Do you feel closer or more proud of your poor ancestors?

[blaencoch]

My mum and my dad came from very different families. My dad's family in the 1890s were English speaking Welsh. They were solicitors and accountants. Had big houses with servants.

My mum's family were coal miners in the valleys. They spoke only Welsh. They were poor. 14 people in 4 rooms.

But, I feel fare more proud and connected with the poor family, than I do the middle class? Despite the fact that I live a life far closer to those in my dad's family (heck even I'm a lawyer).

I've been researching family history for well over 20yrs and have found out loads of stuff about the actual people but it's the social history side that is of special interest. Some ancestors were Cornish tin miners and when the tin ran out they emigrated to the gold fields of California. The deprivation they suffered during those years...and yet some of them managed to get from California to NY to sail to England - not once but several times. Others went to the gold/diamond mines in S. Africa. The kind of lives they led is my motivation to find out more.

The really annoying thing is that we didn't ask questions of those who might have had information.

Talk to the elders in your family before it's too late.

I’m not here to give you permission.
I’m here to give my opinion.

This is not phrased as an option.

We are low income for the UK, I'm not sure what you class as dire poverty? Do you mean barefoot and unable to attend school?

You don’t think children in the UK could possibly live in extreme poverty?

And how is it “not phrased as an opinion”? I’m assuming that’s what you meant.

My family are Scottish, possibly with a spot of Irish and Canadian mixed in. We are doing my Dads family tree.

Most of the women were housewives, but a couple worked in munitions factories in the wars. The men were mostly carpenters in the 1800s and dock workers in various trades in Glasgow from 1900 on. Several strands of the family emigrated to the US and Canada - and a couple came back with new spouses and kids.

DH's family are Cornish. We knew his grandfather was an SOB from my FIL, but I also found DH's great grand mother actually divorced her husband on applying to the local Lord for permission after unbelievable domestic violence. The grandfather obviously learned it from his father.

Huge histories of poverty, violence and alcoholism amongst both our paternal families.

I've also applied for the military service records for my great uncle and DH's grandfather. We're looking forward to the discipline records 😁

There’s often more info available on wealthier relatives, such as news clippings.

Take pride in what you do, Ancestors are an accident of birth. Have respect for your ancestors achievements/struggles, but don't be proud of them.

I’m not proud of any of them as such, but I’m interested.

My grandad’s grandmother died in childbirth on Christmas day in 1880-something. It was her sixth child and she was only in her late 20s. Her first DC was born in a workhouse and she was unmarried at that point. Then in the following censuses after she died you see all the DC living with different relatives. I wish I could know more about all of them.

Yes I do, but it is relative poverty. I have used a foodbank but one of my ancestors was making gloves at nine. I was asking what you class as dire poverty, if you mean similar conditions as the ancestors involved?

I mean not phrased as an opinion because you stated it like it was fact, like you magically knew how the other poster was feeling or thinking.

I feel particularly proud of some parts of my family history. My father's grandparents escaped the progoms in Russia and Ukraine and made a good life. They were tailors and shopkeepers. I find their history fascinating and was thrilled to visit Odessa where they came from.

I am also really interested in DH's family. One side were aristocrats with a family seat and all that. But his other side came from a very poor village in Turkey and we will be visiitng the cousins there next year which I am over the moon about. I love how his parents met- his mother was taking a Grand Tour and met his father when he was a waiter in Italy!! It was quite the scandal at the time but they adored each other until my MIL's death in 2016.

I am a bit of a hsitory nut anyway so love all the interconnecting stories.