Secrets from the cold war are starting to be declassified and published, I gather. In the past couple of days, I have learned to my complete astonishment that an uncle I never met* was the scientist in charge of designing and making high-tech assasination devices for MI5 and MI6 in the 50s and into the 60s. I have no idea how I feel about it. That’s about as close to being “Q” (in the James Bond sense) as makes no difference.
The distressing part is my suspicion that some of these were tested on british soldiers, and there was at least one fatality among the soldiers who’d volunteered to be test subjects, who weren’t told the true nature of the tests. I really hope that the fatal test was an accident, not an intentionally fatal final “live test” of a weapon before it was used in the field.
*Though I did stay with his widow for a week in 1979.
And here I thought you were going to say you were descended from Charlegmagne, the Knight’s Templars and Jesus himself. And that three brothers from the Old Country came to the New World seeking their fortune. (Those are favorite amateur genealogist memes)
I would just think about it as a cool fact about your family. There’s always some dark patches in each person’s family. Everyone is likely to uncover thieves, murderers and other criminals in their family tree (myself included). Cousins marrying other cousins, slave owners, ancestors that fought on the “wrong” side of each war; it’s all commonplace and adds some color to our family. I would never presume to stand in judgement over the decisions made by my ancestors.
One of my cousins was researching the family tree. We all promised to chip in on a full page ad in the hometown paper if she found a black person in the family tree just to teach the older generation a lesson. None were found, dang it. But one of my cousins did marry a black person.
Wow, that’s crazy.
My mom did a lot of genealogy research when she was still alive. The highlight that I remember were the twin sisters Maude and Claude (seriously) who were “ladies of the night” and were convicted of murdering their pimp, or whatever a pimp was called in the late 1800’s.
Also, one of my ancestors was a carpenter aboard the Bon Homme Richard captained by John Paul Jones. My granny was a Daughter of the American Revolution as a result (DAR). I think there has been a certain snoodiness associated with it but it is interesting just the same. One of her ancestors, an Irish immigrant worked on the Erie Canal in NY state. Well enough of that.
True, unless the scandalous behavior is of an immediate family member rather than an ancestor.
Then it’s not much fun.
But I suppose it will add some spice to future family genealogists efforts.
One day, someone will say, “Our great great…cowtime was reputed to be a known whistler and posted her opinions feverously on something called the interweb. It’s true.”
-I learned through a sibling of an infamous ancestor, the regicide known as MacBeth. I’d have been happy to have had Linnaeus, Galileo, Da Vinci or other luminaries, but this is no source of pride. It is cause, however, to examine relationship dynamics whenever “Out, out damned spot..!” is heard.
