How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Apr 23rd 2014, 2:22 am
#136
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Every generation you go back your number of ancestors doubles. The Mayflower arrived almost 400 years ago, so at 25 years/generation you have 65,536 ancestors alive 400 years ago (assuming no knots in your family tree, which is unlikely). The opposite is not true, given the tendency of people in times past to have more than the 2.3 children to maintain a steady population. If the population doubled every generation, and only 50 of the pilgrims on the Mayflower left descents, that would multiply the number by a further 2x50, making 6.5 million descendants in the current generation, with likely three generations alive making (6.5+3.3+1.6) million = 11.4 million descendants alive today. That you've met several descendants isn't that surprising. 
Conversely, probably some who claim a Mayflower ancestor really had one, but most are deluded (mistakes in their family history research, or myths retailed from past generations.)
Apr 23rd 2014, 2:26 am
#137
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
But surely the vast majority of Mayflower descendants wouldn't know they had an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower? For instance, probably hundreds of thousands of British people who don't know they have American ancestry, are actually descended from someone who travelled to America on the Mayflower. For instance, I might be a Mayflower descendent but I'll never know because the records don't exist ....
Conversely, probably some who claim a Mayflower ancestor really had one, but most are deluded (mistakes in their family history research, or myths retailed from past generations.)
Conversely, probably some who claim a Mayflower ancestor really had one, but most are deluded (mistakes in their family history research, or myths retailed from past generations.)
I suspect that many of those that claim a family connection to the Mayflower, have inherited a passed down family mythology, not tracked back their ancestry to an actual Mayflower passenger. Or they have tracked their ancestry back to a known descendant of an actual Mayflower passenger, and met somewhere in the middle.
Apr 23rd 2014, 6:26 am
#138
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Or maybe they meant this...
Surf the web of deceit....
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6102...e0!3e2!6m1!1e1
Apr 23rd 2014, 7:02 am
#139
Joined on April fools day
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Posts: 10,642
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Reminds me of some claiming and boasting around here recently...something to do with having a "Russell Group" degree.
Or maybe they meant this...
Surf the web of deceit....
http://surfboardsbyrussell.com/wp-co...op-816x559.jpg
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6102...e0!3e2!6m1!1e1
Or maybe they meant this...
Surf the web of deceit....
http://surfboardsbyrussell.com/wp-co...op-816x559.jpg
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6102...e0!3e2!6m1!1e1
Apr 23rd 2014, 10:56 am
#140
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Every generation you go back your number of ancestors doubles. The Mayflower arrived almost 400 years ago, so at 25 years/generation you have 65,536 ancestors alive 400 years ago (assuming no knots in your family tree, which is unlikely). The opposite is not true, given the tendency of people in times past to have more than the 2.3 children to maintain a steady population. If the population doubled every generation, and only 50 of the pilgrims on the Mayflower left descents, that would multiply the number by a further 2x50, making 6.5 million descendants in the current generation, with likely three generations alive making (6.5+3.3+1.6) million = 11.4 million descendants alive today. That you've met several descendants isn't that surprising.
Apr 23rd 2014, 12:25 pm
#141
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,446
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Another ship, also called the Mayflower made five further voyages in the following years, bringing people to the New World, rather confusing what it means to have "arrived on the Mayflower".
Last edited by Pulaski; Apr 23rd 2014 at 12:40 pm.
Apr 23rd 2014, 12:43 pm
#142
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
But they got to the American northeast in the seventeenth century, and those that survived the bloody awful weather and the Indian and French raids, found life was actually quite benign compared to the life of a cottager in Essex. Plenty of wood to keep warm in the winter, unlimited land, sugar maples (yum), and of course, unlimited deer, turkey etc. to eat.
So many had huge families that survived to adulthood. Large numbers returned to England, others spread out across America. But those early immigrants who have descendants, probably have more descendants than the two descendants per generation that we might calculate as an average.
Apr 23rd 2014, 1:10 pm
#143
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,446
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Another thing about American ancestry - folks in earlier times often had a dozen or more children, if the wife was fortunate enough to survive multiple pregnancies. Sadly, this was because the majority of children died before they became adults, so to have kids to look after them in their old age, they needed to have more than the two or three children we typically have. Also of course, because they had no reliable contraception.
But they got to the American northeast in the seventeenth century, and those that survived the bloody awful weather and the Indian and French raids, found life was actually quite benign compared to the life of a cottager in Essex. Plenty of wood to keep warm in the winter, unlimited land, sugar maples (yum), and of course, unlimited deer, turkey etc. to eat.
So many had huge families that survived to adulthood. Large numbers returned to England, others spread out across America. But those early immigrants who have descendants, probably have more descendants than the two descendants per generation that we might calculate as an average.
But they got to the American northeast in the seventeenth century, and those that survived the bloody awful weather and the Indian and French raids, found life was actually quite benign compared to the life of a cottager in Essex. Plenty of wood to keep warm in the winter, unlimited land, sugar maples (yum), and of course, unlimited deer, turkey etc. to eat.
So many had huge families that survived to adulthood. Large numbers returned to England, others spread out across America. But those early immigrants who have descendants, probably have more descendants than the two descendants per generation that we might calculate as an average.
Such large families were common until relatively recently, with Mrs P's grandparents each being one of 7-12 children! Mrs P's father is one of six, though interestingly, four of those six went on to have only a single child of their own.
Apr 23rd 2014, 1:19 pm
#144
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Agreed, and my calculation (which may have been off, because I was working the logic out in my head as I typed) was intended to reflect every generation doubling in size, which would mean, each couple having an average 4½-5 offspring reach adulthood.
Such large families were common until relatively recently, with Mrs P's grandparents each being one of 7-12 children! Mrs P's father is one of six, though interestingly, four of those six went on to have only a single child of their own.
Such large families were common until relatively recently, with Mrs P's grandparents each being one of 7-12 children! Mrs P's father is one of six, though interestingly, four of those six went on to have only a single child of their own.
Apr 23rd 2014, 1:24 pm
#145
Hoppity hop...
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Same sort of thing for me. My grandfather was 1 of 13 but my dad was 1 of 2 and I'm only 1 of 2. I do know though that each of those 13 had between 1-5 children so there's little danger of the line dying out!
Apr 23rd 2014, 1:47 pm
#146
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
sorry ... my bad .... toungue in cheek comment taken to extremes again *sigh* theres a good reason I only have 2,000 and some posts after 12 years on this forum apparently I can't order wadder in England either. :\
Apr 23rd 2014, 1:52 pm
#147
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
You just know one of those kids is going to rebel and say "hell no" I'm not having endless amounts of little critters.
Apr 23rd 2014, 2:45 pm
#148
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
True recollection of true event:
" I'm descended from someone who came over on the Mayflower"
"Who gives a shit!?"
" I'm descended from someone who came over on the Mayflower"
"Who gives a shit!?"
Apr 23rd 2014, 3:07 pm
#149
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Oh I know! Esp since they all lived in a 1 bathroom house from what I understand! I don't think any of my great aunts/uncles had a massive number of kids.
Apr 23rd 2014, 3:54 pm
#150
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Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
You didn't use the tongue in cheek emoticon, so naturally extreme commenting ensued.