I am a direct descendant of a passenger on the Mayflower, which is the ‘Holy Grail’ for genealogy snobs. But my ancestor was among the 45 (out of 102 total) passengers who died during during the first Winter while anchored near Plymouth, but before setting foot on land in the New World in the Spring of 1621. So, in genealogical circles, that puts me back down to the level of common gutter trash and unable to join their little Mayflower douchebags society…I was truly heartbroken to learn this, but somehow managed to pick up and move on with my pathetic life…
Besides, a much more interesting ancestor of mine came here with his ‘alleged’ wife (many sources claim they were never married prior to leaving England) as an endentured servant in 1624. And he changed his name (from Brookshaw to Brookshire) upon arrival and all blood descendants from anyone with the surname Brookshire in the U.S. are distantly related! And I’ve found all sorts of criminals, deviants and generally unsavory characters in that bloodline…which is much cooler than having a Mayflower relative!
I started researching my family history seven years ago. Both of my parents are only children, so I have no aunts, uncles or first cousins. I also have never met any of my paternal grandfather’s extended family (only his two siblings) and also never met a single member of maternal grandfather’s family including my grandfather, who died two years before I was born. So I was curious to find out where the hell we came from and if there were reasons why I had never met any of my grandparents’ relatives except for my maternal greandmother. She was one of 10 children and I actually know almost every one of my dad’s first cousins and their children (my second cousins) but only on that side of the family.
I’ve found more skeletons than I ever dreamed possible along the way…murders, incest, more murders, thieves and even one alleged prostitute! Initially, I was depressed because I started out hoping to find heroes and otherwise impossibly perfect people in my past…but I found more ‘white trash’ than anything. But my outlook changed over time and I realized that there were a few truly amazing people in my family’s past, and I’m proud to share a tiny bit of DNA with them. But I also found comfort/solace/contentment in the fact that I am a far better human being than many of my ancestors! As are my parents, sister and grandparents. And I can always claim that I’m adopted if anyone ever discovers some of the sordid secrets from our past!
Has anyone else embarked on the journey to research their family with high expectations, only to find more skeletons than anything!?