Multi-generational families...

[CuriousByNature]

I noticed in a post earlier this year that someone on the board mentioned having known their great-grandparents and great-great grandparents - so five generations alive at one time.  I think it may have been @Tygerscent if I am not mistaken.  I was reading not too long ago about some families having six and even seven generations living at once, and I'm wondering if anyone else here has known their great-grandparents or beyond?   I came close to having a living great-grandparent - my mother's mother's father passed away about a year before I was born.  That is the closest I came.  But some friends of mine still had a great-grandparent alive when they were in their early 20s, and if they would have had kids at that point, they would have had a 5-generation family.  

How many generations have been alive at one time in your family?

 

[+ Pensant]

Sadly only 3.

[mike carey]

One of my paternal great-grandmothers died when I was about one, but otherwise I only knew two grandparents. My maternal grandfather died when my mother was eight.

[+ azdr0710]

I have a picture of myself as a baby with my Mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother all standing together in front of the g-g's house. Years later, when I was an adult, we stood in the same spot for a picture, but without the g-g, who died when I was about four. 

[+ Charlie]

None of my great-grandparents were alive when I was born, but one of my great-grandmothers had a younger sister who was only slightly older than my grandmother, and I knew her when I was a child (I just called her Aunt Nettie), so there is probably an old photo somewhere of me, my father, my grandmother and her aunt, 4 generations together.

I also have a photo of my spouse's grandmother holding my spouse's infant niece, her first great-grandchild.

My mother's sister had her first and only child at 17, her daughter had her first son at 20, and he had his first child at 22, so my aunt was only 59 when she saw her first great-grandchild, and since she lived to be 85, she saw several great-grandchildren grow up. My mother also had a cousin who did not marry young, but her daughter did, and since the cousin lived to 97, she saw her great-grandchildren.

The key is obviously early marriages and long lives.

[+ WilliamM]

My mother was the youngest of eight children and lived to be 91 and never had any grey hair.

She tried to stay with her favorite hairdressers, but every new hairdresser asked her what color she used.

My mom just rolled her eyes

Her niece is 97 years old  she is my first cousin

Edited November 8, 2022 by WilliamM

[+ Coolwave35]

4. Now only 3. 

[MikeBiDude]

8 minutes ago, Coolwave35 said:

4. Now only 3. 

Same

[Luv2play]

8 hours ago, mike carey said:

One of my paternal great-grandmothers died when I was about one, but otherwise I only knew two grandparents. My maternal grandfather died when my mother was eight.

One of my paternal great-grandmothers died when I was three. I only knew one grandparent. That was my maternal grandfather, who died when I was eight. 

Interesting juxtaposition with Mike Carey's experience.

[MikeBiDude]

I knew my maternal great grandmother. That maternal great grandfather was alive when I was born…but died when I was very young. On the paternal side the great grandfather wasn’t alive, but my Mexican great grandmother lived to 99 years old and I knew knew her until I was maybe 12-13. Still make some of her recipes.

[+ Summerson]

My family tree is a little unconventional, starting with the fact that my grandmothers were a pair of identical twins. (Yep, I've heard all the "marry your cousin" jokes, but it was legal in my home state back then and my parents were actually great together.) I was born and raised in a big old farmhouse with my parents, three siblings, both grandmothers, and my maternal grandfather. My great-grandmother (the mother of both of my grandmothers) lived on another farm close by, with my great-uncle (my grandmothers' half-brother) and great-aunt. She died at the age of 106. I was five then, but I remember her. She loved tomatoes and we would sit on the porch and eat sliced tomatoes together. 

My siblings are all much older than I am (25, 22, and 18 years). My niece is only three years younger than I am, so technically we did have five generations alive for about two years, although of course she doesn't remember her great-great-grandmother because she was only two when she died. 

 

[+ purplekow]

One the older end.my maternal great grandfather lived with my grandfather and grandmother and aunt in a three family house that was around the corner from my house.   I have vague recollections of him and my grandparents who all died within a 5 year period from when I was 5 to 9.   My paternal grandmother lived with me and died when her oldest granddaughters both had children.  

Now that I am in the senior division, I have a 2 great grand nieces and many grand nieces and grand nephews, 12 in all and 3 of those are in their 20s and several of them are in their teens.  So 4 generations though when my mother was alive it would have been 5.  

[+ Charlie]

10 hours ago, Summerson said:

My family tree is a little unconventional, starting with the fact that my grandmothers were a pair of identical twins. (Yep, I've heard all the "marry your cousin" jokes, but it was legal in my home state back then and my parents were actually great together.) I was born and raised in a big old farmhouse with my parents, three siblings, both grandmothers, and my maternal grandfather. My great-grandmother (the mother of both of my grandmothers) lived on another farm close by, with my great-uncle (my grandmothers' half-brother) and great-aunt. She died at the age of 106. I was five then, but I remember her. She loved tomatoes and we would sit on the porch and eat sliced tomatoes together. 

My siblings are all much older than I am (25, 22, and 18 years). My niece is only three years younger than I am, so technically we did have five generations alive for about two years, although of course she doesn't remember her great-great-grandmother because she was only two when she died. 

 

On my mother's side, my grandparents were a brother and sister who married a brother and sister. It meant that my mother and three of her cousins all shared exactly the same grandparents, and they all lived together in the same household for a while. Because they were all part of the same gene pool, my mother and her female cousins even looked alike, which meant that neighbors and teachers often assumed they were all sisters. (And, no, this was not in Appalachia--it was in suburban New Jersey.)

[+ azdr0710]

22 hours ago, WilliamM said:

She tried to stay with her favorite hairdressers, but every new hairdresser asked her what color she used.

My mom just rolled her eyes

 

speaking of this, the great-grandmother I mentioned upthread was discovered dead, according to family lore, when she didn't show up for her standing beauty parlor appointment and somebody went to investigate.......(small town Kansas!)

Edited November 9, 2022 by azdr0710

[Rudynate]

I just knew my maternal grandparents.   But I just recently received information that allowed me to trace my mother's family history back to the 17th century. 

I was always frustrated asking her about her ancestors, because there was so little she could tell me.  Apparently, my grandparents weren't very communicative.  Not long ago, a Canadian woman contacted me from 23andme and wanted to compare notes to see if we were related.  It turned out we were - her great-great-great grandfather was my great-great grandfather.   With information I got from her, I was able to trace my mother's family history all the way back to the original ancestor who had migrated to Canada from France in the 17th century.   I found a facebook group for people with that surname.  They credit my ancestor for being the first migrant to the new world with that surname.

[+ purplekow]

13 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

I just knew my maternal grandparents.   But I just recently received information that allowed me to trace my mother's family history back to the 17th century. 

I was always frustrated asking her about her ancestors, because there was so little she could tell me.  Apparently, my grandparents weren't very communicative.  Not long ago, a Canadian woman contacted me from 23andme and wanted to compare notes to see if we were related.  It turned out we were - her great-great-great grandfather was my great-great grandfather.   With information I got from her, I was able to trace my mother's family history all the way back to the original ancestor who had migrated to Canada from France in the 17th century.   I found a facebook group for people with that surname.  They credit my ancestor for being the first migrant to the new world with that surname.

If I understand the terminology correctly, that makes you third cousins once removed.  

I believe you count the number of shared grands and greats and that classifies you as that many generations of cousins and then you count the number of greats left in the longer lineage and the left over grands are the number of times removed.   So great great grand is third cousins and her left over grand makes you once removed.  

Edited November 9, 2022 by purplekow

[Rudynate]

12 minutes ago, purplekow said:

If I understand the terminology correctly, that makes you third cousins once removed.  

I believe you count the number of shared grands and greats and that classifies you as that many generations of cousins and then you count the number of greats left in the longer lineage and the left over grands are the number of times removed.   So great great grand is third cousins and her left over grand makes you once removed.  

Just what the 23andme software predicted.

[CuriousByNature]

1 hour ago, purplekow said:

If I understand the terminology correctly, that makes you third cousins once removed.  

I believe you count the number of shared grands and greats and that classifies you as that many generations of cousins and then you count the number of greats left in the longer lineage and the left over grands are the number of times removed.   So great great grand is third cousins and her left over grand makes you once removed.  

I think they may be 4th cousins once removed...  2nd cousins share a great-grandparent, 3rd cousins a great-great, and 4th cousins a great-great-great.  But this always confuses me.  They also are 3rd cousins once removed in the other direction because one of her parents would be Rudynate's 3rd cousin because the two of them would have shared a great-great grandfather.

[pubic_assistance]

I knew my great grandparents and had them around for a while. My cousins were all sluts and got pregnant in high school. Their kids were sluts and also got preggers very young. So they got to know my grandmother who was their great-great grandmother .

[+ Summerson]

58 minutes ago, pubic_assistance said:

My cousins were all sluts and got pregnant in high school. Their kids were sluts and also got preggers very young. 

Hooray for slutty cousins! I adore all of mine and I spoil their kids rotten, just to drive their parents crazy! 

[Phlmuscle]

I knew my Great Grandparents on both sides until I was in College.