ANSWERS: 8
  • Don't buy into those "we'll trace your ancestry" offers. They'll make up a generic lineage, knowing you have no way to prove otherwise, then they'll take your money. They operate the same way as the ones who "trace" your family Coat of Arms. It's almost impossible to trace families any further back than the 1400s unless it has been well-documented. The reason is, up until the 1400s, people generally didn't use surnames. Surname usage originated either from the town people lived in when they moved to a different area (as in "Kent" - with "Kent" being a town in Britain, for instance), from the trade you practiced (as in "Smith" - "blacksmith", "goldsmith", etc), or from the ruler of the kingdom you lived in - you would have just adopted his name. Names also change through the years. This comes from the lack of education. Even as recent as the early 20th century a college degree wasn't necessary to teach grade school and high school. If a child had a name that was difficult to pronounce, the teacher would just record it in her book the way it sounded to him/her. Thus, you learned how to spell your name - whether it was correct or not. It became correct from that moment on.
    • Linda Joy
      I don't waste money. After I told my sister she said she did the spit DNA thing and if I link her as my sister I can see what work she's done. I've never really worked on my own genealogy, but found it interesting. I plan to upload some photos when I can get them scanned, even if its only so I can share them with my sister. She lives in northern Iowa, so we don't see each other much.
  • My ancestry has been traced (documented) back to 1465 Switzerland.
    • Linda Joy
      There was a line from my father's family on Ancestry.com that went all the way back to 1600 BC!! The names looked like Chinese or Japanese letters! I didn't pay a cent, and I generally trust the information.
    • Army Veteran
      1600 BC sounds a bit too "distant" unless there is royalty involved. 1600 AD would be more possible considering the inception and history of the use of surnames.
    • Linda Joy
      I watched him click from one ancestor to another going through the years as he went back. And we were both calling out numbers to the others there as he clicked back going down and then back up. We were both amazed!
    • Army Veteran
      Based on a generation being 20 years, going back just 50 generations (1000 years) would create what's known as a "genealogical paradox" which works on the assumption that each of us has two parents, and each of our parents had two parents (4 total) and each of those had two parents each (8 total), and so on. 20 generations (about 400 years), ago we each have about a million ancestors. To go back to 1600 BC would result in just over 180 generations. Applying the genealogical paradox to your numbers would result in more people than have ever existed.
    • Linda Joy
      That's stupid. Everyone's ancestors go back to Noah and Adam and Eve. Why are you even concerned with debating this? Every single time I post anything about genealogy you argue about it. Why is it important to you to discourage others from learning about genealogy?
    • Army Veteran
      "Every single time"? There have been other posts about genealogy? I only question the 1600 BC claim - if that offends you, maybe you should report me to the FBI...that seems to be the normal protocol in here. Unless you're Chinese and are heir to an ancient dynasty, the chances of your ancestry being traced back more than 3000 years are absolutely absurd. And in case you hadn't noticed, I've been avoiding you like the plague because you pissed me off. I've only recently started responding to your comments. Guess what? *POOF!*
    • Linda Joy
      Yes, there were other posts, they haven't even been removing duplicates lately so there's no point at this time, FBI don't care, silly! When I posted the comment I was just perplexed as to why its important to you. I understand now you just don't want people to be deceived. I remember you said you would avoid my questions, but its not important to me who answers or avoids my questions as long as that's what makes them more comfortable, so do as you please. I enjoy your humor but not so much when you personally attack people, that's all. And getting pissed is your choice and doesn't really affect me. I mean, you don't care if you piss people on here off either! Anyway I came back to this question when I found a show on tubi called Bloodline Detectives. I only just started the first episode, but they find criminals through the spit DNA thing! I'm going back to it!
    • Linda Joy
      here are two more questions about geneology that you answered: https://www.answerbag.com/q_view/3502005 https://www.answerbag.com/q_view/3504167
    • Army Veteran
      So I answered two other questions on genealogy - I don't keep score. But which ones "attacked" your answers? My comment on this one wasn't meant to "attack" anything - you just got offended because I questioned the likelihood of ANYONE being able to trace their family to 1600 BC. You commented (below) that your sister said you were traced back to Charlemagne, *too*. The word "too" suggests that you're using it to support your 1600 BC claims. Charlemagne was born around April 2, 747 AD, and died on January 28, 814 AD. This sort of misses the year 1600 BC by a few decades, doesn't it? I question your claims that everyone can trace their ancestors back to Noah and Adam and Eve. You're basing this on the Bible's narrative about Adam being the first man and Eve being created from one of Adam's ribs and thus, everyone has to be traced back to them. This isn't exactly true, either - and the Bible verifies this fact as well.
    • Linda Joy
      I didn't say everyone could trace their ancestry back to Adam and Eve. Know what I'm not in the mood for this right now and may not come back to it at all. I really don't need the negativity in my life right now I just got the date for the placement of my leadless pacemaker and your incessant need to argue pisses me off so there! I can turn you off. C'ya!
    • Army Veteran
      I need to back up a little here. As the comments began to unfold, I realized I'd overlooked you mentioning Chinese. I did, however, mention Chinese in one of my replies: " Unless you're Chinese and are heir to an ancient dynasty...". I do apologize for this misstep. Had you pointed out this, I would have been in more of a position to support your claim. This, on the other hand, is another matter: You: "Everyone's ancestors go back to Noah and Adam and Eve." Also you: "I didn't say everyone could trace their ancestry back to Adam and Eve."
    • Linda Joy
      Yes, they go back to Adam and Eve, but not everyone can trace them. And I was just going on the assumption you actually are a Christian and believe in The Bible as I believe you've claimed in the past.
    • Linda Joy
      were traced back to Charlemagne, *too*. Meaning as well as robted, not to support anything else. I barely looked at the thing
    • Army Veteran
      Thinking on the entirety of it all, it doesn't really matter - Chinese, Adam and Eve - nothing. Given the years and generations involved, it's very probable that everyone has DNA in their ancestral history that they share with everyone else - except a small percentage of Jews.
  • I've been doing it since I was 18 (now 71). As to how far back, depends on the family line, but none of them go farther back than the late 16th century. Word of warning: a lot of the family lines that Ancestry and other sites will push are pure baloney because anyone can post anything they want on those sites and the site will thereafter push it as legitimate- they don't check any of that stuff to see if it's accurate, therefore, bogus lineages are a dime a dozen. Fake "research" to join hereditary organizations like the DAR was a genuine thing, and for all I know, may still be. I once disproved a lineage for one of my ancestors published by an organization called "The Order of the Crown of Charlemagne" by contacting them and asking for a copy of the membership application showing the documentation submitted. When received, I checked all of it out and it was completely fake, 100%. Not only was the "evidence" fake, the membership committee tasked with verifying it obviously never had, probably because the applicant was a doctor plus his wife was head of the membership committee. So, bluntly, don't accept anything until you've actually seen the evidence and verified it yourself.
    • Linda Joy
      My sister said we were traced back to Charlemagne, too. But from what I hear he got around, and almost everyone can be traced back to him.
  • Depends on what branch of my family being discussed. Some only goes back to my great grandfather, another goes back several generations.
  • My father's side of the family has a genealogy that goes back at least 13 generations up multiple branches. My mother's side... not so much. They immigrated to the USA fairly recently and I'm only aware of two or three family members from the old country.
  • All the way back to three of my great-grandparents on my mother's side, so about three eighths and back to the early 20th century.
  • I can trace my roots back to Abraham.
  • A professional geneologist traced my mother's side of the family back to 15th. cent. Germany to a village named Katzenellbogen.

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