Because your family members before you were little shits who just didn't care enough to track it or talk about it. This isn't some vast conspiracy, good grief ,🙄
Seriously, my husband's family knows all of their ancestors and the stories that go with them all the way back to their old countries (Ireland and Italy). I have to hear at every family gathering the story of my husband's great great grandfather who forged his way across the nation and took care of his mother and nine brothers and sisters after his father died working in a coalmine, and that he too was a great man...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
At my family get togethers I I have to hear for the bazillionth time that my great grandmother was a yodeler from Switzerland who married a Scottsman and when she wanted to embarrass my mom she would yodel. My dad's side of the family we have a HUGE binder that has all our ancestors dating back to the 600's, a lot with photos of them in their open casket at their funeral and then their tombstone (I always ask, "WHY!? This is so gross guys!" And everyone rolls their eyes and the elders will say,, "It's just our tradition". I've made my sister's promise not to let anyone take dead photos of me at the funeral). And just for reference I'm as white as they come. Swiss, English, Scottish, Irish, German, with a tiny bit of French
>a lot with photos of them in their open casket at their funeral and then their tombstone (I always ask, "WHY!? This is so gross guys!"
This was actually a thing back when cameras first came out. Not only would they take pictures of people in their caskets, but they would also prop them up into positions and take pictures. Their was even special equipment to help keep dead people in a chair or even standing up for a picture.
Damn that's crazy. Never knew anything like that existed
I'm full Western European.
Father's side is from Argentina, Spanish and Italian. I don't know much about it.
Mother's side, it's odd.
Maternal grandfather has a father with long time American heritage. The last person who knew a lot about the father's family died in 2016. That side no one knows much. My great-grandfather didn't really talk much about his family. I think there was a lot of problems. Like his father/my 2nd great-grandfather married a woman who was three years older than my great-grandfather. The two had five kids together. Never knew about marriage number three till a year ago.
Maternal grandfather's mom has direct tied to Sweden. Again no clue about that. But we do have a journal or two people kept that was in Swedish and a bunch of old pics and scrapbooks from that side.
Maternal grandmother's family is more comical and complicated.
Maternal grandmother's father is of Irish descent on his dad's side and English on the mother's. For whatever reason, never spoke much about it. His paternal grandfather was a drink asshole and got my 2nd great-grandfather and siblings orphaned. My great-grandfather died 2010 do that info is lost and his sister died too. The sister's daughter may know some stuff. There's also extended family for various reasons we don't talk to cause problems.
Maternal grandmother's family is from Canada. They were potato farmers. Anything prior to 3rd great-grandparents, we know nothing. And in certain parts of that family, nothing but fighting. It's almost laughable at best.
So that's some insight and you're probably right. Some of my ancestors were probably not the best people
Sorry OP. I was being facetious. That sucks. But you could always do your own research and write quick paragraph size bios on each person...
I've been documenting everything I can about my family. I know a lot about the great-grandparents on my mom's side and have spoken extensively with one of them.
That sounds like a sweet tradition.
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