On Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 12:55:20 PM UTC-7, J.L. Fernandez Blanco wrote: > Well, if it serves for something, one of my great-aunts (a sister to my > paternal grandmother) who was illiterate half of her life (she started > school at 45 and died at 92), could recite her paternal ancestry up to the > 6th generation, spouses included, and on her maternal side, she could do > the same up to the 7th generation. Sounds like a special person. On the other hand, I have seen visitation pedigrees that are completely false beyond the grandfather. taf

On 4/06/2017 9:18 AM, taf wrote: > On Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 12:55:20 PM UTC-7, J.L. Fernandez Blanco wrote: > >> Well, if it serves for something, one of my great-aunts (a sister to my >> paternal grandmother) who was illiterate half of her life (she started >> school at 45 and died at 92), could recite her paternal ancestry up to the >> 6th generation, spouses included, and on her maternal side, she could do >> the same up to the 7th generation. > Sounds like a special person. On the other hand, I have seen visitation pedigrees that are completely false beyond the grandfather. Special in the degree of her interest and willingness to share it, but not unique and perhaps not all that exceptional as to her accuracy. I don't doubt there would be young people in Spain today who could recount as many details (mutatis mutandis) about their Facebook friends. One major difference between the great-aunt and many visitation informants is in the coherence of her family background - she was not a person on the make with ancestors who were equally on the make. There were surely fewer multiple marriages and half-blood kinships in a social milieu with less mercenary priorities for marriage and reproduction. Peter Stewart