# Anyone else have a grandparent born in the 19th century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2012, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262 "2012-05-08T09:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/61 "2012-05-09T14:41:35Z")
My fathers father (my grandad) was born in 1890. My dad was the last of six kids and born 1927. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/62 "2012-05-09T14:51:55Z")
Paternal Grandpa was born in 1897 and the rest in the 20th century, although by March 1909 they were all here. He died in 1974 and taught me some songs he’d learned from his folks so I can sing ditties from the 19th century. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/63 "2012-05-09T15:06:04Z")
All my grandparents and all my husbands grandparents were born in the 19th century. The earliest for me is my paternal grandfather in 1891, and for my husband it’s his paternal grandmother in 1871. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/64 "2012-05-09T15:10:50Z")
All my grandparents were born in the 19th century - 1881, 1884, 1896(ish), 1897. They were all dead before I was born, although my paternal grandmother, born in 1896, almost made it - I was born two months after she died. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/65 "2012-05-09T15:12:20Z")
All of mine were. Maternal grandfather in 1877 is the oldest- I can barely remember him- he died in 1957. Other granfather and grandmothers were born a bit later. They went from no airplanes to man on the moon in their lifetimes. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/66 "2012-05-09T15:32:00Z")
I know nothing about my paternal grandfather except he shot himself in the head when my father was 10, 12, something like that. My maternal grandfather was born in 1880 and died in 1970. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/67 "2012-05-09T15:41:22Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > … So, who has a grandparent born earlier than 1898? Thread Rules (since I’m the OP): Two generations, no more; grandparents only, no greats. Anyone who can claim a _parent_ born in the 19th century (and I’ll accept 1900 as the last year of the 19th century) wins the thread. Otherwise the winner is the person whose 2nd generation ancestor was born longest ago. Go! It would seem like a fun thing to do with the data you’ve collected to attach the poster’s name to the grandparents whose years have been given and then sort that list from oldest to youngest and see who wins your thread. That first exercise of copy/paste of the thread’s contents to a work file (maybe then to a spreadsheet) would be the roughest part. I have done that any number of times in similar-themed threads. If you’d like me to take a crack at your thread’s contents, just say so. And since I didn’t provide specific years for my grandparents in my earlier post, they are: MGF 1869 MGM 1875 PGF 1882 PGM 1884 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/68 "2012-05-09T16:58:15Z")
> [@MemoryDump](#): > > What do I win??? You’re the same age as my sister. Would you like me to set you up? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/69 "2012-05-09T17:22:40Z")
Both of my father’s parents were born in the 19th century; his father was born in 1889, his mother was born in the late 1890’s. My mother’s parents both just missed, being born in 1901. Not too surprising, since I was born in 1949. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/70 "2012-05-09T17:46:08Z")
My Grandfather on my Mom’s side was born in 1899. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/71 "2012-05-09T17:59:40Z")
Hey, are there any prizes for being the youngest person whose grandparents were all born in the 19th century? The OP didn’t say. I was born in March 1965. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/72 "2012-05-09T23:31:54Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I have no idea about my grandparents. But I would like to point out something I find amazing about people born in that time. > > When they were a young child, it was before the Wright brothers made their historic flight, and heavier than air flight was just a dream. And many of them lived long enough to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. > > That’s crazy, isn’t it? Yes, it really is. All my grandparents were born in the 1880’s; my paternal grandmother died before I was born and her older sister became our de facto grandma. She saw electricity come to rural California, and later telephones and automobiles. Then air travel, then space travel (she rode a horse to work as a teacher!). My last letter from her before she died was composed on an Apple computer. My goal as I grow older is to be as flexible and accepting of change as she was. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/73 "2012-05-10T00:11:41Z")
My paternal grandfather was born in 1896 and died in 1981. My paternal grandmother was born in 1900 and died in 1978. They were married 57 years. My maternal grandfather was born in 1900 and died in 1989. My maternal grandmother was born in 1901 and died in 1995. They were married 70 years. My parents will be celebrating their 62nd anniversary in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/74 "2012-05-10T01:00:26Z")
I didn’t expect to win this thread, but I expected to come pretty close. My father was born in 1921, and while I’m not entirely sure of his parents’ birth years, I know they were in their early-to-mid 20s when he was born, so yes. I may still claim the title for youngest person with oldest parents and grandparents though, as far as I can tell. > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I was born in 1981, my grandads were 1889 and 1899. One of them lived until I was a toddler, the other died a week before I was born. Hmm! you’ve just made things interesting, my dear. Your oldest grandparent is older than mine, but my grandparents were both born before 1899 and I’d wager my father was born before your older parent. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/75 "2012-05-10T01:45:55Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I didn’t expect to win this thread, but I expected to come pretty close. My father was born in 1921, and while I’m not entirely sure of his parents’ birth years, I know they were in their early-to-mid 20s when he was born, so yes. I may still claim the title for youngest person with oldest parents and grandparents though, as far as I can tell. > > Hmm! you’ve just made things interesting, my dear. Your oldest grandparent is older than mine, but my grandparents were both born before 1899 and I’d wager my father was born before your older parent. I guess that will depend on your age. My father was born in 1921 as well and grandparents- well one was born in 1877. However, I’m not sure how you use the criteria- do you mean the youngest person now in years of age, or in years difference between grandparents or parents? (BTW - how is this for a coincidence- there is a Doper whose grandparents and parents were born in the same years as mine). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/76 "2012-05-10T02:29:10Z")
Off the thread, topic, but. . . I had an uncle, and he was only six months or so younger than one of his great-aunts. His grandmother was the oldest of her father’s 11 children that spanned 37 years with two women. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/77 "2012-05-10T02:33:30Z")
My paternal grandmother was born in 1870. She impressed the living hell out of me when I was a kid because she had met Wyatt Earp. Apparently, they were in Dodge City when Earp was a deputy marshal there and her dad was friends with him. Earp used to eat dinner with them at least once or twice a month. My maternal grandmother was also born in 1870. She didn’t have a cool story like that, though. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/78 "2012-05-10T02:42:33Z")
All of mine were born in the 1880s. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/79 "2012-05-10T03:20:42Z")
My father’s father was born in 1869 and his mother in 1871. My mother’s father was born in 1887 and her mother in 1890. I’m the baby of my family at 62. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262/80 "2012-05-10T03:27:35Z")
My dad’s oldest sister was born in 1888. It made me chuckle to learn that she was illegitimate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-a-grandparent-born-in-the-19th-century/621262.md?page=5)