Pleasant surprises, or just a can of worms?

[#1]

Been spending time and too much of it over the last couple of years researching my family history and crikey, what pleasant surprises..... along with a whole can of worms.

The worms I'll not mention here - apart from a great Granny that died in a workhouse, but the big surprise was to find that my surname and therefore literally multiple dozens of my co-descendants have (ahem) one that might not have been added to which, the 'correct' one traces back six generations to one particular village in Cumbria and from there to one particular farm. No royalty found (thankfully) but one great uncle from this until now unknown paternal line who captained a ship at the Battle of Jutland. 

Has anybody else been surprised by their past?  

[#2]

Big surprise to me was that the step father of the next door neighbour who we'd lived beside for a number of years was my 5th cousin once removed!

[#3]

We made good friends with a guy overseas only to find out later that his great grandfather lived directly opposite one of mine in the early 1900s. They must have known each other - as folks did in those days. Although he was from a totally separate County back in the UK, his was such an unusual surname that the connection with his ancestor was easily and immediately made. 

Just amazing.

[#4]

Not really a discovery as such but both my grandfathers shared exactly the same two forenames.

[#5]

My sister is "into that"... and she has traced our family line back, reporting to me that I am related to Captain Cook . but I have never done any personal research into it.

[#6]

My brother is into all that. Though I do have an interesting picture hung on the wall. Apparently my Great (a few times) Grandfather was a member of the Arethusa crew. The picture made out of the usual woolly sock remnants and the frame is supposed to be made from wood off the wrecked ship.

[#7]

I got confirmation of something I thought was a family myth.

My  (several) Greats grandfather was deported for stealing a sheep, leaving behind a wife and 2 young children.  We haven't traced his line yet.

[#8]

That can be confusing but I can top that Mav (sorry) with two second great maternal grandmothers sharing the exact same forename and surname name - yet they were not related other than through their descendants. I was convinced they were, or that I had made a mistake and I was looking at the same person twice but that was not the case. There are only so many names in the hat so to speak but it's really bewildering when it happens.... and no mistake. 

For anybody thinking of doing family research, be prepared if like me you get hooked - as like Topsy said in Uncle Tom's Cabin who, when asked about God, says "I s'pect I growed and growed....". Family numbers become HUGE after just a few generations!