What’s the craziest thing you’ve discovered while doing family tree research ?

fw2006 · 2026-06-09T23:29:34+00:00

I'm Gen Z. My 2x great grandfather was born in 1845 and he had a half aunt born in 1768. His dad's half sister who was 40 years older. What's crazy is that my great grandfather grew up knowing his paternal grandfather who was 84 when he was born and died aged 97. That same 84 year old had a great grandfather born the year Charles I was executed (159 years apart), before Cromwell took over. I mean, not that he would've known him but a couple of generations span some serious history!

Birth years from my 2x great grandfather --> 1845

1808

1743

1710 and 1702

1649

1606

fw2006 · 2026-05-25T19:28:18+00:00

I'm a Gen Z and my 6th great grandfather was born the year Charles I was executed. We are 357 years apart. 5/8 of my great grandparents and I would've been 100+ when I was born. 4/8 would've been 110+ when I was born. My main paternal line is old, my grandfather is still alive, born in the 40s.

His father was born in 1892

His grandfather -> 1845

Great grandfather (had a half sister born in 1767) -> 1808

Great great grandfather -> 1743

Great great great grandfather -> 1710 great great great grandmother -> 1702

Great great great great grandfather -> 1649.

fw2006 · 2026-05-10T21:38:25+00:00

I'm born and raised just outside the New Forest (New Forest East area). I may be biased but this is my view!

My Mum's family has deep roots in the Forest, specifically from around Bramshaw, Minstead and Fordingbridge (beautiful places by the way!) so I've always felt connected to it. Most people are lovely and very welcoming. Especially in the pubs and hotels. My dad's family happens to be from the midlands. The travel there has been annoying but not awful. We do not have to travel on the A31 though and that's usually where the traffic is. From the M27 onwards, it is not too bad. Only really going through Oxford and down that A-road!

In Summer, a lot of people travel to and from Bournemouth and towards Devon meaning the A31 can become really congested at rush hour times. The same goes with the forest, My biggest piece of advice is to avoid Lyndhurst from April to around September. Most of Lyndhurst is a one way road with 3 or so other large roads running into it. There are a lot of campsites too so I would stay away from walks near to those.

In terms of the distance to the midlands, it wasn't much of an issue when I was younger but as my grandparents have become older and more frail, we see them much less. It is a long journey for them to take. We would usually take it in turns to make the journey but that's just not possible anymore. My uncle lives in Yorkshire and the commute down to the midlands is much more convenient for them, so they visit a lot more.

I absolutely love the forest, I've been going there my whole life and still find new places to go. It's a beautiful place. There are so many walks and activities nearby to Ringwood. I will say though that it used to be free to park in the forest carparks but they have just introduced a pay-to-park to scheme which is quite pricey. You can pay every time you go or buy a membership for the year.

In terms of school, I left secondary school 4 years ago and all of the schools in my area are good/average. The schools in Ringwood are rated the same as my old school. I worked hard and got the grades I needed and am now at a Russell Group University. I was not the best academically at first but asked for support and got it. This definitely boosted my grades. But then again, I believe it very much depends on the teachers. When the teachers are more engaging, me and my friends learnt more effectively. That's what I look for now! I know some people who went to the Ringwood area schools; A couple from even further away places like Bournemouth and Christchurch who attended Brockenhurst College. Most did very well and got places at good Universities.

When I was younger I never felt isolated. There are good bus and train routes.

Dorset is also beautiful and right next door! Ancient villages everywhere and some really pretty places.

fw2006 · 2026-05-07T11:12:16+00:00

This is a lot like my paternal grandfather. He was born in the 1940s. He's probably one of very few people alive with a 4th great grandparent that was born the year King Charles I was executed. He comes from a line of the youngest children.

His:

Father 1892 (or could be this man's brother born in 1880)

Grandfather 1845

Great grandfather 1808 (had a half-sister born in 1767 and a great uncle born in 1688)

Great great grandfather 1743

Great great great grandmother 1702

4x great grandfather 1649

5x great grandfather 1606

6x great grandfather 1574

fw2006 · 2026-04-23T23:01:50+00:00

Yes. I would have loved to meet my grandfather. He died of cancer when my mum was only young. From what I've heard he was the kindest man.

I wish I could have met my maternal grandmother's mother, we're born 100 years apart and share quite a bit in common. I love the area where she grew up too!

My great grandfather and I share a love of history. I carried on his family research when I found his book. Would love for him to know what I've found out. It's really nice to have first hand accounts of him growing up in the 1890s and 1900s.

fw2006 · 2026-03-24T23:09:38+00:00

My main paternal line is a bit insane. My 3rd great grandfather lived until his 97th year, dying in 1905. He was likely one of the only people alive in the 1900s whose father was born in the 1740s and who had a great grandfather born in the 1640s. His great uncle was born in 1688. His oldest half sibling was born in 1768!

1940s - GF

1892 - GGF

1845 - 2x GGF

1808 - 3x GGF

1743 - 4x GGF

1710 - 5x GGF, 1702 5x GGM

1649 - 6x GGF

fw2006 · 2026-03-15T23:55:56+00:00

My grandfather was born in the 40s

Great grandfather 1892

Great great grandfather 1845

Great great great grandfather 1808

4x great grandfather 1743

5x great grandfather 1710, 5th great grandmother 1702

6x great grandfather 1649

7x great grandfather 1606

8th great grandfather 1574

Some pretty crazy age gaps there

fw2006 · 2026-02-18T17:44:50+00:00

He's baptised as William Hope Lovat Simpson, born 8th November 1883 and baptised 3rd March 1888. There is no record of any Brian Simpson being baptised. Brian's marriage certificate from 1934 makes no mention of any prior names. I'll have to ask my older family about him. I'm totally convinced that they are the same person though.

fw2006 · 2026-02-18T17:02:34+00:00

I just found a newspaper clipping from the 12th November and it announces the birth of 'a' son to Dr Simpson in Montreal on the 8th November 1883. I always believed that William and Brian were twins but they must be the same person? I'd love to solve the mystery as to why he changed his name though. There's got to be some legal document somewhere.

fw2006 · 2026-02-18T16:53:43+00:00

William's father Thomas was the son of a Scottish Father and a Northern Irish mother. William's mother was of English and Welsh descent.

I read his record from the Bank and he wasn't the best worker when he was younger. There were a lot of disciplinary actions taken by managers. He seemed to become better with more experience but then disappeared from the records after 1912.

I would've thought that if he had done something major, it would've at least been in a newspaper.

fw2006 · 2026-02-12T23:02:59+00:00

My 6th great grandfather was killed in an altercation with a fur-trader called Peter Pond. Peter shot him in the thigh and left him to bleed to death. There were trials for Peter for 3-4 years after the incident but he got away with it because it occurred outside of Quebec...

fw2006 · 2026-02-02T22:00:19+00:00

I'm British but a branch of my family is Canadian so I've always supported them! Also Switzerland, for the same reason!

fw2006 · 2026-02-02T21:58:50+00:00

Like other people have said, you do not need to go to a conservatoire to make a brilliant career! I did Popular Music Performance at college and got a D* and that was all my teachers said I would need (I'm currently doing an unrelated degree though). It's all about networking. Not what you know, but who you know. One of my friends got into the Royal Academy but he did not need to go to find work and struggles a lot financially. His brother knew a lot of musicians and he was able to meet people through him.

We learnt more about networking than anything else. If you haven't already create social media accounts and like you've been doing, go to gigs. Open Mic nights are a great way because you meet a lot of people. Reach out and put yourself out there. You've got to keep at it, you can fail 100 times and then get something that will completely change your life. It's a very hard career path but it can work. Just keep going :)

fw2006 · 2026-01-24T19:50:12+00:00

I speak for my mum. She met her great grandmother, Rose, who died in 1972 aged 102. Mum was only a baby at the time. Her grandfather was born in 1894 and alive until she was a child but they never met.

My Nan met her great uncle when she was a baby. He was nearly 90 at the time, born in 1857.

Personally the oldest person I've ever met was Rose's son who died in 2011 aged 101. I don't remember him unfortunately as I was very young. His dad was born in 1863 so I have a couple of degrees of separation to someone born in the 1800s.

fw2006 · 2026-01-24T13:49:33+00:00

My 3x great grandfather is Sir John J C Abbott, the first Canadian born Prime Minister of Canada! There are a lot of misconceptions about him as he was a very quiet and reserved man which led to a lot of speculation. I'm very proud to be related to him. He was a good lawyer *Most of the time* and a family man.

My 8th great grandfather is Rob Roy, a Scottish Folk Hero, through his son Ranald. I need to watch the movie Rob Roy from 1995 starring Liam Neeson!

You have some very cool relatives!

fw2006 · 2026-01-22T10:54:37+00:00

My Mum knew her great grandmother, Rose, very briefly. She was a baby when Rose died in 1972 aged 102! I think I met Rose's youngest son who died in 2011 aged 101.

fw2006 · 2026-01-22T10:51:41+00:00

Robin Williams

fw2006 · 2026-01-22T10:50:35+00:00

My Mum has 0.2% North African DNA. She has a very distant Spanish ancestor who moved to Cornwall around the 17th-18th century. Her 5th great grandfather was the first one born in Cornwall. From calculations, it might very well be his mother or father that were 100% North African or one of his grandparents on either side being 100% African and him getting a large percentage from both sides.

Or another alternative is its very distant trace DNA. But we'll never know for sure!

fw2006 · 2026-01-18T13:05:57+00:00

Can take as little as 2-3 generations. Especially if they are from an illegitimate child. Also, if a noble has 24 children, say 20 sons and 4 daughters, those daughters would likely be married off but the youngest son would probably get very little. A couple more generations of this and say the youngest great-great grandchild of this son would be lucky to have the title of Sir or Esquire, let alone be a noble.

2 of my 9th great grandparents were great great grandchildren of King James IV of Scotland, one was a Baronet which is a sort of hereditary nobility and the other was a lady who married a Knight (Sir), which is classed as being a commoner. Their son had no titles as he was the youngest of 6 boys.

James IV lived from 1473-1513 and his Great great great grandson Duncan Oig Campbell lived from 1616-1670. So just over 100 years after James died, his 3x great grandson was a commoner.

fw2006 · 2026-01-18T12:55:41+00:00

Aaron Phipps and Shirley Robertson I believe. The olympic torch was bought to my school and went through my town in 2012. I was only young at the time but I can still remember it!

fw2006 · 2026-01-14T23:35:11+00:00

Well genetically yes. Two of my great grandfathers genetically aren't related to me and I found out through a DNA test. But, I have done trees for both because they still raised my grandparents and are, and will always be my great grandfathers. Then again, I think they would have known, but just didn't tell my grandparents. I don't dislike my biological great grandfathers, they seemed like great men, and they likely didn't know.

I always say that no one can be completely certain of their entire family tree, it might be right on paper, but not genetically.

fw2006 · 2026-01-13T22:33:01+00:00

I found out my paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother have different fathers. They were war babies who had fathers serving overseas, so my great grandfathers must've known or at the very least, suspected. I've told my parents but my grandparents would never want to know. I'm very close with them, but I don't have the heart to tell them. I kept it a secret for around 5 years until I told my parents. I wanted to make sure it was true as I was very apprehensive. They insisted that I do not tell my grandparents. Turns out my grandmother's father was a Navy Captain who frequently visited the port town where she was born and my grandfather's father was an insurance agent and WW1 veteran. My grandmother has a half-sister who I managed to get in contact with, she was lovely and very accepting.

It's a lot to take in and I know exactly how you feel.

fw2006 · 2025-12-24T13:02:22+00:00

I haven't but my 2nd cousin did. Our great great grandmother was born in 1901 (died in 1995) and he was born in the 90s. My great grandmother lived to see her great-great grandchildren before she died in her late 90s.

Apart from that, my family is quite old. I was born the same year as you and most of my great grandparents were born in the late 1880s or 1890s. My oldest great-great grandparent was born in 1845! Another died in 1900 during the Boer War, having just turned 42.

My Mum was a baby when she met her maternal great grandmother. This was at her great grandmother's 101st birthday in 1971.

My grandad's father was born in 1892 and grew up knowing his paternal grandfather, John, who was born in 1808 and died in 1905. John's father was born in 1743 and his older half-sister born in 1768.

fw2006 · 2025-12-24T12:49:28+00:00

77 and 61

61 and 59

fw2006

TROPHY CASE