# Most distant ancestor you've personally met **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354 "2005-06-15T08:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/1 "2005-06-15T08:45:28Z")
I’ve met 3 of my great-grandparents while they were still alive. I don’t remember much about any of them, except my great-grandmother was a huge Elvis fan. Can anyone here top me? Anyone here ever met a living great-great grandparent? ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/2 "2005-06-15T08:59:55Z")
There’s a picture of me, taken in 1959, being held up by my maternal grandfather’s grandmother. I don’t remember anything about her, though…even her name. ---
**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/3 "2005-06-15T09:41:56Z")
My great-grandparents (3 of them; two married, one widowed) are both still alive and well in their seventies. My Great-Great Grandma Coe lived to be age 99 and died in 1999. I was 13 at the time. She’s the oldest relative that I was alive to know, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/4 "2005-06-15T09:57:27Z")
My dad. All beyond that died before I was born. No grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/5 "2005-06-15T11:34:16Z")
My maternal grandfather, born 1905. However, though I did not personally meet them, several of my great-grandmother’s siblings lived well into the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/6 "2005-06-15T11:47:19Z")
All four grandparents plus many great-aunts and great-uncles from their generation. I have vague memories of some great-great-aunts but I can’t swear to it. I believe all my great-grandparents were dead by the time I was born, and if they weren’t I don’t remember ever being in their presence. Two of my grandchildren easily remember their great-grandparents (my parents and their mother’s parents) all of whom lived into their 80’s and 90’s. Even though my parents were 33 and 28 when I was born, I was 24 when my daughter was born and she was 21 when her oldest daughter was born. That girl is now 18 and if she has a child in the next few years and that child reaches child-bearing age before I die, I could live to see a great-great-grandchild, whether that child would remember me or not. Does anyone have a reference for the record for largest number of living generations? I’d be surprised if it was much better than great-great-great-grand (parent or child). Assuming early ages for childbirths and the oldest one living past their 90th, one could get to ggggc by that age. It would take being over 110 (if I calculate right) for it to get to gggggc. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/7 "2005-06-15T12:06:17Z")
Three grandparents (the fourth one died when my father was a child) and one great-uncle, who was interestingly insane. ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/8 "2005-06-15T12:13:44Z")
My great-grandmother, who passed away when I was 16, died at the age of 111. She was born in 1881, my grandmother was born in 1914, my father was born in 1932 and then there’s me born in 1976. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/9 "2005-06-15T12:33:55Z")
My great-great aunt Arsenal. Yep that was her first name. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/10 "2005-06-15T12:48:30Z")
My mother’s mother’s mother died when I was 27, just seven months after my first daughter was born. My daughter was Nanny’s first great-great grandchild, but unfortunately we never got them in the same room together to even take a picture, much less meet each other. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/11 "2005-06-15T12:50:39Z")
My great-grandmother lived to the ripe age of 102 and I remember her very well. We were just talking about her last night, oddly enough. I remember the farm house quite clearly and the smell of Ivory soap always takes me back there. Grandmother Josephine (GGmother) always sat in her rocking chair in front of the space heater. LilMiss is part of five generations on her fathers maternal side. Her great great grandmother is still alive. However, other than her dad, everyone on that side is friggin’ loopy and she has not seen her grandma or great grandma in over 5 years - despite them living less than 10 miles away from us. They want nothing to do with Emo (the ex) therefore will not see his children. Their loss. I still send them Christmas cards and Mother’s Day cards. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/12 "2005-06-15T12:51:38Z")
I knew one set of my great-grandparents pretty well when I was growing up. Especially my great-grandpa. He was a riot. I have many fond memories of him. My great-grandma was in a nursing home, and died when I was pretty young. I also knew my great-great-aunt pretty well. I used to take my grandma to visit her in the nursing home, about 100 miles away from where we live. We had fun visiting her, even though she did always tell me I didn’t know shit from Shinola. From those of you who don’t know either, [yes, there is a difference](http://www.pottymouth.org/humor/shinola.html). Great-great Aunt Agnes died in late 2003 at the age of 102. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/13 "2005-06-15T13:53:25Z")
I met my great-grandmother once or twice when I was little and can very vaguely remember it, but she died when I was 5 or 6. Other than that, it’s all grandparents and great aunts and uncles. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/14 "2005-06-15T13:53:27Z")
My grandma was born in 1890 and died in 1983. My mom was born 1926 and still going. I was born 1966. I hope for any grand and great grand children I have I can have them say about me that " She was really cool. She was a charter doper." ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/15 "2005-06-15T13:57:02Z")
My great-grandmothers (paternal) were alive and well when I was born. One died when I was about 2 (don’t remember her at all), the other when I was in my early twenties (knew her pretty well). She was a crazy old bat, who lived to 104. ---
**Author:** ![quasixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/65b543/32.png) [@quasixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasixote)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/16 "2005-06-15T15:25:30Z")
I’ve met my ‘long lost’ **great-great aunt** , once. I never new about her until I got invited to her 100 and something birthday party. On a side note, I met my grandfather’s sister on chistmas a few years ago. I found it unnerving because she looked JUST like grandpa wearing a wig and muu-muu. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/17 "2005-06-15T15:39:46Z")
I met my great-grandmother briefly, for a couple of hours when I was very little, but I don’t remember her that well–only the vague impression of fluffy gray hair, a pink dress, a floral couch, and a silver box of cookies. ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/18 "2005-06-15T16:16:40Z")
I don’t go beyond grandparents, but my mother’s great-great-grandmother was seemingly indestructable, living to be 109. The oldest cousin of my generation met her as a small child (making it great-great-great-grandmother). She liked to tell the story of her earliest memory, which was abandoning the family’s tobacco farm in Virgina on the run from the Union Army. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/19 "2005-06-15T16:19:36Z")
When I was born, I had 4 great-grandparents still alive and two great-great grandmothers. They have all died now, and I have two living grandparents, currently. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354/20 "2005-06-15T16:19:45Z")
One of my great-aunts on my mother’s side (her father’s sister) is still alive and I’ve met her several times. She’s still younger than my father’s sister, who will be 100 in January and is still as sharp as a tack and doesn’t look a day over 80. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distant-ancestor-youve-personally-met/308354.md?page=2)