generational drift

[nudge67]

Just noticed something, surprised I didn't pick it up before.

Dad is six years older than Mum, with both being the eldest sibling of three in their respective families.

My paternal grandparents (b.1910/12) were ten years older than my maternal grandparents (b.1921)

My paternal great-grandparents (b.1870's) were about twenty years older than my maternal great-grandparents (b.1890's)

My paternal great-great-grandparents (b.1830's/1840's) were generally twenty-five to thirty years older than my maternal great-great-grandparents (b.1860's), a whole generation!

next generation back it's the 1790's to 1820's versus 1830's and 1840's, and so the trend continues.

anyone else seeing this in their trees?

[Andrew Tarr]

While collecting my direct ancestors - I have satisfactorily identified all but the four Irish members of my 32 g-g-g - I have been surprised how closely most of them remained 'in step' datewise.  All the males were born between 1762 and 1787, and the females between 1768 and 1789, with a few dates missing, of course.

Only one of those men married a noticeably (10 years) older woman, and when she died in her fifties he married another ... 

[Annie65115]

Not exactly generational drift, but:

My father was a fair bit older than my mother.

My paternal grandparents were fairly average - 3 years age difference, married in their 20s etc.

But my paternal grandmother was well into her 30s when she married, and her husband (who had already been widowed twice) was a fair bit older than her.

This means that this paternal great-grandfather was born in 1841, (and I should add that I'm not yet old enough for state pension!)

For comparison, the youngest of my great-grandparents (maternal side) was born in 1880, so that's 39 years difference.

Edited to add - going back another generation, to my 2gt grandparents, the earliest birth year I have is 1805, but I don't have birth details of the husband of this couple and he may have been older.
The latest is 1850 (3 gt grandparents born in that year). So at least 45 years age difference across that level of my tree, and that's only 4 generations back.

[Biggles50]

I have Second Cousins who are older than me and I am in regular contact with them.

They are actually Second Cousins Once Removed and the Mother of one of them is my Second Cousin and she is 30 years older than I am.

So yes generational drift can soon mount up.

[Milliepede]

What does a generational drift mean please?

[Marmalady]

What does a generational drift mean please?

It means that the birthdates of ancestors on the same level ( eg your 8 great-grandparents) vary enough that their is actually time for their to be another generation between the eldest and youngest

eg Eldest Great-grandfather born  1825, youngest Great-Grandmother born 1860 -- 35 years later so a theoretic generation apart

[Marmalady]

 I have nearly 50 years difference in birthdates amongst my Great-Great Grandparents

On my Father's side my GG-Grandparents were born between 1809 and 1831 -- a 22 year difference
On my Mother's side my GG-Grandparents were born between 1822 and 1858 -- a 36 year difference

So in total they were born between 1809 and 1858 -- making a 49 year difference -- or approx 2 generations difference if a generation is assumed to be 25 years

[aghadowey]

My grandfather was the youngest of ten children and raised by eldest sister and brother (who had two sons just a few years younger than my grandfather). In my father's generation his first cousins were born between 1908 and 1932. Then, in 1936 the first of the next generation were born ... and the range is from 1936 to 1971.
OH's grandfather was born 1863 and half of my great-grandparents were born after that year.

[LizzieL]

Loads of times in my tree. One of my great grandmothers was about the same age as her oldest brother's son. I am in my 70s and I have a 5th cousin once removed in his thirties. Not unusual if the once removed was a generation down from me. But he is the 5th cousin of my mother who would have been 100 a couple of weeks ago if she was still alive. So if a generation is 25 - 30 years, direct cousins are the equivalent of two generations apart in that case