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We all came from somewhere! Our family histories are long and, very often, more interesting then we give them credit for.
Twitter user Amanda Deibert posed a question for all her followers to answer:
"What's a cool bit of family history you know?"
Some of the replies she received were far more interesting than anyone expected.
What’s a cool bit of family history you know? Can be family of origin of family of choosing.— Amanda Deibert 🏳️🌈 (@Amanda Deibert 🏳️🌈) 1558702206.0
Our grandparents had pretty cool lives before we came along...
My grandfather invented 8 of the original 24 crayola crayon color formulas. https://t.co/L0bucxmKqw— Alice in Sovereign Citizen Land (@Alice in Sovereign Citizen Land) 1558821016.0
I’m a distant relative of William Wallace (Braveheart), my distant cousin (Myrtle Corbin) was a “circus freak” beca… https://t.co/eAH1aaRWC4— Jordan Ross (@Jordan Ross) 1558826930.0
Even our parents have some pretty interesting stories to tell.
No matter how far back people went, they just found more stories.
My great-grandmother was licensed as a private detective in New York in 1968. She was a divorced Arab American Musl… https://t.co/pStuHXOEvF— Saladin Ahmed (@Saladin Ahmed) 1558831265.0
My maternal great-grandfather was a marble worker from Carrara, Italy, and after moving to the States he helped bui… https://t.co/CimhxiGKKR— Alyssa Pearl @ unknown Kadath (@Alyssa Pearl @ unknown Kadath) 1558817507.0
My grandmother survived the 1918 flu as an infant and her blood was used during the recent H1N1 outbreak (which was… https://t.co/Hgt0rltx5E— Kaitlin Fontana (@Kaitlin Fontana) 1558825639.0
Not all of the family stories were "legal" in the strictest sense.
My great grandfather fought in WW1. When he came back, he became one of the top moonshine bootleggers in Ohio. He… https://t.co/h0dhyAVBwI— MMinSC (@MMinSC) 1558825534.0
Other stories were completely legal and still thriving today!
My great-great-uncle Barney was a haberdasher on the Lower East Side 100 years ago. His namesake store, Barney's, i… https://t.co/OorrFDyRSe— Maris Kreizman (@Maris Kreizman) 1558796046.0
The Jewish American Dream is to 1) survive the Holocaust 2) build up an empire from scratch only to let your grandc… https://t.co/k9vjHz8Un8— Maris Kreizman (@Maris Kreizman) 1558797080.0
The most interesting part of some anecdotes was their proximity to well-known tales.
@mariskreizman @alycecraddock One of my husband's very distant ancestors sailed over on the Mayflower--and then sai… https://t.co/uVCWGzaqES— Jeanthejust (@Jeanthejust) 1558797756.0
@mariskreizman @Nicole_Cliffe My great grandfather was a warlord and his father was famous for his skill at fightin… https://t.co/Uh3OawIFhE— Joy Hui Lin (@Joy Hui Lin) 1558800374.0
My family attempted to flee Austria in the preamble to WWII but were denied US visas for being Jews. So they trave… https://t.co/WRAo8NGSeV— NOT AN ANTIFA (@NOT AN ANTIFA) 1558803972.0
Many people's grandparents had pretty dangerous encounters, but don't worry: they all survived to build a family.
my grandfather was a doorman in 1930's Harlem (like many Somali seamen after the war). by chance, he witnessed a mo… https://t.co/ERh6LP0wmm— huda hassan (@huda hassan) 1558825865.0
my great grandpa was a union organizer and someone once ordered a hit on him but the guy assigned to kill him could… https://t.co/4eUbWud7NP— sophie (@sophie) 1558820069.0
I swear to god this is true!!— sophie (@sophie) 1558820350.0
My great-great grandparents had a small coffee farm in the mountains of Trinidad 🇹🇹. One of my dad’s earliest memor… https://t.co/fp2sbExXUW— Candice Madison Zachary (@Candice Madison Zachary) 1558820858.0
RIP Uncle McElroy...
My great great uncle Hugh McElroy was a purser on the Titanic (I HAVE BEEN TOLD by @DocCurm so only possibly true) https://t.co/N0bdSMlwrk— Justin “Hoops” McElroy (@Justin “Hoops” McElroy) 1558826212.0
It turns out many of our ancestors have caused large-scale political incidents.
My grandmother's cousin Gary provoked an international incident when the spy plane he was piloting was shot down ov… https://t.co/ZjcrBpN4SH— bride of a pirate queen (@bride of a pirate queen) 1558830361.0
My uncle broke White House security and managed to steal stationery off of Vice President Mondale's desk. The FBI w… https://t.co/TtCduSzv2s— Auntieana (@Auntieana) 1558826963.0
Beware Ekenhammer.
My family tells a story of a mythical flathead catfish named Ekenhammer. According to lore, it was first seen by my… https://t.co/E3fFFGY45J— Jason Herbert (@Jason Herbert) 1558821959.0
As a British military officer working with Yugoslav insurgents my grandfather wandered into a town full of Wehrmach… https://t.co/BgxOR3TiKe— Alexander Clarkson (@Alexander Clarkson) 1558830137.0
Twitter absolutely loved the family stories and thanked Deibert for making them happen!
Love this thread. https://t.co/sTwnEIUAtn— Gideon (@Gideon) 1558802522.0
Another great question and thread from @amandadeibert. #genealogy #familyhistory https://t.co/5Hb5VC4oFN— HJ Armstrong (@HJ Armstrong) 1558796780.0
Great thread. Thanks @amandadeibert and everyone for all your wonderful responses. Amazing families. https://t.co/5QeHA7jWzC— Mackenzie Steel (@Mackenzie Steel) 1558738794.0
For really great stories, many of us need look no further than our family reunions!