A professor at a state university can trace his ancestry back almost 80 generations to what world-famous figure?
(And, no, this has nothing to do with French kings, Leonardo or the Vatican.) +++++++++++++++++ 05-31-06, 03:53 PM mozart56 Could it be Professor Golden Smith,Jewish Professor of Modern History at Oxford University,who claims he goes back to Jacob?
05-31-06, 07:13 PM DorianGreyed It could be, but Jacob isn't the one I had in mind. I think Jacob would be more than 80 generations, though. The professor I mention is more or less unchallenged in his lineage, meaning that his descent from the "world-famous figure" is almost a certainty. Remember, the answer is the world-famous figure, not someone alive today.
05-31-06, 09:03 PM Professor 80 generations is on the order of 2000 years, a remarkable claim. Can you clarify whether "tracing his ancestory" derives from some kind of documents rather than time-obscured oral tradition?
05-31-06, 09:25 PM DorianGreyed No, I really can't. However, the ancestor was always well-known, and his family and descendants always known.
06-01-06, 10:30 AM aminator2002 Caesar?
06-01-06, 11:06 AM DorianGreyed Nope. I can't recall having read anything of Caesar's descendants past his son with Cleopatra (a nice Macedonian girl).
06-01-06, 03:18 PM mozart56 I know it's not the answer but I thought I'd share this. Confucius just had an 80th generation grand- grand.........son.
06-01-06, 03:31 PM DorianGreyed You chose wisely, Grasshopper.
Confucius' descendants were identified and honored by the imperial government. They were honored the rank of a marquis 35 times since Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and they were promoted to the rank of duke 42 times from the Tang Dynasty to 1935. One of the most common titles is Duke Yansheng (衍聖公 Yǎnsh�ng gōng), which means "overflowing with sainthood." The latest descendant is K'ung Te-ch'eng (孔德成 Kǒng D�ch�ng) (born 1920), who is of the 77th generation and a professor at National Taiwan University; he married Sun Qifang, the great-granddaughter of the Qing dynasty scholar-official and first president of Beijing University Sun Jianai, whose Shouxian, Anhui, family created one of the first business combines in modern-day China that included the largest flour mill in Asia, the Fou Foong Flour Company 福豐麵粉廠. The Kongs are related by marriage to a number of prominent Confucian families, among them that of the Song dynasty prime minister and martyr Wen Tianxiang 文天祥. - Reference.com
Today, there are thousands of reputed descendants of Confucius. The main lineage fled from the Kong ancestral home in Qufu to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. The latest head of the household is K'ung Te-ch'eng who is of the 77th generation and a professor at National Taiwan University. The Republic of China appointed him President of the Examination Yuan. Kung married Sun Qifang, the great-granddaughter of the Qing dynasty scholar-official and first president of Beijing University Sun Jianai, whose Shouxian, Anhui, family created one of the first business combines in modern-day China, which included the largest flour mill in Asia, the Fou Foong Flour Company 福豐麵粉廠. The Kongs are related by marriage to a number of prominent Confucian families, among them that of the Song Dynasty prime minister and martyr Wen Tianxiang. - Wikipedia.org -------- the Fou Foong Flour Company 福豐麵粉廠???? I wonder if the Fou Fong Flour Company has a foundation.
06-04-06, 06:01 PM Sailracer It is very hard to respond to some of DG's questions, as he has been around and lived through these times! Razz
06-04-06, 06:35 PM DorianGreyed Yes, I remember K'ung-fu-tzu well. I was but a child when he told me not to play near the house of some mean woman, Ka' ro, whom he described as "a caster of spells."
