Keep an Open Mind When Tracing Your Family Tree

Keep an Open Mind When Tracing Your Family Tree

When doing ancestral research, be prepared to find a few skeletons hanging around. Most of us are not blessed with a family tree that is squeaky clean. When doing family research, be prepared to uncover family secrets that you did not know existed. Here are a few examples of skeletons some researchers have found.

Jill Pedeg was researching her family history. She heard a rumor that she was a descendant of a wealthy businessman from 14th century Italy. Allegedly, her ancestor made millions in international trade. After months of research, her studies brought her to a church in Rome. She found some records of his name on old church documents. He had made many large donations to the church, and even paid for renovations to the church in 1492. She later found out that the wealthy businessman, who she was a descendant of, made his money kidnapping Africans and selling them on the slave market.

Janet Washington was doing research on her ancestry and was following up a lead that she was a direct descendant of George Washington. Feeling a sense of pride that she was a descendant of one of the forefathers of our great nation, she set out to prove to the family that she and the rest of the family was of noble blood. They were related to George Washington. She was right; she was a direct descendant of George Washington….the serial killer/cannibal that killed 18 people in 1792.

Deanne LeVrie was doing research and was following a lead that she was descended from Jeane LeVrie the famed inventor from France. She had learned that he invented many things, including some kind of lubricant that is commonly used in jet engines. He also invented a few methods of blowing glass that was more efficient than the old way of doing things. He was nothing world famous, just popular for his time. She then came across one record that changed everything. Her research uncovered that there was a misspelling of her name a few generations back, and she was actually the direct descendant of Marie LaVeau, the Voodoo Queen.

James Edison was doing research on his family tree, not sure what to expect.

He had no clue what laid in store for him. Shortly after his search began, he ran into some road blocks. He found his great grandfather’s name on the immigrant registry; however once he traced it back to England, the trail went dead. He went to England to see if he could turn anything up. He matched the arrival immigration list with the list of people on the boat that departed London. Only one name did not match up: that of John Egerson. Logically assuming that had to be his grandfather, he then began looking into records looking for John Egerson. That was when he learned that his great grandfather, whom he believed to be an immigrant from London in the 19th century, was actually an escaped convict, convicted of molesting 14 children. It was an unsolved mystery that was solved by a little detective work on James’s part.

Father Brims of St. Mary’s Catholic Church was doing research on his family tree and found some disturbing news. His research brought him to John Stolt III from Germany. For a while he was at a stand still. Stolt was an extremely common name in Germany at the time. He then did some research on his Grandmother and tracked down their marriage certificate. The wedding was officiated by none other than, Adolf Hitler. After a bit more research, Brims then learned that his grandfather was actually one of Hitler’s aides. His life has never been the same since.

As you can see, you need to be prepared for just about anything when doing your family tree. Many people will find skeletons in their family’s closet. The key is remembering that no matter what lies in the past, it does not affect who you are. You are the result of all the decisions your family has made in the past. You should respect your history, but not let it interfere with your future. Your family may have many skeletons. It is just important to keep an open mind and be ready for anything.

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