how do i find out if i am related to someone famous, or royalty? because im kinda curious.
thanks :]
Chosen Answer:
Most people assume that because there are more than 300,000,000 people living in the U.S. of A. and about 7 Billion living on the planet that it has always been that way. Well, when I was young the population fo the U.S was about 150,000,000, the world population at 3 Billion.
The world population in 1800 was about 1 Billion; the population in Europe doubled from 1500 – 1600 due to the Spaniard taking back to Europe various foods, such as potatoes, corn and cocoa from the Americans.
Meaning you do not need to go very far back in time to find some one famous, or royalty, in your family tree. (Yesterday I found out I am related to the Hiltons! I am aghast, thinking of Paris Hilton!)
Most reputable genealogists/anthropologists believe that everyone is descended from a common ancestor some time during the past 2,000 years; the shorter the generation of a particular family the more recent a common ancestor would have lived.
Most people do not like to read, especially if it means thinking, but try these books:
“Mapping Human History: Discovering the Past Through Our Genes” by Steve Olson
“The Seven Daughters of Eve” by Bryan Sykes
“Genealogy 101″ by Barbara Renick
“Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree” by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner.
“Before the Flood: The Biblical Flood as a Real Event and How it Changed the Course of Civilization” by Ian Wilson.
Mr. Olson claims that everyone alive on earth today is descended from Nefertiti, Confucius, and Julius Caesar (through his Concubine, as Julia died giving birth, the baby likewise dying).
So, there, you are descended from those 3 famous personages! Look for more by trying all of these:
You should start by asking all your living relatives about family history. Then, armed with that information, you can go to your public library and check to see if it has a genealogy department. Most do nowadays; also, don’t forget to check at community colleges, universities, etc. Our public library has both www.ancestry.com and www.heritagequest.com free for anyone to use (no library card required).
Another place to check out is any of the Mormon’s Family History Centers. They allow people to search for their family history (and, NO, they don’t try to convert you).
A third option is one of the following websites:
http://www.searchforancestors.com/…
http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=2739…
www dot usgenweb dot com/
www dot census dot gov/
http://www.rootsweb.com/
www dot ukgenweb dot com/
www dot archives dot gov/
http://www.familysearch.org/
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/…
http://www.cyndislist.com/
www dot geni dot com/
Cyndi’s has the most links to genealogy websites, whether ship’s passenger lists, ancestors from Africa, ancestors from the Philippines, where ever and whatever.
Of course, you may be successful by googling: “john doe, born 1620, plimouth, massachusetts” as an example.
Good luck and have fun!
Check out this article on five great free genealogy websites:
www dot associatedcontent dot com/article…
Then there is the DNA test; if you decide you want to REALLY know where your ancestors came from opt for the DNA test. Besides all the mistakes that officials commonly make, from 10% to 20% of birth certificates list the father wrong; that is, mama was doing the hanky-panky and someone else was the REAL father. That won’t show up on the internet or in books; it WILL show up in DNA.
I used www.familytreedna.com which works with the National Geographics Genotype Program.
by: Nothingusefullearnedinschool
on: 25th February 10
