Found out some bad things about Hubby's ancestors

[Erato]

There's a big difference between 'secrets' about currently living people and those which concern long dead ancestors.  This topic started off referring to people who died ages ago  -  "I discovered that his grandfather was an army deserter in the late 18oos and his great grandfather was taken to court for assulting his wife."  I cannot imagine any reason that an adult descendant of an army deserter or wife beater over 100 years ago would need to be shielded from this information.

[Graham47]

Your are quite right of course and thanks for bringing us back in line 

I was just responding to the previous post rather than the original where as said, if you have concerns perhaps you should draw the line at those in living memory and not unlike being unable to go beyond the 1911 census here in the UK.

I find it hard to imagine what long dead 'secrets' I would not want to know about or pass on to my family. Some no doubt would be 'uncomfortable' with Jewish ancestors and others with those from a different ethnic background - fortunately, I have found both

[Mike in Cumbria]

... Some no doubt would be 'uncomfortable' with Jewish ancestors and others with those from a different ethnic background ...

All the more reason to tell them! 

[Erato]

... Some no doubt would be 'uncomfortable' with Jewish ancestors and others with those from a different ethnic background ...

All the more reason to tell them! 

Exactly.

[jbml]

It looks as though my great grandfather James Piper, who died (according to family tradition) of war wounds in 1920, may have been a bit of a "character".

He married in 1912 ... but I was unable to trace him with any degree of confidence in the 1911 census. This was bothersome. But £9.25 and one marriage certificate later, I had some interesting new leads. Husband's name: James Lewis Piper otherwise Murphy. Occupation: Ship's Goods Checker.

So I started searching for James Murphy in the 1911 census and I am fairly certain I found him ... in Wormwood Scrubs. I suspect he is also the same James Murphy who was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1907 of breaking into a shop on Fleet Street (now the Timpson heel bar next to the Punch Tavern) and sentenced to 20 months.

Does this trouble me?

Not at all. Indeed, it is probably my best hope of locating a photograph of him. The relevant volume of prisoners' mugshots is, I understand, in very poor condition and I shall need to seek the archivist's advice as to whether it can be consulted at all ... but I would dearly love to have a photograph of him, even if it is in prison uniform!!

[joboy]

When I was searching for a person who died ......... 'after WW1 'of wounds it said in family lore' .......... I found that he had died of syphilis.
It was easy to 'fudge' things years ago ....... but it all comes out in the end no matter what one may care to do.
Was he a 'black sheep' because he was a normal man with normal urges?.

[Suzy W]

I certainly would not worry about what happened 100 years ago.
Crumbs what I have found in both my husbands and my side is amazing.  Convicts on both sides, men who had affairs and had more children to their lovers and so on.
If anything these people make the story of the family more interesting.

Suzy W

[fallingonabruise]

I agree with those who have said 'you can't help who your ancestors are or what they have done'
I did feel a bit guilty researching my great gran who was a serial killer (killed 3 husbands and a lover) but she is part of my family history and I can't change that...

[Graham47]

Hence the personal text under your Avatar, "Bring out your dead"