I thought I should post in this thread, considering the icon Zeke made me.

Heather, I like those kinds of geneology stories. I did a project in 8th grade that brought out all kinds of stories like that from everyone in my class.

Our contact for some of the information we got on our family said that very often, people will find out that one of their relatives had a less then honerable history, like they deserted in the Civil War. They'll hand it back and say "sorry, this isn't mine, you must have made a mistake."

My roommate always enjoys saying that his great great great grandfather saw the Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island....or at least as a swam pas Ellis Island after jumping ship

I always loved the intrigue in my past. Seems my last name wasn't always with the family. Apparently my great-great-however-great-grandfather on my father's side used to live in New Orleans, and somewhere there's a picture on the back of a Time or Life magazine with him and two aunts on a balcony. Turns out they were "seamstresses" and he "ran the business." Apparently at some point he was wanted by the police, moved to New England, and changed his name to the one I have now.

Good thing, too. I wouldn't want to be named Matthew Jolly