It isn’t unusual for a family to have some sort of legend. Maybe it’s a legend surrounding the family’s arrival in a country or that there’s an ancestral castle waiting to be claimed. Maybe it’s a story about how you’re supposedly related to someone famous. You could explore how you proved or disproved the story. Then there are the “tall tales” that seem to get taller at every telling! Family Legend is this weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
Another way you could look at this prompt is someone who did something legendary or was considered a legend in their line of work or in their community.
Week 33 – Family Legend
I think the biggest “tall tale” I was ever told was about my third great-grandfather, George Brand. When I discovered George, and that he was a convict, I spoke to my grandmother. She said “I wondered when you would find out about him. Did you know he only stole a loaf of bread and he was sent to Australia!”
Many years later I was to discover that George did not just steal a loaf of bread. When I found the records I discovered it was over 574 pages of documents. The theft included cloth, tartan, blankets, dresses, shawls, handkerchiefs, mohair, cheese, and rum with the amount stolen running to a number of pages in length.
I have written many times about George Brand and you can read more about him in:
The five part series George Brand: A Convict Success Story or
