Tis a very interesting thing indeed...there are many in my family who are avid ancestral investigators, so I tend to leave it to them. Interesting what gets uncovered, especially the scoundrels! My mother's family come from Ireland, my father's from Devon/Cornwall and his mother's from Portugal. Our Irish connection is well documented....the heirachy system of "kingship" in Ireland is quite unusual, quite unlike those in other countries. I love history as I think a lot of quilters do. Any famous quilters in anyone's line?