How far back in time have you managed to trace your family tree?

[Óttar]

Anyone also cares to share the surnames in their family tree? Mine are these: Enyedi, Kókai, Mészáros, Kormos, Dudás, Antal, Müller, Nyúl, Tóth, Sili, Lajos, Zsíros, Messmer, Csontos, Linder, Apró, Hegedűs, Dékány. As seen, most of Hungarian and few of German origin. I have a few other surnames, but until I can't confirm that they were my direct ancestors, proven by documents, then I treat them with unclear status.

Mother's side: Meekins, Turner, Farnsworth, Bostwick, Brundage, Stevens, Romaine, Moore, Monroe, etc.

Father's side: Collier, Hughes, Dunn, Meehan, Meyer, Klein, etc.

[Dunai]

It's so cool that in Western Europe churches kept the birth certificates for so many centuries, bordering a thousand years even in some parts. Unfortunately in Hungary it seems that only from the 17th century they still exist, and even those aren't too rife. Except if you happen to have some aristocratic origins, those were much better preserved, even from the Middle Ages.

[ovidiu]

On part of maternal side: mid 1400s (an anomaly due to nobility), that my grandfather was able to figure out from research; other parts to early 1800s
On paternal side: late 1800s

I noticed the 16th or 15th century is as far as back as most people can go. Before that it's very difficult. Or maybe like 13th century at most for a very few. Then things start getting obscure in the Dark Ages, even if they are from nobility.

[User50]

All the way back to the AD 200s. One of my ancestors 1800 years ago was the Beachy Head Lady. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachy_Head_Lady


Since I'm 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001% negro I'm going to apply for affirmative action.

[revealman]

back to austro monarchy 1800s

[User50]

What are the odds that that they will accept my application for affirmative action because of my black ancestor in Roman times?

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

All the way back to the AD 200s. One of my ancestors 1800 years ago was the Beachy Head Lady. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachy_Head_Lady


Since I'm 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001% negro I'm going to apply for affirmative action.

Go ahead. Tell us if it worked or not.

[ovidiu]

All the way back to the AD 200s. One of my ancestors 1800 years ago was the Beachy Head Lady. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachy_Head_Lady


Since I'm 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001% negro I'm going to apply for affirmative action.

Whoa. I did not know about this. So that means black people were technically in Britain even before the Anglo-Saxons! Ha! Why don't people use this find more in response to modern day racists?

[Longbowman]

Whoa. I did not know about this. So that means black people were technically in Britain even before the Anglo-Saxons! Ha! Why don't people use this find more in response to modern day racists?

Liberals need to stop responding to racism or ethnocentric behaviour with 'but we were all Africans' or 'but we weren't indigenous' because it doesn't work and betrays a failure to understand the ideology you're attempting to ridicule. If you're confronted with genuine racism the racial supremacist won't be fazed by the knowledge or supposition x was in y before z because longevity doesn't inform superiority. Additionally, there are entire white countries built on the graveyards of Indians and Aborigines, and the local racists and nativists obviously don't care, the argument being that they built the nation regardless of whoever was residing in the territories beforehand.

The best way of dealing with an ideology you view as beneath contempt or illogical is to ignore it.

[Smeagol]

1600s. My first ancestor who came to America from England. His last name was Sawyer, I don't remember his first.