August 12, 2014
This is all new to me (blogging) but I decided to create a forum where family members, extended and very, very extended, as well as people who have mutual ancestry, can come to learn about particular individuals in our mutual family tree.
I chose the title "My Sixteen" to signify my own 16 great, great, grandparents. Many of these people I have learned quite a bit about and am excited to share that, as well as to speculate further, based on history and culture during their lifetime, as to what their life may have been like. For example, certain census years tell us how many children a women bore, and of those, how many were currently living (indicating personal losses she may have faced). Other records may show an ancestor who signed by an "X" showing his formal education (or lack of). Property records, how much rent they paid, where their parents came from, and what they did for a living all provide insight into their lives. Pension records may even contain medical reports that list physical appearance.
Each of us has 2 parents, obviously, and 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, and 16 great grandparents. Then going back, it continues exponentially, until forever, going back to the beginning of time. I recently found out that I am a direct descendant of several kings, which was very exciting. However, being that many of these monarchs were ancestors of hundreds of thousands of people puts it in perspective. Whats fascinating is NOT that I am directly related to famous, infamous or historically significant individuals, just that I have finally been able to trace it.
So, back to the 16. In genealogy, it is generally considered thorough research if you can name (and know a little about) all the direct ancestors in your tree going back at least 4 generations - thus, 16 great, great, grandparents. I will begin by posting bios of as many of the 16 individuals as I can. Some will be much more detailed than others. Then, as my momentum continues, I will strive to go further back and share some details of other individuals that are ancestors of these 16 people.
Some of the more well known ancestors that I will try to cover include Kings Henry I, II, III, King John I, Kings Edward I, II, and III, William the Conqueror, Eleanor of Provence, Empress Matilda, and Charlemagne, as well as other lesser known individuals.
I will begin tomorrow with my maternal grandmothers line, (my grandmothers grandmother) Phoebe Ann Bronson.
