Congratulations! It is always interesting to discover something of your past.

Interesting. I remember years ago reading an article that suggested that the hatfield/mc coy feuds and even up to Billy the Kid were really extensions of the catholic/protestant issues in Ireland which was imported here along with the people.

I think genealogy research is so fun! I have been doing it for about 2 years, and ran into a dead end. I am taking a break for a year or so, and then will go back and see if anything new has been discovered. No one famous, and that is ok, just trying to find what area of Scotland and England the families came from. I am not looking for any long, lost relatives or anything dramatic, just good fun. Can't wait for my daughters get their DNA done so they can investigate their dad's sides.

My mother's family lineage is quite interesting. My 19th maternal great-grandfather was King Edward I of England ("Edward Longshanks"), who ruled from 1272 to 1307. His father was King Henry III. My mother's ancestors came to Virginia in the mid-1600s.

On my father's side, the only interesting connection is that my 4th great-grandmother was the sister to Nancy Hanks (Abe Lincoln's mother).

I had the DNA test done. It showed greater than 95% Western European, with the majority being Great Britain.

I am related to Lizzie Borden. Traced that side of the family back to the 14th century. From county of Kent in England.

History comes alive when you can 'place' an ancestor within it.

Lucky find, Jemdandy! Were your "Ratliff" people originally "Ratcliffe"?

I see some "Goff" names on that marker -- I associate that with Rhode Island. Close family friends were "Coey" -- ties to Tennessee, and I later wondered if there was a tie to "McCoy".

As far as I know, we aren't connected to the Hatfields and McCoys. I believe I am related to, but not descended from some folks in the Bloody Breathitt County Wars. I was also surprised to learn one of my direct ancestors was 'semi' famous for his feud. The Kentucky relatives have been some of the most interesting.

The only famous person I'm related to is Wallace Beery, Noah Beery and Noah Beery Jr. (He was Rockford's father -- James Garner's TV show) and by marriage, actress Gloria Swanson who was married to Wallace.

My husband just found out yesterday that he is related to Francis Cook of the Mayflower -- now I think that is cool!

How cool! I need to get back to my research. I’m awaiting my DNA results so maybe that will get me back into it.

I meant to ask, have you done a dna test? I don't believe we are related to the Ratliffs, but they were mentioned in a book I was reading about my family. One of the lines from a several greats grandfather is a slave line. After a generation or two, the descendants began passing as white and married back into the family as extended cousins. My aunt did a dna test, but it is inconclusive and could just be noise. Others have been surprised to find out they have African ancestry.

re: adellabedella_usa

I have ordered a DNA test in December, 2017. Results are expected soon. I ordered "family finder" (autosomal) and" Y-DNA 37". The FamilyFinder is good for discovering relatives up to 2 to 3 generations away. Beyond that, positive matches thin out too much to be very relevant. The Y-DNA is the male chromosome trace and that can go back much farther. The Y-DNA 67 marker was available, but I had reached my Birthday gift limit. What I need to find out is how much Scotch & Irish is in my background and if there is any Native American. There are a few anecdotal family stories that need checking out. I suspect one tale is just that, a tale, and another statement by my mother that we are largely Scotch/Irish may be that she did not know all the facts. So far, I have documented one Scot and one Welsh with strong suspects of English women in my background. There are so many other loose ends in my history that I can only guess at my genetic makeup. I do have my grandmother's line (on my father's side) traced back to the Franklin(s) of Acton, England, and that was near the time when the spelling of FrankLine (land holder) streamlined to Franklin. That Franklin witnessed his father hanged for being a Presbyterian after which, he decided to try life in the colonies.

Martha,

We
would be cousins. I'm through Francis>Jacob>Francis>Caleb>Ephrian>Manassah>Harriet
Newell Cooke and her never to be documented husband Daniel D. Ward. And then a
few more generations to me.

Imhappy -- it's my husband who is related to Francis Cook -- I'm a newbie -- my relatives coming over much later in the 17th century! LOL! So you and my husband are cousins!

ladypart Just a FYI most of the DNA kits do not work to find a male relative on their father's side. The test must be done on a male relative as most kits only trace the maternal side as women normally do not have the Y chromosome that links to the male side of families. I can not explain the ins and outs of it but if you look at several of the websites that explain those things work.

jemdandy Depending on source Scotch Irish is a term used for those that came to this country after Charles I was captured and beheaded and may be any mixture of races. The British Isles are a melting pot of various races with all of the raiding that happened even pre-Roman time. If your ancestor was hanged as a protestant the timing may have been after Charles II was back on the throne or when Mary, Elizabeth I's step sister, was on the throne. Do you know which one?

I recently did the 23 test but think it would be best to do a couple rather than relying on one.

Jem, what fun! Who knows . . . maybe your ancestor did something that started the whole Hatfield-McCoy feud! lol

I had my DNA done several years ago, and still don't understand the male-female thing. My results showed where my ancestors were living 500 years ago (according to 23andMe), and were mostly what I expected, based on what I knew about both my mother's family and my father's. I would be very surprised if I were told they didn't reflect my father's line.

In tracing my family tree I discovered the chef Nigella Lawson is a cousin. I watched the "Who Do You Think You Are?" episode about her, hoping to learn more about my great-great grandfather, but they simply mentioned him.

BTW, a Scot would tell you a person is Scottish, Scotch being a liquor. :-)