire to the thatched roof of the farmhouse wherein the man and his family were sleeping soundly. Her scheme failed when the fire was noticed and extinguished, and Anne was captured. She was judged and sentenced to death by beheading for the attempted murder of the entire family, denied royal pardon and thrown in prison to await her execution. Here my ancestor Jens comes into the picture. He was a young, soon-to-be-married man who worked as a guard at the prison. Together with another lad, he was in charge of guarding Anne's cell. Officially, my ancestor claimed he had removed Anne's cuffs and allowed her step outside the prison, turning his back at her so she could pee in privacy. Personally, I doubt anyone could be so stupid (or slow compared to an old woman). I'm convinced he took pity on her and let her escape. His mother would have been around her age, if she was still alive. Either way, Anne was gone. As punishment, Jens and the other guard were locked in Anne's cell for two weeks. She was caught a year down the road in a far off parish, held captive until the royal guard arrived and beheaded on a hill outside a small village.

[Oneeye]

Had an ancestor murdered by horse thieves, another accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, of course come over on the Mayflower, etc.

[Valmont]

My German ancestor came to Ecuador for an engineering/teaching job in the early 1900s. He originally planned to return to Germany, but he changed his mind on June 28 1914. He had a bunch of kids with a local woman and died when my great grandmother was pretty young. That made her grow up poor and uneducated without too much German influence. When she had kids she really pushed her kids to do well in school. She would beat them up if they didn't get the top grades. My grandmother now has a lot of degrees and she ended up super uptight.

I could understand why your German ancestor changed his mind lol.

So was it your grandmother that moved from Ecuador to Canada?

[Valmont]

Can't remember whether I've shared it already, but my great x7 grandfather was imprisoned for helping a "witch" named Anne (leaving out her surname). She was sentenced in the mid 18th century for setting fire to a farmhouse and beheaded. In the local lore for the next century or so Anne was a beautiful maiden who tempered with magic and tragically paid with her life for her mistake. In reality, her story was mixed up with that of another young "witch" named Anne who denied Christ and the holy spirit in court (Gasp!). "My" Anne was neither a witch nor young. Her true story was uncovered in the 1930's by a researcher at the county archive and published in a two part article along the story of the other woman. She was an old beggar who lived in a woodshed on a large farm in rural Jutland. One day the farmer decided to kick the old woman out for whichever reason. If I recall correctly it was close to winter time, which could easily mean death for her. She allegedly sought revenge that night, setting fire to the thatched roof of the farmhouse wherein the man and his family were sleeping soundly. Her scheme failed when the fire was noticed and extinguished, and Anne was captured. She was judged and sentenced to death by beheading for the attempted murder of the entire family, denied royal pardon and thrown in prison to await her execution. Here my ancestor Jens comes into the picture. He was a young, soon-to-be-married man who worked as a guard at the prison. Together with another lad, he was in charge of guarding Anne's cell. Officially, my ancestor claimed he had removed Anne's cuffs and allowed her step outside the prison, turning his back at her so she could pee in privacy. Personally, I doubt anyone could be so stupid (or slow compared to an old woman). I'm convinced he took pity on her and let her escape. His mother would have been around her age, if she was still alive. Either way, Anne was gone. As punishment, Jens and the other guard were locked in Anne's cell for two weeks. She was caught a year down the road in a far off parish, held captive until the royal guard arrived and beheaded on a hill outside a small village.

That is such a cool story!

And isn't it fascinating to see how people glamour stories? The original Anne was a marginal old lady who eventually turned into a "beautiful maiden who would play with magics"

[cosmoo]

My direct ancestor, founder of my "bratstvo" (something like sub-clan where all men descend from same man and have same surname) had six fingers. He got a nickname for that trait and we got surname based on it (it has "six" in its root).
He was leader of a warband which raided Ottomans beyond our borders. He killed several notable Turkish begs and pashas in skirmishes. When one beg Selmanović called him to negotiations, giving him word that nothing will happen to him, my ancestor foolishly believed in his honor (word was sacred back in then) and went to negotiate. To cut the story short, they ambushed him, captured him, and dragged him with horses to Travnik, where vizier had him impaled and beheaded.
After that, his sons decided to change surname into his honor, taking his nickname as a root word for our surname.

[Valmont]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty

direct ancestor - if you read about his life, really interesting character.

Thank you for the link!

Were you able to trace your ligneage back to him by yourself? Or was it through family history? Unless you found it on a genealogy website?

I'm not douting your claims at all, I'm just curious. Genealogy in the "new world" is very different and perceived as more important than over here.


Had an ancestor murdered by horse thieves, another accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, of course come over on the Mayflower, etc.

Haha you guys may be cousins then! Most white americans I met claim to trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower (which again I am not denying).

Technically we're all "cousins" at one point. I managed to find my maternal grand-parents' common ancestors! (they're like 32nd cousins or something lol)

[Valmont]

Had an ancestor murdered by horse thieves, another accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, of course come over on the Mayflower, etc.

Oh! And also I loved studying about the Salem Witch trials!

Thanks for sharing!

So many cool stories on here!

[Oneeye]

Thank you for the link!

Were you able to trace your ligneage back to him by yourself? Or was it through family history? Unless you found it on a genealogy website?

I'm not douting your claims at all, I'm just curious. Genealogy in the "new world" is very different and perceived as more important than over here.



Haha you guys may be cousins then! Most white americans I met claim to trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower (which again I am not denying).

Technically we're all "cousins" at one point. I managed to find my maternal grand-parents' common ancestors! (they're like 32nd cousins or something lol)


There are thousands of descendents. But yes, my mother's side, through the Thayer family, traces back to Massachuesetts clear back into the 1600s and to the Mayflower in one line.

[Valmont]

There are thousands of descendents. But yes, my mother's side, through the Thayer family, traces back to Massachuesetts clear back into the 1600s and to the Mayflower in one line.

Yup just like 8 in 10 europeans descend from Charlemagne. (But not everyone can find the direct filiation)

[Era]

It was my parents who moved to Canada. All the German ancestors in Germany had their tree cut off. Which is why I can't find German relatives on 23andme.

You only showed Iberian ancestry in those tests if I remember correctly.

[Era]

I guess I have bad genetic luck.

:D

On topic, my maternal great grandmother caught the eye of some rich guy who wanted to marry her. Her family didn't like him so they gave him a white horse and some gold to renounce her.
My paternal grandmother had her life saved by a German doctor during WW2 when she was a young girl.

[Poise n Pen]

one time cletus got drunk and fucked a horse

[Valmont]

one time cletus got drunk and fucked a horse

And BOOM 9 months later you were born.

[Jehan]

One of my great grandfather made the travel to USA to works for some years and come back in europe. He gone to USA twice in fact. To pay the boat he worked on coal bunker.
That's not especially an historical fact but thats' rather unusual for an immigrant to USA to choose to voluntary come back to europe. Maybe some americans who knows will confirm or not, but most/all people who go to USA settle there and made their family comes.

One of my grandfather has fought in fascist army. His wife (my grandmother) was a communist. I never heard how they end up together and how their weedding was working but I find it pretty funny. That's like WWII romeo and juliet.

[JMack]

My pathernal great-grandfather was from one little Greek village in Calabria (Bovesia Region), he and his ancestors belonged to the local lower nobility, the owners of most of the lands there. Across the times my family has a fame of being non-conformist/different people, the ones who are a nuisance to most men. So was my great-grandfather, a indomitable rebel who fled home at age of 17 to become a painter and poet, after marrying my great-grandmother (also from the same place) he established himself in Rome . Many of his adventures in Rome are part of our familiar lore, an insatiable rebel, my ancestor fled Italy with my great-grandmother and my grandfather when he was only 23 years. He founded a colony in Southeastern Brazil and is remembered not only as the founder but also as the main artist there, he was engraver and sculptor, physician and local judge. Feeling unsatisfied and out-of-place my grandfather returned to Bovesia after inumerous problems (including killing a man in a duel), established a family there and returned to Brazil with 35 years. My father, following the familiar tradition, is an enterpreneur in the region of the Amazon Rainforest, and lives days and days isolated in his property. I think all of us are destined to be travelers and die far way of our birthplace, as i'm going to move to the Himalaias next month.

[Smitty]

Yup just like 8 in 10 europeans descend from Charlemagne. (But not everyone can find the direct filiation)

I've heard similar statements, but do you really think that's true? I have a hard time believing it, long ago as it was.

[Not a Cop]

I've heard similar statements, but do you really think that's true? I have a hard time believing it, long ago as it was.

I had a hard time believing it also, but a couple years ago i made a geni account to compose my grown genealogical knowlege, and by luck i have one ancestor coming from British noble family with founder dating to XII century, and side lines going much deeper.

Though ofcourse this line being noble given me higher chances having some king down the line it turned out that not only Charlemagne is my g-something grandfather, but also William the Conqueror, Rurik and the whole bunch of names i've heard in TV series "Vikings" are my ancestors.

So although it's hard to count, but amount of population descend from Charlemange may very well be 8\10 atleat in NW Europe.

[Smitty]

I had a hard time believing it also, but a couple years ago i made a geni account to compose my grown genealogical knowlege, and by luck i have one ancestor coming from British noble family with founder dating to XII century, and side lines going much deeper.

Though ofcourse this line being noble given me higher chances having some king down the line it turned out that not only Charlemagne is my g-something grandfather, but also William the Conqueror, Rurik and the whole bunch of names i've heard in TV series "Vikings" are my ancestors.

So although it's hard to count, but amount of population descend from Charlemange may very well be 8\10 atleat in NW Europe.

Wow. This is via a German line, I assume? Maybe there's some truth to it, after all.

[Not a Cop]

Wow. This is via a German line, I assume? Maybe there's some truth to it, after all.

Yes, it's via German line.

[Valmont]

I've heard similar statements, but do you really think that's true? I have a hard time believing it, long ago as it was.

I had found an article but it's in French. Basically there is no proof to it but it is also a matter of mathematics. The population was much lower back then and people had LOTS of kids (and by lots I mean lots, the ancestor of a friend of mine had 21 kids! Twenty fucking one!!)

A popular saying is we all descend from someone who was hanged and a from a king.

Aristocrats back then had a lot of illegitimate children. One in 10 French person descend from Hugh Capet statistically.


I had a hard time believing it also, but a couple years ago i made a geni account to compose my grown genealogical knowlege, and by luck i have one ancestor coming from British noble family with founder dating to XII century, and side lines going much deeper.

Though ofcourse this line being noble given me higher chances having some king down the line it turned out that not only Charlemagne is my g-something grandfather, but also William the Conqueror, Rurik and the whole bunch of names i've heard in TV series "Vikings" are my ancestors.

So although it's hard to count, but amount of population descend from Charlemange may very well be 8\10 atleat in NW Europe.

That makes us (very distant) cousins. I am a descendant of William the Conqueror and Mathilde de Flandre through both my maternal grandparents. On the 29th, 30th and 32nd generation through my grandfather and on the 35th, 36th, 37th and 39th generation through my grandmother.

What is interesting is that my grandpa descends from his son Henri while my grandma from his daughter Adèle.

My grandparents respectively descended from the Breton and Savoyard / Bressane nobility. Some of their ancestors belonged to what is commonly called "noblesse d'extraction" or "immémoriale" which means that they originate from Chivalry.

My grandparents' noble ancestors were a bit different. My grandmother has noble blood through her mother who was descended from the "noblesse de lettres" (which meant her family's nobility was acquired through high functions and was quite new). Those nobles often married noble women from more prestigious families. My great grandmother's great grand father, a local noble from the Savoie area, married a women from a very old Bressane family who was descended from bigger house (such as the houses of Burgundy and Auvergne and by extent those of Champagne and Normandy)

My grandfather descends from an old family of local breton noblemen, they owned plenty of little lands. His ancestry is deeply rooted in the Duchy of Brittany with a few British and Norman families in much higher generations.

It was really funny to discover that my grandparents were very very distant cousins (the first common ancestor I found died in 1131).

The "Viking" name you are referring to is "Rollon" (or Rollo) who was the founder of the Duchy of Britanny and William's ancestor.

I would only recommend to be careful on the already made genealogies you find on genealogy websites as they are often made by amateurs. It is very easy to quickly copy and paste someone else's work without paying attention to the sources. Some people will use homonyms to play on a genealogy loophole or will make broad assumptions based on "chronology".

For example, several trees indicated that one of my ancestors was descended through the family "de Chevelu" by his grandmother. I was never able to find his birth certificate nor the name of his parents. After looking at several websites I saw plenty of people giving him this great ancestry but nothing to back up or prove their claims. The ancestors he was given did exist, but nothing proved their was a link between them. He was never cited amongst the couple's children anywhere.

When I contacted the tree owners, people would simply redirect me to other people who would then redirect me to other people. When a person's tree eventually came back several times, its owner admitted to just having made the assumption based on the guy's first name (which was Pierre and horribly common)

Same on my grandfather's side. One of his ancestors was supposedly descended from William Gascoigne and Margaret Clarell, two british noble families. His ancestors' name was Gilette Le Gascoing and married a breton nobleman. I have never been able to find any document that proved that Gillette was the daughter of William and Margaret (or Guillaume and Marguerite). People just assumed that she had to be their daughter given the time area when she lived and what her last name was.

But for people who think it is unlikely you just have to look how easy it gets to go from a high ranked person to a lower one.

Hugues Capet married one of his daughters, Adélaïde, to the count of Flanders.

Said count married his daughter, Mathilde, to William the Bastard of Normandy (who would eventually become King of England)

William marries his daughter, Adèle, to a French count from Champagne.

Their son (who isn't the first born) marries a local countess.

Their daughter marries the Duke of Burgundy.

The duke marries his daughter to the count of Auvergne.

The count of Auvergne marries his daughter to a powerful baron in the dauphiné.

The powerful baron marries one of his daughter to a local lord to build alliances.

And that how you go from a king to a local lord.

It doesn't take much for a poor noble family to marry some wealthy "commoner" to save the family from being ruined.

[Smitty]

Aristocrats back then had a lot of illegitimate children.

I didn't know that, but it would explain it. I think of aristocrats as wanting to keep their blood pure and not mix it with the lower classes, but if they had a penchant for spreading it by more ignoble means, then maybe so.

[Valmont]

I didn't know that, but it would explain it. I think of aristocrats as wanting to keep their blood pure and not mix it with the lower classes, but if they had a penchant for spreading it by more ignoble means, then maybe so.

Well this is the high middle ages and there was a clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Most men had lots of illegitimate kids, women didn't!

They needed a legit heir born to their legit wife. But they could totally boink other women if they wanted to and they did.

They would rarely recognize them though.

Henri the 1st, William's heir and youngest son, only had two legitimate kids and about 21-24 illegitimate children. (9 sons and 12 to 15 daughters). He recognized most of them and is famous for that.

Out of his two legitimate children, a boy and a girl, his son (and heir) died in a shipwreck. His daughter Matilda became the legitimate heir to the thrown and could have become the first queen of england if her cousin hadn't taken the throne from her which led to a civil war.

[Hithaeglir]

My great grandmother (the mother of my grandfather) who was 28 years old at the time,married my great grandfather when he was 16. Still a story that i can't quite grasp,but for some reason it was totally accepted by her family,a very odd phenomenon for a pre WWII greek village. I was lucky to meet both of them.

My great grandfather (the father of my grandmother)was caught by the Turks during the war and died in a turkish jail.

And then the casual WWII stories of my grandparents how Italians got into the village,stayed with the local families and their experiences through the eyes of a child (they were 5 or 6 years old back then).

[Valmont]

My great grandmother (the mother of my grandfather) who was 28 years old at the time,married my great grandfather when he was 16. Still a story that i can't quite grasp,but for some reason it was totally accepted by her family,a very odd phenomenon for a pre WWII greek village. I was lucky to meet both of them

Yes, that's very uncommon. Was your great grandmother a widow when she met your great grandfather?

[Hithaeglir]

Yes, that's very uncommon. Was your great grandmother a widow when she met your great grandfather?

No she was unmarried :)

[Smitty]

Well this is the high middle ages and there was a clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Most men had lots of illegitimate kids, women didn't!

They needed a legit heir born to their legit wife. But they could totally boink other women if they wanted to and they did.

They would rarely recognize them though.

Henri the 1st, William's heir and youngest son, only had two legitimate kids and about 21-24 illegitimate children. (9 sons and 12 to 15 daughters). He recognized most of them and is famous for that.

Out of his two legitimate children, a boy and a girl, his son (and heir) died in a shipwreck. His daughter Matilda became the legitimate heir to the thrown and could have become the first queen of england if her cousin hadn't taken the throne from her which led to a civil war.

And we (I, at least) think of people as saints back then. :laugh: I really need to read more European history.

[Aodhan]

Nop, my family left Italy because they were poor and came to Brazil to stay poor

now they are all dead and I am poor

[Valmont]

And we (I, at least) think of people as saints back then. :laugh: I really need to read more European history.

Hahaha yes! Nobles back then were nothing but sophisticated.

I could go on for hours but I'll try to make it short.

Basically you wanted to keep the best warriors by your side when you needed them. So you had to reward them by giving them lands and titles. You could also make sure they would look out for your profits on strategic areas of your kingdom / county / duchy / lands etc.

But they quickly realized that the best soldiers were rarely the most moral. That's when they decided to create "chivalry". To create a code of honor and the ultimate reward. You would basically give them a sacred and moral training.

But it took a long time to implement. Rape and murders were extremely common. They would massacre each other in their own families.

[Jehan]

Nop, my family left Italy because they were poor and came to Brazil to stay poor

now they are all dead I am poor

But you perpetuate a family tradition by being poor, that's something.

[Valmont]

One of my great grandfather made the travel to USA to works for some years and come back in europe. He gone to USA twice in fact. To pay the boat he worked on coal bunker.
That's not especially an historical fact but thats' rather unusual for an immigrant to USA to choose to voluntary come back to europe. Maybe some americans who knows will confirm or not, but most/all people who go to USA settle there and made their family comes.

One of my grandfather has fought in fascist army. His wife (my grandmother) was a communist. I never heard how they end up together and how their weedding was working but I find it pretty funny. That's like WWII romeo and juliet.

Yes, your family is one of the rare instances of people migrating back to Europe. Did your great grandfather meet your great grandmother before he went to America?

[Aodhan]

But you perpetuate a family tradition by being poor, that's something.

I am thinking in make an epic crossover: I will move to Italy, get rich and make my future generation rich

[Jehan]

Yes, your family is one of the rare instances of people migrating back to Europe. Did your great grandfather meet your great grandmother before he went to America?

His case is pretty strange, I even ask myself if he wasn't a criminal and return to europe to avoid trouble. Because it seems he came back with some money in the pockets.

Not sure, but I think he was already married, but I don't think it would be a problem to make her (and the childs) enter in USA.

[Smitty]

Hahaha yes! Nobles back then were nothing but sophisticated.

I could go on for hours but I'll try to make it short.

Basically you wanted to keep the best warriors by your side when you needed them. So you had to reward them by giving them lands and titles. You could also make sure they would look out for your profits on strategic areas of your kingdom / county / duchy / lands etc.

But they quickly realized that the best soldiers were rarely the most moral. That's when they decided to create "chivalry". To create a code of honor and the ultimate reward. You would basically give them a sacred and moral training.

But it took a long time to implement. Rape and murders were extremely common. They would massacre each other in their own families.

A good reminder of just how much we've changed and just how little. This is really new information to me, though. So much for King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable.

[Valmont]

A good reminder of just how much we've changed and just how little. This is really new information to me, though. So much for King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable.

Well you're hiting right in the spot actually. The Arthurian Legend became very dear to Henry II (Matilda's son, who was cited previously).

His wife, Aliénor of Aquitaine, the most powerful and richest woman of all of Europe, had brought poetry and amour courtois to the ruthless English court after she left the King of France (and completely reversed the power balance in Europe)

Nobles were basically descendants of barbarians who asserted their powers by crushing others. We're talking 10th to 14th century here.

You're probably thinking of the Renaissance which started in the 15th century.

[Smitty]

Well you're hiting right in the spot actually. The Arthurian Legend became very dear to Henry II (Matilda's son, who was cited previously).

His wife, Aliénor of Aquitaine, the most powerful and richest woman of all of Europe, had brought poetry and amour courtois to the ruthless English court after she left the King of France (and completely reversed the power balance in Europe)

Nobles were basically descendants of barbarians who asserted their powers by crushing others. We're talking 10th to 14th century here.

You're probably thinking of the Renaissance which started in the 15th century.

Probably so...or perhaps no time period at all. My knowledge of that period is obviously rather shaky. During the 10th to 14th centuries, though, Europe was still forming itself as a post-Roman entity, I guess. So barbarity would have been fairly normal still.

As always, though, the French have been the source of Europe's gentility. :)

[Valmont]

Probably so...or perhaps no time period at all. My knowledge of that period is obviously rather shaky. During the 10th to 14th centuries, though, Europe was still forming itself as a post-Roman entity, I guess. So barbarity would have been fairly normal still.

As always, though, the French have been the source of Europe's gentility. :)

Haha I've totally come across as a total nerd. I just have a passion for European medieval history and I could talk about it for hours.

There are some good movies and books that give a pretty good idea of what it was like. Even the historical fiction ones which can be really cool.

I suggest you read (or watch) the Accursed Kings. It'll give a rough idea of what the French and British royalty was like in the 14th century. They were much more civilized than their ancestors, and still quite gruesome.

It'll also make you understand the events that led to the hundred years war.

[solaris]

my great-great-great-great-great... great grand-father fought along Alexander the Great and confirmed Macedonians were different from Greeks.

[Smitty]

Haha I've totally come across as a total nerd. I just have a passion for European medieval history and I could talk about it for hours.

There are some good movies and books that give a pretty good idea of what it was like. Even the historical fiction ones which can be really cool.

I suggest you read (or watch) the Accursed Kings. It'll give a rough idea of what the French and British royalty was like in the 14th century. They were much more civilized than their ancestors, and still quite gruesome.

It'll also make you understand the events that led to the hundred years war.

No, not at all. It's really awesome that you're not only interested in history, but also knowledgeable about it. If only everyone's interests were so worthwhile. And thanks for the suggestion. I was looking for a nonfiction book to read this coming new year, so I'll definitely take a look at it.

[Dr. Robotnik the Subbotnik]

Was just thinking about my ancestry today..(don't think about it that much these days)

My Irish side were talented Artists, my great grandpa did cartoons (funnies) for the local Newspaper. My Dad's German side was fucked up. One of my German ancestors was apparently a murderer, and their offspring also had this bad seed in them, because my Great Uncle was a bad man. He sold booze to the Mafia as a child and grew to be a greedy, brutal (but very unsuccessful) businessman. He couldn't have got this personality from the Irish side because they were all really nice people - the German side was fucked up! Of course there was good in them but there were just some bad ones.

Through my Great Grandmother I am descended from many early New York families (both Anglo and Dutch). They left New York to come to Ohio and later they came to Minnesota, and converted to Catholicism (reasons I don't know) and intermarried with my Irish Catholic ancestors.

Then on my Mom's side, just typical Scandinavian and German Lutheran Immigrants (mostly). I actually have some Catholic German ancestry on her side as well, I don't know why they decided to intermarry with Lutherans. Also, my great, great grandmother on my Mom's side was of mostly Anglo descent. Her forebears were Anglo-Canadians and Anglo-Americans. She also had 1 Irish ancestor, through her own grandmother, the Canadian, daughter of an Englishman and an Irish woman that were both emigrants to Canada.

My grandfather on my Dad's side was in WW2, so was his older brother, my Great Uncle, who flew a B-17 and did many missions. He was shot down a few times, once he was held a prisoner by the Germans - but he liked it because it was the 'only time he got steak' during the war. On my Mom's side, she is younger than my Dad so, it were my Great Grandpas, as opposed to Grandpas, that were in WW2, and one had two Purple Hearts (man, one is enough if you know what that means! :P) and a Bronze Star for Courage. The other made the Military his career and thus also fought in the Korean War. By the time he left he was pretty high-ranking.

Politics in my family is interesting. My grandpa on my Dad's side was a Democrat most of his life (and went to a FDR rally as a kid) but became a Republican after Jimmy Carter's disastrous administration. Mostly because how bad Carter was for business, as my grandpa was a business-owner. Most of my family, both on mom and dad's sides, are Democrats, and were supporting Hillary. My own family was supporting Trump, though and my Uncle did, too. I don't know how common it is for a family to be politically fractured.

[Larali]

I have a few. One line of my ancestors inhabited Edinburgh castle.

[Graham]

I have a few. One line of my ancestors inhabited Edinburgh castle.

Probably would have been military, unless high in the establishment. It is still a military barracks today. :)

[Sturmgewehr]

My Great Grandfather fought as a Yugoslav Partizan, he died in Bitola trying to stop the Nazis, my grandfather told me that the commander of that partizan unit had told them he had taken out two Germans on a bike and was later shot as the German Batallion made its way in Bitola, the place where he was shot as they were backing up and retreating later up in this place we call Ѓавато, my grandfather told me he was shot on the right side of the ribs and the bullet had come out on the other side of his ribs.

My grand grand father from my mothers side and some of his cousins migrated to Argentina, this was obviously in the early 1900s, my grand grand father (gg Father) worked in Buenos Aires for 40 years, back then there were no airplanes so he would come back and visit and bring gold once in like 10 years, my gg father had cousins there who never came back I am 95% sure I got family in Argentina that I do not know of, considering the fact that my gg father back then was young, there were no condoms, he stayed long periods of time there, I surely have family in Buenos Aires, he came back from Argentina last time when his only son died of Tuberculosis, shortly after he resorted to Alcoholism, my grandmother would always tell his story and she would cry, she would get usually emotional when her mother would tell her father (my gg father) stop drinking, it is friday, u gotta pray and he would tell her, Friday took my son, what is the point, he did not live long after that, presumably 2-3 years and died sad and depressed.

I was 4th grade primary school, and I was on the bus with my father, there were these guys on the bus with bags (tourists) my father suddenly started talking to them in a language which was neither Macedonian nor Albanian, I was confused and then he told me that those guys were Danish tourists, apparently my father lived in Copenhagen for 3 years as a kid where my grandparents were working in a battery factory, my father finished his 7th Grade in Denmark and I saw his transcript he has all Aces.

Also many other stories which I do not feel comfortable discussing hehehehe.

[SvartVarg]

I have a few. One line of my ancestors inhabited Edinburgh castle.

When? A number also did during the Seven Year War, the American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and Jacobite Rebellion. Either by free choice or as prisoners of war.

[Larali]

When? A number also did during the Seven Year War, the American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and Jacobite Rebellion. Either by free choice or as prisoners of war.

I don't know. One of the ladies I know in DAR told me this (she and I are both descended from the Scottish clan Allan). I have no info about it.

Although, I do know for a fact that one of my lines traces back to the Throckmorton baronets and members of English nobility in the 1500s. Also, I'm a descendent of the Nicholas Lanier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Lanier) of the Lanier family, who were court muscisians and artists for Charles I and II... This is interesting to me beacause my grandpa, who was descended from him, never had a piano lesson in his life, but could play by ear very well. Also, my sister is an accomplished oil painter. So the talent runs in the family. ;)

Just to name a few... my fam bam is full of cool characters.

[frankhammer]

My great grandmother ran off with her uncle to the colonies :picard1:

[Larali]

.....:)

[Marinus]

I come from a long line of mischievous old drunken sailors.

[HoboJim]

The one I get a kick out of is that my surname originates with the dairy trade, literally "Dairy-Man" historically, and my earliest known ancestor came from what was then known as the town of "Barnstable" in Devon England. Perfect alignment I'd say.

[arkas]

My great great Grandpa was a chef to the King of England, George VI. He was born in Greece and travelled with the British royal family cooking them meals for a short period. He also worked and eventually owned a resturant in America, before finally settling in Australia where some of his family had already settled in. My grandma jokingly told me he may have had another family in America, although nobody took it seriously.

Until about 2 months ago, my dad was contacted by someone on AncestryDNA, a woman who claims her father's mother was adopted at a young age and was Greek, my dad showed up as a possible relative. The woman's father's mother was born in the same city that my great great grandfather owned a resturant in America. He had to sell it because of prohibition in America and according to my grandma he had some trouble with the law, which is why he left America. Maybe he also left behind a woman and daughter? I can't know for sure though.

[Jehan]

Some people in my family fought in the same war but for different side.

[Skjaldemjøden]

My great great Grandpa was a chef to the King of England, George VI.
That's quite remarkable! Did Prince Philip have anything to do with his employment?

A 19th century cousin of mine was the personal therapist of Wilhelm II. My great-grandfather also made and delivered cigarettes to a certain queen as a young man, a job he secured thanks to a long lasting friendship with her personal chef.

[arkas]

That's quite remarkable! Did Prince Philip have anything to do with his employment?

A 19th century cousin of mine was the personal therapist of Wilhelm II. My great-grandfather also made and delivered cigarettes to a certain queen as a young man, a job he secured thanks to a long lasting friendship with her personal chef.

I haven't a clue, but he cooked for him and the royal family while they travelled around in Africa apparently.

That's amazing, is there any juicy dirt you can reveal about old Willy? It's always interesting to have some connection to royalty, even if it was because we worked for them haha.

[Skjaldemjøden]

I haven't a clue, but he cooked for him and the royal family while they travelled around in Africa apparently.

Could hardly be a coincidence with the prince being Greek..


Is there any juicy dirt you can reveal about old Willy? It's always interesting to have some connection to royalty, even if it was because we worked for them haha.

Alas, medical privacy :shrug:
I have no royal blood but quite a few stories. My grandparents were guests of Frederick IX a few times, and my grandfather also shook hands with his father, Christian X. He said the king wore gloves to avoid catching something from all the snotty children who lined up to greet him. My great-great-grandparents received a blessing from Frederick VIII upon the birth of their tenth child.
Alexander II stayed briefly at the home of a Jewish great-great-something-uncle of mine. It was the custom to set a table with bread and salt (or some such) in front of your house when royalty was expected to pass through town, and this monarch took a liking to the offering. So he sipped on some tea with said uncle and his wife. The service he drank from was passed down to my great-grandmother, but it was lost during WWII. I don't really know why they regarded his visit as such an honor, considering what tyrants the Romanovs were. But then again he was a saint compared to his son and grandson.

[arkas]

Could hardly be a coincidence with the prince being Greek..



Alas, medical privacy :shrug:
I have no royal blood but quite a few stories. My grandparents were guests of Frederick IX a few times, and my grandfather also shook hands with his father, Christian X. He said the king wore gloves to avoid catching something from all the snotty children who lined up to greet him. My great-great-grandparents received a blessing from Frederick VIII upon the birth of their tenth child.
Alexander II stayed briefly at the home of a Jewish great-great-something-uncle of mine. It was the custom to set a table with bread and salt (or some such) in front of your house when royalty was expected to pass through town, and this monarch took a liking to the offering. So he had tea with said uncle and his wife. The service he drank from was passed down to my great-grandmother, but it was lost during WWII. I don't really know why they regarded his visit as such an honor, considering what tyrants the Romanovs were. But then again he was a saint compared to his son and grandson.

Wow, those are some interesting family stories you have, thanks for sharing :)

Unsurprising about the King wearing gloves lol

[Richmondbread]

My great-great-great grandmother chased a Yankee off her porch in Richmond during the War of Northern Aggression.

[arkas]

My grandmas house, while living in a small village in Arcadia Greece, was raided by Nazi soldiers looking to confiscate guns.

Oddly enough, the exact same thing happened to my other grandma but by the Japanese occupying Malaysia.

[Richmondbread]

My Great-Grandmother danced with Fitzhugh Lee (Nephew of Robert E. Lee) at the Governor's Ball in Richmond. She was about 12 or 13 at the time. He went up to her and said : " May I have this dance, young lady ?" And she said "Why , of course, you may, Sir !" He died not long after that.

[AlfonsoVIII]

One of my ancestors, who was mayor of the town in the mid-18th century, was prosecuted by the Inquisition on charges of witchcraft and pact with the Devil.

He really scolded the village priest and soon after he fell ill, and blamed my ancestor for casting a spell on him. Obviously it was shown that all this was nothing more than tricks motivated by personal quarrels and my ancestor was acquitted.

[Skjaldemjøden]

Obviously it was shown that all this was nothing more than tricks motivated by personal quarrels and my ancestor was acquitted.

That is hardly obvious with the Inquisition. I would say he was very lucky.

[AlfonsoVIII]

That is hardly obvious with the Inquisition. I would say he was very lucky.


As I was able to see in the inquisitorial process, the inquisitors in charge of the case questioned several people from the town about my ancestor; All of them considered him a good Christian, but they also pointed out his bad relationship with the parish priest. The inquisitors were clear from this that it was a simple neighborhood dispute.

Furthermore, in the 18th century the Inquisition was no longer the same as in the previous century, it was very relaxed. In my province the last inquisitorial process took place in 1801, without great consequences.

[RandomGuy20]

My great-grandpa was apparently one of the first people to start a goods/people smuggling organisation between West Germany and the GDR.
My German side fought in the battle of Stalingrad while my Russian side were fighting on the opposite side.

[Richmondbread]

My grandfather broke his leg in a horse race against an Italian officer during WWII. He did it kind of on purpose to get sent home early. It was towards the end , 1945 ish.

[WhatsGoingOnBigGuy]

Not particularly interesting, but I like sharing my grand-uncle’s story since he was such a baller.

- Born in Lithuania
- immigrated to the US with his parents as a small boy
- Enlisted in the US army in 1943
- was shot in the leg and captured by German forces in 1944 Holland.
- spent the rest of the war in a prison camp, was tortured on multiple occasions.
- became walking impaired for the rest of his life due to the injury.
- had a family of his own after the war and lost them all in a house fire.
- after my grandmother passed away when my dad was young, he still managed to take in and raise my dad and his siblings rather than leaving them with my alcoholic abusive grandfather.
- passed away in the 70s unexpectedly, but I owe him my thanks for giving my father a safe upbringing for a large portion of his childhood in spite of all the trauma he suffered in his own life.

[Richmondbread]

Not particularly interesting, but I like sharing my grand-uncle’s story since he was such a baller.

- Born in Lithuania
- immigrated to the US with his parents as a small boy
- Enlisted in the US army in 1943
- was shot in the leg and captured by German forces in 1944 Holland.
- spent the rest of the war in a prison camp, was tortured on multiple occasions.
- became walking impaired for the rest of his life due to the injury.
- had a family of his own after the war and lost them all in a house fire.
- after my grandmother passed away when my dad was young, he still managed to take in and raise my dad and his siblings rather than leaving them with my alcoholic abusive grandfather.
- passed away in the 70s unexpectedly, but I owe him my thanks for giving my father a safe upbringing for a large portion of his childhood in spite of all the trauma he suffered in his own life.

My grandmother' s parents were from Lithuania as well. Mostly Vilnius and Kaunas areas, some from the Baltic sea coast. My GG was a coal miner who worked in the Midwest and was killed in one of the mines.

[Mikula]

One of my ancestors, who was mayor of the town in the mid-18th century, was prosecuted by the Inquisition on charges of witchcraft and pact with the Devil.

He really scolded the village priest and soon after he fell ill, and blamed my ancestor for casting a spell on him. Obviously it was shown that all this was nothing more than tricks motivated by personal quarrels and my ancestor was acquitted.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/da0c02eef77b47ac35b76430f32edd6f/tenor.gif

[Tarlus Magnus]

My great grandpa met my great grandma during WWI through letters: at that time many italian single women from all over the country used to send letters to cheer up soldiers during the battlefront.
Kind of like ancient Tinder hahahah

[MandM]

My grandfather was captured by nazi during ww2, story goes that they took him and others to camp in Germany or close to Germany, and they were to be executed, but a German doctor helpt him escape,went back to "Yugoslavia" continiued the fight and was in the army that liberated The city of Novi Sad, there is a museum in Novi Sad were they have a pic of him riding and welcomed by the people there, i have a picture of it, will find and post it