Who Do You Think You Are Magazine Forum

[luvbug43]

Hello there
I have been researching my family for lots of years, I think it was the 1st run of the TV program that really started it. I have recently discovered 2 big things. The 1st was my 1st meeting of a relative on my mother`s side in Germany (a cousin through one of my grand father`s brothers). The 2nd was I went back to my 11 times great grand father - John Jeffels, born 1591, died 1655. I'm just curious if anyone has gone back further.

[Cachalot6972]

You've beaten me then; I can only get nine generations back, although to be fair the three furthest back are probables rather than definites (right names & places but still that element of doubt).

[paulr1949]

I also have 11 generations on one branch of my tree (my paternal grandmother) where Pitmans go back to a John Pitman (d 1597) and his wife Agnes Watts who died in 1581. They are from North Cadbury in Somerset. I cannot lay claim to the research though as it was all done by a distant relative in the 1990’s when, of course, there was no online research!


Paul

[DarrenP]

Hi,
I have 2 family lines of 12 generations at a quick count. John Dowdeswell whose will was proved in 1585, and John Pine who was living in Ottery St Mary in Devon in 1531.
My wife is fortunate to have "gateway" ancestors, so she has much longer family lines.
And it's interesting that the OP mentioned starting with the first season of WDYTYA; my interest stemmed from watching Roots on television.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine Forum mobile app

[Guy]

Asking how many generations back and how far back you can go are not the same thing.
For example one of my lines goes back 9 generations which takes me to 1450
Whilst another goes back 12 generations to 1620.
Another yet takes me 8 generations to 1674, etc.

The furthest back I go is 18 generations to 1370.

Cheers
Guy

[Mick Loney]

Currently the earliest born ancestor in my tree was married in 1540 in Kidderminster (so born c1520) , and is 16 generations back. Another, also from Kidderminster (born c1540), christened his children around 1560, and is 17 generations back.

In total, the number of Direct descendants for my grandchildren currently stands at 1239 (they are the root of my tree, so above generation counts are for them). My own Direct descendants count currently stands at 503

[devonliz]

Don't you mean direct antecedents?!
Descendants are those who are descended from you - i.e your children and grandchildren, whereas you descend from your ancestors or antecedents/antecedants. I have come across published articles that confuse ancestors with descendants, so you are not alone.

[Mick Loney]

I meant Ancestors of course, my mistake

[Norfolk Nan]

I've pushed back to 1555 and the 13th generation in my husband's tree - but they were a genuine doddle as they lived in just three close villages throughout that time! Trying to push forward in city dwellers is another game altogether.

[DarrenP]

I forgot about my Swedish ancestors. Even without the doubtful Springer ancestry (which can be confidently be traced back 10 generations to the late 1500's), I have 12 generations through the von der Linde and Lohrman families. It's also through this line that I have a distant connection to Alfred Nobel.