Which ancestor do you admire most-and why?

[mrs.tenacious]

he is my hero.  I just wish I could tell him.

I bet he knew, Nick - you both sound the sort of people who didn't necessarily have to say it with words 

Thanks for the replies so far, they are truly fascinating and humbling. Unless we have to deal with something really serious, we have to try and remember them all when we're having a 'bad' or stressful day, don't we!

Mrs. T.

[coombs]

I did used to admire an ancestor a lot until I found out a few secrets about him. They do say you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for ancestors and I know we all have skeletons but if I do find out skeletons then I shall not exactly congratulate them. And it is up to me to decide if I should disown him or not.

I must admire most Thomas Musgrave, who I have mentioned on this forum quite a lot. He was the one who emigrated in 1886 from Lintz, Durham, England to Allegheny, PA, USA. He is my 3xgreat grandfather. His wife died in 1885 and he must have wanted to start a new life, but 4000 miles away is a bit extreme  . All his children apart from the youngest were married and his youngest was 15 so she would have been working age.

He is on the 1900 US census aged 72. He died in about 1905-1906. There has been a thread on here when me and other Rootschatters have tried to find a death but we think he is buried where his daughter is. I shall not rest until I do find his death date to finish off a compelling story on his life. I am proud of him and am thrilled to bits to have him as a direct rellie. And one who emigrated.

[noxas]

Hello all,my ancestors are all from Ireland and they lived and grew up in very hard times,unlike the recent years of unbridled prosperity,until the recent crisis.Some also served in the British forces,at least one was killed in action in WW1,and is listed on the Mennen Gate,and my maternal grand father was gassed in the trenches,although he did survive the war thankfully,so i feel that those of my generation in my family truly stand on the shoulders of giants.
                  Regards Diarmuid.

[valkane2003]

I have a couple that I admire greatly....

Firstly my GG Grandmother, Annie Finnegan, abandonned by her husband who absconded with her infant son leaving her to raise three young daughters alone. Her family did not step in to help and she had to work as a pastry maker in a large Dublin hotel to make ends meet. When her grandchildren were born she made a point of making sure their mothers had time to rest because she never had any. Strong lady I think!!

And then there's Patrick Quinn my GG Grandfather, marries at 15 and signs up to go to war in the same year (in Ireland going to fight for King and Country wasn't as heroic and many of these men on their return were treated terribly by society) so that he could provide for his pregnant wife. On return to an Ireland that was in turmoil he joined a new Free State army, with military experience he was snapped up. His regiment was sent to Kerry to quash the 'rebels' and he was shot and killed. His body remained unfound for years and his daughters didnt know where he was until the 70's.

[carolynb]

My gt gt Grandmother Alice her first son died in infancy then my Gt Grandmother Elizabeth was born Alice went on to have three more sons two of which lost their lives in WW1 one was single the other married but no children her third son John never married and Alice stayed with him until her death.
The name (Flood ) did not get passed on

Another Gt Grandmother Catherine  lost her own Mother (TB aged 24) when she was only four years old she married aged seventeen and had seven children but lost her Husband  and two of her sons while still in her thirties she did go on to marry again and have one more son.

I feel close to both of these women without knowing them I feel they both had a hard sad life but I hope they had lots of happy times too

Carolyn

[mike175]

One ancestor I have to admire for persistence through adversity was my 6xgt grandfather who lived on the Essex marshes in the early 18th century, when the area was renowned for the "ague" (malaria).

Whether or not that played any part in his fortunes we may never know, but his first wife died 3 months after their marriage. He married again 2 years later, and his second wife had 4 children over the next 7 years who all appear to have died in childhood followed by their mother.

After that he seems to have had 4 children with a third woman, then presumably having decided it was going to be ok this time, he married her and had 4 more . . .