Pancho Villa stole my grandpa's grandpa's cow.

[retromike22]

People tell their children about events they experienced when they were young, and then when the children get older they continue to share some of those stories with others. After a while, the subject of that particular story dies, along with the ones they first told it to. So the memory itself is only passed along by those who never met the original person. If nobody remembers it (or cares to write it down), it's lost forever.

But I think it's important to ask older relatives about the stories that they have heard, because they could be the last ones to store an interesting or amusing story.

Here's one to get started:

My grandpa's grandpa had a cow at his farm in Mexico, and during the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa and a few other revolutionaries stole it

So share some past family stories.

[Ebowed]

Paternally I come from a line of pig farmers who produced many impoverished alcoholics and idle sitters.

My maternal grandfather, however, had two wives before 1950, who both died a year after he married them.  Fortunately, he met my grandmother.  Third time lucky, you know.  He was adopted and knew little of his family history, wounded in war, went to university in his late 20s, and retired as a minister to the prisoners of northern California.  He seemed to be quite well liked by his community, especially those he attended church with.  If I can pick an inspirational figure in my lineage, I'll go with him, though I base this more on his life story than my actual interactions with him.  He was quite conservative in many ways, a product of his era.  My father, who spoke minimal English when they met, was shocked to find that he would put ketchup on spaghetti and Chinese food, among other things.  Though I know people my age who now do this.  It's probably not a very good indicator, but I chose it instead of disparaging my grandfather for his more unfortunate beliefs.

[DKrol]

My great-grandfather grew up on a farm in Plymouth, Vermont. He used to pick apples and do odd jobs for Calvin Coolidge and his father.

[The Free North]

My great grandparents ran away from Mussolini

[afleitch]

My papa saw things and met people in battle at El Alamein that I will never share with the world. It's interesting though

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

One of my great-grandfathers went off on the Alaskan gold rush, leaving his wife and kids behind.

[Simfan34]

My grandfather owned, among other things, a movie theatre, a Cadillac, and a Mercedes-Benz. This was in Ghana. He was also a polygamist.

My other grandfather was an accountant, now retired. He still wears three piece suits. Back in the good old days, Haile Selassie gave my mother a banknote (with his picture on it of course) while driving around town as he often did.

[Indy Texas]

Not pre-1950 but still rather odd: My grandmother had a feud for several years with the Romanian Olympic gymnastics coach Béla Károlyi when they lived across the street from each other in the Houston suburbs. Károlyi often had visitors whose cars would block other people's driveways and when my grandmother would try to resolve the issue, he would be extremely brusque and condescending. At one point, this ended in my grandmother calling him an "ignorant foreigner" and telling him to "go back to [his] own country."

[Antonio the Sixth]

My great grandparents ran away from Mussolini

My grandfather fought for Mussolini.

[Flake]

When my grandfather (or great grandfather) came to the U.S., he got lost from his parents and a nice couple took him in, unfortunately he only spoke German so they had to guess his last name from what he was saying. My grandfather lived in an orphanage for most of his childhood, he was given up when he was three because of the great depression. Same grandfather also fought in the Korean war. (I've been noticing my family's history is pretty depressing).

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

My great grandfather invented the helicopter

[politicus]

My great grandfather invented the helicopter

Impressive!

It is one of those inventions where it is very difficult to ascribe the invention to a single person.
Enrico Forlanini, Ján Bahýl, Jacques & Louis Breguet and Paul Cornu are all possible bids depending on how close to the modern helicopter you will accept as the invention. At least Forlanini is too early to be your great grandfather.

Which one of them is it?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

My great great grandmother was a moonshiner in WV.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

My grandpa's grandpa had a cow at his farm in Mexico, and during the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa and a few other revolutionaries stole it

Pancho Villa = FF

[ilikeverin]

I had some distant relatives who were chicken thieves.  A relative a bit closer to me was a diplomat in Italy at the outbreak of World War II; he was arrested and later escaped and joined the Italian Resistance.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'm also descended from Spencer Compton's brother by the way.

[Sol]

I have some folks who fought for the US in the Revolution back in my family tree. Not that I hold that particular branch in high esteem; they were planters and slaveowners and later fought for the CSA.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

My great-great-great-grandfather killed his wife and then himself.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

My Iowan grandpa, who became a foreman at the age of 13 before becoming a contractor, was a drunkard hedonist musician during the 1930s. He played in Count Bassie's band more than a few times and was exposed to marijuana as a result. I have no idea if he ever smoked it but he thought it was benign and never had a "Greatest Generation" mentality about it.

I'm bummed that my grandpa died before I was born . Apparently, he was a really esoteric guy who loved arguing about politics, flying gargantuan model airplanes and jazz.

[badgate]

[retromike22]

When my grandfather (or great grandfather) came to the U.S., he got lost from his parents and a nice couple took him in, unfortunately he only spoke German so they had to guess his last name from what he was saying.

Did he ever find his parents?

[Flake]

When my grandfather (or great grandfather) came to the U.S., he got lost from his parents and a nice couple took him in, unfortunately he only spoke German so they had to guess his last name from what he was saying.

Did he ever find his parents?

No

[retromike22]

When my grandfather (or great grandfather) came to the U.S., he got lost from his parents and a nice couple took him in, unfortunately he only spoke German so they had to guess his last name from what he was saying.

Did he ever find his parents?

No

That must have been so horrible for both him and his parents I wonder if there would be a way to find his siblings' descendants, so you could find some long lost cousins.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

My great-great-great grandparents moved from New York State to California, likely by covered wagon, probably for the gold rush. And then moved back a couple of decades later, after my great-great grandmother was born. 

[Torie]

My Dad's uncle was very athletic, and became a stuntman in silent films when they were made on Long Island. He decided that he could direct the pot boiler Westerns better than the guys doing it were, and became a director, and followed the film industry to Hollywood.  He ended up directing over 400 films. He got my Dad's older brother a cameraman job in Hollywood, and he went on to became famous in special effects, but that is another story. And that ultimately led to my Dad moving to LA from NYC. One thing leads to another.

Oh I found a pic of the guy online. He looks remarkably like my Dad did at the about the age the photo was taken. They are clearly related.