Cool Family Trivia!

In my spare time, I like to look up my family tree and see where I came from. It is rather interesting the things you learn. Anyways, for a long time I had no idea where my family name, Noble, came from. While vacationing at my parents, with my dad's help, I manage to find out at least when the first "Noble" (that I am related to anyways) arrived in Canada. Apparently this dude was an American, specifically a Loyalist from Maryland. I found that pretty interesting. He fought in the American Revolution, albeit on the losing side and eventually granted lands in New Brunswick. Sadly, I still haven't gotten more about that side of the family, though I am told of the "Noble" lineages ours is of the Scottish variety. Anyways, it is hard to trace back in records when people didn't keep too many of them yet. :/

Anyways, what fun facts about your family's history do you want to share?

While I'd love to be a part of this discussion SoL, I think yesterday's revelations haven't quite sunk in yet. Possibly never. Yeah.

Big Family Revelation

I'm related to Earl Grey and Ridley Scott.

I'm directly descended from William the Conqueror and Charlemagne. This is why I'm so good at strategy games.

I'm descended from Louis XIV, one of the kings of France.

Now guy, I might just be wrong on this, but, I'm fairly certain SoL was probably expecting sensible answers :p

Every human in Europe is descended from Charlemagne. That's why we're so tall and handsome.

My ancestors on my father's side are pretty cool. Only looking five generations back there are maybe five or six ancestors awesome enough to have full-length Wikipedia pages (many more if you include Swedish Wikipedia) about them. One Nobel prize winner.

My last name is also a noble name because the family in Germany I originated from many generations back were apparently influential or something.

Apparently I'm related to Strauss. According to my grandmother he's her great uncle or uncle. She's a crazy old bag though so it's rather unlikely but she's told me numerous times. I'll have to dig up the family trees later to find anything interesting.

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

In my spare time, I like to look up my family tree and see where I came from. It is rather interesting the things you learn. Anyways, for a long time I had no idea where my family name, Noble, came from. While vacationing at my parents, with my dad's help, I manage to find out at least when the first "Noble" (that I am related to anyways) arrived in Canada. Apparently this dude was an American, specifically a Loyalist from Maryland. I found that pretty interesting. He fought in the American Revolution, albeit on the losing side and eventually granted lands in New Brunswick. Sadly, I still haven't gotten more about that side of the family, though I am told of the "Noble" lineages ours is of the Scottish variety. Anyways, it is hard to trace back in records when people didn't keep too many of them yet. :/

Anyways, what fun facts about your family's history do you want to share?

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Any relation to Donna?


Also, I'm related to Sir Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn.

(SPOILER) This is legitimate, Formalhaut. My maternal family are the Wyatts, we have relatives in England, and the line can be traced. ;)

Somebody in my family dug up our family tree dating back to the late 1600s iirc. Pretty much every man in the family spent their life in the army (all the way up to my father), and I'm the first in hundreds of years to break the chain. Feels awkward man.

We came across some interesting things. There was a letter from some army major who was big buds with my great great great grandad (approx) about recommendation for an officer commission (big thing in those days). He probably got shot by the evil yanks in the War of Independence.

There was another bloke who got a medal for 'conspicuous gallantry' in World War I. He was sent out of the trenches into no man's land with a pair of binoculars, a phone, and a very long, rolled up phone cord. He had to leg it to a crater in the ground, pop his head out, and gauge how far away the enemy trench was (and if the shells were landing in the right places), then call back. We tried to figure out what happened to him, and whether the medal was still around, before finding out that he ended up dying alone after splitting with his wife and had to sell the medal to pay bills or something :cry: semper fi

(That feel when you're european and have history)

Apparently the Blake side of my family is supposed to be descendants of one of the knights of the round table.

The Howe family which is my surname, comes form so place in England and is derived from some old Norse word fond man made hill or some trout.

A long, long time ago, everyone would wander around aimlessly. Sometimes, they would break their legs or something and be forced to settle down, so they would build villages for these people to stay in while the rest of the aimless wanderers would bring food to them to trade in exchange for unspeakable things. Eventually, everyone got tired of wandering around but didn't want to have to travel for miles between villages to do their unspeakable things, and it was around that time that my ancestor, Mr. Towns, declared that numerous larger villages should be created to accommodate everyone. These large villages would then be named after my ancestor, becoming 'towns'. This all happened around the 12th century. There were medium sized villages before then, but not as large as towns were. Those were called 'tuns' at that time, so don't get the two confused.

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

While I'd love to be a part of this discussion SoL, I think yesterday's revelations haven't quite sunk in yet. Possibly never. Yeah.

Big Family Revelation

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:( :( :( Sowwy.

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Originally Posted by Tifa's Boobs

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

In my spare time, I like to look up my family tree and see where I came from. It is rather interesting the things you learn. Anyways, for a long time I had no idea where my family name, Noble, came from. While vacationing at my parents, with my dad's help, I manage to find out at least when the first "Noble" (that I am related to anyways) arrived in Canada. Apparently this dude was an American, specifically a Loyalist from Maryland. I found that pretty interesting. He fought in the American Revolution, albeit on the losing side and eventually granted lands in New Brunswick. Sadly, I still haven't gotten more about that side of the family, though I am told of the "Noble" lineages ours is of the Scottish variety. Anyways, it is hard to trace back in records when people didn't keep too many of them yet. :/

Anyways, what fun facts about your family's history do you want to share?

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Any relation to Donna?


Also, I'm related to Sir Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn.

(SPOILER) This is legitimate, Formalhaut. My maternal family are the Wyatts, we have relatives in England, and the line can be traced. ;)

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Who is Donna?

I have absolutely no interest in my family's geneology because my grandmother tried to shove it down my throat when I was younger researching names for mormon baptisms for the dead.

Though I did learn I was the descendent of a Cherokee princess and that I have Blackfoot indian in me.

edit: I also have an older brother I've never met.

Right, I guess I shouldn't be a total tease with the whole "look at my EoEo post and find all about it", some people may not bother clicking links, so I'll give a few highlights here for the sake of taking part.

Fun Fact One: While I thought I was half English and Half Irish, I'm actually quarter English, Irish, Chinese AND Indian. I've certainly got my fingers in many countries's pies/noodles/curries.

Fun Fact Two: I thought my "real" dad was my actual dad, but I was actually fathered by someone else entirely, which I never knew about till yesterday.

Fun Fact Three: This makes my three older brothers half-brothers, and I also have another half-brother who I never knew about until yesterday.

And as for my family lineage? I guess from the Cleary clan in Ireland I suppose. I do believe however an ancient descendant called Michael Ó Cleirigh (c.1590 - 1643) wrote, together with his brothers, a book called the "Annals of the Four Masters", which was essentially are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. As for everything else, who knows?

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Originally Posted by Tifa's Boobs

This is legitimate, Formalhaut. My maternal family are the Wyatts, we have relatives in England, and the line can be traced. ;)

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I'm inclined to believe you :)

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

Who is Donna?

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Part of the Doctor Who Whoniverse, as an assistant for the Doctor!

Donna Noble - Wikipedia

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Originally Posted by Shorty

I have absolutely no interest in my family's geneology because my grandmother tried to shove it down my throat when I was younger researching names for mormon baptisms for the dead.

Though I did learn I was the descendent of a Cherokee princess and that I have Blackfoot indian in me.

edit: I also have an older brother I've never met.

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I've just watched way too much Roseanne. :(

Why Your Great-Grandmother Wasn't A Cherokee Princess
The Cherokee Princess Myth - Common Genealogy Myths & Legends

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

Who is Donna?

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Part of the Doctor Who Whoniverse, as an assistant for the Doctor!

Donna Noble - Wikipedia

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If I lie and say "yes", will you guys think less of me?

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almost as if the phrase "Cherokee princess" has become a cliché

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This is what I intended when I wrote what I wrote :p Way to try to rain on my parade, though.

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

Who is Donna?

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Part of the Doctor Who Whoniverse, as an assistant for the Doctor!

Donna Noble - Wikipedia

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If I lie and say "yes", will you guys think less of me?

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No, I'll love you more.

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Originally Posted by Shorty

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almost as if the phrase "Cherokee princess" has become a cliché

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This is what I intended when I wrote what I wrote :p Way to try to rain on my parade, though.

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Oh. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. I get what you were doing. :winkieface:

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Originally Posted by Tifa's Boobs

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

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Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

Who is Donna?

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Part of the Doctor Who Whoniverse, as an assistant for the Doctor!

Donna Noble - Wikipedia

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If I lie and say "yes", will you guys think less of me?

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No, I'll love you more.

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We're totally related. TOTALLY!

I'm 1/16th french. Appearently, my great-great-grandfather was some sort of sailor who found his wife in France in the late 19th century, they got married and he brought her back to Norway. Viking-style. :tongue: Other than that, I'm wholly Norwegian, descended from proud farmers and fishermen.

How'd you find that out TT?

My grandmother told me a few years back, and I've also looked it up in a church registry online(because I wasn't sure I wanted to be 1/16th french :D ) Her name was Constance, appearently. It was her late husband's(my grandfather) grandmother though, so she couldn't get into more detail.

I don't think I can be bothered, or have the time to go searching for relatives online. Do I particularly care? Hard to say really.

Well it was my father's father's father's mother, so she wasn't particularly hard to find on account of her having my last name. :tongue: And I was simply curious, I always thought I was 100% Norwegian. It doesn't really make any difference to me, but that's my only interesting bit of family trivia.

I always thought I was 50% English & Irish, then life throws a curve ball then suddenly I'm quarter English, Irish, Indian and Chinese. Funny how life pans out.

So what does your family do for a career throughout the years then?

I am apparently related to 19th century President Rutherford B. Hayes, one of the most useless Presidents in US history. I don't know much of my family's history further back, at least not that's particularly interesting. On my dad's side, my ancestors were Englishmen who way have come over as far back as the colonial era (they were in the US as far back as the late 18th century, anyway), and on my mom's side, my great great grandfather emigrated from Germany.

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Originally Posted by Raistlin

I am apparently related to 19th century President Rutherford B. Hayes, one of the most useless Presidents in US history.

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Useless or no, that's still a US President!

As an aside, has anyone ever heard of the six degrees of separation?

I dont' know much on my dad's side. Besides that they came over from germany during the late 1800's-early 1900's.

I do know on my mothers side i'm related only a few generations back to Will Rogers. Which of course, is because of my Cherokee. My grandmother is a fourth Cherokee making my great great grandma Full Cherokee. Except on the paperwork we're not that. She married a "white" man and he was ashamed of her heritage but he wanted the free land so when she registered, she registered as a fourth so they could get land but he could pass her off as not a full Native American. Since it's been so long and there aren't any birth certificates or any of that nonsense we can't get it changed. So on paper I'm much less than I actually am. I take after my german heritage more though.

My maternal grandparents studied genealogy pretty extensively and had some data going back as far as the 15th century, if I remember correctly. The most that I've learned from it is that I'm related to President Lincoln by blood.

Close notable family relations of which I am aware end at my paternal grandfather who won two Pulitzer Prizes which I will eventually inherit.

Your 185 millionth great grandfather:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...estor-fish.jpg

I had family members who were a part of Quantrill's and The Dalton Gang. This means that I had family most likely part of the sacking of Lawrence, and they may have known Jesse James. I'm also apparently related to the presidents Woodrow Wilson (on my dad's side) and Lyndon B. Johnson (on my mom's side). I'm also related to Edward Doty who came to America on the Mayflower and apparently started the first duel of the Plymouth colony. That's all I can think of off the top of my head...

I also have some family members that had interesting connections with famous people. My grandparents when they still lived in California had babysat the kids of Jim Jones (the guy who started the People's Temple cult.) He tried to talk my grandpa in joining his settlement he was planning to start, but my grandpa thought he was crazy (for good reason) and told him no. Also, one of my uncles dated the woman who would become Pele's wife in high school when he lived in Brazil (as in the famous soccer player). He apparently was a friend of my grandparents, or they were at least knew each other. We have a picture lying around my house of Pele eating dinner with my grandparents and other family members that lived in Brazil.

Lotta farmers and drunks.