Family lines

I think I have mentioned before that I have carried out fairly extensive research into my family history. Having collected more than 5,000 names of my extended family, I decided I had done enough and there has been no further research done for several years. Just recently, however, I have started printing out some of what I had collected and I was surprised to find that I have traced back along one line to my 12 x great grandfather. That is just the one line, though, and generally I can go back only as far as my 3 x great grandparents. Simple arithmetic proves that there should be 32 of them and I have managed to put names to 31, although in five cases (all women) I have only their Christian names.

The Old Bat's line, however, is much more difficult and I have managed to trace only four of her 3 x great grandparents. It is my grandsons who put us both in the shade. On their mother's side I have gone back 33 generations along one line, which includes no fewer than three Plantagenet Kings of England. That really is not as grand as it sounds. Just imagine how many thousands of English people can do the same when we are looking at people born in the 12th century.