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In reply to the discussion: I just found out that one of my great great grandfathers served on the Confederate side [View all]flamingdem
(39,313 posts)When I discovered who he was via ancestry.com there were many amazing details that made me think we inherit the brains of our ancestors in ways we don't realize. I'm lucky because his speeches are online and he wrote a book so there is a way to see how he thought.
All of that validated the fact that I think about politics when most people are thinking about sports or whatever and now I don't feel as bad about my obsession knowing it's inherited! There is now an explanation for why other relatives do things like stand on roadsides with political signs etc. unpaid things that they seem driven to do.. and it's wonderful to have found this connection to an abolitionist in the family who probably would have appreciated Obama as he did Lincoln, and Greeley who was very progressive in his time. Finding him made Lincoln's life come alive for me as well. I'm sure you must feel some similar things about your ancestors.