I know you are but what am I?

I just learned how to create a different kind of report out of my family tree software. I feel pretty dumb considering how long I've used the software, but hey, it was hidden!!!

It's called an Ahnentafel report. Yes, yes, the name is wonderful just on its own, go ahead, say it out loud a few times. It's very satisfying. Kind of like when PeeWee Herman speaks french in his movie (go on, go look, I'll wait, skip ahead to about 4:25 in the clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq-7sGKnZUw&feature=related).

sigh. I miss PeeWee.

But beyond that, the report is a cool report because it goes backwards! Most genealogy reports start with the oldest person, list their kids, then list the kids of their kids, and so on and so on until you get totally lost and just pretend to be interested. This report lists you first, then lists your parents, their parents parents and so on and so on and so on.

I ran the report on me to see who my oldest direct ancestor was in my research and I came up with this guy:

Cerdic, King of Wessex

It's pronounced Kur-dick, or you can use the boston celtics pronunciation if you prefer.

He is 50 generations back from me!

Now don't get me wrong, I take a lot of this stuff with a grain of salt, and I don't have the documentation in place to prove that there is a direct link. I'm working on that. I'm pretty source happy at this point, but I'm focusing more on the last 4 or 5 generations, because if I can't prove them, I certainly can't prove I'm related to Grandpa Cerdic now can I?

Here's a picture of him from John Speed's Saxon Heptarchy. Can you see the family resemblance?

Here's him:










And here's me:












Definitely in the eyes, we're a lot alike.

Of course, this painting is from 1,000 years after he lived, and my picture is filled with early 90s Spiral Perm, so neither may not that accurate.