Negotiating With The Taliban.

[derspiess]

There is nothing so depressing than looking at the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules and seeing all the anonymous poor bastards your ancestors used to own.

I haven't found any evidence of any of my ancestors owning slaves.  Not sure I'd lose sleep if they had, though.

[Eddie Teach]

There is nothing so depressing than looking at the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules and seeing all the anonymous poor bastards your ancestors used to own.

I haven't found any evidence of any of my ancestors owning slaves.  Not sure I'd lose sleep if they had, though.

It's guaranteed if you go far enough back.

[Valmy]

Yeah, kind of a distinction without a difference, though.

It just occurred to me when you said Jackson was an American officer that he never technically was and I found that sort of awesome and mindblowing.  Obviously it did not interest you at all and I apologize.  For fucksake.

And you can call the Confederates the bad guys, on the wrong side, whatever-- and you'd be right.  They were still Americans, like it or not.

I have never disputed that.  I have never heard Confederate Officers referred to as 'American Officers' before.  They certainly did not refer to themselves that way.   So it was confusing to me and made me think of the other General Jackson.

[derspiess]

There is nothing so depressing than looking at the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules and seeing all the anonymous poor bastards your ancestors used to own.

I haven't found any evidence of any of my ancestors owning slaves.  Not sure I'd lose sleep if they had, though.

It's guaranteed if you go far enough back.

How far?

[Valmy]

There is nothing so depressing than looking at the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules and seeing all the anonymous poor bastards your ancestors used to own.

I haven't found any evidence of any of my ancestors owning slaves.  Not sure I'd lose sleep if they had, though.

What exactly does it mean to 'lose sleep' over something in this context and why are you telling me this?  Being confronted with the reality of slavery, especially on a personal level, is pretty grim.  Doesn't mean I was up all night sobbing.

[Eddie Teach]

How far?

When slavery was commonplace in Europe.

[derspiess]

What exactly does it mean to 'lose sleep' over something in this context and why are you telling me this?  Being confronted with the reality of slavery, especially on a personal level, is pretty grim.  Doesn't mean I was up all night sobbing.

Just saying it would not depress me to learn that some of my ancestors may have owned slaves at some point.  Slavery was bad enough as it was.

[derspiess]

How far?

When slavery was commonplace in Europe.

Is there much documentation going back that far?

[Eddie Teach]

The guarantee is that some of your ancestors owned slaves(and some were slaves). Not that it's possible for you to find evidence.

If you go back 30 generations or so the number of ancestors you have would roughly equal the world's population.

[Valmy]

Just saying it would not depress me to learn that some of my ancestors may have owned slaves at some point.  Slavery was bad enough as it was.

The depressing part was just seeing that list.  It just lists their age, gender, owner, and race (black or mulatto).  I was able to figure out who a few of them were and what became of them but, you know, still a bummer.  And I always suspected the Marylanders owned slaves but it is something different to see them all listed out like that.  I never feel personally responsible for anything my ancestors did, but I am fond of them.  They are my peeps.

[Valmy]

The guarantee is that some of your ancestors owned slaves(and some were slaves). Not that it's possible for you to find evidence.

If you go back 30 generations or so the number of ancestors you have would roughly equal the world's population.

2^61 of my ancestors may have known Julius Caesar!  Out of the 2,300,000,000,000,000,000 of them I am sure at least one said hi.

[derspiess]

Just saying it would not depress me to learn that some of my ancestors may have owned slaves at some point.  Slavery was bad enough as it was.

The depressing part was just seeing that list.  It just lists their age, gender, owner, and race (black or mulatto).  I was able to figure out who a few of them were and what became of them but, you know, still a bummer.  And I always suspected the Marylanders owned slaves but it is something different to see them all listed out like that.  I never feel personally responsible for anything my ancestors did, but I am fond of them.  They are my peeps.

You've piqued my interest.  Where do you find these lists or whatever?  From some recent searches I did, my people came through Virginia, Massachusetts and New York and worked their way through PA and western Virginia, mostly ending up in Ohio (with a few in the extreme western corner of what is now West Virginia).  Seems unlikely that any of them would have owned slaves, but it'd be interesting to check.

[crazy canuck]

How far?

When slavery was commonplace in Europe.

Why would his ancestors be the owners?

[Valmy]

How far?

When slavery was commonplace in Europe.

Why would his ancestors be the owners?

Because he has millions of ancestors from that era.  It would unbelievably unlikely to not be descended from both the slaves and the masters.

But you will never know their names and how you are descended from them so it is rather more theoretical.

[Valmy]

You've piqued my interest.  Where do you find these lists or whatever?  From some recent searches I did, my people came through Virginia, Massachusetts and New York and worked their way through PA and western Virginia, mostly ending up in Ohio (with a few in the extreme western corner of what is now West Virginia).  Seems unlikely that any of them would have owned slaves, but it'd be interesting to check.

Ancestry.  I can look for you if you wanna PM me their names and place of residence.  I can search any census from 1790 - 1860 without too much trouble.  I can then email you the documents if I find anything.