Things your family did...

[Rameses]

I had a mixed reaction about that one.

It wasn't intentional.

My grandfather was the one driving the Jeep.

[Scottish]

I'm a decendant of William Wallace. I can't recall the exact line, I'd have to bug my Grandma Missy for the geneology chart. Her and my Grandpa went to Scotland and traced the family tree before he died......  I still miss the guy and that was close to 15yrs ago. My cousins can also trace their geneology to Robert the Bruce, it's through their Dad though who isn't blood relation to me.
Cool history about my last name I just found.
The Waugh Family
An historical and photographic perspective

The Ancient History
Of the Distinguished Surname
WAUGH

"Few areas in Briton have produced as many notable families in world history such as the names Armstrong, Nixon, Graham, Bell, Carson, Hume, Irving, Lock, Rutherford, as the Border of England and Scotland. The family name Waugh is included in this group.

Researchers have confirmed the first documented history of this name is lowland Scotland and northern England, tracing it through many ancient manuscripts, including private collections of historical and genealogical records, the Inquisitio, the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Ragman Rolls, The Hearth Rolls, the Domesday Book, parish cartularies, baptismals, and tax rolls. The first record of the name Waugh was found in Dumfriessshire where they had been seated in Wauchopedale from about the year 1249. Robert de Wauchope was one of twelve knights who negotiated the law of the border territories in 1249.

Different spellings of the name were found in the archives researched, typically linking each alternate to the root of the surname. The surname Waugh occurred in many references, from time to time the surname was spelt Waugh, Wauchope, Waughe, Walge, Wach, Walcht, and these changes in spelling frequently occurred, even between father and son. Scribes and church officials recorded the name from its sound.

The family name Waugh is believed to be descended originally from the Strathclyde Britons. This ancient, founding race of the north were a mixture of Gaelic/Celts whose original territories ranged from Lancashire in the south, northward to the north bank of the River Clyde in Scotland.

Tracing its ancient development, the name Waugh was found in Lanarkshire. The abbreviation of Waugh created a separate branch of the clan, and David Waugh of Lanarkshire, Robert Waugh of Heap, rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. This latter person may have been the same as Robert de Wauchope who also rendered homage for the Wauchopes. The Waughs of Heap or Hope in Wilton, in Roxburgshire, held their lands from the 13th to the 17th century. Both branches of this  border clan played a significant role in border life. The Wauchopes were registered in Scottish Parliament as a border clan with its own chief in 1590. Edward Waugh was forgiven his part in a murder as a follower of the Earl of Casilis. Jointly this name held many territories as far north as Aberdeen, and traded freely with England. In 1672 the principal branches were Edmiston, Niddrie and Larkhall. The name Wauchope fell out of favour in latter years. Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert de Wauchope.

By the year 100 AD, border life was in turmoil. In 1246, 6 chiefs from the Scottish side and 6 from the English side met at Carlisle and produced a set of laws governing all the border Clans. These were unlike any laws prevailing in England or Scotland or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world. For example, it was a far greater offence to refuse to help a neighbour recover his property, wife, sheep, cattle or horses than it was to steal them in the first place. Hence the expression 'Hot Trod' , or a hot pursuit, from which we get the modern 'Hot to Trot'. For refusal of assistance during a 'Hot Trod', a person could be hanged on the instant, without trial. Frequently, the descendants of these clans or families apologetically refer to themselves as being descended from 'Cattle or horse thieves' when, in fact, it was an accepted code of life on the border.

In 1603, the unified English and Scottish crowns under James I dispersed these 'unruly border clans, clans which had served loyally in the defense of each side. The unification of the governments was threatened and it was imperative that the old 'border code' should be broken up. Hence, the Border Clanswere banished to England, northern Scotland and to Ireland. Some were outlawed directly to Ireland, the Colonies and the New World.

Many Border Clans settled in Northern Ireland, transferred between 1650 and 1700 with grants of land provided they 'undertook' to remain protestant. Hence they became known as the 'Undertakers'. Many became proudly Irish. Five families of Waugh transferred to Ulster in Armagh.

But life in Ireland was little more rewarding and they sought a more challenging life. They looked to the New World and sailed aboard the 'White Sails' and armada of sailing ships such as the Hector, the Rambler and the Dove which struggled across the stormy Atlantic. Some ships lost 30 or 40% of their passenger list, migrants who were buried at sea having died from dysentery, cholera, small pox and typhoid.

In North America, some of the first migrants which could be considred kinsmen of the family nameWaugh and their spelling variants were Mathew Waugh, a soldier, settled in St. John's Newfoundland, in 1837; John Wauchope settled in Philadelphia in 1825; Dorothy Waugh settled in New England in 1656; James and John Waugh setled in Charles Town S.C. in 1767; William Waugh settled in Baltimore, Maryland in 1788; Hele Waugh, her husband and child, settled in Savannah, Georgia, in 1820. The migrants formed wagon trains westward, rolling west to the prairies, or the west coast. During the American War of Independence those that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as the United Empire Loyalists.

There were many notable contemporaries of this name Waugh, Sir Patrick Wauchope, Horticulturalist; Alec Waugh, American Author; Auberon Waugh, Private Eye; Evelyn Waugh, Author.

The most ancient grant of a Coat of Arms was: Gold with a gold wheatsheaf and at the top two gold stars.
The Crest is: a gold wheatsheaf.
The ancient family motto for this distinguished name is: 'Industria Ditat'."

[Grampa]

Half of my family is German.... they killed people and broke things
The other half is Dutch..... they stuck their fingers in dykes.

Nobody in my family is famous. We're a family of mutts and grunts, cept a distant cousin of a cousin of a cousin, who has written a few books
http://www.zooglobble.com/archives/2007/01/review_a_curious_glimpse_of_mi.html

I did once dated a woman who was related to Daniel Boone.(  he shot a bar )

[eyeboy]

my paternal grandfather was western chief pilot for Trans Canada Airlines (now Air Canada) back in the late 40's early 50's. he quit before ever flying a jet.

for those who know about such things his pilot's license number was AT140 (Air Transport?). apparently that got a laugh from the flight-plan folks more often than not.

other than that, my sister who's an accountant who is married to an accountant. how's that?

[herm]

lets see........

great great grand something or other was the first governor of Maine when it achieved statehood
grandpa was at Normandy, and Bastogne
uncle was CO 5th SFG, vietnam until late 1969
Jeremiah Johnson is my idol

[Nitewaif]

The other half is Dutch..... they stuck their fingers in dykes.

Part Dutch here, too.  My sister is working to keep the Dutch heritage of our family alive.  She switched teams a couple years ago. 

[Ddan]

I am descendant from a long line of miscreants, ne'er-do-wells and otherwise disreputable people.  I will sire no children.

[Speedbag]

The other half is Dutch..... they stuck their fingers in dykes.

Hee hee. I hope you meant 'dikes'..... 

[S4ROB]

My Great Uncle, Tommy Duncan, sang with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys back in the '40s and 50s. Western Swing  Yeeee Haww.

I have a cousin that has won the Bass Masters Classic  4 times.  Rick Clunn

I am a great painter.... I painted for 10 years. I thought I would never finish that house.

[Drunken Monkey]

Mom's side...

I'm descended from German chocolatiers and intellectuals. My great grandfather (and my namesake) decoded the musical notation system for Gregorian chants. And my grandfather was one of the "discoverers" of chaos theory.

Or "They've got their own wiki pages, pregnant doges!"

Dad's side.

Great grandfather was part of a plot to kill the Tzar's nephew in Vilnus, Lithuania. (Filthy anarchist!) Fled the country in a boxcar and ended up in America. Grandfather was a grifter, lied about his age to get into WWI, became involved in the labor movement, helped with the New Deal, lied about his age to get into WWII, became a very successful businessman, post-war.

On my paternal Grandmother's side: The Great grandfather was the only atheist in all of Cork County, Ireland. My Grandmother was the smartest woman I've ever met. Self taught, and read about 3 books a week.

Geeze. I'm kinda pathetic next to all that...

[gojira]

My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery.

My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet.

My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark.

Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament.

My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets.

When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really.

At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles.

There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum...

It's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

Hey Austin! Nice to see you in these parts! 

[powerhammer]

I'm a decendant of William Wallace.

i like to think I'm part of that clan cause my Grandfather on my mother's side's last name is Wallis.... and they umm changed their spelling to avoid... oh whatever.
one of my sisters played water polo in the summer olympic festivals two years in a row.

thats all i got, but good thread, gonna have to look some stuff up.

[the_Journeyman]

I can be traced all the way back to the O'Naillan clan if Ireland.  Possibly a nomadic clan, since the name evolved into 'Noland' at some point.  I am named after an ancestor that fought in the civil war.  My grandfather was a Marine and was one of the 1st on the shore at Iwo Jima.  He and the soldiers he landed with had a life expectancy of 30 seconds once they hit the sand.  He was a luck one, and came back home ~

JM

[707soldier]

My Grandfather was a guerrila fighter and an enlisted U.S. Scout (Philippines), fought side by side with the U.S. Army against the Japanese in WWII.
He was captured by the Japanese with of 12 his comrades. Were tortured and was ordered to dig their on graves and all was beheaded.
All of them are Philippine National Heroes. They have statues/monuments in Park's and Plaza's in their honor.

[El Matador]

Hmmm lets see..

My Full name is Jesus Guillermo Acosta Flores Penso Marcano

I have a pretty make the beast with two backsed up family history:

From the Penso Side:

One of my ancestors was a dutch pirate named John Coco who was shipwrecked off the coast of Venezuela. Whilst in the water, he made a pact with god during the storm that he would be a reformed man if he was saved. Sure enough, he washed up on the shores of Maracaibo and dug his sword into the sand. With the hilt of the sword making a "P" and the initials of that which would guide his life from now on Este, Norte, Sur, Oeste (East, South, North and West); he took the name John PENSO.

Pic of the newspaper article:



From the Acosta Side:

My grandfather's father was a general in a failed coup to overthrow the government. His wife died giving birth to his firstborn (my grandfather) and he was ambushed at his wife's funeral by government troops. He was left an orphan three days after he was born. The government took over all the lands that were my grandfather's by birthright and left him and his grandmother in complete poverty.

His grandmother took him in and raised him in poverty until one day, when he was five, he came back from school to find her dead in the floor of their little hut. Knowing no one, but an uncle he had two states over, he stole a bicycle and rode there, stealing food along the way to nourish himself.

He finally made it to where his uncle lived and was taken in by him. He excelled at math and when his uncle realized this, he sent him to the capital to study economics on a scholarship.

He owned his own bank by the time he was 30.

From the Marcano Side of the family:

My grandmother descends from an native tribe in South America called the Carib Indians. They were known for their fierceness and would ritualistically eat the hearts of their defeated opponents to get their strength.

They were so fierce and skilled in combat, that the Caribbean Sea is named after them.