War stories from YOUR ancient relatives
- Thread starter Haig
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History_Buff
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Jewel Runner
If there was any confusion, I'm not anti-immigrant at all. I was just poking a little fun at Quackers, who is.
aronnax
Let your spirit be free
Darn you Europeans with your cool well-record genealogies and your massive international migration shifts.
All I have are peasants upon peasants all living in the same tiny village in the middle of Fujian.
All I have are peasants upon peasants all living in the same tiny village in the middle of Fujian.
TheLastOne36
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Maybe a question more deserving of the history questions not worth their own threads thread, but how well recorded are family genealogies and records in East Asia?
Can people trace their lineages back centuries? Or is that something exclusive to the privileged classes? (If at all)
History_Buff
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Eh, if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure that my family were just generations of Czech and Irish peasants.
madviking
north american scum
My mother's family were a bunch of Saint Petersburg bourgeoisie and my father's family were a bunch of farmers/soldiers.
I've read that Confucius's family is traceable back to the 6th century B.C., if that helps. I read the Wiki on his family a while ago, and he still has descendants alive today.
aronnax
Let your spirit be free
That depends on which side your family sided with during the Civil War. Nothing says destroyed links with your ancestral village like running from the Communist to Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Other Places.
By right, if you can locate your ancestral village, you can find the clan book in the local temple that records family history like my family. My grandfather was first generation Singaporean and returned back when China opened up so there are links despite me never being there. I do have my name 'brushed' in there.
However, most overseas Chinese diaspora who do not keep in contact with their ancestral villages (especially difficult after the Communist victory) probably will have a difficult time finding records. This is especially true for families whose ancestors migrated in the 19th century.
I imagine that most of the young Chinese diaspora in the Americas and Australia probably cannot trace their roots unless their grandparents are still alive.
classical_hero
In whom I trust
I know that my Paternal Grandfather was part of the D-Day invasion. This is due to the fact that he has medal awarded to him for his exploits. I don't know much about what he did in the army since I didn't talk to him much. My maternal Grandfather also fought in the war, but I don't know what he did and since both are now deceased I will never know.
History_Buff
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Is which side your ancestors fought for/happened to be on during the civil war a big thing in China these days? Genuinely curious.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Some cousin of my grandfather was a Republican aviator in the Spanish Civil War. He got killed during the fall of Catalonia, probably trying to fly his aircraft to the Central Zone.
My maternal grand-uncle died fighting Germans in Kolobrzeg (Kolberg) city and is buried there.
My maternal grand-aunt was in the army as well and accompanied the army up to Wrocław (Breslau), if I'm not mistaken.
My maternal grandfather's two children died during some bombardement. They went outside, and when they returned, their house was destroyed.
My maternal family was moved after ww2 from Ukraine to western Poland. Allegedly originally my maternal grandmother's family didn't want to go, but someone there, who was a postman, was summoned to Moscow. They got so scared from it that they packed and went to Poland the same day. My mother once mentioned that my grandmother had to prove she's Polish, so perhaps it was not that obvious.
Also, my grandma once mentioned some German who told my grand-aunt that she's too nice to be polish or something.
My paternal grand-uncle or something was shot by Germans, but I think he survived. You see, a dead German was found in the vicinity of this village (nominally a quarter of Rzeszow), so Germans killed every male in it. There is a mass grave there, we always put a light there.
There were also two other stories, one told by my grand-aunts about Germans visiting their house, but some my grand-grandmother was just dieing, so they went out.
The other is about some "aunt", who had a romance with a German occupation soldier, who came from Sudetenland. The polish resistance decided to kill her, but they've made a mistake and killed the wrong sister. Later on, her mother recognised them in the city and made a scene, so they killed the mother and the father as well. The girl herself ran away. The resistance asked my grandma for where she's gone, but she refused to tell. They wanted to kill her as well, but eventually didn't. After the war, the "aunt" and the Sudetenguy moved to the USA and had a child, but later divorced.
That's all I remember.
My maternal grand-aunt was in the army as well and accompanied the army up to Wrocław (Breslau), if I'm not mistaken.
My maternal grandfather's two children died during some bombardement. They went outside, and when they returned, their house was destroyed.
My maternal family was moved after ww2 from Ukraine to western Poland. Allegedly originally my maternal grandmother's family didn't want to go, but someone there, who was a postman, was summoned to Moscow. They got so scared from it that they packed and went to Poland the same day. My mother once mentioned that my grandmother had to prove she's Polish, so perhaps it was not that obvious.
Also, my grandma once mentioned some German who told my grand-aunt that she's too nice to be polish or something.
My paternal grand-uncle or something was shot by Germans, but I think he survived. You see, a dead German was found in the vicinity of this village (nominally a quarter of Rzeszow), so Germans killed every male in it. There is a mass grave there, we always put a light there.
There were also two other stories, one told by my grand-aunts about Germans visiting their house, but some my grand-grandmother was just dieing, so they went out.
The other is about some "aunt", who had a romance with a German occupation soldier, who came from Sudetenland. The polish resistance decided to kill her, but they've made a mistake and killed the wrong sister. Later on, her mother recognised them in the city and made a scene, so they killed the mother and the father as well. The girl herself ran away. The resistance asked my grandma for where she's gone, but she refused to tell. They wanted to kill her as well, but eventually didn't. After the war, the "aunt" and the Sudetenguy moved to the USA and had a child, but later divorced.
That's all I remember.
Dreadnought
Deity
My great-grandfather served in the American army during WW1; he was gassed but managed to survive the war. He was never the same in constitution afterwards, and died after a short time due to complications with the gassing.
My grandfather served in the 101st Airborne during WW2. During the siege of Bastogne, their medic was killed by mortar fire, and the commanding officer went around looking for a replacement. Naturally they couldn't find an actual medic...but, because my grandfather was a pre-med student before the war, he was the best alternative they could find. As you all may know, being a pre-med student does nothing to help you care for actual humans (all he knew was some biology and how to dissect worms), and the worst part was, he wasn't allowed to carry around a weapon. He instead found a German officer's pistol and would keep it under his vest secretly.
My grandfather served in the 101st Airborne during WW2. During the siege of Bastogne, their medic was killed by mortar fire, and the commanding officer went around looking for a replacement. Naturally they couldn't find an actual medic...but, because my grandfather was a pre-med student before the war, he was the best alternative they could find. As you all may know, being a pre-med student does nothing to help you care for actual humans (all he knew was some biology and how to dissect worms), and the worst part was, he wasn't allowed to carry around a weapon. He instead found a German officer's pistol and would keep it under his vest secretly.
madviking
north american scum
That's a really cool story.
DroopyTofu
Double Bass Double Bass
My grandmother's grandfather fought in the Battle in the Clouds on Lookout Mountain near Chattannooga, TN. He was on the Confederate side, I think fighting in an Alabama regiment. He lost his hearing after standing too close to a cannon shot and died years later walking on a railroad track when he couldn't hear the train coming. I'm not sure what other battles he was in, but I assume Lookout Mountain was his last.
My grandfather fought in Europe in World War II and survived, but he died before I was born so I don't know much about his experience.
My grandfather fought in Europe in World War II and survived, but he died before I was born so I don't know much about his experience.
aronnax
Let your spirit be free
Technically neither?
My Grandfather on my Father's side immigrated age 9 to Singapore before the Communist-Guomingdang struggle really flared up after the war. I am pretty sure my Grandfather was not so much a Communist or Guomingdang supporter, but just a supporter of China whoever was in control of Beijing.
He and my grandmother last visited my ancestral village in 1950 and didn't visit again till the 1990s.
My Grandfather on my mother's side was an immigrant from Central Coastal China and he was the real Communist supporter. He taught my mother Communist Chinese songs, praised Mao Zedong daily and had a series of Mao memorabilia.
Neither were chased away but emigrated to Singapore due to economic pulls.
