re: Genealogy fans: What are some cool facts about your family's history?

Apparently my paternal ancestor, born in Georgia in the 1700s, had about 30 children with a Cherokee Indian (possibly with more than than one Cherokee)

My great great grandfather on my mother side came from Austria. He was to be a bricklayer in St Louis for 7 years but apparently left for Texas and married my great great grandmother who’s father came from Denmark. He, from Denmark, settled a big ranch in South Texas and built a hotel that was also used as a fortress to protect from ranchers who were scared of an attack by Pancho Villa’s men. The hotel was for ranchers to come and stay. The idea of a hotel being there today is pretty funny as the town is a 3,000 population or so town full of Spanish speakers. I read some comments about an article and the locals find the idea of a hotel once being there to be funny too.

You are probably less of a mutt than most people. I am (in order, based off studying ancestry) English, Austrian, German, Irish, Ulster-Scots, Danish, Spanish, Czech, Native Indian, and 1000 years ago I was French.

My uncle was directly related to the main prosecutor of the Salem witch trials

My great uncle was the man who watched goring in jail during the Nuremberg trials and was long thought to be the one who gave him the cyanide pill. He wasn't vindicated until 20 years ago or so

Mostly doctors, lawyers and land barons. A couple of family members knighted by Marie Antoinette and an admiral in the navy. Also my family owned one of the largest plantations in the New Orleans area.

I'm flat broke. What the frick went wrong?

My ancestor was mayor of Dallas for 3 terms in the early 20th century or late 19th, Bryan Thomas Barry. His uncle was Buck Barry, a famous frontiersmen/Texas Ranger/Mexican-American war soldier with some cool books about him. His book also mentions his brother Augustus who came with him to Texas from NC. Augustus would be my direct ancestor.

My girlfriends ancestor did that but a German, straight to fighting for the Union in Pennsylvania. Luckily her coonass ancestor fought in Louisiana for the right side.

Songy, Simon, Bossier, anybody have these Cajuns in your family tree? You are related to my girlfriend. Her family owned the evergreen plantation in Wallace, Louisiana and they raised sugar cane.

Direct ancester was captioned in battle of quebec in french/indian war. He died as a pow. Had only one son whom was 2 years old at the time he died. Without that boy my family wouldnt exist.

Badass

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I am a direct descendant of King Edward III.

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A lot of noble baws lost their heads in the 1400s for being a little too closely related to Edward III

I have all of the pay stubs or whatever you want to call them of a relatives time fighting for North Carolina in the Civil War.

Some of my relatives lived in Christ Church Parish in the late 1700s (Mt. Pleasant, near Boone Hall Plantation, where my parents live now ). Fascinating for me as I’ve lived in Charleston my whole life, and the history of this city up to and during the Civil War is rivaled by few others in the US.

My mom’s side has a relative that founded the city of New Haven, CT in 1638. Her husband died in the trip over and she gave birth on the transit as well.

Also have an original land grant from 1770 of the farm my mom’s family still resides on in NC. Framed up and sitting in their house, it’s tied with red ribbon and refers to lbs sterling it was purchased for.