Attachment to our ancestors

1,254 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 9 days ago by Hehateme1
Ghost of Andrew Eaton
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5:13p, 6/16/25
I started this to not derail the other thread that is very interesting but I've always wondered why we are so attached to our past ancestors. To me there is the simple understanding that they provide us with belonging and identity but my question is a little deeper.

It seems that every generation is worried or believes that they haven't lived up to to the expectations of their ancestors. I personally find that silly because if that is the case, every generation is a disappointment and therefore falling short. It's more likely that we're projecting our own inadequacies and we use some sort of fabricated expectations to measure ourselves by. Secondly, our ancestors don't live in the world we live in and therefore don't deal with the same challenges or have the same knowledge we have.

Lastly, I wonder if I would like my ancestors or if they would like me. I'm the first college graduate in one side of the family and I figure my ancestors probably wouldn't like the type of life I live.

I was once camping and started a fire using a Fire Starter log and someone asked me what my ancestors would say if they saw me doing that. "That's pretty neat. Where can I get one?"


If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
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CanyonAg77
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7:28p, 6/16/25
AG
I can't really say, I guess I just find it interesting. Some innate human need to "know where you came from".

I mentioned on the other thread that a brother of my 8x g-grandfather built a house in 1766 that still stands. Toured it once, and they pointed out the little cubbyhole where the kitchen slave lived.

That implies to me that my direct ancestors likely owned one or more slaves, as well.

Some people would feel guilt about that, I can't seem to work up an outrage. I didn't do that bad thing, I didn't do the good things my ancestors did, either. I only need to answer for myself

Go a few more generations back and that x times great grandfather came to America as an indentured servant. So ancestors on both sides of the equation

I've got to say, it is pretty amazing to be able to stand in the same house where I know my ancestors stood some 260 years ago
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Ghost of Andrew Eaton
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 8:06p, 6/16/25
That is pretty cool. I find any guilt for any of our ancestor's behavior is bizarre to me. I only have guilt regarding my decisions, so I just can't comprehend anyone that feels guilty for other's actions.

Does that mean then that we shouldn't feel pride for their achievements? Sorry, this is an esoteric conversation.
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to Ghost of Andrew Eaton • 8:35p, 6/16/25
AG
We probably shouldn't take pride in their achievements, but human nature is to do so.

Every person with a drop of Indian (Native American) blood, seems to have descended from a "Cherokee Princess", as if Cherokees used European terms and systems
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Ghost of Andrew Eaton
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 8:51p, 6/16/25
CanyonAg77 said:
We probably shouldn't take pride in their achievements, but human nature is to do so.

Every person with a drop of Indian (Native American) blood, seems to have descended from a "Cherokee Princess", as if Cherokees used European terms and systems


Yeah, that is part of our family lore. I've also been told we're somehow related to the Jamestown settlers but that's BS as well. I don't say anything anytime it gets brought up but I do roll my eyes.
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
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JABQ04
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6:31a, 6/17/25
AG
As a history nerd I find it very interesting to know my family played roles in the stuff I read about, whether just settling the frontier as they migrated from VA to TX or nerding it up at Gettysburg and walking the attack route of Hoods Division on July 2nd. It's just neat to know they played a small role in the history of our country. No one was famous really, but I like to step back and think they were just average folks in the 1680s or the 1870s doing what they thought was best for themselves and their families.
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rilloaggie
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7:06a, 6/30/25
AG
I have no idea whether it is due to some past family shame or indifference due to circumstances, but I don't think anybody in my family knows the name of anyone older than my great-great grandparents, and the only person that knows their name would likely be my grandma. From what I understand, her parents came to Texas from Oklahoma in the very early 1900's. No idea where they were from before that. Her dad(my great GP) had 13 siblings. It made family reunions confusing as could be because she had some aunts/uncles that were younger in age than her so it was hard to make sense of the generations in my young brain. The family basically blew around with the dust bowl/great depression and scattered throughout the agricultural areas of the Panhandle, Colorado, California, and the PNW. I surmise that everyone was too busy trying to scrape by to pay much attention to charting lineage. Plus, who needs to know the ancestors when you have a baker's dozen siblings to keep up with!
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KingofHazor
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In reply to rilloaggie • 12:27p, 6/30/25
Starred you for not just a very good post, but also for using "baker's dozen" to mean 13. Excellent!
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Hehateme1
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 7:29p, 7/26/25
CanyonAg77 said:
I can't really say, I guess I just find it interesting. Some innate human need to "know where you came from".

This is the answer for me. Helps me feel grounded to know where my family came from, and to try to imagine their lives, and how it shaped them. Indirectly shaped me as well
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