Another thing I find quite uncanny, is how the years-gap between each generation seems to have a habit of evening itself through the generations. Many of my gt-gt-gt-grandparents seem to be born within a very few years of one another, I have a John in 1796, a William in 1796, a Mary in 1797, a William in 1793, a Susan in 1795, a Henry in 1796 and a Mary Ann in 1795 - no others later than 1811. For my generation of my family, therefore, 1796 was quite a good year for future gt-gt-gt-grandfathers to be born. If only they'd known...!
Keith