Martin and I are basically Time-Travelers

If you know us, you know that my brother and I are nerds at heart, so it might not surprise you that our text conversations are....unusual.  This morning we were discussing the incredible disparity between "typical" generation spans and our own family tree.

The average human generation is, apparently, 20-25 years. This would mean that for each century, there should be 4-5 generations in a family.  For the Cherry family, however, it's closer to 3 generations...not even kidding. Here's a side-by-side comparison.

Brough to you by the power of inquiring minds and the Ford Model- T


US                                                                                                   NORMAL
Henry O: Great-Great-Great Grandfather b. 1800                          Henry O. b. 1800  

James: Great-Great Grandfather b. 1832                                       James b.1825

Henry E: Great-Grandfather in 1869                                               Henry E. b. 1850  

Everett: Grandfather b.1908                                                            Everett b.1875
Martin Sr: Dad  b. 1948                                                                   Martin Sr. b. 1900

Martin: Brother b.1979                                                                    Martin b.1925

So....basically, according to "typical" generational models my brother and i should have been born around 1925??!?!?!?!?!? 

totally could have been us:
http://www.photoforager.com/archives/august-sander

no wonder i frequently feel old.  

1925:

The year The Great Gatsby was published

The year of the Scopes Trial

The year Mount Rushmore was dedicated

The first year of the Grand Ole Opry

The year Paul Newman, Malcolm X, Yogi Berra, Jack Lemmon, BB King, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Landsbury and Johnny Carson were born. 

I would hang out with them. That's alright. 

Seriously though, isn't it staggering, to imagine that our lives could have been so drastically different, without changing who* our ancestors are, just when they had kids.  It in interesting (to us, at least), to think about what impacts this had on who we have become.

Perhaps this explains why we are "old souls".... we should actually just BE old. 

Now, get off my lawn, you crazy kids with your rock and roll.

*ok, ok, ok. I know. Technically, this wouldn't work because it's ignoring half of each generation (the moms), let alone our own mother's side of the family.