Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings weekly challenge for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is Four Degrees of Separation:

1)  Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with FOUR degrees of separation?  That means “you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor, who knew another ancestor, who knew another ancestor.”  When was that fourth ancestor born?

Most of my four degrees of separation don’t seem to go back all that far, relatively speaking, because of ancestors with short life spans or missing records where I have no exact year of birth or death.

Here are my cleanest lines:

1. Me – I knew my father, George Michael Sabo (1926-1985).
My father knew his paternal grandfather, Stephen Kucharik (1855-1933). Stephen, in turn, knew his own father, John Kucharik (1820-1893). I assume that John knew his own father, George Kucharik, but I have  no years of birth or death for him because my Slovak village church records begin in 1828. George was likely born in the 1790s and I have no idea who George’s parents were or if they lived long enough to meet their grandson.

2. Me – I knew Nana, Julia Scerbak Sabo (1893-1985) very well, having lived with her until I left for college! Nana knew her paternal grandmother, Maria Patorai Scerbak (1839-1912). Maria knew her own mother, Anna Szurgent  Patorai (c1813-1873). However, those village church records don’t go back far enough to document anyone else.

My maternal lines at least get well back into the 1700s.

3. Me – I knew my grandfather, Vernon Tarbox Adams (1899-1968).
Grandfather knew his grandfather, Calvin Segee Adams (1843-1921). Calvin knew his father, Thomas Adams (1783-1859). Thomas, in turn, knew his father, John Adams (c1740-1818+). However, this was a Loyalist family from Connecticut, where records are sometimes incomplete. I don’t think Thomas ever met any relatives left behind when the family removed to New Brunswick, Canada.

4. Me – I knew my grandmother, Hazel Ethel Coleman Adams (1901-1995) well. She knew her grandmother, Sarah Moriah Crouse Coleman (1833-1930) well. Sarah, in turn, knew her paternal grandfather well, too – Philip Crouse (1761-1857). However, Philip was a Loyalist, too, and nothing is really known about his family. He left North Carolina after the American Revolution and settled in New Brunswick, Canada. I assume he at least knew his father, but have no facts about his parents or possible siblings.

My longest trail of four degrees of separation then is my maternal grandfather’s line, back to Loyalist John Adams, born c1740.