It takes two or three generations (and deaths) till a family tragedy becomes an interesting anecdote. A friend of mine found out his great-grandfather was shot to death while robbing a bank. His grandmother had told the family that her father died in his sleep. He decided not to correct her, on the grounds that she would have been young enough at the time that it may well have been what the family told her.

My grandmother was born when her older sister was 18. Supposedly, her sister was completely embarrassed by this, because she figured that anyone looking at their family (with three kids, born 1899, 1909, and 1917) would assume that the baby was actually hers.

But you kind of can't ask that of a 70 year old man you've just met, can you?

Yeah, not so much.

And to Hil's point, I have wondered recently if the childhood friend I had with an older mother and grown siblings (by the time we were friends at age 11 or so) was actually the child of one of her sisters.

Although that family is all spread out! That seems legit. This one I knew was one with a bunch of kids clustered together and then one like 15 years later.

Speaking of having kids, a totally inappropriate note from my job: A coworker is currently pregnant with her seventh child, and I thought, "If anyone would have 7 kids in this day and age, it's someone named Mary [Irish Name] [Italian Name]."

It takes two or three generations (and deaths) till a family tragedy becomes an interesting anecdote.

And look! Another plot bunny is born.

Seven children? Better her than me, that's my reaction.

Speaking of, my young Morman cousin who got married in 2011 and had her first child a year later is now officially trying for the next one. Apparently she wants to catch up to her sisters-in-law (who have 5-7 kids each).

I think a "menopause baby" is not that unusual in general. I know a couple of people who are their parents' late "oops" kid and have much older siblings. But there's a difference in plausibility between a baby at 42 and a baby at 56!

How good is ancestry.com? I have a ton of info about both sides of my family and have always wanted to dig deeper. Is it worth the money?

If you know you'll have a block of time to focus on it, you can just pay for a month to so and get all the details. Once you have people in your tree you can access them after the paid time lapses--you just can't access any documentation.

I filled in my tree to the 1600s for some branches. Everything now calls for the international price, so I'm gonna hold off on that until I know I'll have time and energy to deal.

My dad did the Nat. Geo. DNA test, where they trace your DNA out of Africa. Finns have a weird path.

One of my friends has six kids. The first three were born while she was still in grad school. I have no idea how she did it.

I am amazed that I seem to have no relatives that have spent time in jail.

One of my relatives was the first person in New Jersey convicted under Prohibition. It was later overturned, in a ruling that pretty obviously resulted from someone being paid off. He also testified in the Lindbergh baby trial, and as far as I can tell, lied under oath.