Who's your favourite ancestor?

[mahees]

After all I've found out about my ancestors over the years, I still can't help but love my Great Grandfather, Frank Roby (1884-1923) who started my obsession with genealogy.
http://21st-battalion-8.tripod.com/roby_f.html
Who is your favourite ancestor and why?
Erin 

[f1rocco]

My choice would be:

The Bessie Nute Gibson

Bessie born 1855 Cornwall
Marriage 1904   GIBSON   JOHN   NUTE   BESSIE   CATHCART 
Dies..1928   NUTE   BESSIE       GIBSON 
76   ST ROLLOX   GLASGOW CITY/LANARK

She was the  sister in law to my Great Grandfather Peter Shields and sister of his wife Ellen Nute..

 We were lucky enough to find some good info on this generation and solve a little mystery....To me Bessie was an unmarried sister that stood by her sisters side with the family and her daughters and lived life with a huge heart....I can only imagine her being like a mother and soulmate to the families of different generations....A real supermom and best friend...A real pro.......

 Seems she traveled from Cornwall to Glasgow unmarried until all the children of her sister and her daughter were grown and gone before she finally found someone and a life to herself.....Bessie married at age 49 to her next door neighbor a recent widower John Gibson.........She passed away in 1928....

Rest in Peace Bessie........I thank you for keeping the family together

Jason Shields

[wini]

My favourite ancestor was Isabella Gunn, Born in Durness Sutherland in 1852 and died in Durness age 56.
She was variously described as an idiot or a lunatic, however, I feel she must have been a quiet gentle soul as after her parents died she went to live with her sister and brother in law and their children and several members of her family named their children Isabella or Isy.
The terminology in the 19th Century was pretty cruel.

wini

[KarenM]

Mine is my gr grandmother, Elizabeth Ball (she's in my avatar with her children).  She was born in Birmingham and came to Canada, she had somewhat of a rough life, losing 5 child at a young age and having her husband abandon her.  She was a tough old girl. 

I am so excited that next month I am going to visit her nieces who are in the late 80's and in Birmingham 

Karen

[KathMc]

I would have to say mine is my gg grandmother, Sarah Heintz Schmieg (1856-1927). Her mother died some time between her birth and 1860. By 1870, she she is in Queens, NY, some 400 miles from her father, and her brother and sister have died. And then by 1878 she is married with her first child. She had gone to live with her mother's childless sister and husband, and then was mistreated by the sister and her other aunts and uncles, only to come out on top. I think she must have been a strong lady and I am keen on finding out about the missing years.

Kath

[elin]

Mine is my Great Gandma Annie Hopkins who  had between 22 and 26 children.   Each older child was allocated a younger child to be responsible for.

I had always fondly imagined her to be a very motherly, probably plump and  gentle soul, however I am informed that she kept them all under control with a very sharp tongue and her Grandchildren were frightened of her!  Also she was very small and trim.
The photo on the left shows some of the men in her family.

Elin

[stoney]

Um - which to choose...?

Well, I think my 5xGt Grandfather, John Hounam, had a bit of gumption about him when he stood up to Bonnie Prince Charlie's men!

Perhaps that should be "ran away"! Hearing that his livestock would be confiscated to feed BPC's army, he ran his sheep and cattle up a hill into woodland to hide it.

Even braver was the wife he left at home (still a-bed, having just given birth!) - when confronted with men brandishing swords and demanding to know where the menfolk (and the livestock!) were, she refused to tell - whereupon the soldiers (in a fit of pique!?) trashed the place and slashed at the furniture. There are still sword marks on the beams of what's left of the original dwelling.

Having thought about it, perhaps my 5xGt Grandmother Jean (Elliot) Hounam is my real favourite ancestor!

[Jillie42]

I find my husband's grandmother quite fascinating - probably for all the wrong reasons!

She slept with her twin sister's husband and had his baby, then (according to family legend) tried to poison another of her sisters

[Nutty1966]

My admiration goes out to my great grandma Annie Isabel Rice, Annie had a real tough life, loosing both parents before the age of 9, she was then placed in the workhouse, her brothers were sent on to live with relations.  Annie eventually left the workhouse and married and settled in Middlesbrough, she sadly lost 3 babies, they are all buried together in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough.

Annie sadly does the year before I was born, I would have loved to have known her, my mum says she was a very proud lady.  God bless them all

Jane