Tell me something cool one of your ancestors did

[JustOneLastThing]

Stolen this idea from Twitter, I don't really have anything of my own to share apart from my grandma is pretty bad ass, raising my Mum and Aunty by herself in the 60's, facing a ton of social stigma and hardship. She is a hard act to follow.

@Reginabambina We also have several gulag victims, mainly for political or trivial reasons, and some within living memory.

One of mine was the Archbishop of Donegal. Long time ago!

I am related to two people central to the Salem Witchcraft trials. Ann Putnam was one of the young girls who participated in the prosecution. Rebecca Nurse (Nourse) was the last woman hung. I think about them every time I take visitors to Salem.

@chatnicknameyousuggested
Did you confront her? I wonder why she did that? I would need to know.

Translated the Bible into English for the first time.

During world war 2 there was a secret army of men ready to, quite literally, go underground if Hitler invaded. My great grandfather headed up our area unit. My gran was his cover - he would take her to the secret meetings, which were held in a big country house, and leave her in the kitchens with the cook.

In the 50s my gran raced her motorbike (BSA Bantam). It was unusual at the time for a woman to even ride a motorbike, never mind race one.

Left Scotland to come to English invented a widget that revolutionized the carpet industry eventually bought the family down

Owned cotton mills.

My great grandfather was a tailor due to sail on the Titanic, only they had too many and he decided not to go as my great grandmother thought sailing on a ship's maiden voyage was unlucky. Later on he was chief tailor on board the Queen Mary, my Nan remembered visiting his workshop and always said if she closed her eyes she could see all the details on board.

Her family got caught supporting the Jewish community in Germany during WW2. Fled.

Has records of working for the MOD a few years later; we never knew what she did.

Became a the first female manager of a Berni Inn in the entire company.

...this is all the same person.

My Great Great Great (? - lose track of how many greats) Uncle wrote one of the first children's books - a very worth and moral tale of a worthy poor boy and an unworthy risch boy. My Great Aunt flew spitfires during WW2 - not in combat (women hadn't got that far) but from one airfield to another.
I wonder what I'll be remembered for ...

for worth, read worthy

Worked as a maid in a stately home and got upduffed by the master of the house. Could be cool or not, depending on the finer details Ancestry doesn't tend to hold.

oh dear - and for risch, read rich.
I'll be remembered for my services to proof reading

My great uncle was awarded the VC and Military Cross. He was also part of the guard of honour for the Unknown Soldier. His VC is on display in the Royal Fusiliers Museum at the Tower of London.

@chatnicknameyousuggested it’s the trivial ones that I find most shocking. My grandmother claims the Stalin joke thing was made up (common at the time). There were several other things that happened to the the family at the during the Terror that suggested someone had a grudge and was reporting them as often as possible. They were well liked but wealthy and members of a minority that was unliked by a few groups at the time so I suppose that could have been the motivation. It’s horrible.

My great great great (possibly add in another great) grandfather was once captain of the Cutty Sark

My grandma's cousin was a kickass fighter pilot during the first world war.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McElroy

Not cool so much but surprising for me - my great great grandfather was in the original IRA and was shot by the British army. Bit of a shock for a quiet farming family.

And my maternal grandmother was a land girl during the war.

I'm a direct descendent of one of the Mayflower pilgrims.

@FairfaxAikman What were they called? Would love to read more about this.

Not a direct ancestor but relations way back. Invented Horlicks. Yes. We’re that exciting.

Ancestor on one side was a deserter from the Boer war, changed his name and returned to his country (different bit). We've always wondered what the original name was (surely unusual?) but my grandfather says he never thought to ask

Ancestor on the other side was given a title for his services to tax collecting (I know, right?), which became the new family surname/title. It's the family surname to this day apparently we're well known in my Dad's home country (well according to him anyway)

@Reginabambina My family were simple proletariat, but very much independent thinkers and often in trouble. My great aunts are dead now, but I remember them talking about neighbours who they were sure were grudge reporters. It didn't mean much to me at the time, but now it horrifies me.