Finding Your Roots on PBS

[bobabode]

This is a fairly new series that I'm finding fascinating. They're taking public figures and doing genealogical family trees and DNA testing to tell them their roots. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the host. Well worth a look.

[CarlV]

Yeah, I have seen it a couple times. It is pretty interesting stuff alright.


Carl

[merrylander]

Even more fun doing it yourself, except for the DNA part. Got as far back as my 5X GreatGrandfather, even further back on his second wife.

I just pulled up the family tree, there are 10,050 individuals listed and I am not finished yet.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Even more fun doing it yourself, except for the DNA part. Got as far back as my 5X GreatGrandfather, even further back on his second wife.

I just pulled up the family tree, there are 10,050 individuals listed and I am not finished yet.

Betcha we're related! Might have to go back to William the Conquerer, though.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by bobabode

Betcha we're related! Might have to go back to William the Conquerer, though.

Well there is a side of the family with the surname "Auger" except it was always pronounced 'aww grr' and not 'oh jay'. I imagine if I could trace that branch back far enough I would end up in France.

[Wasillaguy]

Isn't it amazing that all those generations were able to survive and procreate and multiply the size of your family, without a giant government handing them everything? Working for evil companies that weren't regulated nine ways to Sunday? Crappy to non-existent health coverage?
I mean, you'd think everyone would have died out long before we got this wonderful system we have today.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by Wasillaguy

Isn't it amazing that all those generations were able to survive and procreate and multiply the size of your family, without a giant government handing them everything? Working for evil companies that weren't regulated nine ways to Sunday? Crappy to non-existent health coverage?
I mean, you'd think everyone would have died out long before we got this wonderful system we have today.

More turd in the punchbowl rhetoric as usual. Why doncha go club a baby seal or sumpthin'?

[Wasillaguy]

Originally Posted by bobabode

More turd in the punchbowl rhetoric as usual. Why doncha go club a baby seal or sumpthin'?

I can't, clubbing baby seals is heavily regulated.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Wasillaguy

Isn't it amazing that all those generations were able to survive and procreate and multiply the size of your family, without a giant government handing them everything? Working for evil companies that weren't regulated nine ways to Sunday? Crappy to non-existent health coverage?
I mean, you'd think everyone would have died out long before we got this wonderful system we have today.

Yes, this is why we need to bring hardship and crappy to non-existent health coverage back. Because if our ancestors could endure such suffering, by gum we sure can! (I can't, for the life of me, figure out why anybody would want too......But, then I never did get masochism anyways.)

Dave

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Wasillaguy

Isn't it amazing that all those generations were able to survive and procreate and multiply the size of your family, without a giant government handing them everything? Working for evil companies that weren't regulated nine ways to Sunday? Crappy to non-existent health coverage?
I mean, you'd think everyone would have died out long before we got this wonderful system we have today.

True enough considering some were down the mines or in the mills by age 12 it IS a bloody wonder they survived. The women were doing fine birthing children (practically every year) as long as they had midwives. When the doctors started attending them during childbirth they were dropping like flies, but then I imagine you know of the work of Dr. Semmelweiss.

So you would have us return to that Golden Age, when life expectancy was about 48 or so? Which reminds me the FFHS National Burial Index just arrived.