[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

My curiosity was sparked, but not too much. For all I know my great grandpappy could have been part of The Great Train robbery of 1886, but it won't make a difference to me. Hell speaking of that, most of our ancestors are probably murderers or criminals, because that's how people lived back then.

No, most of them really weren't. Dunno where you get that idea but most people no matter what point in history, were simply hard-working farmers ir laborers craftsmen or the like. Criminals in one's family tree are rare. That said, there is a suspected tie in mine to the James gang, and according to my uncle, my biological father (who was half Cherokee through his mother if my uncle's account is true- my mother is suspiciously evasive on his identity which if my uncle was telling the truth I can see why) was apparently tied to a local branch of the Mob or something. I say WAS because the man my uncle named has been dead for YEARS, buuuut..... He married and had kids with someone else which means I may have half-siblings I've never met!

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Yeah, I think anyone doing that is just trying to seek an hereditary identity that sounds cooler and more meaningful to them than their simple nationality. Which, lets be honest, in countries that are very much a "melting pot" as this one is and has few meaningful real traditions all its own, a national identity is pretty superficial. I can kind of understand, but they forget that their own ancestry may not be interesting to everyone. Esp if they run off and visit a place where that heritage is common and the least interesting topic of conversation. lol

Through the genealogy research I've done and the numerous documents available that I've poured over, no, I can't say I have found any murderers or criminals at this point... So far the family sounds to have been pretty much the same average, hard working family it is in this day and age.

The nearest I've got is one who was arrested for working at his mill on Sunday in the 1820s. Poor guy. lol A big offense then, but kind of hilarious looking back on it from this century. Wish there was more info on it.

It's true some people (mostly USA) do just look at it as a way to give themselves some sort of cultural identity more interesting than just their country of birth, but finding that cultural history can often lead to a desire to learn more about that land and its people and traditions. It certainly has for me- enough so that I have acquired several books (e-books) to learn Irish Gaelic language. Partly I wanted to learn more about my heritage, and partly because I love Irish Celtic music and want to learn what the words to some of my favorite Celtic tunes mean.