(Belated) Saturday night genealogy fun: Two degrees of separation
Karen K | Sunday, February 12, 2012 Randy Seaver came up with a fun challenge, which Elizabeth Handler has taken up: "Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with two degrees of separation? That means 'you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor.' When was that second ancestor born?"
I read this late last night, and as I climbed into bed to go to sleep, I racked my brain.
Three of my four grandparents were living when I was born; my paternal grandfather had died almost twenty years before I was born, and my maternal grandfather had not been in my mother's life since she was in high school. So I only ever met my grandmothers.
My maternal grandmother, Dorothy PALMER, who actually lived with my family when she was dying of lung cancer, was born in 1918. Her father's father George Bailey PALMER was born in 1850 and died on 15 Dec 1926. He almost certainly knew my grandmother, since they lived in the same county. She would presumably have remembered him, being that she was eight years old when he died.
My great-grandfather, Horace William HOWES, was alive when I was born, but since we never met, it doesn't count...
It seems that I can only back to a great-great grandparent with two degrees of separation. Elizabeth can go back to a third !
Ancestral line: George Bailey PALMER (1850-1926) > Frank Bailey PALMER (1888- 1958) > Dorothy Elizabeth PALMER (1918-1984) > S. HOWES (1937-1999) > Me.
Reader Comments (6)
Karen, thanks for the mention (and the comment on my post). No matter how far back you can go, it's still an interesting exercise to think of stories that could have been shared if those involved had thought to share them.
Elizabeth, exactly-- it's very cool to realize that you're not that far removed from knowing your ancestors.
I do wish that I had thought to ask my grandmothers (and other relatives that are now deceased) about family members and ancestors when I had a chance. Simple things that just don't usually occur to you to ask unless you have an interest in genealogy.
I'm fortunate to have listened to the stories my mother told about her family-- such stories have had clues in them that proved to be great leads for finding info.
What an interesting challenge! I can only get back to 2nd-great-grandparents too. None of my 3rd-great-grandparents came to the US, and none of my grandparents ever went to Europe. I do find it interesting to look at my brick wall ancestors and think of the earlier ancestors they must have known. My oldest 3rd-great-grandparent was born in 1791. I imagine he must have known relatives who remembered vast swaths of the 18th century in Ireland. Even if I can't get the names of those generations, at least I can get a sense of what their lives may have been like.
Ryan, I thought this was great too-- can't take credit, though. And yes, don't you wish you could talk to your ancestors to see what they experienced, and to find out what they know of THEIR ancestors?
On my paternal grandfathers side of my family I can only go back to my great grandparents. My paternal grandfather died before I was born, so I only knew my dad. He only knew back to his paternal grandfather.
On my paternal grandmother's side I can go back to great great grandparents.
On my matrenal line I can only go back to great greandparents just like my paternal grandfather.
Regards, Jim
Hidden Genealogy Nuggets
Hi Jim, thanks for coming by, and thanks for sharing your own challenge. I think many people would be able to go back to 2nd greats-- 3rd would be pretty unusual, I would think.
I'll be sure to add your blog to my blogroll-- look for a mention in a post at the end of the month mentioning it too. I do a blog entry that includes favorite posts from genealogy blogs I visit, as well as newly discovered blogs and genealogy sites.