Who Do you think you are?

[squashysu]

Did anyone see tonight with Boris Johnson, i think this programme is ace, I would love to find out that I am in fact related to someone that was really famous!! But knowing my luck it would be someone who has been disassociated in some way or another!!

Has anyone ever traced their family tree and found out something??

[lynda66]

blast, i missed it, was looking forward to that too.

[di]

I used to live next door to Peggy Cole & thought she was my aunt til I was older!(who~ you all bar the ardent & slightly older gardeners restricted maybe to Suffolk~say!!)
I also had a great aunt that no-one likes to talk about that kept our pikey genes going by trundling around Ipswich with a pram that she'd fill with other mans junk!& now a few generations later and i can't resist a quick peek in peeps skips!
Never properly looked into family tree but think it would be quite interesting!
BTW~my great great aunt was NOT related to my thought aunt Peggy Cole!

[Alice]

I'm sorry SquashySue, but the subject doesn't interet me at all. I know who I am, and who my ancestors were matters not a jot to me. I'm more interested in the future than the past. I can see why other people are interested.
Lets see what others think.

[kernowyon]

I found out that my great grandfathers brother was a guy called Jimmy Brain who played for Arsenal in the late 20's, he is still one of their highest goalscorers ever (5th or 6th). I have a uncle on my mums side of the family that has traced that side of our family tree back to the 1500's but I suppose it helps to have an unusual surname and live in the middle of Bodmin Moor!! No murderers, royalty or film stars on that side I'm afraid only farmers. We had a get together in the village a few years back with as many rellies as we could muster, we each then added our own new bits to the tree so we now have a record of hundreds of people.

[Nicos]

Alice- until a couple of years ago I would have agreed with you..and then I started to follow my family trees back in time.
Strangely (?) I started to feel close to my grandparents as children and their grandparents too. It's fairly easy to visualise a child sitting on their grandparents knee.
Then you see what poverty they went through- and are relieved at a line which actually lived slightly above the breadline. None of my family- but those of peeps I have researched clearly came from nothing and made something of themselves enough to be knighted.
Visiting where your family lived in the non too distant past is a very powerful awakening. Rich or poor- if they hadn't survived- you wouldn't have been here.
A humbling thought- esp for those who cheated death.

[Rhona]

We're just chatting about the Boris Johnson one! Haven't seen the other programmes, but I do find him pretty good value...

I know little about my lineage except apparently Nancy Reagan's a relative... I'm a bit curious, more so since I had our little baby actually. My mum's started doing a bit of a family tree thing so we'll see.

[squashysu]

its funny my aunt has been doing our tree for years and she has been to scotland etc and found out a lot, we have family that went through the war and were killed and one that apparently went AWOL that no one speaks about and we cant find where he is.....

Alice, I have to say history is a wonderful thing and without it, we wouldnt know who we were, i always look to the future and live every day, but without history there would be no us! but i totally respect your values on that and your opinion counts.

Nicos, My OH mum was dutch and came over here jsut after the war having lived on tulip bulbs in order to stay alive, they had nothing in the war and they cheated death, her family were jewish, but somehow escaped the onslaught, we are yet to find out why, she survived and couldnt speak a word of english when she came, she was a total immigrant, but her family has a hell of a lot of history and we have some of their family tree which is very interesting.

the programme tonight went to Augsberg (cant spell it) which is a lovely town, i have been there, my OH works for a german co based in Augsberg, that was interesting as well.

My maiden name is an american jewish name and I would love to know all about that as well, in fact it is used as a first name in the states as well!

Sorry this programme intrigued me so much!

[Nicos]

I've got this program recorded- and when I find time to put down my paintbrush I'll get out the ironing and watch it at the same time!!
Looking forward to it even more now!!

Yep- I've got a couple of interesting characters in my tree too
See.......it's not all my fault.......it's in my genes!

[zazen999]

I love the program, it's one of the 3 I actually watch.

My 2nd Cousin traced our family tree back, and on my mother's side, we are related to Madame Du Barry, she who was a farmer's daughter, and who Louis XV too a shine to and had her married to the Count Du Barry, and who then Louis went on to sire several children with her [under the count's name]. She came to England to have her kids apparently as they were not her husband's [no doubt funded by Louis], and she was guilloined alongside Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. [Well, possibly not literally alongside but about the same time].

On my dad's side, I'm related to a painter who was big in Canada - apparently.

[Starchild]

I traced my family on my fathers paternal side back to 1840, can't trace it any more as G(x5) G'dad was illegitamate, but, ulike Boris I doubt he was the product of a Royal Dalliance, more like the travelling show that was in the town at the time.

Busy tracing the otherside up to Worcester and some to Oxford. Mostly farmers and Miners.

[HeyWayne]

Boris Johnson is a legend in my humble onion - I've always liked him. We need more characters like him in politics, less of these vapid PR savvy morons we have at the moment. Spitting Image wouldn't work these days - who would they mimic?

Anyway, with regard to the subject of lineage - my first name means "wagon maker" or "wagon rider" and my last name is a type of plough. I'm unlikely to find anything very far back. One of my second cousins (I think), started a family tree at my late Nan's birthday once. My Nan was one of 8, and those surviving brothers and sisters attended the celebration along with their children and their childrens' children, and in some cases, their childrens' childrens' children. Takes a lot of time, patience and dedication - none of which I have in great abundance.

Would be interesting though wouldn't it?

[jacob marley]

I'm sorry SquashySue, but the subject doesn't interet me at all. I know who I am, and who my ancestors were matters not a jot to me. I'm more interested in the future than the past. I can see why other people are interested.
Lets see what others think.

I am with Alice on on this what is gone is history what will be will be .
Are family tree hunters looking for ancestors or are they looking for WEALTH just my thoughts jacob marley

[di]

If I were to trace mine~which if I had the time & patience I would be very interested~I would have no expectations of finding wealth~& if I did I doubt I'd have the cheek to expect it were shared with me!!
I don't think it would necessarily change who I am,but I would just be interested to Know a little about my ancestors.

[Comfreyfan]

I've enjoyed all the Who do You Think You Are programmes I've seen, but I missed this one, rats.

Like Kernowyon my family are from Bodmin Moor, but there are no particular names to make them easy to find! Dad always said it would be hard to trace our family as he thought most of them would have been buried at crossroads!