Who's Your Coolest Ancestor?

[PunkyMcGee]

Off the top of my head no name jumps out. It's almost 4am here that may be a factor. However, I do know there are pirates in my bloodline, hence my family crest is a clipper ship.

 

[LandoCristo]

I've got ties to the Wallace clan of Scotland, who's most famous member was William Wallace. Of course, he fought the English rule of his home, but was captured, and then later hanged-drawn-and-quartered. Sadly. Also, he was in Braveheart.

 

[TNightmare]

Not too many in my family I gotta say.. most famous one is Robert Morris I guess, the financier of the American War of Independence, who lend thousands of dollars to Washington to supply his army.

 

[Sovvolf]

A post WWII boxer named John Jack Skelly is probably the most famous ancestor I can remember and even he's unknown. He wasn't even that good of a boxer, other than that... I can't think of anyone.

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=264356&cat=boxer

 

[Toriver]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne

Because everyone in Modern Europe is descended from him (if it's the correct person, not entirely sure)

I thought it was either Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan.

On my dad's side, while not an "ancestor", a legendary CBS newscaster (not Dan Rather) could be a distant relative. He shares my grandmother's maiden name, and apparently, according to my great-grandfather, we're related to anyone with that last name. Apparently, he even tried to send the guy a letter once, but never got a response.

On my mother's side, there's apparently a member of Jesse James' gang, which is pretty cool. Haven't seen any supporting evidence, though, so I have no idea if that's true.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

Tough call.

We have a ancestor who was a ranga (red head) with a big beard who liked to paint himself in the middle of big battle scenes... with a bloody big Kodak grin on his face...

But I think I'll go with Alexander Paterson. He was the colonial surgeon in my home state and ran the insane asylum, which is now our botanic gardens...

Yeah, him.

 

[iblis666]

Ive a patron saint or 2 and some other famous people but the most famous would probably be Leif Ericson but that isnt all that special after all half of iceland can say the same thing

btw before anyone asks i was born and raised in CA, USA

 

[CosmicZombie]

An ancestor on my grandmother's side was the speaker of the House of Commons during the Cromwellian republic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lenthall

 

[Mandalore_15]

I'm descended from a man who was known as "The Ultimate Viking". I shit you not:

http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/historicalfigures/sweyn/

Also got to give big props to my grandfather, who was the middleweight boxing champion of Scotland 3 years running (every year he competed).

 

[Random berk]

My Grandfather served as a minesweeper after WWII, I don't know about anything further back than that.

 

[Nickolai77]

Probably Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish high king from the Dark Ages. I say this because geneticists have found that about 20% of Irish males from NW Ireland can claim to be his decedents. My own ancestors came from that part of Ireland, and were connected with the Irish nobility so it may be probable.

 

[Dark Knifer]

Apparently I am a direct decendent of William the conqueror (as opposed to indirect) though I haven't looked this up personally so I'm not too sure.

 

[Sacman]

I dunno... my grandpa owned a Costco and met the Village People once... I don't know too much about my ancestors...<.<

Edit: asked my grandma today and some how I'm vaguely related to Jose Chavez Y Chavez on my Grandfathers side of the family... though I doubt it...<.<

 

[Sacman]

PS some of my ancestors where Chinese maybe I,m the descendant of a ass kicking monk or something

I'm pretty sure Monks aren't allowed to have children...<.<

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne

Because everyone in Modern Europe is descended from him (if it's the correct person, not entirely sure)

Go back far enough and everyone basically descends from everyone.
So yeah, pretty much.

 

[Kaymish]

well i am a noble twice over and have conquerors on both sides of my family
on my fathers side the most famous ancestor i have is sir Bartram one of William the conquerors inner circle though i am too far away to get any castles or titles or cool stuff like that even if it still exists but still pretty cool
and then on mum's side is Te Rauparaha its his celebratory haka the All Blacks use to do at international rugby games and he conquered a massive portion of the New Zealand during the musket wars some say that the depopulation from his rampage was some of the reason the Maori did not manage to fully oust the British during the land wars

 

[Stikibunn]

My family has some kickass aussie folk in our tree....

From my mum's side we have Mary Wade.

in 1778 she was 11 years old and the one of the youngest convicts on the First Fleet (Convicted of highway robbery which is a fancy way of saying she stole another girl's dress and threw it in a well as a joke... Her best friend who was a few months older was hung for it!)
Her claim to fame is that she ended up having 21 children. By the time she died in 1859 she had over 300 descendants.
It also makes me a distant relative of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
(more can be learned about her wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wade )

On my father's side we had the most badass dude in 1800's Victoria Ned Kelly.
This is just a rumour as it's impossible to confirm unfortunatly.

Ned Kelly was a famous bushranger who was infamous for his last stand where he donned a home made suit of armour and fought in a siege against the police.
He was also a revolutionary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_kelly

once again on my father's side, but my birth father not the one whom I call my father (my bio father)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Squire

James Squire, Convict, smuggler, first man to brew beer in australia!

 

[white_salad]

Well,my great grandfather was a boat captain, and he crashed on this island, so they put up a lighthouse in his name. I go there everynow and then, and pretend I own the joint.

And that's fuckin it.

 

[Mace Tulio]

My ancestors were Teutonic nobility during the Crusades. Land, Castle, the lot. After World War 1, my family couldn't afford to pay the taxes, and sold the land to flee to Australia. As far as I know the castle was demolished for farming.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I know my great Grandfather died because he jumped on a grenade to save his friend during WW1...

...That's kinda cool...

EDIT: Not really an ancestor but apparently my cousin is a 13th cousin of Ellen...
So that would make me a 14th cousin, right?