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Retrograde

(11,429 posts)

19. Do serfs count?

Fri Jan 2, 2015, 11:16 PM

Jan 2015

My ancestors all come from the part of Europe that traded hands between Russia, Prussia and Austria-Hungary several times over the years. Serfdom was only abolished in Russia (and that includes parts of what is now Poland) in 1861 (and in large swaths of Eastern Europe, only about a generation before that), and I know they were rural, so it's likely that they were serfs. The first member of my family in the New World only arrived c. 1890, so they missed out on the American version of slavery. Going back several centuries, though, the part of the world they hailed from was the main source of slaves for the Byzantium markets, so some of them may have been involved there.

And I proudly claim Genghis Khan (or at least one of his horde) as an ancestor. No proof, since there are no surviving records of anyone in my family before c. 1800, but I find one gets a better class of ancestors if you make them up

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I have some really bad news about your family tree... [View all] Kurska Jan 2015 OP

I think about this when I have a chance to sit at the beach and watch oldandhappy Jan 2015 #1

... Kurska Jan 2015 #2

perfect! oldandhappy Jan 2015 #5

No one can Aerows Jan 2015 #16

Or on the other hand, every drop of water we drink has at one time Cleita Jan 2015 #27

My friend pointed out that we are all drinking "dinosaur pee." Arugula Latte Jan 2015 #52

I think he's right though if the scientists who postulated this are right. Cleita Jan 2015 #56

River of Time seveneyes Jan 2015 #105

Trilobite piss. alfredo Jan 2015 #41

I'd hate to think I'm related to everyone when I have a chance to sit at the beach and watch. rug Jan 2015 #43

Well rug, JimDandy Jan 2015 #104

Being of Eastern European descent and having B-neg blood type randr Jan 2015 #77

I have WORSE NEWS about family trees uhnope Jan 2015 #94

The DNA tests can help figure out from where your family came. alfredo Jan 2015 #110

Perhaps, but YOURS owned slaves, Kurska. Dreamer Tatum Jan 2015 #3

Unpossible Kurska Jan 2015 #6

Hey, with all these crackers OWNING slaves, someone had to BE slaves. Dreamer Tatum Jan 2015 #7

American Slavery? Mine were in Russia at the time. Kurska Jan 2015 #15

Interesting Thing I Read Leith Jan 2015 #46

Mostly Southern/South-Eastern. Igel Jan 2015 #53

Do serfs count? Retrograde Jan 2015 #19

Something else a lot of our ancestors Boreal Jan 2015 #37

Mine were just boring shenmue Jan 2015 #12

We must be related ashling Jan 2015 #40

I think about this from time to time. bravenak Jan 2015 #4

Yep, we are StarStuff. BlueJazz Jan 2015 #8

+1 Jesus Malverde Jan 2015 #11

We Are Only Stardust Katashi_itto Jan 2015 #100

I knew it! shenmue Jan 2015 #9

Individuals are generally only high, mighty and pure in their own heads, many have RKP5637 Jan 2015 #10

I always have to laugh pipi_k Jan 2015 #21

That, is a very varied ancestry! RKP5637 Jan 2015 #26

It does seem pretty varied pipi_k Jan 2015 #80

I've been thinking of doing that. I know everyone is from England and Scotland, well, RKP5637 Jan 2015 #81

If my last name is a clue, mine were lowly kitchen workers, bakers Cleita Jan 2015 #28

Royals and nobility were also highly inbred vlyons Jan 2015 #90

It seems Prince Charlie would be an example your belief. Cleita Jan 2015 #93

I was thinking of Charles II of Spain, mentally retarded and epileptic. Also disfigured. vlyons Jan 2015 #95

Kaiser Wilhelm's grandparents were first cousins Freddie Jan 2015 #107

My Ancestors Are Mostly of Hungarian Descent Dirty Socialist Jan 2015 #13

Mine were Norwegians. Vikings. The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2015 #18

Thanks to all that activity, it's likely I'm a distant relative on the Irish side. Red hair, y'know Hekate Jan 2015 #32

Viking ancestry here, too. grasswire Jan 2015 #36

Oh thank God, I thought you were going to say PumpkinAle Jan 2015 #14

We all have a choice Aerows Jan 2015 #17

Very well said malaise Jan 2015 #72

The real question is whether you're still profiting from that raping and looting starroute Jan 2015 #20

I don't know what such a person is supposed to do about it. Kurska Jan 2015 #23

Simply be aware of the source, and of the benefit. kwassa Jan 2015 #24

That's not how it works starroute Jan 2015 #38

really? And what about the rich? hfojvt Jan 2015 #59

In a world run by billionaires, $75 million is absolutely not "really rich" starroute Jan 2015 #62

did the Koch brothers really spent $100 million? hfojvt Jan 2015 #91

While I agree with your point, that's a serious dance you just went through. Calista241 Jan 2015 #97

I guess I could be hfojvt Jan 2015 #112

that's the point that so many posters here want to ignore. funny stuff. easier to talk about NewDeal_Dem Jan 2015 #49

turns out that "almost no one" is about 30 million people bhikkhu Jan 2015 #63

how many of those 30 mill can trace their ancestry to genghis? now, how many can trace their NewDeal_Dem Jan 2015 #64

Jenjis... 1/200. YOU do the math. cherokeeprogressive Jan 2015 #70

It isn't about tracing your ancestry -- it's about inherited money and power starroute Jan 2015 #75

Why is her plight any worse than that of any of others living in poverty? LiberalEsto Jan 2015 #83

We tend to have a biased data set. Igel Jan 2015 #61

+ infinity CrawlingChaos Jan 2015 #65

Opium into China? THERE'S a reparations nightmare... cherokeeprogressive Jan 2015 #68

All in all, the one we are responsible for is ourselves, I am not responsible for decisions of other Thinkingabout Jan 2015 #22

I have seen a my family tree Kalidurga Jan 2015 #25

Yah, well that great grand uncle of my sister's husband's cousin was not a criminal. 1monster Jan 2015 #29

I am decended from my father and my mother indivisibleman Jan 2015 #30

Bryson Thespian2 Jan 2015 #31

I also have a relative who was a total asshole at times indivisibleman Jan 2015 #33

and just wait 'till you hear what time travelers say about Mitochondrial Eve herself MisterP Jan 2015 #34

It's silly to be proud or ashamed LuvNewcastle Jan 2015 #35

I know who some of mine were Warpy Jan 2015 #39

now that you put it that way Ramses Jan 2015 #42

Mine weren't slave owners, we just killed Thomas a Becket. sir pball Jan 2015 #44

My sister gave me a prepaid DNA test for Christmas. I already know some of my alfredo Jan 2015 #45

Paul McCartney, is that you? Arugula Latte Jan 2015 #57

It's better than not getting there. alfredo Jan 2015 #74

Better than the alternative. alfredo Jan 2015 #111

I just found that my mother's family alfredo Jan 2015 #96

...as long as I'm not related to Benedict Cumberbatch. cyberswede Jan 2015 #47

I'm pretty sure I have to pay reparations to myself (nt) Nye Bevan Jan 2015 #48

I Come from Irish and German Peasant Stock Leith Jan 2015 #50

I may be related to a spree killer, actually! rusty fender Jan 2015 #51

I never cared to find out about my ancesters or my DNA Hoppy Jan 2015 #54

I never cared to find out about my ancesters or my DNA Hoppy Jan 2015 #55

According to Ancestry.com LiberalElite Jan 2015 #58

Oak? 1step Jan 2015 #60

I just canceled a trial at ancestry.com ecstatic Jan 2015 #66

The HELL you say! Kevin Bacon and I are BOTH descended from slave traders? cherokeeprogressive Jan 2015 #67

not me olddots Jan 2015 #69

What matters is not from whom you are descended, but what is in your mind today. vlyons Jan 2015 #71

Exactly this. ladyVet Jan 2015 #79

My foreparents are from India and Brahmins did not akbacchus_BC Jan 2015 #73

our tree contains one of the first crusaders, elehhhhna Jan 2015 #76

That's actually pretty amazing LittleBlue Jan 2015 #88

it is interesting to remind the kids who their ancestors were... elehhhhna Jan 2015 #92

The only infamous ancestor I know of was RebelOne Jan 2015 #78

I'm first generation here. cwydro Jan 2015 #82

I'm pretty sure I have a lot of atoms formerly belonging to a hog. KentuckyWoman Jan 2015 #84

I'm a first-generation American too LiberalEsto Jan 2015 #85

Both sides of my family come from the Head of the River Po high in the Alps Drahthaardogs Jan 2015 #86

Is there a point to this? Who cares? I sure don't. Omnith Jan 2015 #87

For how many generations must the sins of the fathers be MineralMan Jan 2015 #89

Can we agree that the land of the indigenous peoples was stolen and that the KingCharlemagne Jan 2015 #98

Of course we can agree on those things. They are facts. MineralMan Jan 2015 #99

Ah, I got you. Totally take your point and also liked your allusion to (I think) the KingCharlemagne Jan 2015 #101

Thanks for recognizing the allusion, too. MineralMan Jan 2015 #103

Knot theory seveneyes Jan 2015 #102

"Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars... ChisolmTrailDem Jan 2015 #106

Witches marions ghost Jan 2015 #108

My great great uncle was a cop killer Drale Jan 2015 #109