The Family Tree Project

Last weekend I began a project I've been meaning to do for quite some time. I finally got down to starting the family tree.
I always knew the project would present it's own unique challenges, since some of the elders in my family took the 'Smarties' approach to monogamy. Basically, the more you have in the bag, the more colorful it makes your candy collection.
At one point in my research on a particular great great grand uncle, I had to stop and ask my Gran "Was he the only guy in town, or did he have chocolate flavoured earlobes?"
Three and four wives seems to have been pretty common back then.
Hugh Hefner has nothing on my ancestors. Clearly.

Having said that, it's been one of the most exciting and interesting projects I have ever undertaken.
I decided to spend my Saturday with my Gran (my mom's mom) to help me further in my quest for The Holy Grail. I'm still not sure what my Holy Grail is, but I imagine it would be finding out that somewhere along the lineage I am actually related to Kahlil Gibran or Ceasar. Either of those would thrill me to no end.

What I did find out was that my great great grandfather was Scottish, and that his daughter (my Grans mom) was named Annie Hogarth. Now there's something I never knew, and undoubtably would never have known had I not started this project. I would have spent my entire life never having known that I have Scottish blood running through these veins, and quite frankly this makes my random stumbling over pieces of furniture a lot easier to understand.

Next week I intend spending with my Grandfather to get some more details on his lineage. I've already been warned to take along more than one pen and at least 2 notebooks, as it could get very complicated.
This is my Grandfather who has four wives at the last count.

If there's one thing I have learned from the compilation of this family tree, it's that the world is a lot smaller than we would like to think. We really are all one big happy family, for the most part.

Now if only someone could get this message across to all those politicians & presidents so bent on war.