SNGF - Your Top Five Surprises

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

It's Saturday Night again - 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to:

1) Check out Top Five Surprises by D.M. Debacker on the Gathering Leaves blog.

2)  What are your top five surprises you have found in your genealogy research and family history work? 

Here's mine, gleaned from 30+ years of genealogical research:
I research both my side of the family and my husband’s side (i.e., my children’s ancestors & collaterals). I have not found much surprising information.

1. I was not surprised that some of my mother’s southern ancestors held enslaved people. However, none had big plantations.

2. I was not surprised that no famous people are among our ancestors. We’re just plain folk. None of the family stories appeared to be true: that we were descended from a Native American, or related to Will Rogers, Adolph Coors, Lyndon Johnson, Sir Humphry Davy, or Ed Sullivan. That was just wishful thinking.

3. I was surprised that Nils Malkom Nilsen traveled back to Sweden at least twice. First, to find a new wife after his first wife died. And second, to visit with family and baptize a child or two. Additionally, Thomas N. Davey, brother of my husband’s great-grandfather, Fred Davey, traveled to England at least twice. I wished I knew his purpose in going back. Who was the kin he visited?

4. I was surprised that my great-grandfather, Johan Anton Hork, committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. Many western newspapers, even the San Francisco Call, covered the news, although it occurred in Sheridan, Wyoming.

5. I was surprised that there are so few ancestors who fought in the major wars. They seemed to be either too young or too old at the time of the engagements.

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