FamilySearch "First Ancestor Pedigree"
Most of us are accustomed to starting our family tree with ourselves and working backward, but this approach is not universal. Chinese and Korean families, for example, generally keep a book of their ancestors starting with their "First Ancestor" and showing each generation coming down to the present. About 18 months ago, FamilySearch launched a report format that will do this.
It was enlightening for my friend to see at a glance the eight Bradshaw generations someone had entered on their FamilySearch tree (pictured here in black and white). She was surprised to learn about the Bradshaw ancestors who'd lived and died in Lancashire, England.
Our research, starting with her and going backwards, had coincidentally ended where this diagram left off: with James John Bradshaw. Supposedly born in 1717 in County Down, Ireland, this James Bradshaw is her fifth great-grandfather. The place and date of his birth is still unconfirmed, as are (frankly) all the other names and dates.
Still, the First Ancestor Pedigree puts an interesting new spin on family history research. Read more about it here.
