You know you're the oldest when---

[Mobuck]

People start sending you old pictures for you to help identify.
Couple of days ago, Grouch Attack got a picture on her phone from one of my cousins who's doing some family history stuff. No date, background, or other context beyond two young men in work clothes and straw hats. One is unmistakably my Dad but the other's face is shaded and the pic is faded. Is it my Uncle(the questioning person's Dad) or someone else? I guesstimated it is my Uncle but not THAT Uncle after using a magnifying glass and strong light. Talking to my "Pseudo Son" (his Sister is the one with the pic) yesterday, we scraped enough family history together aided by my marginal computer search skills to determine that my original guesstimate was the most likely answer.
Since neither of my surviving aunts retain full mental capacity, I have become by default, the "go to guy" of the family. I've been the oldest male carrying the surname for almost 2 decades and by family custom, I'm consulted for things like family re-unions and such. This position will pass to Tom as he's the oldest Son of the oldest Son etc. There are many cousins older than myself but that "oldest Son" thing takes precedence (or used to).
In the old days, my Grandfather (and his Father before him) sat at the head of any family table where he ate. At family re-unions, everyone acknowledged him first as they entered and last as they left. This doesn't happen anymore but I can generally expect to be greeted by every family member at any family function I attend. The Mothers bring the babies by for a look and the girls (usually) drag any beaus past for an introduction.
I doubt this tradition survives much longer which is sad. Not unexpected in a time when folks send their DNA off to tell them who their ancestors were.

 

[Pat-inCO]

I had one of those epiphany moments several years back. I was going over
several of the scrap books my mother left when she passed and there were
multiple pictures I had to think over to remember who some of the people
were (I was the not even teen age, snot nose kid there). Made pencil notes
on the back of several of them.

Since I am the eldest of sixteen cousins and the latter half of those have
probably not seen the pictures, it seemed a good idea.

Even included one picture of me, coming out of a church, on the day that
my youngest uncle was getting married (he and my newest Aunt were the
subject of the picture).

Yup, you know you are the oldest when . . . . . 8)

 

[bogus bill]

I had a gr, gr, grandfather in the civil war. I have only seen two pictures of him and one was when he was very old with a white beard. Another of him is I believe this one. It was on his farm off a very large picture with about ten mostly men and a couple women gathered together as a thrashing crew using a old stem tractor. I had my wife blow it up and just crop him out of it. I have another picture that I always thought was him and his wife and showed it somewhere but someone told me the way he is dressed at the time couldnt have been him as he would have been much older for the type cloths and photography as the guy looks about 30 in the photo but in that era having been a civil war vet he should be like 65 in the photo. Still, I have a picture of my mom sitting on her gr grandmothers lap and the two pictures appear to be the same woman. Anyway here is the one I am the most sure about.

https://s19.postimg.cc/tpeaedzgj/great_great_grandfater_thumbnail_1225161713-1_resized.jpg

 

[Fox Mike]

I can understand the frustration. I am the 'old guy' in the family and I have a gazillion old photos. My brother and I were looking at some and I too got a "Who is that?" question more than once. Found one of my granddad by his home in St Pete. He, his wife (not my real grandma), one of the wife's daughters, and ??
Neither of us had a clue and nothing on the back.

 

[opos]

My Mother's great aunt was Harriett Beecher Stowe..the author that wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin...We have several younger women in our family and they wanted to know a bit about our geneology (I know little back past my Grand Parents) so I started to talk to them about the Stowe "connection"..My Mom's Mom was Maude Stowe and there were some close family ties with an "aunt Hattie" that was HBS's daughter or niece (don't recall)...seems the younger generation may be interested in geneology but I found that as soon as it had anything to do with racial tensions they just lost interest...What a shame that younger folks today would just like to turn their backs on the realities of the past...

 

[bogus bill]

Kids/younger people usually aren't interested in genealogy or old people until they approach old age themselves, and not so much even then. A big factor I think that adds to it, is the fact the country has went "politically correct". It`s purposelessly drummed into us "Race" means nothing, and if it does, they try to put a guilt trip on you it just means you are a raciest! On top of that, now about half the younger population are children of divorce where usually their stepdad, IF they even have one isn't their "blood" and they get next to no family story's of their bloodline ancestors to generate any curiosity at all.

 

[Mobuck]

My family is a bit odd(?) in that I'm my Father's only child (he didn't marry until 33 years old & was 36 when I was born) BUT I have cousins who are old enough to be my parents(Dad's sisters married young) and several young enough to be my children(Dad's youngest brother's kids).
Must run in the family. Mom had an Uncle only a year older than she and I have a niece only 8 days younger than me.

 

[vito]

I'm so old that my grandfather was Adam!

 

[bogus bill]

I am older than my mother in law! I also got married late in life the first time. My daughter is 37.5 years younger than me. Wife (2nd) is almost 17 years younger. First one was 12 years younger. I cant imagine being married to someone almost as old as me. Who`s going to take care of me when I get old?

 

[Heliman]

I have been married 46 years. My wife's Grandfather was born before the Civil War. I am the oldest in my family now and the benefit is that I am first in line for our buffet style family dinners.

Dave

 

[toysoldier]

My dad's cousin married at about 40 to a woman who had two older girls. After they had both passed, members of both families got together at a big table and passed around the many unsorted, unidentified photos they had accumulated. We got most of them assigned, if not identified.

 

[bobski]

my mom wont identify some pics she has. im not asking why. some people may want to forget some things.