re: Tell us an interesting family story

In 2011 my Aunt and her son died 8 days apart. They were both in the ICU at St. Tammany 2 doors from each other and didn’t know it. He died from cancer and she died from mostly old age.

Sissy > Stormy

Back during Prohibition, one of my grandfather’s cousins used his shrimp boat every now and again to smuggle booze from offshore in the Gulf to Ship Island. Once anchoring up there, smaller boats would arrive and break down the booze load into smaller shipments and ferry it to the mainland. After doing this a few times, he then had the bright idea of trying to rip off part of the load before they arrived and sell it himself on the side, so he staged a robbery at sea before the other boats showed up—bullet holes in the pilot house and several missing cases of liquor. When the small boats arrived, he told them that the robbers chased him down and were shooting at him until he stopped.

Apparently those smaller boats were run and crewed by real-life mobbed-up folks and after examining the shrimp boat they asked gramp’s cousin why all the bullet holes happened to be fired from inside the cabin. I guess he had to come clean and give back the liquor, but they must’ve took pity on the dumbass because he lived a long life.

Our 1st ancestor was a Jamestown settler. His whole family was massacred by Indians except one son who was off at school.

Turpentine biz and virgin pine moved the family west from Virginia and Carolinas. Was big biz to keep the wooden royal fleet afloat.

I’m a 5th generation vet and the 1st to miss a war. Spanish American, WW2 (d-day vet grandad) and my dad was in Korea and the very front end of Vietnam. Great grandfather on my mom’s side was at gettiesburg and is in her family plot with a conf. vet foot stone. 6th MS infantry- among the most action of any unit. And a way-back was in the revolutionary war.

My Great Grandparents (moms side) had 6 boys
All served in WW2 except for my Grandfather, as all siblings were not allowed to. Some farm/family act not really sure. One of his brothers was on the USS Lexington and survived. They all returned home.

Another great uncle was shot and killed in Korea on his 19th birthday.

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as all siblings were not allowed to.

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not true

ETA: Sullivan brothers are just one example, all five died, same ship, there was some rule about them all being assigned to the same ship but they begged for a waiver, they're not the only example

Did their last name start wit a M and end with a T. Sounds like I've heard this story before.

your old man was a wise guy?

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I’ve got a very old family tale originated in the Middle Ages. My 10x+ great grandfather was part of the Norman conquest of Ireland under Strongbow in the 1100’s. On the boat ride over from France, the soldiers made a deal saying something like “whoever touches the land first has claim on it”. The story goes that as the ship approached Ireland, the soldiers jumped off the ship in the middle of a bay and rushed towards the beach. My ancestor was weighted down by his metal armor and was falling behind as the others swam closer to shore. Realizing he was not going to be first, he took out his sword, cut off his left hand, and threw it on the land claiming dibs. That land became his and that area is still called by his (and my) last name.

I thought this story BS until three years ago when I visited that part of Ireland and locals corroborated the story.

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The Red hand of Ulster, My dad was in Ireland some 20 years ago and he gave me a T-shirt from there and the bloody hand was on it and there was a quote or a name. I forget, but it is the symbol of some form of IRA group over there. Rivals to the IRA. Told me I probably shouldn't wear the shirt in public, even though I was in TX b/c you never know who is out there watching. I've got it in a box somewhere. Searching google to find the name now.

My grandfather's brother was a chief in ww2 and slept around on his wife.

And he knew his wife was cheating on him. So his brother goes out one night and sees his wife sitting and drinking with a young marine. He walks up, and he shakes the guy's hand. Guy is like who are you?

He explains he just wanted to shake the hand of the guy fricking his wife.

Marine hauls arse. His wife is mortified.

That night at home, she shot him in the chest, twice.

They were married for 58 years after that. And, near as anyone could tell, 100% faithful and devoted.